The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 19, 1916, Page 6

I told you so” D defeat the chance of a vote by the peoplo on the bill. It held that it would not go back of the act of the legislature, which it stated had the sole authonty to decide whether an emergency existed in fact or not. The court said; “The legislature havmg declared that the provisions of that act are necessary of d. Z. Tool, hadnmgedfora. schoolhouse - meeting, about 30 miles west of the Sin Twitties. 'L Z. Tool is practically the owner of the town of Fleeceville, near where the meet- Ingwas held: He claims-to be & farmer, resting: gronnd he farms more farmers than anybody in the county: Aside fromlarge - farm land holdings 'he owns: several shares ini®& number’ of banks, owns two: hrgebumessbloeksmfleewvflle also 8n elevator, a hotel, the = opera house: and also-a large interest in an xmplemcnt business. Mr. Tool has served as county com- missioner in his county since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, has put across:-some very rank deals on county road and ‘bridge work, makes: frequent visits to the Sin Twitfies and is- vehemently opposed to the Nonpar- tisan League. : He is a man of large girth, rather ghort, with 2-small head . covered: over with a thick growth of coarse, grizzly hair. the ends of his. cigars vigorously. His eyes are steel gray and shifting, his nose rather plump and. inclined to a purplish red and his general facial expression is s hard as flipt and. he makes quick gestures when he talks—w}uch is ‘most of the time. ' DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS WELCOME I. VERY BEAN He had advertised the meetmg thor- oughly, mallmg out posters to. every farmer in the community. The ‘posters announced, among other things, that the Hon. I. Very Bean, celebrated orator and statesman, would expose, ‘uncover, lay bare and make naked all the inside and outslde doings. of the Nonpartisan A sumlar announcement also appeared in the local paper. When - the 7:30 Danpatch electric car pulled “into' Fleeceville, Will B. Crafty and I. Very Bean stepped off and ~were " greeted by L. Z. Tool and also two local bankers, one of whom is candidate for the state senate, a local lawyer, who is candidate: for the house and @another lawyer who is candidate for county at< forney. R. O. Tate, who held every office in the county for at least two terms each and was now starting on his second round, was also present. After mutual . greetings and handshakings and much stiff bowing upon the part of Bean, the party climbed. into Tool’s eight-cylinder Crackerjack, glided out of town and headed for the schoolhouse six -~ miles south. After a twenty-minute run. ‘the car pulled up at the schoolhouse. Already - there: were several Aflivvers, wagons, buggies and one or two automobiles in the yard. Crafty quickly surveyed the sitnation and nudging Bean with - his elbow exclaimed, “Gad this is great " stuff! great stuff!” Bean drew his thin lips mto an egotis- ‘tical smile and nephed “I told you so, GIVE THE POLITICIANS A CHANCE TO TALK FIRST ' There were’ a/few_ moments of low con- yersation in which it was arranged that Tool should first introduce*R. O, troduce Banker Pickem, who would in tarn mtrodqce the celebratedl. Very. Bea.n. . " These little details fixed, the party - made its ‘way into the schoolhouse, while' farmers - craned theu’neehtogeta newofflmdiatinguished his ‘claims on: the. He smokes incessantly and chews - Tate, " who would in: turn mtmduceLawym‘-‘. - Catchem, who wonld in turn: introduce : Lawyer Skinnem, who would in turn-in- lyisitors, )Thr ‘and: sup- port of ihe state; that declaratmn 1s con- clmnve upon this court.”. Justice Carson wrote: the opimon of the court in April, 1901. Remember this decision. It is important aside from the fact that it killed the first attempt to exercise the rderendum in South. e Misadventure o - He Tells the Lowly Farmer of Leagues Dév:l and What do You Chink Happe\nsfJ Read\ I VERY BEAN, through the help'v also a goodly sptm'khng of women and a couple of young girls. After a little more whispered conver-- sation and a snapping of watches, Tool walked behind the teacher’s desk, stuck out his chest and faced the audxence. The mumbling of conversation died 'down to a dead silence and the smoky lamps flickered and three dozen earnest faces peered through the semi-darkness at the rotund form of I. Z. Tool. 7 He cleared the throat and spoke. = = “Fellow - farmers and neighbors,” he began. “1 am glad to see so many familiar and intelligent “faces here to- night. This large turnout shows that - you are interested in this matter which concerns us all so vitally.” He paused, took his thumbs out of the armholes of his vest and thrust his hands deep into his pockets. Silence reigned. “It is not my purpose to make the speech here tonight.. I am simply going tqmtroduce the first speaker. I take pleasure in presenting our distinguished fellow citizen and