The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 27, 1916, Page 5

ISMARCK, April 22.—Did you ever see a bunch of scared rabbits? Did you ever see them scurrying hither and thither, pounding their hind legs on the ground, and watch them turning their big ears to the four winds, try- ing to get the dope on what was going to hit them and from which direction it was comiing? This is a picture of the Notth Dakota politicians at the bresent moment. The politicians aré as scared a bunch’ of rabbits as you ever saw and all because the farmers have decided to take a little hand themselves in the' political game. Just a little harmless proposition like that has got ’em all fussed up and running about like locoed ponies. Bismarck is the seat of government of North'Dakota. It is also the seat of the politicians, and somebody has put a tack on the chair. Bismarck is the political dope factory of the state. From here the “undergrounds” lead out in every direction. Bismarck is always agitated by politics and they know everything heré as soon as it happens, if not before. To an observeér Bismarck is a mighty inter- esting place right now. And the one big, absorbing topic is the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League of North Dakota. To these politicians in and out of office there is just one serious piece of business to be atténded to and that is the defeat of the Le%ifie and its candidates. "They are %inding it a very discouraging task. In fact they have been progressing back- wards in it. Alex McKenzie has come up from St. Paul, thrown u his hands in despair and departed. FRAINE SPOILS PLAN BY¥ STAYING IN RACE "~ Alex conferred here with Gunder Olson, recently elected Republican national committeeman. It = was "~ agreed that for every office for which the Nonpartisan League has a can- didate in the coming Republican primaries, only one man should oppose the League’s man. This, of course, was' the obvious conclusion; the :op- position to the League in the case of every office must be centered in one man, so as not to scatter the votes which will oppose the fariners’ ticket. Before Alex McKenzie was called in a plan like this had been defeated at the very top of the ticket, in the case of the most important office. Lieu- tenant Governor Fraine; Stalwait candidate for governor, the man the powers-that-be decided should - be withdrawn from the race for govern- or, in order that a clear field could be given Burdick against Lynn J. Fra- zier, the League’s candidate, flatly refuses to withdraw. “Not much,” says Fraine, “let Burdick withdraw and give ME a clear field against Frazier, as I am the strongest candidate to oppose the League’s man.” : They didn’t even consider Plaza Smith, the other candidate in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. They seem to think Smith can be pulled out at any time through substantial support for his papers that aré fighting' the League. But Smith' may fool them. But what was the plan Alex Me- Kenzie formed after all the politicians had poured this sad story into his ear? Of course it was all done be- hind closed doors, but an authoritative version of it is this: All present can- didates opposing the League’s candi- date for governor in the Republican primaries should be withdravn and a -dark horse substituted on'whom Pro- gressive: Republicans, Bull Moosers and Stalwarts alike can center their support. Who should this man be? Why, none other than Gunder Olson himself. Thus, rumor hath: it, did Alex: McKenzie décide: - So- far this lan- to withdraw Fraine and leave %hrdick in the field aloné to: oppose Frazier. So the: pdliticians are “still jumping: sideways. “What to do? what to do?” they cry. Besides this there is another com- plication looming for these poor poli- ticians. General Tommy Poole, he of the Personal Liberty league, is said to have threatened to again trot.out the resubmission _candidate, John Wishek, if either Burdick or Olson are ' given the field alone - against Frazier. SPLIT FARMERS’ VOTE 1S OPPOSITION’S 'PLAN The strength of the Nonpartisan The politicians in and out of office and the powers-that-be in t R A T League is no longer underestimated. he commercial < world who to _the state con- ab THE NONPARTISAN LEADER # - State Capital Boils With Politics; New Plans Formed to Fight League What They Are Up To On this page the Leader presents a news story of the political situ- ation at the present moment, as gathered by an observer at Bismarclk. It shows what the opposition to‘the farmers’ program is up to. A desperate effort is being made to thin out the candidatés on the Republican ticket for governor, so that the oppssition to Lybn J. Frazier, the farmers’ man, can be céntered in one man, Burdick, Fraine or Olson, or perhaps a dark horse yet to'be seleeted. This effort so far has dis. mally failed and the opposition to the League is up in the air The hardest fight next to the goveriiorship is going to Le to capture the senate. Only about half the senators are to be elected this fall. The rest are holdovers and the politi¢ians believe thay can be counted upon to oppose the farmers’ program. They need to elect only a few senators, therefore, to control the upper house and block farmers’ bills. While conceding the farmers will get a majority of the kouse, the gang believes it can capture the senate. Efforts have been made to influence men who have been indorsed by the League to repudiate that indorsement. So far this trick also has failed. Tom Hall, candidate for secretary of state, is one of the League candidates-so-approached and-he emphatically told the political manipu-- lators who apoproached him where to head in. 1t is already evident that a hu ge political fund is going to be con- tributed to fight the League. It is going to be many times bigger than any sum the farmers can‘raise to put over their program. .. It comes from a high and'reliable source that some of this money is going to be spent to put 50'to- 100" automobiles in the field in a campaign involving a personal-catf by gani . reépresentatives on every farmer voter in the state. If carried-out:t i5-wonld be to spread the poison of distrust in the League and t& shuke the conifidénce of the farmers in their organ-' ization and leadership: Sonte sueh’ plan as this, the old gang thinks, is the only way to split the faymer vete, for if it is net split the League ticket and program will win; "NOTICE DONT MONKEY WITH THE & 14 \ ) LITICcAL Folopes - ‘time the