The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 1, 1916, Page 11

-, his berth. L& powAud 1ve18 5908 21 Reports had been pouring in from all over the state that the Non- _Partisan League organizers ‘were actively at work and that they were receiving a warm welcome by the farm- ers. Detectives and spies reported that it was no more difficult to get farmers to join the League than it was before the mud-batteries turned loose their cam- paign of vilification, slander and mis- representation .against the farmers’ organization. 3 A His - gumshoers, button-holers and pussy-footers had reported that *the farmers’ = candidate for governor was = making rapid inroads among the businessmen and that ap- parently no one believed the ' concoctions - published in the gang papers con- cerning the farmers’ or- ganization. 3 Not only so, but the- dis- couraging fact stared the big boss in the face that many of the smaller businessmen of the state were. mnot . contributing very liberally to the un- usually expensive cam- paign. These - business- men had come to realize ~ * ‘that the dangers of the farmers’ organ- ization existed -whelly in the minds of professional politicians -and their serv- -ile tools and felt reluctant about dump- ing perfectly good money into the yawn- ing mouth of the vortex just to gratify IT HAD been a hard week for Crafty. “the bitter spleen of a gang of political hangers-on. CRAFTY PAYS A VISIT TO' MAIN HEADQUARTERS Therefore = Crafty, -dejected, discour- aged and ' downhearted, boarded the evening train at Skinnersville for the Sin Twitties for the purpose of having a heart to heart talk with Big Biz. In the thirty years that the big boss had held high carnival in the political .affairs " of this fair state he had made 'the same journey many times but néver under such' circumstances as®the present one. Always before it was with the flush of (Victory perched high on his low brow and with firmness and confidence in his: evéery step and movement. But upon this occasion his bloated face was hag- gard and-his bullet\eyes were bloodshot and. a heavy 4oad tugged at. his aching As he boarded the train a traveling - representative of the penitentiary ' de- trained with two prisoners chained to- gether and Crafty ran plump into them. . The scene so upset his nerves that it was with difficulty that he made his way to his compartment.-. The vision of those two ~ prisoners: chained- together and headed for the state prison.reminded him of an experience in his own' life and also foreboded the future with such vividness that it was with difficulty that the big - boss was able to drive worry and dull . _ care from his mind and enter the vale- of fitful slumber. ; el Later in the night he was awakened ° by a shrieking, gibberish sound outside the coach. Suddenly he sat upright in " The train was standing still. ! The shrieking sound continued and seemed to be approaching his car. He: quickly raised a window and there on the sidewalk a strange spectacl® met his bewildered view. At first he thought three men were engaged in a fistfight. - -He stared at’ them a moment and then ‘his’ eyes fell upon the name of the sta- tion on the end of the depot. Slowly it ... dawned upon his mind that this was the place where the lunatic asylum was ~ jocated. - Then he realized that ‘the shrieking, gibberish sounds came from a " madman who was being conducted by two anno guards to the madhouse. -Crafty fell> Courant has back’ uponhis pillow ‘with ‘a sigh: that ‘shook: the-coach and then for two hours " he tossed and tumbled, trying to' fight from_ his- mind the scene of the two ~INTO A FRIENDLY EAR WO RUIULIO}OP } 28 UM Buore pue | ‘ral ty Opens. _ - governor with credit to himself and the, 1s Heart to Confideés Some Discouraging Secrets to His Master and Pleads for More Coin ' By N. P. Dictagraph - influence of the drug was lost to the . world. : Sl 20 He did not waken until four o’clock in the afternoon and after a bath and a lunch he called on Big Biz. Big Biz was surprised at the dejected N \\\“\ N SN N 17 \ N R \ appearsnee ‘of Crafty -.._. ic entered the “office, Uswally’ Crafty breezed in like ‘a big; playful bey.” Upon this otca- sion, however, he came in like 2" whipped . child. . BjgBiz greeted him warmly and Crafty made an effort to reciprocate the feeling-but failed miserably. Sl “What' ‘in - thunder -is the matter,” Craft?” searchingly asked BigBiz as he held "onto the ‘clammy hand of -the dejected boss. 7o o oo o “Everything, - everything,”.- answered Crafty without lifting his- eyes to -his ".. Crafty- took a seat, laid his hat on a desk and” buried his large, round head ~-in his big-fat hands.. Big Biz went over Editor N Snpaifix'ia;;} Leader: .-~ . These charges are false. ' person he wished. - Cdnberni_ng Mr Sorlie (Editorial in the Bottineau Courant) - : 0. J. Sorlie of Buxton (not A. G. Sor- lie, as most of the newspapers have it) has announced himself a candidate for lieutenant: governor on the Republican ticket, claiming that this was necessary, because he could not retain his self- respect and vote for the only candidate so far anno o quarrel with Sorlie,”but it appears that he takes himself alto- gether too seriously. ‘ Mr. Kraabel .is a man of ability, integrity and respectabil- _ity. No voter need apologize for having cast his ballot for Mr. Kraabel. He has served the state sbefore as a lieutenant state. He has a number of times been” ‘elected to.the state legislature from his ~ “district. ; He is looked up ‘to as‘a man home tion, Says Harding .. 