The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 14, 1917, Page 3

.Kfimnwmmwnmvfl-—m; S e llonpartisan Teader - war. In the interest of a square deal for the farmers A magazine that dares to print the truth Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League VOL. 4, NO. 24 FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1917. WHOLE NUMBER 91 I ' - The Boys Are Going to Make It Unanimous, Ding Bust ’Em! l e . | e . = Something has hit the First congressional district of North Dakota. It’ Idea of what’s doing. Even the cows and the ducks and turkeys are for Baer. by Chaney of Fargo, a North Dakota young man who is already gaining a well trying their hand at boosting his campaign. LET-A-BAER - Ul ‘SUNOAEY [ D PTG T iy | A or &7 Y wE-ARE ot [ wieaw §7) F0 R~ PN S aaca WJBA E R s the campaign of Baer, the farmers’ man for congress. This picture gives a faint Guess the boys will put him over all right—almost unanimously. The cartoon is -deserved reputation as a cartoonist. All of Baer's friends who are cartoonists are A Vile Assault in the Name of Patriotism S the Leader goes to press with this issue the most vicious A and unprincipled attack that hate and prejudice against the League could conceive has reached its height in the anti-farmer press of North Dakota. The Leader elsewhere in this issue prints a set of resolutions adopted by League mass meetings throughout North Dakota last week. These resolutions and President Townley’s remarks upon them have been seized upon by the anti-farmer press as “treason” and “sedition,” and are the cause of the disgraceful attacks re- ferred to. : The resolutions pledge the support of the farmers in this war to the government of the United States, whether the government is right or wrong. Loyalty and patriotism could go no further in words. Fifty thousand or more farm boys of North Dakota June 5 offered their lives to the country when they registered under the selective draft. Their elders are at home sweating 16 hours a day to produce a bumper crop, just as important as soldiers to win this * ¥ % HAVE THE PEOPLE A VOICE? HE excuse for this new and vile series of insults against the I League and President Townley is that the resolutions and President Townley’s remarks, besides pledging unqualified support to the government, suggest a way of financing the war and conducting it. The resolutions declare that this war should not be allowed to make millionaires at home while the people are pouring out their blood in Europe to win it. They advocate the taking of all the wealth that individuals or corporations have accumulatéd in war profits, and using it to conduct the war. They oppose financing the war by bond issues subscribed to largely by the poor and those in moderate circumstances, who are also the people who are bearing the burden of the war by sacrificing their flesh and blood.. They demand that swollen fortunes be conscripted, just like flesh and blood has been. They advocate a war policy that turns its back on indemnities and territorial aggrandizement and they ask that the government an- nounce this policy to the' world. They ask that the government take over the railroads and the distribution of food, as Europe has done. If this is treason, in the famous words of Patrick Henry in Rev- olutionary times, the Leader says let them make the most of it. Are the people of the United States to have no voice in the conduct of this war? Are they blindly to follow the policies a governing class frames for them, like the peasants of Europe? Or is this a democ- racy and have the people a voice in the conduct of the war? - * * * APPEAL TO MOB VIOLENCE VERY farmer can be proud of the resolutions adopted at the E League meetings last week and President Townley’s remarks in support of them, They voice the sentiments of the great mass of the people. They are a patriotic expression of loyalty and offer suggestions to aid in winning the war, and, what is just as im- portant, they offer suggestions which, if carried out, will prevent the enslavement of the people through war. The Grand Forks Herald, bitter enemy of the farmers’ cause and insane in its desire to disrupt the Nonpartisan League, in edi- torial and cartoon has insinuated that President Townley should either be shot or hung. They pretend to overlook the fact that these resolutions were adopted unanimously by 20,000 farmers last week. Would the Herald hang and shoot these farmers also? The Fargo Forum, recently purchased to make war on the League, in an at- tempt to precipitate mob violence, printed a gross and libelous at- tack on President Townley: It resorted to an appeal to riot. President Townley’s remarks and the League resolutions have not been printed by these miserable liars. A few exerpts of his speeches have been printed and distorted, so as to give basis to their charges of “treason” and “sedition.” The anti-farmer press has refused to publish the resolutions in their entirety, because these resolutions would of themselves contradict the charges made. Presi- dent Townley’s remarks were made openly. They are printed in this issue of the Leader. The resolutions are also printed in this issue. The leader is willing to let its readers judge for themselves. * * * £ IT MUST BE A WAR OF DEMOCRACY HE papers that are using the sacred name of patriotism to I libel the farmers, state that this is"a war for democracy. The Leader will not take issue with them on that. If it is a war of democracy, however, the people have the right to express their views on how the war is to be conducted. Is it democracy to attempt to throttle every suggestion to the government, every ex- pression of the people as to how the war shall be financed and con- ducted? There probably never would have been a war in‘Europe THREE . 3