farmers havé ever stuek: to- gether and- really had® a chance to control the politics of the state and fill ‘the offices from: governor down. A few things stand out prominently in-the present situation: G 1t is going to be a gigantic strug- gle, with the farmers on one side and all the: otherinterests -on the other. No other conceivablé lineup is possible. The farmer's: have. their organization and the funds they have contributed to carry on the fight, and they have the votes to'win if they stick together- to the last, : 3 The other side will have a caumgn fund that will make the farmers’ con- tribution to their cause look like a drop 'in the bucket. They will put up at once five to ten times as- much money as the farmers have and their fund to fight the farm- ers’ ticket will be inexhaustible. They have on their side practically every office holder and their heneh- men. S * They have all' the -professional vRead the s ‘Journal. This would -has f“abolished antago! He Didn’t Know It Had tory in this isswe abowt Kelly and- the Devils Lake . political’ agent of the Great Northern railroad and be dictator'is one of those with: whom the Hanna-Jimhill organ . ism” for the purpose of fighting the Teeth politicians with them and business, big and"little, which has been making money through a crooked alliance with- men in office and politicians out of office. . They have with them all those who find present political and economic conditions profitable and who feel that a farmers’ administration will make farming. more profitable and the business of those who farm the farm- er’ less profitable, S They have with' them all who are satisfied with the' conditions:' which farmers themselves have found intolerable. Last of all they have a majority of the pr@ss and they have great hopes that this will be their biggest asset of all.~ But this: opposition to the farmers has not got the votes and they know it. So their sole hopé‘is to split the farmers’ vote, at the same time solid- ifying their own' votés which 'they know” they -can’ control. ‘They must s FIVB its at Bismarck scatter the farmer vote and keep their own vote intact to win. Leaders among the old gang have passed out the word that the prin- cipal fight must be made on the gov- ernorship and on the senate. They practically concede the League’s ticket will win a majority of the seats in the state house of representatives. But they feel that by a hard fight they can win the senate, and if they do they can block all farmers’ legis- lation. They feel that the holdover members of the senate can be counted on almost to a man {o oppose farmers” measures, as they did in the last legis- lature, and that it will be necessary only to elect-a few more new senators faverable to their cause to control the upper branch of the legislature and pui a stop to the farmers’ program. Therefore the fight to defeat the farmers’ ticket for the senate is going to be the hardest onc next to the fight for the governorship, and the League, to be suecessful, must not slip up in electing: every man it has endorsed for this branch of the assembly. '.During Alex MeKenzie’s visite to Bismarck C. B. Little, part owner with McKenzie' of the Bismarck Tribune and receiver for that paper, was trot- ted out for the senate from Burleigh county. This is part of the plan to make a hard fight for control of the upper house. Little has been Mec- Kenzxe’s_ financial agent at Bismarck, is president of the First National banlk and believed to be strong ambng the city voters—so strong-that he can beat the' League’s candidate if only g small part of the Burleaigh county farimer vote can be'swite farmer - candidate: TRhig: same 3 will be carried out by thé’ League op«' position in other counties where: sefic. ators- are to be elected this fall; A concerted effort' has been made by the old gang politicians to in- fluence some of the men indorsed by the League to repudiate the League inderscment. This, like the effort to withdraw Fraine or Burdick from the race for governor, has been a dismal failure 5o far. Secretary of State Tom Hail was one of those approach- ed with the proposition that Le ro- pudiate the farmers’ indorsement. “They told me,” said Mr. Hall, “that I had a better chance without the Leagueé’s indorsement. They used various arguments and promised various kinds of support if I would give up the League’s support. The ague’s indorsément came to me un- solicited on my part and I consider it the greatest honor I ever had. I could not have a better asset in this campaign than the approval of 85,000 farmers of my candidacy. I intend to live up to the confidence in me these farmers have and it will be a cold day when any kind of promises or influences can bring me to throw away this honor that has been given me. These fellows have another guess coming.” MAY COPY LEAGUE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN BY AUTO . Rumors are rife at Bismarck in regard to what the opposition to the farmers is going to do with the big political funds at its disposal to de- feat the farmers’ program. It comes from a high officeholder in the state that a part of this money is going to be spent in putting 50 to 100 auto- mobiles in' the field very soon to cover the whole state, calling on every farmer voter possible before the June primaries and seeking to sow seds-of distrust'in the Leagué and its leaders. This® is' ote ‘obvious life of attack, The' farmers must be mads to" lose" confideviee: in" their organiza- tion' and: its> leadership if their vote is to'besenttered. If the farmer vole . is‘niot’ scattered or: alienated froma iha League ‘ticket, the fariers are going to wini: ~A‘campaign of misrepreseént- tation about the League and its pur- poses: and’ concerning its leadership and the" way the fatmers’ little po- pt{cal contributions have been spent, it.is believed-by these men; will work wonders in_splitting: the farmer vot- ing strength. They believe that such a campaigh will 'have more forvee if brought personally to the farmer through the automobile plan. This plan'may not bé carried out but mem- bers of the League believe it wise to be prepared for it * The gang is defeated on every side so far. It is up against something new ‘and it is panic stricken.: Its planis 'so far have been blocked and' it doesn’t - know what to do next. But the gang is not through. It is going to fight all' the harder because of these defeats so far. It may play its bes } - the pri- - The fight i wyon: R RS o i RS