The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 13, 1916, Page 4

g T S e ERTR GRS L ‘@l need finding its expression through an organization that is mevel in B D% FOUR et i e they do, they have no hatred for this “reverend” individual, but pity for his political vacillation,/ He is indeed a pitiable figure. We do not suppose that the man has lost all understanding -of what honor means. He must have conscierce left, and how his -conscience must have tortured him and how his soul must have writhed when he came with smiling and deceitful face upon that treacherous errand—unless his apparent change of heart has taken place since his interview with the League’s officers. He cannot even now enjoy the work he is engaged in. No man with his training could enjoy it. He has labeled his publication progressive and perhaps he has aimed to be so. He has championed national issues that are truly progressive and in things remote he has stood for the rights of the Dpeople of the United States as against the powers that prey, against -evil and oppression. : But on matters that come close to home apparently he has been forced to sell his soul. He has adopted the faulty slogan that “a newspaper must be run to meet its payroll.” He has chosen the -easy way to do it. Not the brave way; nor the manly way; not the progressive way; not the honest way—judging by his actions he ‘was not morally strong enough for that. His instinet is to do right but he has not the courage. If there is any straight and narrow path in this world that a strong man ought to take is it not the path which leads t6 the right ~ THE NONPARTISAN LEADER of the people even against a host of enemies? If there is a broad and eaéy way that leads to damnation is it not the road of syco- phancy, the road of service for the powers that prey, the road where bank’accounts are no problem and the only mortgage that is for,e- closed is the mortgage on the soul? _ But neither Guild nor the Courier-News are issues in the cam- paign. It is important only that the strings through which the thing is ivorkedf-shbuld be shown. It is important that the people of the state should-know that Hanna and the forces with whem he is in league are back of the fight on the falmers" organization. Hanna himself"is not the main power, He owns his masters. The political affairg’of North Dakota have been dictated, not from Bismarck or from Fargo, bt from Minneapolis;"St. Paul, Chicago and even New York, Just as the commanding general in modern warfare has his headquarters'far behind the lines, often hundreds of miles away from the scene of battle, so do Alex }rl\/‘({(.:Kenzie and the men with whom he has traffic direct affairs from-a-distance. Among those whe- gathered and held secret tonclave in that Minot hotel last week were those who will make their report to St. Paul, to the Chicago stock yards.or.to.Wall.street. ..These.are the staff officers of the generals of Big Business. They regard Ha}nna with his petty enmities and Guild with his comic this-way-and-that- way little publication as but-puppets -of greater or less impeortance in the game—as in fact they are. . .. ' The Equity Society and thén’*liéé}gtie‘ (Editerial in Cooperators’ Herald, official organ of The more or less esteemed Courier-News is greatly exercised.o_ver; the faci; that it sees in the nornpartisan movement a scheme to set ‘class against ‘class, at least a perusal of the editorial and doctored news columns of. that sheet would lead one to think the editor saw dire things shead because of what h_é calls a class movement. 5 ; We opine that the “revevend” Courier-News knows a great deal better than to believe any such thing and that its editor is making one of his well- known grand stand appeals in the interests of the men who have political and ‘business favors to hand out to the newspaper which is “good” in its attitude toward “Big Business.” k Let us see just what is transpiring in North Dakota at rt,his‘moment.,” A great wave of nenpartisan sentiment is sweeping over the state; possibly it would be better to call it anti-Hannaism than nonpartisanism, fer’in its last analysis the splendid showing which the membership of the Nonpartisan League is making in due to a tremendeus revolt against the kind of ‘politics which the present incumbent of the Governor’s cchair has played; a pevolf against Hanna, his appointees, the officials elected.through ithe exercige ‘of his; political power and the grotesquely unbusinesslike conduct of affairs ofistate| by this self-dubbed “business administration.” b1ty The movement began when that wonderful agitator and exposer of iwrohvg; e George S. Loftus, the man who now lies ill and broken as a resullt.fof'-his marvelous fight against the “big business gang” of which the Hanna admin- istration is the pelitical expression, read the rollcall at Bismarck. Then was -exposed the rotten spectacle of a legislature betraying the people of “North Dakota at the behest of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and its dllied gang of political and business pirates. Led by Hanna and Hanma’s creatures That legislature sounded the death knell of the old order in North Dakota. To the everlasting credit of the Equity society it will always be remembéred. the Nerth Daketa union, Americap Society of Equity. that that organization had the vision and the courage to begin a battle for _ political regeneration that has since developed into the Nonpartisan-League. The Equity as an economic organization could hardly be expected to take up and carry on a political propaganda.. It began.the fight and the sturdy patriots who make up its ranks have never, faltemd in their loyalty to"th‘e organization even when its activities ran counter to their political friendships and prejudices. They saw that a great work was at hand; that the Equity organization had sensed its necessity, had exposed. the conditions and the men responsible for a political situation almost without parallel; they stood with the Equity at the expense of lifelong friendships-and the desire for a change grew Wwith a tremendous sweep that would not be denied. The result is today a farmers’ political organization of unlieatd_ of growth and unquestioned - power, separate and distinet from the Equity, officered and directed by differ- ent men, but whose rank and file is made up. of the same element of citizen- ship that has made the Equity a power;.the sterling, unpurchaseable farmers = .of North Dakete: : Neither movement is a class