The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 10, 1917, Page 9

‘‘Socialism’’ is the bugaboo that the ‘‘has beens’’ and the ‘‘never wasses’’ who has his feet firmly planted now on the road to progress. and flour mill, within the state of North Daketa, is any more tem. It requires still more imagination to see why a terminal elevator within the s a terminal elevator outside the state, paid for by direct taxation, matter of sticking to facts means nothing to the gang that is raisin chance of getting into power again is worth trying. e ey have manufactured in an attempt to scare the northwestern farmer, It requires a lot of imagination to make out that a state-owned terminal elevator ‘‘Socialistic’’ than a city-owned water system or a government-owned postal Sys- tate, paid for by a bond issue, is any more ‘‘Socialistic’’ than which the anti-League bunch in the legislature said was all right. But the g the cry of ‘‘Socialism.” .'With them, anything that seems to promise a They Don’t Want Fake League | Farmers of Minnesota Say Real Purpose of Three-Man Bunch ; . Is to Break Up Farmers’ Organization ELIEVING in the motto “Car- ry the Truth to the People,” farmers from - all ,parts of Minnesota are writing letters of protest against the activi- ties and statements of the: fake “Min- nespta Nonpartisan League.” One of these letters, telling just what the writer, George W. Harris of Mc- Hugh, Minn., thinks of the methods of the ‘“cut rate league,” is printed in fuil on this page. ‘This letter was sent to the secretary of the imitation ‘league’” " more than two weeks ago. The secre- tary hasn’t made it public yet. Mayhe this new “league” doesn’t believe in “Carry the Truth to the People.” Therefore the Nonpartisan Leader publishes the letter, to show just how Minnesota farmers regard the new “league.” ; Reports from Minnesota say the ef- fort to discredit the wqrk of the- real Nonpartisan League isn't getting along as well as it might. Although news- papers controlled by the Minneapolis chamber of commerce at first were in- “clined to welcome and encourage the make believe “league’ and gave it columns of space, officers of that same chamber of commerce are convinced now that a mistake has been made. The business of selecting a location for the fake “league” in the same block with the National Nonpartisan League, was a little too “raw,” the chamber of commerce, strategists think, now. “These fellows were in too much of a rush,” one of the chamber of com- merce offitials confided to a friend the other day. “We were planning some- . thing of this kind, but they started it too early and flushed the game.” However, despite the opinion of this man, the imitation “league” apparent- 1y has a good sized bankroll, acquired somewhere. ' It has started an ambi- tious publicity’ campaign in° weekly , papers in the country districts, making the same misstatements of facts that were exposed when they were publish~ ed in the Minneapolis papers, evidently hoping that this exposure has not reached the more isolated sections. MINNESOTA FARMERS HAVE THEIR EYES OPEN But thp' Minnesota farmers have their eyes open. One. of them, writing to the Nonpartisan Leader about ‘the Mr. €. F. Johnson, Minn. Nonpartisan I.eague, St. Paul, Minn. seeming defects.” “Seeming defects,” are they? scheme goes through. be believed. the National Nonpartisan League. great Minnesota Nonpartisan league composed of three members,” gives. some inferesting information about J. A. ‘Stoneburg,. president of the league.: Mr. Stoneburg used to be a horsedealer and Republican gang poli- tician at Cambridge, Minn. He gen- erally was able to secure his own election as &elggate to the state con- ventions in the old days and‘as mem- ber of the state committee was in good position to make any deal that he desired. Stoneburg, while a resident of Cam- bridge, was known as’an enemy of. every progressive movement in Minne- sota. politics. In every fight on the liquor question he was known to be aligned with the “wets” in their fights against local option, county option and prohibition, his old neighbor says. e to place in what you ‘may say later. You say your league officers are to receive no salaries for services. long run? Everyone must eat to live, ‘even a professional politician. and then you would at least have an excuse to expect an honest deal from them? Candidly, I do not approve of your idea of having two classes of memberships. Possibly the honorary mem- bers might become too active if they should hold office, and it's a safe bet, I think, that they will hold office if the Minnesota. and attempt to charge $1 Some Hot Shots in Reply to Johnson McHugh, Minn., April 19, 1917. Dear Sir: Yours 14th inst. received today. You ask me to read it to the members of our farmers’ club but as our club does not hold summer meetings I can not comply with your request. I'only wish I could and could give ¥ou a report of exactly what they said. I am quite sure it would be very interesting reading because they are al- most all FARMERS' NONPARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGURE members. _ I read of the organization ef your league in one of the leading daily papers of the Twin Cities, also the editorial in that paper, and per your advice I am not getting the impression that your association is “the crowd that came into this state from North Dakota to tell the people of this state what they should do to remedy some ~ Glad you told us you consider them such! Now we know how much confidence No, we certainly won't associate you with “tha® crowd,” as you call them. Do they expect to break even in the ‘Would it not be better to pay them a salary Mr. Johnson, allow me ta call your attention to a ristake (?) in your statement of the membership fee charg- ed by the real League. You state that they charge $9 for a two-years’ membership in North Dakota and come into 6 for each membership. Give us facts, please if you wish your statements to Personally, T am mighty glad you sent me such a letter. It will surely help the League; of course I mean And to help your league along and at no expénse to you (because you are Wworking at a cut rate in this league business) I am sending your letter to the Nonpartisan Leader, also a copy of this letter. Don’t think that the farmers don’t appreciate your ability to “do us good” (good and plenty) if we should join your league. No, thank you, we, the common people, have decided to go into politics and business for ourselyes and do it at cost. Wishing you all the success you are entitled to, I remain, Yours for success (of the National Nonpartisan League). 4 GEORGE W, HARRIS, Stoneburg was appointed by Gover- nor Eberhart on the “efficiency and economy commission” created by Eber- hart as part of he#s political machine and at this juncture found it conveni- ent to move to St. Paul and spend@ most of his time there, at the same time maintaining a legal voting residence at Cambridge, so as to retain his political power. In 1914 Stoneburg ran for the state senate from his Cambridge resi- dence, but was defeated. However, though rejected by the voters. of the county ‘he had enough influence left among the politicians to induce the man who won to appoint. his- political friend, Oscar Blomquist, as a clerk in the senate. . Now, says the correspondent “Stone- ‘burg and Blomquist have acquired na- tional fame as incorporators of the NINE —-———-————.——'.—.__'________—_“ great Minnesota Nonpartisan leaguey composed of three members.” The third member is the secretary, C. F. Johnson. . 4 . In view of Stoneburg’s past political “record, Minnesota farmers are a little chary about accepting’ his “help” to enable them to better conditions. FARMERS SEE PURPOSE OF MINNESOTA “LEAGUE” “Mr. Stoneburg says the farmers of Minnesota need no help from North Dakota,” writes A. Falk, of Perham, Minn., inclosing a mewspaper clipping containing some of Stoneburg’s utter- ances. “But I think what he wants is to keep the farmers split up so they won’t all belong to one organization, so they will be easy prey for Big Biz. (Continued on page 13)