The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 8, 1916, Page 6

ASTEREN T LRI R, » ( — HnmmLLnnnmnn T T T e T T T AT T Memorial Day {n Fargo was the occasion of a motorcycle speed meet at the Fargo fairgrounds under t:he\ auspices of the Mindak Motoreyelé cub. E.E. Secord of Grand Forks, in the center above, captured the two main events, the 15-mile open stripped stock race and the five-mile open stripped stock. Left above is a view of the fairgrounds grandstand filled with speed fans, and to the right is one of the contestants rounding the turn at a 65-mile-an-hour clip. Photographs by Leader - !IHIll!'.!llilllll"lllll"lIIHHIlII!IliIIllllllllmII!lIllllllllllllllllllll”lllmllHIIINHHIIHHHHHH' / staff photographer. Art work and engraving by Dakota Photo Engraving company, Fargo. In The Name of “Good Government” The main assault of the hired publicity agents of Big Business is about to begin. For several days there was a virtual cessation of the campaign of billingsgate and abuse of the leaders of the League, which was correctly interpreted in the Leader office-as the lull before the storm. The Gang’s press agents had gone too far and were arousing the disgust of all thinking people. Their masters ordered them to stop and save their ammunition for a whilee. NOW THE BROADSIDE IS ABOUT TO BE LAUNCHED. For a week or more a large force has been at work in Jerry Bacon’s establishment at Grand Forks getting out a campaign circular of AT- TACK UPON THE LEAGUE. Enough copies of this circular are being printed, it is reported, to supply EVERY VOTER IN THE STATE. The printing and preparation of this circular is heing done UNDER THE CLOSEST SECRECY. The windows of the room where it is being - folded are covered with thick paper and curtains. It has been given out among the employes that INSTANT DISMISSAL will be the penalty for letting any outsider know what is going on. Arrangements have been made at a series of secret conferences in “Fargo and Grand Forks for simultaneous newspaper attacks on a more “conservative” plan, in a belated effort to put their assault upon the Nonpartisan League ona basis of decency. \ The first gun in this attack was fired Tuesday. It takes the form of a full-page newspaper display labeled “Paid Political Advertisement” and in several other columns of inspired “news” and “editorial” form the same source and on the same authority but not so labeled. This newspaper advertisement—evidently prepared for use as a cir- cular, for in the advertisement itself reference is made to its being a “folder”—purports to be issued by an organization called the “Good Government League,” and elsewhere the assertion is made that this is a bona fide organization of “citizens” formed at some meeting or meet- ings. NO SUCH MEETINGS EVER HAVE BEEN PUBLICLY AN- NOUNCED. THE PUBLIC HAS HAD NO PART IN FORMING THIS “LEAGUE.” IT IS A FAKE ORGANIZATION RIGGED UP IN THE ANTE-CHAMBERS OF BIG BUSINESS. _ : : It is claimed that it has a membership of reputable persons, but no names are given except those of the alleged “president” and “secretary,” and then the public is told that to those who want to come in “a plan of organization” will be “SUGGESTED.” : IN OTHER WORDS, THESE FAKERS ADMIT THAT THERE IS NO REPRESENTATIVE ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE GOOD GOVERNMENT LEAGUE, BUT THAT THEY WILL FORM ONE IF THEY CAN GET ENOUGH DUPES TO COME IN UNDER FALSE COLORS TO FIGHT THE BATTLES OF THE POLITICAL AND COM- MERCIAL BLACK HAND SOCIETY, THE MAFIA OF NORTH DAKOTA. : ' S > The man named as “president” of thi§ “good government” con- spiracy to defeat and break up the only honest and representative state- wide organization of voters which ever showed any promise of breaking the grip of corrupt politics in this state is Morton Page, generally publicity agent of the insurance men in their fight to prevent any regu- lation of the insurance business. : - These are representatives of the men who, under the guise of “good government,” are fighting to MAINTAIN AND PERPETUATE THEIR PRIVILEGE of extorting MILLIONS from the people of North Dakota. These are the men who can form a “publicity ‘committee” which at one conference can raise the money to finance a monster campaign of PAID PUBLICITY AND ATTACK UPON THE FARMERS’ QRGAN- IZATION. AND THIS COMBINATION HOPES TO GET THE VOTES OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA. IT HOPES TO OVERTHROW, AN ORGANIZATION OF FORTY THOUSAND FARMERS, BANDED TOGETHER TO PROTECT THEIR OWN RIGHTS AND TO SAVE THE STATE FROM MISRULE AND OPPRESSION. S 3 It has the effrontery to ask the honest, thinking people of the state to be guided by the political dictation of a band of wealthy plotters, meeting in secret and laying out huge sums to spend in a state-wide campaign of lavish paid publicity in behalf of the INTERESTS WHICH HAVE EXPLOITED THE STATE AND ITS PEOPLE FOR YEARS. THE SPOILERS HAVE OPENED THEIR BIG BATTLE AGAINST-THE TOILERS. WHICH SIDE DO YOU CHOOSE? TWO CASS COUNTY TOWNSi-IIPS The feeling of Cass county farmers regarding the League and the League candidates was expressed by the Henry and F. Peter- son, brothers, who farm between Buffalo and Tower City, and by George Gubrud, a farmer in the same region, who were callers in the Leader office last week. The farmers of their township, Tower City, will all vote practically as a unit for the League candidates, they aIgreed. e 5 “I canvassed Tower City township with the etitions,” sai Mr. Gubrud, “and I found only one man out o¥ about 45 iafig : - wouldn’t sign them. -We have in our township only about a dozen League members, but the non-members are all just about as loyal” E)e the League as’ the members. They are boosting, for the ague.” i 3 : s ... Henry Peterson added that a number of copies of a dail ~which is fighting the League on behalf of the t?anks, 1;h<:,1 ?;gugggg: _companies and the old Republican machine, were coming into the township, but that this paper’s circulation “is not so good now as it was” in that part of the county. The farmers, he said, pay little attention to the attacks on the League except to resent them and in many cases to refuse the paper or discontinue subscriptions. - “The banner township of the county is Cornell, adjoining us,” said Mr. Peterson. “They tell us that every farmer in that tOWI,l- ship without exception is a Leaguc member or loyal supporter.” e 1 PROVES LEADER’S FACTS ther investigate tax increases in La ‘Last week the Chronicle had clipped from the Nonpartisan Leader an article showing the increase in valuation by the state equalization board of railroads in reputed to be the RICHEST MAN IN FARGO and probably the richest ooy [VrShips as compared with the in North Dakota. He is president of the Page-Benedict Land company, land speculators and mortgage dealers and the president also of Morton Page & Son, insurance agents and brokers. The vice president of the latter company is H. G. Carpenter, who is the SECRETARY OF THE .. INSURANCE FEDERATION OF NORTH DAKOTA, and who is the PAGE SIX - increase of farm lands in the said . twenty townships. The article showed that whereas the railroad valuation was increased 29 per cent, the farm lands were increased’ 36- per cent—a distinct discrimination in favor of the railroads. We withheld the article in order to fur- Moure county and to ascertain the state of affairs taking all the townships into consideration. We found practically the same ‘state of affairs taking the total mileage of the railroads; and total value of county farm lands—that is the in- crease in all the railroad mileage valu- ation was 28.5 per cent and the increase in farm lands 86.6. We can see no reason for this discrimination—perhaps the state board of equalization can.— LA MOURE COUNTY CHRONICLE. besknt gt