mévemént as the Courier-News would Have its readers believe. The farmers have not. been. organized as a class:against other classes; neithgtfph'asel of the movement finds its inspiration in any such idea: The farmer has been made class conscious, taught that his class must be organized ag other classes have organized to promote their welfare; he has ~had pointed outto him the fact that as an iselated individual he is helpless— while @s an organized class'the farmers will secure justice=~that is all. : " The Courier-News need have little fear that the farmers will organize for any but legitimate purposes. Its tendernéss foi: Hanna and his gang blinds its vision to the real ‘spirit of the movement.:--¥tis not'inits real purpose the organization of one class against other classes but. the..organization of one class in an attempt to drive out from power an element. that has blighted all classes with which it has come in contact, the “Big Busifess” political” gang that now controls affairs in this state. .. S : An Independfiéfif Newspaper’s Oplmon (Editorial in the Devils Lake Journal) No North Dakota political movement of tle present. generation has at- tracted such attention as is just new being given to the movement undertaken ;. by the Nonpartisan League. In the coming June and November campaigns ‘the ‘Nonpartisan voting strength bids fair to be ‘the most important single rolitical factor to be reckoned with. Naturally both the politicians and -the people of the state are greatly interested in it. B - Thus far there are two striking features connected with the campaign of the League—first, the tremendous success of the organization in securing a membership of almost fifty thousand North Dakota voters; secondly, the ,exceedingly bitter campaign launched against the League by the stalwart politicians and corporation press of the state. Both of these features have in them foed for refiection. : In the first place the tems of thousands of members secured by the Lieague lear silent testimony to a condition which cannot be glossed over by the most persistent sophistry of the stalwart press. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE, PARTICULARLY ‘THE FARMERS, ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH OUR PRESENT STATE GOVERNMENT. THE DISSATISFACTION IS WIDE- “SPREAD, SINCERE AND TREMENDOUS. It is the result of years of rule by the standpat state machine, a machine which has cleverly, persistently ~and as secretly ‘as possible, attempted to influence legislation, control officials, ‘and direct public sentiment along “safe and sane” lines. ‘Whenever the inter- ~ests of the people have clashed with the interests of ‘the financial, railroad or -~'grain interests, which back the ‘stalwart Republican machine, the machine has - stood solidly with the interests. It has delayed, denied and defeated-a sguare : ~deal, and under it our state governmental machinery has been brought into ;play to crush the first great cooperative farmers’ movement of the northwest. These things have finally sunk home. They are today known and under- stood by tens of thousands of North Dakota voters. They are fundamentally . responsible for the Nonpartisan League. They have made possible its organ- ization on such a large scale. No movement of this kind can spring from mothing. Back of it must be an issue which takes hold of men, which ‘forces them to band together for a common purpose, and which leads them into a fight to assert their rights against the political system which has denied their srights. In forming an estimate of the causes, ‘purposes, and personnel of the “Nonpartisan League, these things should bé borne in mind. There is sin- cerity in the affair, there is honest citizenship in it. ‘Back of it all is a real . its size and aggressiveness. Such a movén?entlcg'p be misled. It can be made ~futile by the poor judgment-and selfishness’ of iés leaders. But it cannot .stopped by ridicule, by unfair attacks, or by the power &f toney. Pos - s&Lhe second feature of the League’s campaign—the bitter attacks upon it made by the corporation press—is of special significance. The fact that the -stalwart daily press attacks'a proposition is prefty isare to make the dverage man through the state think that here is somehing good about the: propesition to begin with. From past experience the people of the state have learned that the corporation press does not fight for the people. - They have found “out that “tie corporation press only bestirs itself when some force is at Work against ‘the interests of the masters of the corporation press, the railroads, “the grain concerns and certain financial interests. The sudden concern shown by the corporation press for the benighted farmer whe stands %o lose the magnificent sum of $6.00 or $9.00 through the League, mskes the average farmer suspicious-of the motives of the’corporation press and more-and more inclined to believe that his money has gone for a good purpose. He knows that, if in this instance the corporation press is sincere, then it is the first time such a state of things has exised. He has seen the' corporation press’ sit idly by while an unrighteous toll of.millions each year have been taken from the farmer. He has seen the eorpor@'on press appealed to repeatedly to assist in fighting the battle of the farmer and he knows that such appeals have been in 'vain. Hence this sudden concern for his welfare is greeted with suspicion, distrust and hostility, It has an effect exactly opposite-to what is intended, for it results in the fammer»goih@':along with the League more sincerely and wheleheartedly than ‘before. i+ Sy : We, of course, do not pretend to know the full plans and purpeses and methods of the League. ~We do know that North Dakota has long needed some such an organizationto rally the strength of the real people. of the state. We do know thaf there are ‘Yion. We do know that IF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE ENDANGERED THE GRIP OF THE meNE ON' NORTH DAKOTA’S GOVERNMENT THE CORPORATION PRESS WOULD ATTACK THE ‘LEAGUE IN JUST THE MANNER IT%4S NOW ATTACKIN® IT. Our conclusion is that it does endanger the grip of the machine, that~the people of the state have more t have to trust the counsels of the corpération press which is now so solicifous of 2 the farmers’ welfare and so hostile ‘o this new farmers’ organization.;” - = evils crying for vigorous and salutary ac- reason to trust the efforts of thousands éf farmers over the state ‘than they