The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 12, 1917, Page 3

LS @eeccccccccccccccccccccccccces T > T T T T > T T HE letters printed on this T page tell an interesting story and ecarry a.warning to every member of the League. ‘While the League is meeting the open attack of the agent of the Old Gang working for the inter- ests which rob the farmer, at the same time an effort is being made to stir up dissension within the League itself. The League mem- bers expect, now that the Old Gang is fighting a desperate bat- tle for its life, that every effort will be made to poison the minds of the farmers against their or- ganization and to wreek what they have spent two years of effort in building up. The hope of the farmers’ ene- mies and despoilers is that the League may be destroyed FROM THE INSIDE. This letter from Theo. Nelson of Dunn Center is a first-rate illus- tration of how they hope to bring about the disruption. It has been sent to many prominent League men, Nelson may actually be in League with such men as Hyland, Sorlie, Jerry Bacon, McHugh of the chamber of commerece and others who are directing the fight against the League. Or he may be simply seizing what he believes to be a favorable opportunity of getting a little prominence for himself. Again he may have been himself deceived and misled into thinking that he is called upon to do what he is trying to do. In any event, the result is the same. Consciously or unconsei- ously he has made himself THE TOOL OI' THE OPEN ENEMIES OF THE LEAGUE. What he has engaged upon can have no other object than to start a factional fight within the League itself. The man Nelson of Dunn Cen- ter who writes is not one of the builders of the Nonpartisan League. He has had no active part in rearing the great organi- zation which swept the state in the last election and within two years will be able to use the power of the state to get justice for the farmers. He is not one of the men who have made personal sacri- fices, have given up time and money and risked their whole fu- ture to carry on a battle for the farmers of the state. He has been a bystander in the great battle and now, on the eve of victory, is thrusting himself forward appar- ently with the objeet of turning vietory into defeat or ef gaining some personal advantage for him- self. NELSON'S LETTER Dunn Center, N. D., March 28, 1917. Mr. C. P. Peterson, Bisbee, N. D. Dear Sir: . Since the adjournment of the legislature the undercurrent in the Nonpartisan League for an organization by which there will be a systematized method of determining policies of the orgdnization with reference to various questions being agitated before the people of the state; also with reference to the selection of officers for the state League, etc., seems to have been gaining ground. The Co-operators’ Herald and the Nonpartisan Leader taking issue with each other on the terminal elevator legislation has apparently given this under- current added momentum. The result is now in this part of the state, and I learn the same of other sections, that the people are more or less inclined to drop out of the movement entirely. I am therefore, upon the suggestion of several parties, writing vou and a few other leaders in the work of improving the lot of the farmer, to ask what you would think about each of us getting a few of our friends throughout the state together in a meeting some time very soon,—say, for instance, at Bismarck,—for the purpose of discussing the situation and possibly devising ways and means by which all the good so far done may be conserved and a stable founda- tion laid that will assure its effective continuance in the future. Something, it seems to me, should be done to prevent this under- current and this difference of opinion between two of our leading papers from doing the movement as a whole an injury. Would you be willing to meet at Bismarck, say about the 18th of April, and would you be willing to bring as many of your neigh- bors as possible, and write to others in the state whom you know to be so unbiased with reference to either of the contending parties that they would be able to give any and all propositions that might come before the meeting a fair and sincere consideration, and ask them likewise to come to the proposed meeting? 1 would be glad to hear from you at your earliest convenience with an expression of vour ideas in these matters, and I want to as- sure you that whatever you may express will, if you so desire, be, kept in strictest confidence. This is a time avhen we can not be too careful and when a good cause may suffer because of indifference or because of prejudice in one way or another. Awaiting your reply, I am, Yours very truly, THEO. G. NELSON. C. P. PETERSON ANSWERS Bisbee, N. D., April 3, 1917. Mr. Theo G. Nelson, Dunn Center, N. D. Dear Sir: Your letter of March 28th at hand and contents noted. Will say I am not in favor of calling such a meeting as you propose. We should not try to get a split of that kind. If you are in favor of the League and the lL.eague program you should oppose such a move. Because some of the officers of the Equity are double crossing the League as it proved at Bismarck in their effort to pass some of the terminal elevator bills through the stand-pat senators that doesn’t mean the rank and file should do like-wise. Governor Frazier was right in vetoing Senate Bill 84 and any man there who has the wel- fare of the state at heart should back him. It is our duty to back the League officers in their fight for the League program as they are endeavoring to carry through for the benefit of the people and the state and not to hamper them in any way. 