The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 27, 1916, Page 8

g ¥ s gy EIGHT A Report to Headquarters ferences ever held in the Big Boss’ headquarters took place last week. It was a meeting that may have much to do with North Da- kota politics this year. : Some weeks ago Crafty planned and launched a great newspaper at- tack on the Nonpartisan League. Some papers that under other man- agement had been known as clean publications were secretly enrolled. These papers had been assured that their pressing obligations and debts would be taken care of. Certain guttersnipe reporters had been pres- sed into service to cook up a lot of fallacious fabrications and stir up a concoction of malicious falsehoods on some moral issues, like temperance ONE of the most interesting con- and religion, and supply it to these. papers. The papers used this stuff in plentiful quantities. Instead of burying the farmers’ organization under this avalanche of mud the mountain toppled the other way and piled back on the heads of those who prepared it. It was the failure of this attack that caused the meeting referred to. Those present at the meeting included Crafty, Slipry, Dodger and nearly a -dozen newspaper editors throughout the state. Most of the editors repre- sented small weekly papers but rep- resentatives of at least three dailies were present and one or two semi- weeklies. For the past four weeks these papers had done laborious work in the service of the gang and had met to replenish their supply of munitions and plan for the future. Munitions, such as were used, were plentiful, but the wherewithal - to procure said munitions with and to make up finan- cial shortages caused by fast declin- ing subscription lists was much needed. BLACK HAND EDITORS .REPORT TO THEIR MASTER - After examining' each one present and determining that he possessed the grip and password of this Back Hand Organization of Character Assassins, Crafty closed and locked the door, pulled down the blinds and turned on the light. 3 “Gentlemen,” he said, squinting at his listeners with beady eyes, “reports turned in by our sewer searchers and garbage collectors do not indicate that you have been able to get the stuff across.” Several “gentlemen” flushed and be- came restless in their seats. . “Our men who trailed the meetings recently held by this fool farmer can- didate and his bunch of agitators, re- port that, from the standpoint of the farmers, the meetings were highly successful.. I want to know why in the devil you have not got better results. If this thing continues much longer we just as well—" “What more can we do?” exclaimed I. M. Guilty, editor of-the Cargo Daily Distorted Views, published in the eastern part of the state. ‘“Ever since the orders were given to charge I have not missed an issue that I did Bloom's Back tothe W | Devils Lake, N. D., April 25—The freedom of one of the few independent daily newspapers in North Dakota is at stake in what promises to be a more or less sensational issue between Colonel Joseph M. Kelly, president of the Farmers’ Grain & Shipping com- pany, and John H. Bloom, editor of the Devils Lake Journal. The word has gone forth that the Journal must- meet its financial obligations within 20 days or the paper will be seized. and its control taken from the present editor. o Bloom and his paper are well known throughout the state. It was the first and one of the only North Da- kota papers to come to the aid of the Equity movement, when defending a farmers’ movement of that kind was a pretty thankless and risky task. For his work in behalf of the Equity Bloom was made to suffer in many .ways. His paper was boycotted in financial ‘and business - circles. Con- ditions are 'such’ in the publication business that newspapers find it difficult to throw off the influence of werful advertisers = and money enders, for papers, like farmers, have to borrow money from time to time. But Bloom kept his paper: inde- pendent. He was ‘uninfluenced by '"7i THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Crafty Has a Session With His Most Faithful but Downhearted Mudslingers N. P. Dictagraph not land a broadsti;le. dI ha;ye taken every suggestion offered me. i Crafty drummed on the desk with fat fingers and looked puzzled. He I M. Guilty glanced invitingly around the room and asked if there were others who - had testimonies to give. 5 I. S. Inbad, editor of the Northern- er, was next to unburden his soul. He fumbled nervously with a lead pencil and then exclaimed: “I’'ve lost a lot of money in this dirty fight and I don’t see that I've Crafty and Ye Editors Ao gained a thing for anybody else— “Well, you've got paid for it, ain’t you?” growled Crafty. - g “But I don’t think what I got paid will overcome the loss I have suffered. Besides I have lost the prestige and Editor Nonpartisan Leader: GET BEHIND ALL THE CANDIDATES Number 29 is surely a banner number reputation of the paper. It was due to mistakes that your ‘guttersnipe sleuths’ made, too. > They turned in several statements in regard to some of these Nonpartisan League men, and I published them, which turned out to be untrue and I had to retract them. This weakenred my whole at- tack. My readers concluded that if I was wrong on ong thing I might be wrong on another. And . besides some of these League men were rep- resented as very black characters, when on the contrary they are men very highly estéered by all who know them.” T ! CRAFTY’S SPIES FAIL TO GET ANY RESULTS “That’s the"‘mistake you've made, Crafty,” injected Slipry, who had been listening closely to the discus- sion. “You paint these fellows as a lot of wild-eyed; anarchistic I. W. W.’s and excite the ‘people’s curiosity to see what they really .looked like: When they go outrand hear them they- are convinced that they are a-burch- of clean minded gentlemen. .. “You. have sent_your detectives after them, both men and women, to “try to rap them &nd fiot once have you caught one of them in an indis- that the discussion had drifted from the subject. He asked if any of the editors present had a suggestion to offer as to how to turn the tide of sentiment from the farmers’ organ- ization. Editor I. M. Guilty suggested that all the opposition forces should lay - aside minor differences and unite up- on some tolerably clean man for . governor—a man with a good repu- creet act. - You send. out reports that - they are ifi With the Pérsonal Liberty league and ‘with all the efforts of your _spies_you have not got one of -them to take a drop oi;_li@o‘}f:_ -You have charged them .with being free lovers and “you have thrown disreputable -women in their wday and set every conceivable trap for them and not one of them has nibbléd at the bait.” « Crafty rallied enough to suggest of the Leader, and I am reading it with interest and enthusiasm, sincere- ly wishing and hoping that our efforts will be crowned with glorious success that will prove to be a material blessing, not only to the farmers, but also to all the politician-ridden people of this state. -~ : You can bet I am going to support every indorsed candidate that I have a legal right to vote for. one solid body and our success will be as sure as the seasons of the year. —ALFRED KARLSON. 