The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 18, 1916, Page 4

i I WAS JUS’ READIN' ‘BOUT, A MEETING OF THE OLD GANG POLITICIANS ANpP I VGES |I'LL GO OVER TO IT., )I'VE ALWAYS VOTED FOR THEIR CANDIDATES. I'LL, JUST WALK RIGHT IN. ‘with such a state of affairs as exists in this-state.” The farmers of the Nonpartisan League are not boycotting anyone: They are simply attending to their own affairs. Hie The fact is that this story about INDIVIDUAL LIABILITY of members of the League is ALL. RUBBISH AND NONSENSE, “concocted with the idea that membeis of the League ARE IGNOR- ANT ENOUGH TO BE SCARED BY A COCK-AND-BULL STORY THAT HAS NO FOUNDATION IN LAW OR FACT. z It is another of the tricks of Big Business to try to get you members of the League to desert your organization. IT WILL FAIL, just as all the other tricks have failed, BECAUSE THE MEMBERS OF THE LEAGUE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. They know what to expect from the Courier-News and they know what to expect from all the GANG SHEETS like it. THEY KNOW THAT SUCH PUBLICATIONS, IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR MASTERS, WILL NOT STOP AT ANY SORT OF DECEIT AND MISREPRESENTATION' THEY THINK WILL HELP TO.AC- COMPLISH THEIR PURPOSE TO BREAK UP THE LEAGUE. THEY KNOW THAT IF THE LEAGUE IS NOT BROKEN UP POLITICAL MISRULE AND CORRUPTION IN THIS STATE MUST COME TO AN END. They FEAR the League, and there- fore they FIGHT it. If the Nonpartisan League was not being at- tacked by the Courier-News then the people of the state would have a right to be suspicious of it. If its officers were not being assailed by the Courier-News then the members would have a right. to bex lieve that they had sold out to the basses.: & iy ale - T ; The Leader does not claim to have at its.command “the ablest attorneys in North Dakota.” It can not call upon shrewd and highly salaried CORPORATION ATTORNEYS: to fight its legal battles for it WITHOUT PAY. It has competent legal advice, how- ever, and pays for it. The Nonpartisan League also has com- petent legal advice, and IT PAYS FOR IT WITH MONEY CON- " TRIBUTED IN THE SHAPE OF DUES BY THE FARMERS QF THE STATE. That is one of the legitimate purposes for which funds contributed by the farmers are set aside. THEY KNOW, FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EQUITY, THAT THEIR ENEMIES ARE SEEKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRUMP UP SOME legal technicality, some cunningly worded : complaint designed to hamper the work of their organization and to break it up if possible, JUST AS THEY TRIED TO BREAK UP THE EQUITY. 4 The League is ready for them, and sois the Leader. The Leader is ready to meet them on legal grounds. It invites their -attack. On the first page of this issue is A CHALLENGE to one of their agents to test the law and the fact on this latest issue they have raised. : - s The Leader has offered in good faith ONE THOUSAND DOL- LARS IN CASH to L. T. Guild, the editor of the Courier-News, who first gave currency to THIS ABSOLUTELY FALSE AND BASE- * LESS STATEMENT if he will furnish proof that what he has pub- lished is true. : ; ik 2 The Leader doesn’t expect to have to pay this thousand dollars, but it has the money to pay it, and it will pay it cheerfully and - promptly IF MR. GUILD WILL PROVE THAT HE TOLD THE TRUTH. But the Leader must have proof. It couldn’t be expected " to take Mr. Guild’s unsupported word for anything. NOBODY WOULD EXPECT THAT. e DR. GUILD ANSWERS DR. GUILD head, the Fargo Daily Courier-News in its issue of May 12 gives circulation and approval to as baseless a charge against one of the League’s candidates as has ever been circulated by an unscrupulous newspaper in this state. WHAT " SHOW HEREWITH, THE EDITOR OF THE COURIER-NEWS, DR. GUILD, KNOWS THIS CHARGE IS ABSOLUTELY The article referred to quotes with approval a correspondent who makes the following charges against A. T. Ktraabel, indorsed by the. Nonpartisan League for lieutenant governor: . . Kenzie is not out of politics in this state * * * *It is noticeable that there is no stalwart running for licutenant governor * * * * Why _.» . did they wait and put up a McKenzie man? * * * * This man is i " _against the initiative, referendum and recall * * * *He'let the bill die in the senate reducing the interest rate” = -~ - These charges are played up and quoted with approval by Dr. Guild: He says that the man making th -“independent in thought and action” and Is “capable and honest.” In the way he gives prominence to the article and in the way he ap- -proves the charges by vouching for the honesty of the man making - practices laws; the election of state legislative and county officials for a four- ‘Courien-News: think of ‘a publisher caught in: dirty, under-handed IN A leading front page article in extra large type, under a scare IS MORE TO THE POINT, AS THE LEADER WILL “This man Kraabel’s indorsement plainly shows that Alex Me- - these base accusations is them, Dr. 