'If you are a friend of the farmers and the League call this meeting off. If we stick we will win. C. P. PETERSON. CAHILL REBUKES PLOTTER Leith, N. D., April 4, 1917. Mr. T. G. Nelson, Dunn Center, N. D. Dear Sir: : In reply to vour letter will say I was at the meeting when the business of the League was transacted and everything is settled as far as the organization and election of officers is concerned until the convention convenes in 1918, at which time new officers will be elected. In case we start another organization now it will just destroy the one we have. In regard to the Co-operators’ Herald they are conversant with the reasons for the veto by the governor of the ele- vator bill. The governor expressed the desire of the great majority of the farmers of North Dakota as they want an elevator and flour mill in North Dakota and not in’ Minnesota. It was the purpose of the Old Gang to create an elevator tax which would bring discord among the people by taxing all the peo- ple for the benefit of the farmer. The people would protest and the farmers’ movement as far as the state is concerned would be dead. Suppose the governor signed the bill and also the school bills passed, it .would make an additional tax of $761,000.00 and one year . from now there would be a general complaint_throughout the state on account of the high taxes. Can not see my way clear to enter any agreement which would interfere with the working of the League. J. I. CAHILL. e e D Nelson’s Little Game Foiled It may be interesting to the farmers of the state to know that this man Nelson was once promi- nent in Equity eircles, but that he tired .of the battle and withdrew and has been an unknown as an Equity fighter for the last two years until recently he attempted once more to make himself known as a farmers’ leader. - If Nelson were a sincere friend of the League would he not have sought out some of the men who are real workers in the League ranks and from them sought in- formation and to them given such or making? Instead of that he adviee or made such suggestions as he might he capable of giving sends broadeast throughout the state a letter ealling a public meet- ing to ‘“‘reorganize’’ the League and to oppose its leaders. Ile has made no effort to consult even the men to whom he is writing' this letter- before he announced his meeting. What right has this man Nelson to tell men like Peterson and Hagan and Cahill what they shall . do with THEIR organization and YOUR organization? Has he shown such suecess in building farmers’ movements that the farm- ers of the state should take HIS ad- vice before that of the men who have actually built THE GREAT- EST AND MOST WONDERFUL FARMERS’ POLITICAL OR- GANIZATION THE COUNTRY HAS KNOWN? Nelson is a tool of the opposi- tion to the farmers’ of the state, either a willing tool or a mistaken, misled, be-fooled tool. He is per- forming a service for Jerry Bacon and his ilk, whether he himself knows it or not. The letters he has written are coming in to League headquarters from farmers of the state who-are loyal to their organization and want it to succeed. Some of the answers to Nelson’s proposal are printed on this page. When he gets through reading these and the others he will receive he will undoubtedly conclude that he has made an error in thinking that prominent League members are willing to be led against the League. The Leader prints these com- munieations, not because they are neeessary to smash Mr. Nelson’s little game, but merely to show- the farmers what they are likely to meet in their contimued battle to accomplish their program. The Old Gang Caucus Meets Again - HIE Old Gang has sounded a general alarm I and sent ouf a hurry-up call for help. All the little lackeys of Big Business in the state of North Dakota, every traitor to the interests of the producers of the state, is expected to rally to the fight. ¥ The members of the League know all about the Old Gang secret caucus that was held at Bismarck daily during the legislative session. It wasa series of star-chamber meetings held here and there in hotel rooms and occasionally in the offices of the corporation of which one of the standpat senators was president. The object of all these meetings was to study the best means of opposing the will of the people of the state of North Dakota and thwarting the fulfillment of the League program. The men who took part in these Old Gang caucuses were mainly the hold-over senators and the few Old Gangsters who were elected last fall. These are the men who enlisted under thé banner, “The People Shall Not Rule,” and are fighting under the direction of the interests OQUT- SIDE OF NORTH DAKOTA which -do not want the people of North Dakota to rule themselves. This organization of Old Gangsters did such good work for the BUSINESS AND POLITICAL . BOSSES of North Dakota -that they were told to KEEP UP THE WORK AFTER THE SESSION. So they met in their last secret conclave at Bis- marck and resolved to FORM AN ORGANIZA- e - cececcccccccceeee TION TO FIGHT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE. This choice bunch sent out a CALL FOR A MEETING AT GRAND FORKS. By the time this copy of the Leader reaches its readers the meeting ‘will have been held. The place was the Grand Forks auditorium and the date Wednesday, April 11, 3 So, under Jerry Bacon’s protection, the Old Gangsters will have held their meeting by the time this reaches you. The Herald, which lampooned and ridiculed and insulted the three thousand farmers who held a splendid, rousing, patriotic meeting in Grand Forks less than two weeks ago under the direction of the Nonpartisan League, will try to make you believe that this gathering of anti-American, special privilege plotters which the Old Gang has called together is really an earnest, honest movement of the people of North Dakota. The exact character of the Gang meeting at Grand Forks is' shown by the list of names ap- - pended to the call for the meeting, constituting the “executive committee” of the movement. This “‘committee” consists of the Old Gang in the senate and house of the Fifteenth assembly, one or-two Old Gangsters who didn’t get to the legislature this time and Jerry Bacon’s personal representative (Jerry himself does not appear in public). Here is the list as published in the newspapers: Senator Frank Hyland of Devils Lake chair- TWO " NOT fighting you. —ecececcccrcecccccee man of the “executive committee.” Representative A. G. Divet of Wahpeton, sec- retary. Tom Parker-Junkin, of the Grand Forks Her- ald, assistant secretary. First district — Senator Nick N. Nelson, Second district—Senator Frank Hyland. . Third district—Representative R. A. Lathrop. Fourth district—Senator C. O. Heckle, Fifth district—Senator Frank E. Ployhar, Sixth district—Senator H. W. Allen. Seventh district — Senator P. J. Murphy.» Eighth district—Senator J. A. Englund. Ninth district—L. P. Sandstrom. Tenth district’' — Senator M. L. McBride. Eleventh district—W. B. Overson. Twelfth district—Representative L. D. Wiley. Here is the same old bunch that protected the Big Interests outside of the state by preventing the passage of House Bilk 44, which would have made the complete enactment of the League program possible, the same old bunch that tried to foist an Old Gang terminal elevator bill on the state. They have met to “save the state”—FROM CONTROL BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE. These are the enemies who prove the justice of the farmers’ fight. You would have a right - to suspect that your leaders were not faithful and your organization was.not going to accomplish the objects for which it was formed if these men were