3 Let all of us Leaguers stick together as A Newspaper Friend of the Farmers in a Death Grapple With Big Business boycotts of Big Business in his fight -for the farmers. b * KELLY A JIM HILL MAN Kelly is also well known in North Dakota. The so-called “farmers” company - of which he is : president owns’ a railroad from Devils Lake north to Hansboro. But is it a farmers’ railroad? Let’s see. The report of the Great Northern railroad company to the railroad commission- ers of North Dakota for June 30, 1915, says the Great Northern railroad com- pany owns all the stock in the Bran- .- don, Devils Lake & Southern Rail- road company. Then it says that the Brandon, Devils Lake & Southern Railroad company owns 60% per cént .of the stock in the Farmers’ Grain - & Shipping ‘company. In plain- language, therefore, the Great Nor- * thern owns. a railroad which -owns over half the stock of the railroad of which Colonel "Kelly ‘is ‘president. The Great Northern controls this “farmers’” line to Hansboro. . So' it is a’ Great Northern repre- -sentative who is now engaged in “put- _ ting the-screws” on the editor of one “‘of "the few independent newspapers - s - Bloom, “one of the most fearle: in North Dakota. Colonel Kelly, be- sides. this connection with the Jim - Hill line, is an elevator magnate and reputed to be one of the business and political agents of the Great North- ern in this state. Fighting the battles for the Equity farmers is not the only thing Editor Bloom has done to get himself in bad with Big Business and which has made Big Business anxious to control his paper as it controls most of the daily press of the state. He has dared to print the truth about the Nonpartisan League, to give his read- .ers the facts regarding the greatest ‘political uprising of producers the state has ever seen. He has dared to give his readers plain facts in his news columns ‘about the work and purposes of the League and to ap- prove in his editorial columns; the the plan of the farmers organizing to wrest control of the state ‘politically from. the Interests. : 'THE JOURNAL'S CHIEF SIN tation among, the farmers—*“a man who, of course, will be-putty in our : ' hands”—and use him to split the %= L2 farmer votes. “The regulars, the stalwarts and the machine,” he explained, “will stick behind him and with the farmer votes he will get we will be able to put him across. And even if they do get a majority in the legislature he can veto all the crazy laws they pass.” “But suppose he should fail,” asked Slipry, “what about that fellow’s political future?” 3 “What do we care about his political. future,” exclaimed Crafty as -he scowled at Slipry. “If he’s willin’ to serve our purpose for the present N emergency we should worry about his future.” < SRS 1. B. FLIPFLOP MAKES KNOWN HIS PRESENCE It was then that I. B. Flipflop, editor of Public Prejudice, made his presence known. “I refuse to stand for any such s e, deal,” he exclaimed with some heat. “I was the first man into this fight and if I’m to be:sidetracked for a new man I'm going to flop back to the League. I've sacrificed more to kill this League than anybody here and I = . < hrET think I'm entitled to some ton- sideration.” ; : Crafty’s face looked like a ‘June - thundercloud and hail . storm com- v bined. - “You, Mr. Flipflop, will get : -just what we please to give you. As - ” a candidate in. this race you haven’t - %:t any more chance than I have. ‘What we -want you to do is to lay low and we'll take good care of you after the election.” ? Flipflop was squelched for a mos . ment but came back with ‘character- politicians - and "the Big- and it is understood this appeal is" So Kelly, representing Big Busi- ness, is swooping : down on Editor - istic “bnd sullen ‘pugnacityr- “I’ll -do v & just 1ab‘out as I'please,” he said with a* - snarl. , “You’ll do just.as I say!” roared Crafty as he slammed his fist down' on the desk like a ham of meat. b o Flipflop crawled back into his shell - = L and said no more. y “Now, gentlemen,” said Crafty, sweetly, ¢I think we have had a very clear understanding and I think we. will be able to keep up the fight. I - don’t want any squealing and I won’t have it. Any man who squeals will . come under the hammer and will have to walk out of the state—and he had o better do it in the night time, too,” i. he concluded bitterly. b All looked on in awed silence. “The meeting is now over,” he b murmured. “As you leave I want each one to help himself to the box of cigars.” All obeyed the injunction . 3 3 except I. M. Guilty. He was a clean man and did not indulge in cigars. tors in the Northwest, and Kelly has got a big fight on his hands.” The alternative to fighting the interests which have lined-up against: Bloom is for Bloom to turn over the control of ; his paper peaceably and consent to < oy have its news, business and editorial policy dictated by the interests Kelly represents. - Bloom has defied Kelly. Hes refgsesdthel alternative. peedy developments are ected : ‘and should Kelly continue (te(:)cp force A " the matter it is predicted here that a % = i £ sensational ' lawsuit involving ~an- at- tempt to injure the credit of the -Journal will result. In the meantime Editor Bloom is'making a tremendous effort to secure the necessary finan- cial assistance to meet the obligations Kelly is responsible for pressing at: this time. * He has made an gppeal to the people of the state to help him. He has fought the fight for the farm~ ers without asking their assistance till now. He has done it for nothing, Jbecause he believed the'cause of the farmers was just. Now; in his hour ‘of need, he has asked the people of _the state to subscribe for his paper meeti with hearty = response’ - throughout - the state, from people . who want to see as many newspapers as’ ssxé),le remain free and independ