The National leader. [volume], April 17, 1922, Image 6

About The National leader. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1921-1923

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
HE North Dakota and Minnesota con
ventions of the Nonpartisan league
and their labor allies were held on
schedule within a week of each other.
In both states a full set of candidates
for state office were named, and new
state committees elected to have charge of the
League and its organization work. Both conven
tions adjourned in harmony and enthusiasm, though
there was a "hard internal fight in the North Dakota
meeting at the outset, and some differences of opin
ion at the Minnesota, conventions. The League in
both states, however, enters the campaigns this
year with a united front with a good chance of
political victory.
In North Dakota, a split on the farmers' state
committee which has been handling League affairs
for the last year caused a warm battle before the
convention met, and a warmer one on the conven
tion floor. The majority of the committee of five,
led by Senator A. A. Liederbach, chairman, had
taken control of the Fargo Courier-News, the
League daily paper at Fargo, was waging a battle
with the minority of the committee, and was at
tacking A. C. Townley, national president, and his
leadership of the organization.
The minority on the committee was supporting
Mr. Townley and was for con
tinued co-operation with the
national organization under his
leadership. The majority of
the committee claimed it held
over and no new committee
could be elected by this con
vention.
The majority of the com
mittee had originally attacked
Mr. Townley's proposed plan
of the farmers using the
League as a "balance of
power," instead of having
straight out-and-out League
candidates put up, as in the
past. For various reasons Mr.
Townley believed that the
"balance of power" plan held
out the most hope for political
success this year. But he had
announced some time before
the convention convened in
North Dakota that he had be
come convinced that the bal
ance plan could not be success
ful without more nearly unani
mous sunpsrt for it among
Leaguers, and that it seemed
impossible in the short time
before the active campaign
opened to get that sort of sup
port for it. He added that he
believed the farmer-labor
movement would ultimately
have to come to that plan, but
that he had abandoned any
idea of presenting it- or urging it either at the
North Dakota or Minnesota conventions.
NORTH DAKOTA CONVENTION
FINALLY AGREED WITH TOWNLEY
Hence the "balance of power" plan had been re
moved as an issue before the North Dakota conven
tion met, but the majority faction on the state
committee just the same demanded a showdown
and a vote of confidence, and the feeling on both
sides of the committee and in the convention was
tense and bitter when the session opened. The
minority of the state committee and its friends,
while also opposed to the "balance of power" plan,
supported Mr. Townley, wanted to continue his
leadership of the national organization and severe
ly criticized the majority for its handling of the
League state affairs, and for the partial defeat of
the League in the recall campaign.
This was the situation when the North Dakota
convention met. The delegates were about evenly
divided in regard to this internal fight, and it seem-"
ed as though an open breach in the League would
be brought about no matter which faction of the
committee gained a majority vote in the convention.
The minority of the committee, however, offered to
resign, in the interests of harmony, if the majority
"I Am Starving for
Want of Food"
Farmers' Tickets Named in Two States
North Dakota and Minnesota Conventions of the Nonpartisan League and
Labor Held—Enthusiasm Marks Opening of the Campaigns
of the committee would do likewise, to permit the
election of an entirely new committee. Also in the
interests of harmony, Mr. Townley announced that
as soon as the national committee of the League
could be assembled he would present his resignation
as national president. He did not want his person
ality to be as issue, or any fight made over his
leadership to work for disruption of the organiza
tion. But Mr. Townley advised that an entirely
new state committee be elected to handle the North
Dakota organization in the future.
To make a long story short, the convention finally
agreed with Mr. Townley. The. plea of the majority
members of the committee that they held over for
another year was not sustained, and an entirely new
committee, composed of members who had not
taken part in the fight between the factions of the
state committee, was elected.
Mr. Townley's action in eliminating himself saved
the day for harmony. The convention before ad
journing passed a resolution thanking him and
praising him for his work in the League. A full
state ticket was'indorsed and the meeting ended in
a fine spirit of harmony and enthusiasm, with
everybody convinced that the League will regain
at the election this year what it temporarily lost in
the recall campaign last October. The next day the"
In Europe, starvation. In America, farmers suffering because they have produced so much
food there is an oversupply and consequently starvation prices. This is
what those who have run the world have brought it to.
majority of the old state committee turned over
League affairs to the new committee and pledged
its support to the new management and to the can
didates indorsed at the convention.
