The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 20, 1916, Page 6

HELLO, HIRAM, YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL PLACE ,HERE! L] Hiram ' QHILDREN =THEY LOOK JuST ' THEIR FATHE {Wfl BETCHA! 5%‘ —_— /S 2 . Heis willing to extend the glad has learned to scrutinize the bargain that is offered him rather carefully. Hiram Rube Receives a Good Government Gold Brick Agent HI'AM A RUBE.,_ALRlTE ,BL 1: - ! You CAR'T SELL ME | himself that it was a swindle. Then he handed it right back to the promoter—as shown in the pictures. Al LEADER staff man spent three days last week trying to find out something about the so-called “Good Government” Yeague. This is what he found out: . It is composed of Morton Page, Fargo millionaire, real estate operator and insurance broker, and Norman B. Black, hired manager- and publicity - agent and former well-known . standpat newspaper editor. d Its headgquarters are in the Stone building, Fargo, where Mr.. Black holds forth in two big bare rooms with one stenographer and an antique desk that he confesses was loaned to the Good Government league by Mr. Page. "It receives a number of news- papers from various parts of the state, which Mr. Black was looking over in a leisurely way when called upon by the Leader representative. What the Leader DID NOT find out tabout this mysterious organization is as follows: - Its membership, -a list of which was refused for publication. The personnel of its executive committee and board ox dix ctors, which both Mr. Page and Mr. Black alleged existed but which both failed to make public on request. * The list of its “sustaining” mem- bers, that is, the: men or corpora- tions that are coming through to support the mnew “league.” Mr. Black let it slip that there was a list of . such “sustaining” -members, but * their names are not for publicatior it seems.” : THERE'S “NOTHING TO HIDE” BUT LITTLE TO TELL The ‘Leadér found Mr. Black a most _ uffable gentleman. He asserted his FORM A G0OD That Is, All the -Léader Was Able To - Find Out, Which Wasn’t a Great Deal | pleasure at being called on by a member of the Leader staff, and when he-heard that some facts were wanted for pub- lication about the “Good Government” league he declared with seeming earnestness that he, Mr. Page and the Good Government league had nothing to conceal, welcomed publicity—in fact desired it—and wished to throw the whole workings of the mysterious organization open to the public gaze. “Those are the terms on which I accepted ‘the management of the league,” said Mr. Black. “They sent a committee to Chicago, where I was at the time, to get me to manage the league and I told them if I took it over there would be nothing secret about it. Everything must be above board, I said, and they agreed to it. want good government,’ I told them, ‘you can’t get it by secrecy. You car’t start out to knock any. person or any organization, as such, but you want to take the good from every organization - and fight the bad.’ That’s what I said, and they agreed to it, and- that’s the basis on which I am in this League.” “If you are not out to fight the Non- partisan League,” said the Leader man, “how do you account for the full page advertisement in the before the primaries, signed by the 5 o the atate e NORTH DAKOTA P T y | ) ormed o8 say ubject thee foal =t . gaiyendfor the best lnterste of il the pagle. en ‘ @-:'?—"‘-, ol the North Dobota Gosd Go - cxmpaign. of & beeted oty W Are Ore People With Cosimons o i) £ : - | Organization to Oppose the _...‘.c:':_n-....:,?"“'*o_fi L g Non-Partisah Leagus : Puture Which, '.H-.v..' “.-,_. e Ts. Perfected. S P Oy M S Membersbip la the Leagoe has bein ) Sominal sum of $1.00. AQ the placedatig - z and Nat Com . ¢ ) 84 distribaling. the literat :‘:"M P Porty, Facton. Clase ‘LAY F?gggr e oy clied e e e v the Beeett o6 —PAGE PRES| SRLIo it A : - e T LT et e by = without. the to Present Acn] Pites i il il oo omn Seaking to Promete an R0 e L e "."‘.hw m...“m that Concerns - . TR P o Fere bt 23 b oy ol mmlwum”"‘ "..u'z.":.’.‘.."';f.."é‘.‘m"a."'