The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 14, 1917, Page 8

Enth usiasm Sweeps State Farmer Governor and League Speakers Given Unprecedented Ovation--- Farmers Take North Dakota Towns by Storm BY E. B. FUSSELL ROM the moment, a week ago, when Governor Lynn J. Fra- zier and President A. C. Townley of the National Nonpartisan league, stepped from the train at Devils Lake, N. D, to be greeted by a band and hundreds of citizens, the most remarkable series of meetings ever held in North Da- kota has been under.way. The writer of this article has trav- eled during speaking campaigns with other governors—governors who were popular, governors who were polished orators. But he has never seen any- thing approaching the enthusiasm which greeted Lynn Frazier, the far- mers’ governor, everywhere that he appeared. In every town where a meeting was held, dozens of farmers and their wives came up to Governor Frazier and told him they had driven in 50, 60, 80 and even 100 miles to see their gov- ernor and hear his message. Every- where enthusiasm ran so high that townspeople stuck their heads out of windows and doors in surprise at the cheers and applause which could be heard blocks away from the meeting- place. Everywhere the principal re- mark that could be heard on the stréets, before and after the meeting, was “biggest crowd we ever had in this town.” OVERFLOW MEETING AT DEVILS LAKE Devils Lake saw the first of the meetings. It was advertised for the opera house, which seats 1,200 people. A few business men who are enemies of the League, said they doubted if it could be filled. Half an hour before the meeting was ready to begin every seat was taken, every aisle was ‘blocked with people and the back of the house was crowded to suffocation. Besides this, 2,000 people were on the outside, clamoring to get in. There was only one thing to do, hold an overflow meeting on the outside for the farmers who were demanding a chance to hear from their governor and the president of their League. So & new outdoors meeting was started two blocks away in a vacant lot and for more than ‘three hours the two meetings, one inside and one outside, were kept going. The opera house meeting was so crowded that Gover- nor Frazier couldn’t get in the front way at all; he had to go around the alley to the stage door. farmers turned out. It was the biggest crowd Devils Lake had ever seen. In an account of the meeting the Devils Lake Journal cited on its front page: “Standpat, corporation controlled, machine politician’s joke: The Non- partisan League is dying out.” Williston was the next stop. Again the roads were black with automobiles and the streets were full of farmers. The big new armory building of which townspeople are so proud was crowded to the doors. The farmers told the governor and President Townley that it was unfortunate that the meeting was held just then, for the Missouri river was flooded and 500 farmers from the other side, who wanted to come to the Williston meeting, couldn’'t get across. What would have been done with the other 500 if they had come is a problem. BURDICK PRESENT AT WILLISTON MEET League patriotism is running strong around Williston. Governor Frazier's principal opponent for governor a year ago, Usher L. Burdick, has joined the League forces, much to the the dis- comfiture of the IL.eague enemies. He attended the meeting and the crowd applauded when League speakers told what Burdick had said about the anti- League Grand Forks meeting having adopted the motto “Carry the truth to the people.” ‘What Burdick said was: z “I wonder why that bunch of scoun- drels never thought of carrying the truth to the people before.” And then came the Minot meeting, such a meeting as never was held be- fore anywhere in North Dakota. As to how many people were there estimates differ, running all the way from 5,000 to 15,000. The magic city was treated to a new H “The League is dying.’ in North Dakota that at meetings addressed by League speakers last week 20,000 cheering Towns where meetings were held were filled with enthusiastic erowds that came in from 10, 20, 30 and even 50 miles. The demonstrations even surpassed the record- breaking campaign meetings of last year. It is so nearly dead brand of magic when this throng of wildly enthusiastic farmers took pos- session and proceeded to tell Minot that they stood without division be- hind the state administration’s fight to purge the city of illicit whisky and vice. FRAZIER BACKS UP LANGER’S CAMPAIGN ‘With a roar that could be heard from Eastwbod Park, where the Nonparti- san League meeting was held, to the business center, a mile away, the farm- ers yelled “aye” to a resolution, pledg- ing their united support to Attorney * General Langer and his assistants, aft- er Governor Frazier, in no uncertain tone had told the throng that he pur- posed to back Langer with every means at his command. Governor Frazier was speaking of the need for more representative gov- ernment when he broke abruptly into a discussion of Minot conditions. “It is my belief that our attorney general, Bill Langer, and his assistants, who are aiding him in cleaning up the city of Minot, are truly representatives of our people,” declared the governor. A wave of cheers and handclapping interrupted his statement. “And I want to say right here,” the governor went on, “that all the forces of the administration will be placed behind Bill Langer to see that the cleanup is made complete. We have here on the outskirts of Minot a state normal school. My position is that 1 am not in favor of one dollar more be- ing appropriated for that school until Minot is cleaned up and conditions made right for these students. ADOPT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LANGER “And there are other towns in this state’ that need to be cleaned up, too, The Togstad Brothers---Boosters Nine sons of a pioneer farmer of Maddock, N. D., who have been farming in that vicinity since their father ook up a homestead in Benson county 24 years ago. hand corner. