The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 21, 1917, Page 3

! { , In the interest of a square deal for the farmers Nonpartisan Teader that dares to print ths trath Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League VOL. 4, NO. 25. FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1917. WHOLE NUMBER 92 |’ . " There is Now One, Broad, Open Way for the Farmers l ITS MY PRINCIPLES — I WANT AND [ DON'T ,NONPARTISA WAY — CARE WHICH ROAD I TAKE SO ONG AS 1 GET THERE! — 60 MILES = PER HOUR! : The farmer in the first picture is puzzled. There are many roads and many signs. Which way shall he go? Every road leads to a solution of his problems, if he is to believe those who advocate each of the separate ways shown on the signs. But the second picture shows a new condition. It is the condition that exists since the birth of the greatest farmers’ movement in history, the Nonpartisan league. The farmer now has one, broad, open way to travel—one sign toj follow. And he seems to be hittin’ 'er up along this road all right. Gangway! "The Kind of Opposition That Helps a man whose work in behalf of the farmers’ cause has been second to none in importance and whose pen is now known from coast to coast, has been received with the greatest enthusiasm as the Nonpartisan League candidate for congress in the Iirst district of North Dakota. Since Baer’s nomination June 1 by the same Non- partisan league delegates who indorsed Frazier and the winning North Dakota state ticket last year, the Leader and the North Dakota League headquarters® have been overwhelmed with letters and tele- grams of congratulation on the picking of Baer for this job. Baer has made his maiden political speech—at Devils Lake and has also been received with enthusiasm at Grand Forks and Fargo, at League meetings. ! : This is one side of the picture. The other side discloses the rav- ings and hatred of the old-gang and anti-farmer press. This placing by the farmers of a candidate in the congressional race has caused a new outburst of vilification in the controlled newspapers. Not only has Baer himself been assailed by these agents of the Big Interests, hired to besmirch the farmers’ movement and its leaders. The patriotic farmers, most of them members of the last North Dakota legislature, who comprised the Nonpartisan league convention that indorsed Baer, hive been insulted and ridiculed. The nomination of J OHN M. Baer, Leader cartoonist since the start of this paper, Bacr by the farmers has brought down on the heads of the farmers . the same kind of an attack that the nomination of Frazier last year brought down. ¢ * * * PROVES BAER RIGHT MAN LL this is just as encouraging as the enthusiastic reception A given Baer by League members and the people generally. It is encouraging because it shows that Baer is not acceptable to the old North Dakota political gang; that he is not acceptable to the controlled newspapers that have been in the fight against the farmers since the start of their great political and economic move- ‘ment; that the Big Interests, ever alert, do not want Baer. The at- tacks on Baer and the League since Baer was indorsed prove that the farmers have made no mistake, just as the enthusiasm of the rank and file of the people over the nomination proves it. Baer has the right kind of support and the right kind of opposition. His election by an overwhelming majority is therefore-assured. : : The big thing about the whole outburst against Baer and the League since the June 1 convention is that nobody has anything against this candidate. His character is-unassailable. He is not a politician—never ran for an elective office before—and therefore has no political past to be dug up against him. So the attacks on Baer have been silly and ridiculous. : It is charged by the Fargo Forum he is one of the ‘‘organizers’’ of the League and his election would mean precedent for wholesale office seeking by League organizers and officers. Baer is not an organizer of the League. He is not an officer of the League. He is a member because he was engaged in farming at Beach, N. D., when the League started, and saw in it a chance for a square deal for the farmer, just like Frazier was a member before he ran for governor. His only connec- tion with the League outside of his being an ordinary member is his employment by the Nonpartisan Leader as cartoonist. Baer has per- formed a great work for the farmers’ cause as cartoonist. Does that disqualify him as the farmers’ representative in congress? The old gang says so. : ® & = A WILFUL CONTORTION HE gang press has waxed sarcastic over the alleged fact that I Baer was not indorsed by a convention of the farmers of the Tirst distriet, but by a convention of farmers from the whole state of North Dakota. Therefore he is ineligible, they howl. But this charge is a wilful distortion of the truth. A convention of League delegates from all over the state had to be called to decide whether or not the Lieague would enter the congressional race. And there was other business of state-wide interest to the League to be conducted. When the state convention decided to enter the race and it was time for the selection of 4 candidate, the delegates from parts of the state outside the First district were not kicked out. Why should they be? They were as much interested in seeing a man representing the great farmers’ movement in congress as the First district delegates were. And Baer was the unanimous selection of all the League delegates of the First distriet. Get that—every delegate of the Tirst district approved Baer. That makes him the unanimous candidate of the First district farm- ers, doesn’t it? Dobs the fact that all the delegates from other dis- triets also approved Baer make him ineligible as the candidate of the League in the First district? It is to laugh. But most humorous of all in connection with the attacks on Baer PAGE THREE