The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 17, 1917, Page 9

) x@mflfwzm MR. TOWNLEY IN THE EAST LSEWHERE in this issue the Leader presents an unusual E feature. It is seldom that the big newspapers can be depended upon to report fairly anything that has to do with the League or anyone connected with the League. But in this issue we ‘‘cover’’ the recent tour through the Bast of President Townley solely by re- printing what the Eastern newspapers had to say about it. In other words, we give the story of Mr. Townley’s visits to and speeches in New York and Washington as told by the press—we let the Eastern reporters and editors tell the story for our readers. The fact that the Fastern press as a whole dealt fairly with Mr. Townley and the League in connection with this important event is somewhat disconcerting to the anti-farmer press of the Northwest, which, for two years, has been trying to poison Eastern editors and Lastern people against the farmers’ movement. The Northwest gang newspapers attempted this when they knew that the attempt would reflect on their own readers, the farmers of their own states and their own communities. But such was their hatred that they would have betrayed anybody and would have stooped to anything to create in the East an impression unfavorable to the organized farmers. The Northwest newspapers even accused the people of the Northwest with being ‘‘pro-German’’ and “‘disloyal,’”’ alleging that they had refused to subscribe to the Liberty loan, because they thought this charge would also reflect on the League, which is strong in the Northwestern states. There were a few Eastern newspapers that never fell for the slanders peddled by the enemy press of the Northwest, and there ‘were, of course, a few anxious to misrepresent the League, because it savored of a movement of the common people. But the great body of the Eastern press was deceived by the lies emanating from the hostile, anti-farmer gang of the Northwest, and it is these papers that deserve credit for at last printing the facts, when those facts were called to their attention through Mr. Townley’s visit. The farmers of the United States, whether League men or not, .will profit by Mr. Townley’s visit. Mr. Townley’s sincerity and his ‘elear and logical way of stating the case of the American farmer won friends for him and for the cause he represents, as ‘the: reports and :comments from the Eastern newspapers show. To know that this is ‘true one has only t0 scan the comment in regard to Mr. Townley’s -trip printed by the hired. editors of Big Business in the Northwest. THEY have seen that the trip was a success and that the East has -been won over to the cause of the Western farmer. AND THAT IS "WHY ‘THEY HAVE BEEN FROTHING AT THE MOUTH ABOUT MR TOWNLEY ’S TRIP. AH, HA! CAN IT BE? ERE is some more interesting (if true) news for League mem- bers! A big mecting of ‘‘lumbermen, merchants, bankers and business associations’’ is going to be held in San Fran- cisco very soon.. This meeting is gong to ‘‘discuss plans’’ of ‘‘how best to meet the inroads’’ of the Nonpartisan league in the Pacific Northwest and Pacific coast states. For the information that big and little business is going to organ- ize in this way to fight the farmers we are indebted to the Bozeman '(Mont.) Daily Chronicle. The Chronicle in turn purports to get the information from one John H. McIntosh, state secretary of the Em- ployers’ association of Montana. The Chronicle quotes Mr. MeIntosh ‘(who is a very credulous individual) as stating that organization by the ‘‘business interests’’ along ‘‘this line’’ is the only hope of beating the League, which he says will ‘‘clutter the statute books with so many laws to regulate business that the business man will be harrassed " and discouraged.”’ ; Wel], well! We hope the-Chronicle is misinformed. But remem- ber, boys, if you DO try anything like that against the League,'it was YOU and not US that started it. Remember, we didn’t pick the fight. The farmers are organizing to get JUSTICE in the markets and in polities. Just that and nothing more. If YOU organize to prevent _them from getting that, look out—we won’t be responsible for results! The path of the League is strewn with the remains of ‘‘business men’s associations,’’ ‘‘anti-farmer unions,”’ ‘‘good ‘government (so-called) leagues,” ‘‘Citizens’ alliances’’ and whatnots, that to date have stood in the way of justice for the farmers and fair play for all. If YOU want to get in the road, all right. But remember, YOU started it—WE didn’t IT IS TO LAUGH I'I.