The Dakota Leaguers indorsed Lynn J. Frazier,
recalled as governor by a small vote last fall, for
United States senator to succeed Porter J. McCum
ber, whose term expires. This puts the Independent
Voters' association in a difficult position. The I. V.
A. can hardly indorse McCumber for re-election be
cause he belongs to a faction of the Republican
party which the I. V. A. has been bitterly fighting.
On the other hand the I. V. A. can hardly consist
ently indorse former Senator A. J. Gronna, who is
also a candidate for the place. Gronna openly
sought the indorsement of the League convention
and was backed f$r the indorsement by the ma
jority faction of the old state League committee, in
spite of the fact that he had campaigned against
the League candidates in last fall's l^call election.
Townley and the national executive committee won
out in the convention in having Gronna turned
down in favor of Frazier.
Under these conditions the chances are fine that
the first League governor of any state in the Union,
Frazier, will go to the United States senate from
North Dakota as the associate of Senator Ladd,
PAGE SIX
"Food I Produce Is a Drug
on the Market"
—Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris.
Leaguer, already tkere. The other candidates in
dorsed by the North Dakota convention are as fol
lows:
Congressmen: P. A. Moeller, Enderlin, first dis
trict John Sherman, Steele, second district James
H. Sinclair, Kenmare, third district.
Governor: B. F. Baker, Glenburn.
Lieutenant governor: E. A. Bowman of Kulm.
Secretary of- state: H. H. Aaker, Grand Forks.
State auditor: D. C. Poindexter, Jamestown.
State treasurer: Obert Olson, Bowman.
Insurance commissioner: S. A. Olsness, Bismarck.
Commissioner of agriculture and labor: W. J.
Church, York.
Attorney general: Peter Garberg, Hettinger.
Superintendent.of public instruction: Miss Fan
ny Amidon, Valley City.
Railroad commissioners: Frank Milhollan, Bis
marck C. W. McDonald, Bismarck Fay Harding,
Braddock.
Justices of supreme court: R. H. Grace, Bis
marck M. J. Englert, Valley City George E. Wal
lace, Wahpeton.
The new North Dakota state committee is as fol
lows:
Senator W. J. Chuch, Senator Walter Welford,
Stephen Terhorst, A. A. Nattringly (representing
union labor) and Mrs. C. A.
Fisher.
MINNESOTA FARMERS
ALSO NAME TICKET
The Minnesota League con
vention assembled a week later
at Minneapolis. The state
labor convention was called at
the same time and met in a
separate hall. The predomi
nent sentiment from the start
was for a third party ticket,
rather than running farmer
labor candidates in the old
parties, or for the "balance
of power" plan. The two con
ventions appointed conference
committees. These met to
gether and as a result of the
adoption of their recommenda
tions by both conventions, the
following Minnesota ticket was
indorsed, to run under the ban
ner of the Farmer-Labor
party, which already has legal
standing in Minnesota:
For United States senator,
Henrik Shipstead, twice candi
date for governor of the farm
er-labor forces, who was de
feated by only a small margin
in 1920. He will oppose Sena
tor Kellogg, Harding leader,
who voted to repeal the excess
profits tax and to lower 'the
tax on millionaire incomes.
The Democratic candidate is Mrs. Peter Olesen, but
the fight will be between Shipstead and,Kellogg.
Mrs. Olesen is conceded on all sides to have little
chance of making inroads in the anti-Kellogg vote.
For governor the farmer-labor forces indorsed
Magnus Johnson, farmer and co-operative leader,
League member of the state senate.
For lieutenant governor, G. T. Lindsten, labor
alderman of Minneapolis.
For state auditor, Mrs. Eliza Evans Deming.
For state treasurer, Mrs. Susie Stageberg.
For secretary of state, Miss Lily Anderson.
For attorney general, Benjamin Drake.
For railroad and warehouse commissioner, W. W.
Royster.
For supreme court justice, George Siegel.
For clerk of the supreme court, Miss Victoria
McAlmon.
There was a minority sentiment in both the
farmier and labor conventions for co-operation with
the Democrats to beat the Republican machine of
the state, many believing that unless all forces op
posed to the* present machine rule of the state
united, the progressives couldn't win. This senti
ment got as far as conferences between farmer
labor and Democratic leaders, but no satisfactory
arrangement could be made and it will be a three-