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: % L My father came to North Dakota twenty-four years ago and filed on a homestead in Benson county. Here is a picture of us nine brothers who helped to make this farm a success. farming here ever since. A. B. Togstad, writer of the accompanying letter, is seen in the lower right ‘We have been I bhave been a League member almost from the start. Some of my relatives take the Normanden and I saw there a story that was not true: A writer said that hardly any of the old members were joining the League around Church’s Ferry. I was with the League organizer in that territory and got twelve members at a meeting, and eleven more at a later meeting. The writer said the old members are not re-enrolling. That is not true. Carry the truth to the people, A. B. TCGSTAD. EIGHT .to come to the stage. and I promise you that they will be cleaned up to the best that we can do.™ Governor Frazier went on to refer to efforts of bootleggers to get in. stocks of whisky before the federal bone dry law becomes effective and promised short shrift to such gentry. If,-as has been reported, there is op< position to the state administration at Minot because of Langer's raid, it did- not show itself in the gathering. A good representation of Minot residents, who joined the throng of farmers, to listen to addresses at the park, also joined with them in cheers as the governor finished his warning to organized booze venders. Immedi« ately after the governor had finished speaking a resolution was proposed that the assemblage go on record as supporting unqualifiedly the course of Langer and his assistants, It wag adopted with a mighty roar of “ayes” and when the “noes” were called there was dead silence. 2 This was the only time during the day when there was anything ap« proaching silence. The crowd of farm< ers who attended the Minot meeting not only was the largest in the series of League meetings held yet, in spite of remarkable enthusiasm developed at previous League meetings, it was also the most demonstrative. The crowd was with the spedkers’ at every stage of the game. It was a remarkable crowd. Farm« ers began drifting into Minot early in the morning. As each train approach« ed Minot it was filled to standing« room-only limit 30 miles away. There was no lassitude about the farmers, either; they whiled away the time on the way to the city by singing, “Soul of Forty-Four,” “It's a Long Way to Go to Bismarck,” and other campaign songs over and over again, varying the repertoire with patriotic songs, while the few business men and drummers on the train looked on with amused tol« erance. STAND FOUR HOURS TO HEAR SPEAKERS The roads were black with farmers driving in with their “tin Lizzies” and by noon Minot had the looks of a boom town on circus day. Auto- mobiles were parked as closely as they could be packed on every business street and far into the outskirts, Besides riding from 10 to 50 miles, or even greater distances, farmers walked another mile after reaching town to the park where the meeting was being held. There were no seats but for nearly four hours they remained tightly pack« ed around the speakers’ automobiles as far as voices could carry. Dozens, un= able to hear on the outskirts of crowds, regained their climbing ability and found grandstand seats on branches of park trees. L The only sign of any opposition to the farmers’ movement came at the Grand Forks meeting. There a report had been circulated that the meeting had been canceled, but in spite of this and threatening weather the big city auditorium was well filled. The oppo- sition referred to came from a little group of city residents at the rear of the hall : DISTURBER REFUSES TO COME FORWARD These men, who maintained a sneer- ing attitude toward the farmers throughout the meeting, did not at- tempt to interfere during the speech of Governor Frazier, but as President Townley and other League offficers were speaking they interrupted with insulting remarks. “Throw them out,” called the far- mers. President Townley, however, invited whoever it was at the rear of the hall The farmers named the disturber as a Grand Forks real estate man and politician. Mr. Townley repeated the invitation by name. But the man did not stir. Because the League speakers have been advocating: that the program of the League, for the economic better- ment of the farmers, should be con- tinued during the war, the Grand Fgrks paper had, during the entire trip, been charging President Townley with conduct approaching treason. It had also said that President Townley had abused every respectable citizen in the state. President Townley proposed to the farmers that Jerry Bacon be invited to attend the meeting and hear Town- ley's answer to these charges. So a