The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 11, 1917, Page 3

Tlonpartigan Teader A magazine that dares to print the truth National Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League VOL. 4, NO. 2 . “FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1917 WHOLE NO. 69 The Farmer Alights at Bismarck to Make Laws e &2 NN wlk 2N NN Fm TO_STAND PAT HOUS 5_-—— — E J = TO I(/)‘;‘D \EADQUARTERS HEAD Sl DN ——— fhe éari:é;’nist has drawn a hicture of Hiram Ru_lée getting lqfi :the:lfirain et Bismarck to make laws for the people of North'Dakota at the present session.of the legislature. ,“Nro thank you,” he says to the pleasan_t and anxious gentlemen there to meet him, “I will carry my own grip and pick my own' hotel.” Another Crisis and a Time to “Stick" & THE farmers of North Dakota ‘‘stuck”’ during the primary and election campaigns in the face of almost over-powering criti- “cism and opposition. Now has come another kind of test. ... Again the farmers of North Dakota must put up a‘united front against :disintegrating and menacing influences. It is a test as severe, in a dif- " “ferent way, as any the Nonpartisan leaguers have been through during their strenuous existence as ‘‘stickers.’’ You have proved to the world that farmers can stand together and elect men to office pledged to the farmers’ cause. You have lived down, so far, the gibe that ‘‘farmers do not know enough to unite in- telligently for their own interests.”’ In North Dakota you have put your men in office. Now can you stand back of them and support them in their work in your interests? Can you give your elected repre- sentatives a fair show to do what they have promised to do? Will they- go steadfastly to their work in your interests with the courage that you, back there at home, are supporfing them? They must have your - united support now as they did in the primary and eleetion campaign, or they will fail. - *® & @ INSIDIOUS GAME IS ON HE farmers of North Dakota did not think that their cause was I won when they turned up their candidates as winners Novem- > ber 7. That’s what the powerful interests opposed to the farmers wanted them to think. But you were too wise. You knew that there would come another test of strength when your representatives took pffice. If you did not realize it then, you do now that this new test of whether the farmers can ‘‘stick’’ will be harder to go through with. "Then you were in the midst of an inspiring battle, amid the shouting and cheering of a political campaign. Now the test is merely to wait at homé¢ and watch your representatives fight it alone, giving them your support and encouragement while your enemies and theirs are criticizing, hounding, misrepresenting and lying about them as they labor for you at Bismarck. : Already the insidious game of misrepresentation is under way. Al- ready the emissarier of the interests you have temporarily beaten are sowing the seed of discontent to disrupt you, to destroy your confidence in your elecied representatives so that they can beat you and your cause at the first opportunity. This is an important session of the leg- dslature and an important state administration to someone else besides you. It is important to the politicians temporarily out of power, to the powers thit prey, and to their lackeys. They are depending on so mis- representing this legislature and this administration that you will repudiate your own cause at your next chance. It this not, then, a tkme of all times to remember that slogan, ¢ We’Il Stick$’’ * & = : ' ‘‘DESTROYING’’ THE CONSTITUTION NE of the big daily newspapers of the state, with scores of fol O lowers among the smaller papers, has daily for weeks and weeks been holding up to ridicule and contempt, by ingenious misre- presentations and half truths, one of the men you have elected to the supreme court. This paper hopes to make you sick of this judge and his associates so that you will regret ‘taking a hand in polities and standing together in your own interests and in the interests of a better state for all. Through such hounding of the men you have entrusted with power this paper and others like it expects to break down confi- dence in the farmers’ administration, break up your League and re- store the special interests and politicians to power at the first oppor- tunity, This will not be the only one of those you have elected who will be treated this way, as occasion arises. : {fY ou hiave already been told in various papers that your legislature intends to ‘‘destroy the constitution.” You know and everybody in” the state knows that most of the League program can not be made ef- fective until the constitution is changed. When the people of this state by such tremendous majorities approved the farmers’ program they knew it meant changing the constitution. Among other things the legislature was sent to Bismarck to change that same constitution. It is up to the legislature to find the best way of doing it to meet the needs of the League program. It matters little by what process the eyifititution is changed, whether by constitutional convention or other- wise, 80 long as a quiek, easy way is found. The legislature will find the quickest and best way with your help and support. In- any event, whatever changes are made must be voted upon by the people, *« & & REMEMBER THE GANG PRESS OU have been told through certain papers that your legislators are adopting ‘‘gag rule’’ and steam roller tactics in the house; you have been given to understand from some sources that legislation is to be ‘‘railroaded’’ without due considerationg you have § 1§ 3 [ 4 !