The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 11, 1917, Page 10

A New Enemy in the Field . National Citizens’ Union Formed to Fight National Nonpartisan League— Has a Lodge Ritual—Big Capital Back of it—Wants Members NEW enemy is in the field against the National Nonpar- tisan league. A national or- ganization has been formed, far stronger than the old North Dakota “Goo-Goo” league, under more capable management than the North Dakota anti-farmer union, and supplied with greater funds than the fake “Nonpartisan league of Minne- sota.” The new organization is called the National Citizens union. It has started to organize on a national scale. It has opened national offices at Washington, D. C. It is backed with the money of ‘Wall street. It recognizes the Non- partisan league as a powerful national organization and is organizing to de- feat it on a national scale. Literature of the new organization is being distributed quietly throughout the United States. Efforts are being made to confine the literature to banks NATIONAK . SRAaND 7 Jfimii‘ CITIZEN S UNIoN~— The statement proceeds: “One organization that is fighting for the foregoing principles has as its president a member of the TUnited States senate at Washington, and it claims to have two millions of mem- bers. “Another such organization has recently elected the governor and a majority of the house of represent- atives in one of the northwestern states. That organization is now making a vigorous canvass for members and announces officially that it will be the dominant factor in selecting the next president of the United States. “Few people realize the number and extent of the organizations now con- ducting the internal fight upon our rights. Practically all of them seek to change the constitution so that A MERE MAJORITY OF THE VOTERS CovnNClh.— THE FIRST DEGREE Big Biz, master of ceremonies, speaking: “You are about to be initiated into the solemn mysteries of the N. C. U. The first ceremony is to pay the initiation fee. If you give us all you've got our charter members over here won't have to pay quite so much.” and allied interests, but some of it has fallen into the hands of the Nonparti- san Leader, A statement of the purposes of the organization, issued by Bird M. Robin- son of Washington, D. C,, its director- general, shows what the N. C. U. plans to do. It says first that “attacks upon may amend it at any time and in any way. “The second important principle which they propose to incorporate is an absolute prohibition of individual ownership in any public or semi-public utility, including mines, mills, oil wells, warehouses, elevators, gins, water- » All the League hopes for, at present, at at $5 Each, Plus Annual Dues Not Yet Named NATIONR CQMIZENS UNiON — — GRAND COUNC|L—~— = = W{»——:‘ WOT RHYMES) === {'fi?fle&?v?:-c_ 3 £ |BUTTER wiTH NUMSLEI Borw EACH |7 S \/‘l—j 2/ MINUTE 5 Tor (&5 SRS THE THIRD DEGREE “Now lean over and repeat it backwards. This your perfect humility. Do not fear to trust yourself to the Trusty Brothers, they will let no harm befall you. leaning position indicates to allow “A MERE MAJORITY” to fix the rules of the game and hope to or- ganize a minority to prevent the ma- jority from ruling. It is, of course, not true that the Nonpartisan league expects to prohibit any private ownership in the list of public and semi-public utilities named. the N. C. U. has adopted a clever plan. It is organizing as a fra- ternal order. It will give three de- grees, according to its constitution, and will have inner guards and outer guards and a ritual and ini- tiation ceremonies and a Royal High Gazookus and a Supreme Chief Bohunkus and all. the other least, is for public owned means of lodge paraphernalia. marketing the products of the farmer, so that competition will be provided with the existing private utilities, which by combining their resources now have absolute control of the situ- ation, Now something about the plan of operation. Organizers are to be put There will be a password and a se- cret grip and a sacred lodge goat and fancy costumes and fancy names, all designed to catch the unsuspecting public. The N, C. U. constitution also provides that the organization MAY give benefits and insurance and sick dues and so forth, though the litera. NATIONAL - CITizeENS —union GRRND CaounNncCil, — /\“ ot seecome pls T ?'.a:g,:.‘ ; /Y L /, \( Yo Q/Z’E(@J/ié\&\z ‘ 5\_»;5;{\/ 50 U R I SR | .....‘.",,...,.'l,,,_..,,,fi,,.i e L works, electric plants, railroads, etc. “If prompt steps are not taken to counteract the active campaign be- ing conducted by such socialistic and so-called Nonpartisan organi- zations, they may—and in fact, probably will—bring to their point of view a sufficient number of con- fiding citizens to accomplish their selfish objects.” A This is enough to show the object of the new organization. They are afraid the constitution” by ‘“agitators”, make such an organization necessary, mean- ing by this attempts to get the initia- tive, referendum and recall, tax re- forms by constitutional amendment or changes that would allow farmers to operate terminal elevators and flour mills. All of these changes, because they .would require constitutional amendments, are ‘“attacks upon the constitution,” in the language of the N. C. U. : HATIONRL CimiZeNS UN(O N~ INT TwAT| GEg Dot ey COUNC o — 3 LEYER “:"‘_'=élfoox FUNNY | ——— TNu?;TMC‘_ = ; Q e S —C X U, =) A C DR o THE SECOND DEGREE “Now stand on one leg and repeat after me: “l promise to be faithful and loyal to Big Business and the Trusty Brothers, our charter members. | promise to pay no attention to Nonpartisan league organizers or any other agitators who say that the people are not getting a square deal.” FULL MEMBERSHIP “Now you are a full fledged member. may decide upon and to vote as we tell yo Go out and bring in the rest.of t people. into the field immediately. They will collect $5' from each members as an “initiation fee” and the member will be bound to pay such further dues as the N. C. U. may decide upon later. The organization does not really need the money for its operation. It can secure plenty of money from .big busi- ness interests for its fight, but the $5 initiation fee, as the N, C. U. literature states, is all to go for “organization expenses”, that is, probably the whole $5 will be paid to the organizer for getting the man’s name as a member. There is nothing about the N. C. U, program that would attract the aver- age man as a member. This was a feature that spelled the failure of the “G00-Goo” league and the-anti-farmer - union. The average man is for re- forms of the constitution and public ownership—not against them, "~ 8o to get such men as members PAGE TEN i i S At e s 5 <5 e ¢ -You are entitled to pay any dues we u against the interests of the common he Dubbs.’ t}xre is careful not to promise this. The literature simply says: “The fact that the Union is a fra- ternal organization will attract thou- sands that probably could not other- wise be interested. The success of the fraternal plan will be appreciated when it is considered that there are approxi- mately 15,000,000 members of various fraternal organizations throughout th United States.” 2 2 The idea that the N, C. U. can get anywhere with such a transparent scheme as this would make an ordinary man laugh. ‘But the N, C. U, is no laughing matter. Its backing of money and Wall street influence shows that it is a serious problem. . In next week's leader an account of the men and influences backing the N. C. U. will be glven, to show how im- fgrta.nt is this latest schemse to block e farmers’ movement, ;