‘HE people’s fight for climination of unnecessary, profittering middlemen would sometimes be gruesome business, perhaps, if the profiteers themselves didn’t make it comic by their antics. Some at Pittsburg, Pa., are a present illustration, There, as in other cities, evil practices of middlemen have been probed, and the news- papers have been publishing enlightening articles. Seceret service agents of the government have also been investigating the produce business there for several weeks. The middlemen, of course, have used all their favorite terms for classifying these disclosures, such as ‘‘slanders,’’ ““lies,’’ ‘“sensations,’’ and ‘‘malicious misrepresentations.”” And they have also seized that other favorite phrase of Big Business in distress, and are charging those papers that printed the facts with being ‘‘pro-Clerman.’ ‘What a peck of trouble Big Business would be in if it couldn’t call down this familiar curse upon those who would correct its abuses! These Pittsburg middlemen prepared a series of ‘‘whereases’” in which all the above terms of opprobrium were used, and passed a ieso- lution asking that Mr. Hoover discipline these newspapers for their ‘‘disloyal’’ disclosures concerning the patriotic middlemen. ‘““We are firmly of the opinion that they are the result of insidious German propaganda, designed to disturb and disrupt the free distribu- tion of perishable foodstuffs,”’ say the middlemen in their plea to Mr. Hoover, and they close with the self praise that always accompanies such charges: ‘‘Tor the public good, as well as to proteet our reputations as 10yal' Americans, we ask your aid in suppressing this traitorous propaganda and restoring the confidence necessary to a normal consumption of perishable produce.’’ ““‘Some gall,’’ as the office boy says! RUSSIA TO HEAR OF IT ~HE Russian people, through the United States government offi- ] cial publicity department, are going to learn something about the Nonpartisan league. The foreign press bureau of the gov- ernment publicity department recently asked the assistance of the Nonpartisan Leader in preparing illustrated articles for Russian news- papers. The bureau desired a photograph of Governor Frazier of North Dakota, elected by League farmers. A picture of his famous cam- paign train, which toured the state under the auspices of the League before the election, was also requested. In addition we were requested to furnish the government some of ihe illustrations that were used with the articles in the Nonpartisan Leader on public ownership of terminal marketing facilities in various parts of the United States. The Leader was glad to be of assistance in getting up this matter for publication in Russia. The Russians will learn from the story of the League and election of Governor Frazier that, under the free political institutions of the United States, progressive ideas can be worked out through organiza- tion of the people and election of people’s candidates to state offices and legislatures. They will learn that in this country citizens who desire progressive legislation and who wish to turn out publie officials they disapprove of, can organize and do it—for the people rule politic- ally. They will learn that the people of the United States, through organizations like the Nonpartisan league, are using their political power to correct existing economic abuses and to break up the indus- trial despotism and money autocracy of America. The Leader’s articles on public ownership of marketing facilities in places where it already exists in the United States, will show the Russians that we are actually progressing in solving our economie problems. .~ The government publicity department was crcated by act of con- gress and is known as the Committee on Public Information. George Creel is chairman of the committee and the other members are the secretaries of state, war and navy. The foreign press bureau of the COmtnittee, which asked and obtained the assistance of the Leader in preparing the articles for Russian newspapers, is located at New York City, with Paul Kennaday as director. QUOTING OUR JOKE DEPARTMENT N hysterical person by the name of R. B. Pixley has ‘‘proved,”’ A in an article in a Chicago newspaper, that the Leader is pro- German. He has ‘““‘proved”’ it by quoting a funny but non- sensical thyme about Kerensky of Russia by Farmer Jones in our ‘‘Between the Rows’’ column. Let’s suppress ‘‘Between the Rows.” PAGE NINE e —————————— ——n 5 e e R S RS