The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 12, 1917, Page 5

e TR RS 52 S T JOHN BAER ELECTED BY FARMERS LEAGURE “We’ll Stick” Spirit Sweeps Nonpartisan Candidate Into Congress in the First District of North Dakota First district of North Dakota. With their slogan of ‘‘We’ll Stick’’ filling the air, standing shoulder to shoulder, the farmers of the Nonpartisan league again made their power felt. They placed Baer in congress by a vote that shows a substantial gain in the League strength since last year. J OHN M. BAER marched triumphantly to vietory July 10 in the The Leader’s compilation at the hour of going to press showed the following for 465 precinets out of 544 in the district: BT e e e o e e s T 11302 Burtness: 1 Gds S8 s ey o e 8396 Bangs® & e CO8 SIS Al et AR e o B 3097 This is a plurality for Baer of 2906. The missing precincts are " in the country, which will materially increase the Baer lead. Already he has a greater plurality than Frazier for governor had in the prim- aries last year. 8 How completely the anti-farmer hosts were put to rout by the farmers’ candidates is shown by the details of the fight. Baer rolled up formidable margins in most of the 13 counties of the district and he carried Cass, Cavalier, Nelson, Pembina, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, Towner, Traill and Walsh. He lost only Grand Forks and ap- parently Ramsey. . EARLY RETURNS GAVE HOPE THAT LEAGUE VOTE WAS CUT Baer began to show in the lead in the totals as soon the count be- gan in almost every county, but the, early reports were from the cities and towns, where Burtness was the strongest and the lead the farmers’ man had was not large till the country began to be reported. This gave hope to the old gang on election night that the League vote in the Tlirst district had been lower than what it was last year. They ad- mitted Baer had won, but they said his pluralities were not as big as the farmers’ rolled up last year. The pins were soon knocked out from under this false hope 6f the politicians. As the country districts began to report, some precinets two to one for Baer and all overwhelming in his favor, it was known that Baer’s vote and plurality were going to be smashing ones. BAER FIRST CONGRESSMAN OF THE ORGANIZED FARMERS The election of Baer heralds the entry of the organized farmers into national politics. No event since the carrying of North Dakota by the farmers last year has been as important. It has strengthened and solidified the League in North Dakota. It has given impetus to the League in the other states now rapidly being organized. His election was hailed with delight by nearly 100,000 farmers who have joined this remarkable movement which is sweeping the United States. But the election of Baer has an interest and importance outside of the states where the League is preparing for the economic and political liberty of the farmer. It is a triumph for the American farmer, no mat- ter where he lives. Baer is the first man the farmers ever put in con- gress through a political organization operating on a nonpartisan basis. He goes to Washington indebted only to those who elected him, not to any political clique or to the special interests that usually finance cam- paigns. He is therefore free to do battle in the nation’s councils for the cause of the people without fear or favor. VICTORY IS MORE STRIKING BECAUSE BAER NOT PARTISAN The big feature of Baer’s sweeping victory is the fact that he ran strictly as a Nonpartisan, indorsed by the Nonpartisan league, without party label of any kind. Every man who voted for him abandoned the party he had previously voted with to strike his blow for liberty. Last year the League’s candidates ran as party men. They got thousards of strictly party votes, which was not the case in the election of Baer. This makes the victory all the more striking. : £ CREDIT TO LABORING MEN ; IN CITIES OF DISTRICT | Baer’s election was accomplished in the face of an organized oppza- sition that coneenirated on Burtness at the last moment, as the vote shows. Burtness was the hope of the stalwarts of all parties, though . — he pretended to be a progressive, and he was the hope of the anti- farmer gang. The Bangs vote was much smaller than expected. ireat credit is due to organized labor and the working men of the cities of the Ilirst district. They stood nobly by Baer, co-operating with the farmers, for Baer was the candidate of the producers and the workers. Through the vote of organized labor and the work of an independent Baer-for-congress club in Fargo, that city was swung into the farmers’ camp for the first time by a plurality of 125. Cass county also went against the League last year, but came over to the League column by a big plurality for Baer. Richland county, where the League lost last year, swung into line also for the farmers’ man. The | CONGRESSMAN-ELECT JOHN M. BAER l The photographer in this pictune caught the new congressman as he was bringing home some of his points in his closing campaign speeches this week. niyvEe