'Guild has made himself and his paper responsible for the ¢ statements. ‘ S WHAT ARE THE FACTS ABOUT MR. KRAABEL? HERE , ARE THE FACTS, SHOWN BY DR. GUILD’S OWN WORDS ; PRINTED IN THE COURIER-NEWS; HERE IS PROOF THAT g DR.-GUILD AND THE -COURIER-NEWS' KNOW THAT THE & CHARGES- THEY HAVE GIVEN PROMINENCE, APPROVAL i AND CIRCULATION ARE FALSE; : e > Editorial in Courier-News May 18, 1914: e 3 “Our columns -contain the announcement of the candidacy of Lieutenant, Governor Kraabel, who offers himself to the voters of the Republican party as a candidate for renomination. . He has behind him a clean record for faithful, conscientious service. -He has lived in the state 32 years, beginning his legis< lative experience in 1903. © . “He favors the progressive measures, the recall of public officers, equal suffrage for both sexes, workingmen’s compensation law, enforcement of the prohibition law and all other statutes in every part of the state without fear or fayor; strict economy in government, improvements of the primary and corrupt year term; reduction of the legislature by one-third—that body to meet every four years; initiative and referendum, applicable to both constitution and stat- utory laws; betterment -of farm life, including rural credits, reduction of con- tract interest'rate to-10 per ‘cent and legal rate to 6. - 2l YL N & “Mr. Kraabel has in"his favor the custom of a second term to competent officials who have made a clean record, and his wide acquaintanceship through > ’ the state.” - o H b e ) ~Thus Dr. Guild’s: foul charges are answered by Dr. Guild him- H self. "What do the people of North Dakota and the readers of the = i trickery of this kind.- What do they think of a newspaper which, to satisfy personal spite and jealousy, to besmirch a man indorsed by 35,000 farmers for public office, will resort to this kind of journal- ism? . This man is frantic in his desire to destroy the farmers’ or- é ganization and its chances of success at the polls. No other explan- A ation is needed for what Dr. Guild has shown himself to be by this : one article, let alone the rest of what he has said and done. Dr. Guild today makes bold headlinesTof the charge that Mr. Kraabel is.a McKenzie man. Two years ago he praised and boosted Mr. Kraabel in the strongest terms. He said then he was “faith- ful,” conscientious and progressive, for the people.”- : Dr.’ Guild today gives circulation to the charge that Mr. ; ® Kraabel is opposed to the initiative, referendum and recall. Two years ago he said Mr. Kraabel favored these laws and other pro- gressive measures. - . S : : Dr. Guild quotes with approval and great prominence the charge that Mr. Kraabel is opposed to low interest for the farmers. Two years ago he said Mr. Kraabel was the champion of low interest for the farmers. ; : : g i Dr. Guild praised Mr- Kraabel after he had served two years as lieutenant governor, and Mr. Kraabel has not held office since then. Has Mr. Kraabel changed.in these two years? The people of the state know the answer to that. Of course he has not. ‘He has held no office and shown no evidence of change.- But Mr.:Guild has changed from a supporter of Mr. Kraabel to a circulator of what he knows are untrue statements about him. ° : " Why? Because the farmers have indorsed Mr. Kraabel. That z is why Dr. Guild now would like to destroy Mr. Kraabel’s chances i for election. That is why he makes leading articles and spreads T them over the front page of his newspaper attacking Mr. Kraabel and ‘the Nonpartisan League. ) 4 Db Dr. Guild’s chiarges need no answer from the Leader.” They are answered out of Dr. Guild’s own mouth in his editorial of 1914 above guoted. e R LS A -~ . A farmer for governor! Ridiculous! Who ever heard of 'such a thing? It won’t be so funny to the fellows who are laughing about it now after the fall elections when Farmer Frazier takes the executive chair at Bismarck. ... =24 . i : WERE PROUD OF OUR ENEMIES THE'LEADER prints in this issue letters from state delegates : about the League’s state convention, at which candidates for state offices were indorsed, The letters: are in reply to the charge prmted in thé gang newspapers that the state delegates were not their own masters, but that they were controlled and di¢tated to by the officers and directors of the League. These letters will be sufficient to settle the question for all time so far as honest men are - concerned. They will not settle the question so far as the gang newspapers are concerned. They will go on making their baseless charges and their sneaking insinuations just the same. Thatis what they ‘are paid to do. Why shouldn’t they? Certainly the Leader doesn’t want them to stop, because if they did reasonable: men might then belieye that the League was no longer the enemy . gfl eglrizgt a'Fg .(:corrl;pt;lo%i t’l.‘he‘Leage:he ig proud of the League’s - .. They prove what is 'behind t on the League and mattheuaguexgr:ight.r S m : 5 e eind S