The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 25, 1917, Page 7

Get the idea of this cartoon. It tells an important story in a’strikin of cars. Each car is a state. North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana are the first four cars, of the others are Idaho, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, the politicians, labeled in the picture “The Old Gang”, politicians and their hand car? Figure it out. — More About Those Big Meetings Great Fall Drive of Minnesota Leaguers Is ~ Finished—More Meetings Held Than ~ Were Planned NE of the biggest campaign drives in the history of the National. Nonpartisan league has just been finished in Min- nesota. Thousands of farm- ors have heard of the new farmers’ or- ganization for the first time and the final count of new Minnesota members for the month of October, according to reports thus far made by organizers, will beat the record of any previous month since the League started. The Twin City kept press has at- tempted to make it appear that several meetings were abandoned and by sup- pressing news of meetings that actually were held has tried to create the im- pression that the drive of the League was a failure, The facts are these: Eighteen Min- nesota’ meetings = were - scheduled. NINETEEN MEETINGS: WERE. HELD. The total attendance was nearly 15,000. And every man who-at- tended carried 'the message of the League back to many friends and neighbors. +sSHERIFF CHANGES MIND - AFTER’LEARNING FACTS At three places—Lake City, Mankato and Slayton—Ilocal politicians, exceed- ing their legal authority, succeeded in preventing meetings being held in these towns. Each meeting was held, how- ever, on the same day, at another place, - the Lake City meeting being moved to Dumfries, the Mankato meeting to Nicollet and the, Slayton meeting to Hadley. In addition an extra meeting was arranged for Wabasha, on account of the Lake Clty‘meetlng being pro- hibited.. Each meseting that was trans- , ferred to another town resulted in the attendance of a larger crowd of farmers than had been on’ hand originally. At Worthington on October 11 . the sheriff of Nobles county at first an- nounced that no meeting would be al- lowed. He later reconsidered his order, however, and the meeting was held. t might have . been thought that the order.of the sheriff, who said that no meeting would be allowed at Worth- ington “or anywhere else in Nobles county” would have discouraged the farmers from coming. As a matter of fact the Worthington meeting proved to be one of the biggest and most en- thusiastic during the tour. It was a great loyalty meeting, President A. C.. Townley of the League urging support . of the government and purchase of the Liberty bonds, as at all other meetings, and calling upon the farmers to fight for conscription of wealth as the best method for financing the war and for paying off bonds after the war is over, COMMERCIAL CLUB TELLS COUNCIL WHAT TO DO In spite of their knowledge of the patriotic meeting at Worthington, the village council of Slayton, a few miles to the north, held a hurried special meeting the next morning, and at the behest of the Slayton Commercial club adopted a resolution instructing the sheriff of Murray county to prohibit the meeting scheduled for Slayton that afternoon. The Slayton village council took this action not merely at the behest of the Commercial club. The council fol- lowed the DEMAND of the Commercial ' club, The Commercial club prepared —Drawn expressly for the Leader by “Billican” g way. The Nonpartisan league locomotive, with the farmer at the throttle, is drawing a train and there are more on this train, for it is a long one. Some Texas, Oklahoma, etc. The train is making record time and it has the right of way. It has beat y to the end of the doubM® track and there is only one track from here on. What is going to become of the petty “Take Back Your Anti-League Lies” Brooton, Minn., Oct. 15, 1917. To the Editors of the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Tribune and Minneapolis Journal : We, the farmers and citizens of Brooton, Minn., and vieinity, to the number of aiout 500, have directed that the following be called to your attention by a committee which we have nominated for the purpose : We have been led to believe, through statements published in your papers, that the National Nonpartisan league and its officers are un- patriotie, or pro-German, or opposed to the government or opposed to the winning of the war for the maintenance and extension of democ. racy in the world. We have been given the impression by your papers that A. C. Townley, president of the League, was conducting a propa- ganda against the interests of this nation and that he was seeking to undermine the government, was failing to support the sale of Liberty Bonds, and was otherwise unpatriotie. After hearing Mr. Townley speak and after considering his state- ment of the duty of American citizens in the present crisis and after learning the purpose and program of the League, we wish to say that we have been misled by your papers in regard to both the League and its officers and we demand that the false impression which you have created be corrected in your columns. We find that instead of opposing the government, Mr. Townley is urging every American citizen to do his utmost to uphold the govern- ment, and that instead of hindering the sale of the Liberty Bonds he is urging every farmer to buy them. We find that his chief offense has been that he asks all Americans to do as much as the farmers are doing “to uphold the government and that he fearlessly assails the war prof- iteers for the taking from the people of four billion dollars of war profits in one year. ; : We wish, in view of these facts, to protest against any further mis- representation of the League or its officers in your papers, and to in- sist-upon the correction by you of past misleading statements as to the League and its president. (Signed) KITTEL HALVORSON, (Signed) GUSTAV LEVARSON, (Signed) DR. 8. C. SHIPSTEAD, s Mayor of Brooton. : Committee. the resolutlon for ‘the council. This forth in the above resoultion, all mem- resolution itself is spread upon the minutes of the council. Following it is the notation: “On motion, the above resolution was ACCEPTED and the village council hereby instructs the sheriff of Murray county and the village marshal of Slay- ton to carry out the DEMANDS set bers voting yes.” It is convenient, of course, for the village council of Slayton to let the commercial club do all its business for it, It is about like the supreme court of a Northwestern state, which let a railroad attorney write the decision for (Continued on page 22)