1. have noticed . that certain-'controlled Aefisp;pers of the state are making. charges that the delegates chosen by the precinct delegates in each - legislative district to represent the’ district“at the state convention held -at . Fargo the last of March and first of May weré dictated to. 2% There were no person or persons dictating to the different délegates. ‘Each delegate was free to nominate, discuss, vote for or against -any 3d—A. T. Kraabel: The oy to him, placed a hand én his shoulder and soothingly encouraged him to cheer up. He then pulled out a drawer, took out a large flask, uncorked it and passed it to the big boss. p “Here, take a snort out of this; it will - N N\ < R D nerve you up,” he said: * 5 Crafty. took a long-draught and handed the ' bottle ‘back: : ‘After ‘a few minutes conversation he asked for the bottle again. " This time he lowered the: con- ,tents of the bottle at least two fingers. ' After fifteén minutes of 'rambling con- versation, Crafty,.under the influence of - the stimulant, warmed-up andat thesame time grew very confidential. - The Dicta- /. graph was hanging on a nearby window “I'll tell ye, Biz” muttered Crafty, “things up in-'North Dakota is in a heluva fix.~“BigBiz frowned his dis- ‘pleasure. S e ‘ “As T told you before,” he went,_on, - FAY HARDING, Braddock, N. D. high treason will be determined by the Republican voters in the ' primary election. ‘ HENES As to Sorlie, his' political trail is rather devious and unfollowable. A few . years ago he was a progressive Repub- -lican, In 1912 he strayed off the reser- vation and took up Bull Moosing. His denunciations. of the Republican party and what it stood for were exceedingly emphatic. By /his own admission he joined -the Nonpartisan League during the last year. He now denounces this ‘organization and announces himself a candidate for lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket, his first love, in order - ‘that he may retain his “self-respect.” Of course, if Sorlie has got such a -hair-trigger conscience that he cannot . vote for Kraahel and must vote the - Republican ticket, despite his multitudin- “ous past affiliations, he has a perfect . right to get in and wet Xis feet /- But j 70 i verage voter about the state [ i f - | i “them farmers is organized an’ it lookf like -they’re organized for keeps. Up t¢ a month. ago I did not consider that theii | organization was dangerous.to our sue:f cess and - therefore to your interests} By that time: I had made a thorough intf vestigation 'and was convinced that they did have a very strong organization. ] made up my mind that, like all farmers organizations I have had anything to dc with, it would be easy to wreck it, or al least to control it. I.got the boys busy and we quickly organized a big campai of slander, vilification and mudsBngin in the hopes of causing the farmers organization to quickly! disappear.” f g 3 He stopped and mop ped his sloping forehe: has been goin’ on fo pointed office seekers yor wouldn’t know it wa! ever started. Severa papers which we werj great work and at a losfi of subscriptions, for nf sooner did the battl start than farmers begar : alone lost more than eighteen hundrec’ subscribers in a month. i 13 “To prove to you,” he went on after ¢ moment’s pause, “that the farmers di¢: not believe a word ‘these papers said, w¢ | have watched the results since the organ §’ izers started into the field this spring ‘We really expected that they woulq! have hard -sledding. But they haven’ Right in the localities where the paper} circulate which fight the League th hardest, they have just as good succes as they did last fall before any fight wa: made. Farmers who have been reading our papers and who have never seen i copy of the League’s official paper, wil', listen to an organizer about ten minutei and then sign their names and fork' ovel|. nine dollars.” : : BigBiz leaned back in his chai¥, pu his feet on the leaf of his desk and lookec at Crafty narrowly. Crafty’s eyes wer: sparkling from the effects of the liquo: and his tongue was working freely, | WHAT! MORE MONEY? BUT BIG BIZ WILL PAY ' “Well,”- he said meditatively, “weve done the best we could—with the mean! we've had to do it with.” | g ! BigBiz started and looked surprised. } “Do you mean to say that you haven’s had plenty to do it with?” he askec sharply. 4 H “Well, yes,” replied Crafty, slowly “Only. the contributions from local “busi! nessmen of the state have come in ve: slow and small an’ now ‘they aint comin in at all. They say they either thi there is no use to make the fight, tha there is no danger in the farmers’ organ ization of that it is like dumping mone JAnto a bottomless pit. We've poured ou money like water and it’s disappeared a quick as it was poured out—an’ n results are forthcoming.” . A Crafty paused and Big Biz looked a him in contempt. § /“Well, what did you come here fo -more money ?” Grafty cringed under the accusing eye of Big Biz. % Then he braced up, mustered :'hi ‘courage and put up a bold front, “Certainly,” he said, emphatically “We've got to ‘have it or quit. Th smaller businessmen of our state will no furnish it and if you don’t we’re don for.” . : ¢ ; Big Biz softened a little. Then point ing a finger at Crafty he said: ; “Craft, you've always made good. believe in you yet. I'm going to give you a fair chance. Moreover I want o to keep up this fight if it costs & billion If you lose out in the primaries then tm to the candidates of the minority and support them. ' Do anything, every: thing and all things to defeat farmers® organization.” - e P Big Biz, aside from a few disap] able to line up have don({'! “to stop their papets. One daily pape; “n more'n a month now ane¢