&:'i - Stined by adireog e Secsctzig L 07 b : . Every influe A Giverament teazus was parfected al A iy ar i i to S vt engen: TGRS MM CO0 GOy 1 o Hatred Among its e £t . FARCO,N.D,~ . " ders C s ‘ ety U T peopia ot Moston Pace, P ‘gang papers when the oing e > Wnn:vffl-p Poiltical lengus Togs B Trewdent. the center above is a fac-simile rep'roddction of a sample of the news articles 7 ¥ ! so-called “Good Government” league wa‘s‘et;ormuil.s . Dr. this headline says: “Organization to oppose the Nonpart Since then the new league has attempted, without much ‘If you Courier-News- ..‘.....‘..........0“.......‘...QC.....‘.-....“........\...... An Interview with Norman Black and Morton Page, the “Sec- retary” and “President” of the “Good Government” Organizationin Which' They Explain There is Nothing Secret About the Organiza- tion Except the Real Facts About It! 3 900000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000060 # 0 GARDWER westes LERY B TN WO MO Y My 1omgn cooes Aevisco ecomomw eauiy OismaTGH, “aOCAN cCOnOmME: . e Ligbon Cesh Store, Lisbon, N. Dak, Gentlemen: ‘\&S\}A \.)‘\_Jml»a‘.h‘y 4 =__GOLD BRI&KS'. : ; % hand to any caller, but when it comes to making a trade he . He needed only one look at this Good Government gold brick to satisfy, “Then,” said the .Leader representa- tive, “If you are not fighting the Non- partisan League, how dg- you account- for the letters sent out by mumerous Fargo business houses, roasting: flle' Nonpartisan League, and urging people to join the Good Government league to fight the Nonpartisan League?” “Well,” said Mr. Black, “that came = up in this way. You see there was a Cass County Good Government league before there was a state league—before they decided to make it a state-wide 0 0MNITRON Setp © N BAkER R ouses av ramc0 w0 AMESIOWN 5@ FARGO.ND. June 9, 1916. You sre undoubtedly familfar with the movement whigh originated with three or four parties outeide of thie state for the control of this State's government, legislative as well @2 judicial, under the name .0f The Non-Partisan Leazue. This or gee from the ization 1s-redicclly Socialisti¢, &2 you cea readily r. literature and methods. Should they gain control it would etop’'the progress of our great State aund reterd us so that we would not recover for 26 or 30 years. y ‘It is safe to prediot, should this walamity happen, it wouid. ruin our or edit as a State and a good many lndividually, putting us dosm from the most proeperoue stute la the Ution to one of atrife bard timea gnd:Tuin, It behoovea<ell of us who have thé welfare of the whole atute andall ite people at heart, whether they be farmers, bankers, wgge earuers or merchante, to get together andorganize to combat the greatest menace this state .hae ever faced. 4 local organization 1a your city should be t.dmg imnediatelyy If any additional information is needed we will be glad to furnish 1t or you gan procwrz eame fron P. W. Clemens, acting Secretary ef Good Goverument Lea-ue, l’argq'. X Youre truly, The Iewis-Vidger Company. Here is more of the ‘actual “goods” on the so-called “Good Government” league, . Itis a fac-simile reproduction of a letter sent out by a Fargo business house that is fighting the farmers. It asks a store at Lishen to assist in erganizing against the ‘Nonpartisan League and indulges in misrepresentations about the farmers’ organiza. tion. The Good Government league, since the letter was writ Fitten, seeing it could make no headway with a direct attack on the farmers, now denies that it is against the Nenpartisan League, It ' Good Government league and'making a - attack on - the Nonpat_'tisap 3 vicious League?” “That was unauthorized,” replied Mr. Black. “Yon see that _adyertisement was a copy-of a circular I got .out before I became connected with the Good : - Government. league. ' Yes, I got out that circular—was _hired to do it. You're , a newspaper man and you know that’s legitimate ‘enough. But the signing of . the Good Government' league name to the circular when it was printed as an . ad was not authorized by the league, - “Guild of .the Courier-News just : Good eague: name to it N proposition. And = the Cass ' county league did that, ag I understand 'it— sent out those letters you refer to. . Then the Cass county league was merged, became only a branch of the = = present state- league. . The state league has not said anything against - organization, or against the ‘N tisan League. Anyway those | were sent out before I took hg league. I ad will - try to get be this: X i false pretenses, : P ey fsm lsnew‘ sround.nmler