neighbor Mr. Catchem. Mr. Catchem! Catchem @rose, while Crafty, Skinnem, Pickem ' and 1. Very Bean indulged in a vigo'rous clap‘ping of hands, “Ladies ‘and Gentlemen,’} commmced Catchem. - “It. is a pleasure to be greeted with this vast 'and = intelligent audience. ' As I look into your honest faces and catch the: spirit of your sincere. eyes I am reminded of ' the ‘duty ‘that every public official owes to his constit-- uents: Asyonknowlamamd!dmA for the legislature. T promise you that lfelectedlwxllmembetmthtonchmg“ tenderness your support and pledge you thatlmllbetmatoflwtmsy fidence reposed in me.” . He waited for the hmmltuous ap- , plauses to thunder forth—but it did not/ Skinnem; thunder. ' However, Crafty, ° | ¢ Pickem, who ran- off ‘another ‘duplicata of than' hands: 2 : : fmmmmkafaum“wj_m yet sparklmg on the grass.” Diic)fa“m on every bill it passed fo prevent a pos~ sible referendum by the people, . : As a matter of fact, since this decision, - practically every important: measure passed by the legislature has had an emefeency : {n&eb&ckotfl:ehme!mckuedont -lo 1. Very Bean. arose, very shlfly, blink-~ ingly surveyed the audience,- swept a bony band across the peak of a high, bald head and spoke as follows: “Ladies and Genflemen : “I am very much ~gratified . to be greeted with tlns vast ‘and 'intelligent audience. 1 have never had the distine~ tlon, the honor and the pleasure of meet- ing and greeting you people before. But .1 have often heard of you, I have often . read of you; I have heard of your intel- ligence, your progress and your prosper- ity and I have iong desired to come into’ your midst that I meet you face to face, thatlmayg-raspyourhomy hands of toil ‘a:xd look. into your good and honest eyes.” He ‘waited for Crafty Catchem, Skin- nem and Pickem to beat and pound their ha.ndatomeceswlnletherest of. the . crowd gazed at him in_silence that was ominous, ‘eloquent and. thnatenmg- When the solitary hand—elappmg had eeased Bean shifted his position to the other side of the desk and ‘took the next‘ / plunge. “Greatly to be envied is the l:fe of the free and mdependent farmer. Out here away from the noise and dust of the crowded city, nestlmg close in the arms of nature, you arise early in the mom- “ing while the.golden blush of & new day. - is stealing ‘up:the eastern horizon, while thehttlebmisambegmnhgtochirp and sing and ‘the diamond’ dew» BUT, STRANGE—TO SAY, % PARMERS CAN'T BELIEVE IT "‘orebeatmgothmdsand 8 couple of armers sitting sob- " who has Tooked the matier aoiieo: ‘.of a total of 800 laws passed\by the last three’ legialatures, over 300 have had an- emergency ‘clause. Thése-300 Iaws were g mostly ones the legislature thought there clause attached. “Safety e N looked: over the au first" !s the »motto of/ the 'pohhcmns. . (Contmued on page 10) r. Bean 1sh Domgs- et and See o ;!( palmsandthetwo/yomggnr‘ls Miedthathewaswallowmg ‘~inthet!m;hofaneaofsuspmlnd 'doubtudtookanofl;erhch ‘He under- - . “make naked” the inside and' outside. ‘doings of the Nonpartisan League. He' dehfledltswo*mNofihDaRotn. ‘He . told how quickly and effectively the state hadfieenorganued,howthefumershad i put up their-own candidates * and . suc- ceeded in nommn‘hng every man put up, how they threatened: to pass legislation in the interest of the farmers, ete; etc. - PSR Atflnspomtachangehndmeover ,7 the audience. It had become actually - interested: instead of" suspicious., Bean . * felt better and prepmd to launch into ‘his expose and nncovermg of the inside and outside workings of the ‘League, But he had gone too far. Hemadethe picture too stfong.: ‘power, strength and efficiency of organ- ization.” Enthusiasm was. beginning to sizzle thYoughout the audience. A grizzled old farmer sitting- on the third seat back in’ the center TOW, rose . to his Teet, lifted a-toil-calloused hand. Bean looked at "him a ' moment and _said, “What is it, neighbor?? i ‘Have ‘you got an applieat\on blank 1" asked the farmer. NG FARMER IS .CON VINCED; - HE WANTS xo JOIN - “A what?” -said Bean, in’ eanfumon. - “Haye you . ‘got an apphcahon for memberslnp in tlus League? 1 want to: Join it nght now. - _That’s the best thing I ever heard of. We ought to have started that thing 20 \years ago.?. Bean was nonpluased confused and flabbergasted. He was up against it.. “Why, I'm not in favor of that organ ization, I'm there to oppose it,” he said,. P amid more confusion. “I don’t care what you' are here fgr I want to join that organization” per- sisted the farmer. And a- * ‘broke out all through the hi “But that organization is a gra.ft, bitterly declared Bean. “How much: is the graft?" shot back the f.armer g xpplauso “Good!’ cried ‘the farmer; “that’s the ! least’ amount I have ever been grafted N for in my, life. Usnallyxt sixtydollars. six hundred dollars and sometimes up-to.’ six thousand dollnsmflxemnotm gear 3 Sixteen dollars is cheap. \I’m or i i ‘count. Crafty - qmckly- arose, mohoned diqam.,thflmflash- Bean to a seat,