The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 11, 1918, Page 13

72 L X g : , . . { HE charge of pro-Germanism and disloyalty vile attacks of the war profiteers and the junker been bitter as gall to the interests that are fighting =2y 5 was made against the Nonpartisan league by press, who used their request for a statement of the organized farmers—no wonder, when this gov- 5; newspapers and interests who could not meet war aims to “prove” they were “pro-German.” But ernment adopts in its entirety the policy urged by +y > the League in argument on its economic pro- all this has been made up to League farmers, by the farmers at the outbreak of the war! i gram and sought therefore to discredit it by calling their satisfaction in the fearless stand taken by Those same June (1917) resolutions of League S names. Every position that the Nonpartisan Leader President Wilson, which the profiteer press and members contained this statement: ? > | ~ f — G President Wilson and the League Ag/ree' A Comparison of the Resolutions of the Farmers in Regard to the War and the Subsequent Messages and Speeches of the Head of the Nation and Nonpartisan league took early in the war has now become the official position of this country through the statements of President Wilson. The : fact that the League has been proved right in every stand it took in regard to the war has, of course, taken the ground out from under those who have sought to avoid discussion of the League program by questioning the farmers’ patriotism. At a time when the imperialistic war party in the United States, supported by a majority of the press, was seeking to prevent this country and its allies from making a frank and open statement of war aims, the Nonpartisan league was fearlessly insist- ing on such a statement and was crystalizing pub- lic sentiment and making it ready, to accept the epoch-making pronouncements of President Wilson. President Wilson intended from the start to make the big interests have had to swallow. THE LEAGUE AND WILSON ON “SECRET TREATIES” The June (1917) resolutions of the League farm- ers also contained this paragraph: “We demand the abolition of secret diplomacy. The secret agreements of kings, presidents and rulers, made, broken or kept without the knowl- edge of the people constitute a continual menace to peaceful relations.” This, too, was “treason,” the farmers were told. But on January 8, 1918, President Wilson, in a mes- sage to congress, announced as one of the propo- sitions on which the United States would agree to peace the following: “We are unalterably opposed to permitting stockholders of private corporations to pocket enormous profits (due to the war)..... ek g It seems unnecessary to quote President Wilson on this same subject. His statements directed at those who are attempting to coin money out of the war are too well knewn. His statement that “profits and patriotism should not be mentioned in the same breath” proved conclusively that he was back of the farmers in their fight against the war profiteers. At the great St. Paul conference of Nonpartisan league members, in September, 1917, the following resolution was adopted: 3 “Whereas, a price has been set on the farm- er's wheat by which at least 80 per cent on the average and in some cases 100 per cent of his ~4- a statement of war aims—a statement that would “Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, profits have been taken from him, ' silence permanently in this country and abroad the after which there shall be no private inter- “Resolved, that we cheerfully acquiesce in R interests that expected to use the war for commer- national understandings of any kind, but diplom- this sacrifice, but we respectfully urge that those cial or territorial conquests. He intended to make acy shall proceed frankly and in the public who produce and sell other products necessary S a statement justifying the war on the sole basis view.” g for the people’s use and for carrying on the war that it was a war for democracy—a war against No wonder the League’s stand on the war has be dealt with upon a like basis and that the 1 militarism and autocracy and for a : : government take the same drastic permanent peace based, not on con- action toward those who are mak- e quests and advantageous commercial ing extortionate profits out of the 353 treaties wrung from crushed nations, FIGHTING FOR YOU AN D ME POy but on justice and square dealing be- 2 tween nations and respect for the rights of all peoples. : But there was a tremendous oppo- sition in this country against a ‘declar- ation of war aims, doubtless inspired by fear that such a declaration, made by a statesman like President Wilson, would be too liberal and too dem- ocratic. Every publication, individual necessities of the people. in time of war.” ATy PRESIDENT SEES JUSTICE IN STAND OF LEAGUE . In other words, the League- farmers wanted the price on what they had to buy fixed on the same basis as the price of what they have to sell. As if in direct answer to this resolution of P S 3 . the League, President Wilson on De- agd &;ganiz:ti%n tl;;te ms:_zg;geg: s:gl; cember 5, 1917, three months after the b a - statemen y p % ) League farmers spoke, urged upon branded as “pro-German” and “dis- ) g p i » ) congress the following: A loyal. . ; “Recent experience has con- 3 WHAT THE LEAGUE SAID vinced me that the congress must o3 AND WHAT WILSON SAID go further in authorizing the gov- t limits to prices. However, during June, 1917, at a ernment to se =~ = 2 £ great series of mass meetings in North The law of supply and demand, | \,}i Dakota, attended by about 30,000 peo- am sorry to say, has been replaced } ; ple, members of the Nonpartisan by the law of unrestrained selfish- - the war for selfish and unjustifiable league adopted resolutions in regard to the war that contained the following clause: «We therefore urge that our government, before proceeding further, make immediate public declaration of terms of peace.” Reinforcing these resolutions, the Nonpartisan Leader repeatedly pointed out the necessity for a statement of war aims. On August 30, 1917, the Leader said: _4“Let us .come out in the open and persuade our allies to do so. Let us know definitely what we are fighting for and let the enemy know.” o . Shortly after this President Wilson made the first of his war-aim state- ments which have stirred the people of the world to the depths and forever put to rout the junkers and imperial- ists. The Nonpartisan league farmers do not claim that they alone made pos- sible this statement by the president. They do claim that they helped the president to make it by showing him that the newspapers and interests that were against making a statement did not represent the views of the com- mon people of this country, and that the. people would back him when he got ready to give the death blow to those; here or abroad, who would use ends. - . ' For taking the patriotic stand they did, League farmers had to suffer the Members of an American hospital division in training under conditions which . they will meet on the battle line in France. They have taken advantage of the Jhospitality of a hill ‘and boast of a dugout which keeps them warm. These boys don’t look underclothed or underfed, although politicians by attacks on Secretary of War Baker have sought to carry this impression to the American people. This photograph is used by the Leader with permission of the United States govern- ment committee on public information. Original copies of this photograph can be obtained by readers of the Leader at 10 cents each by cutting this out and sending it with the money to the committee on public information at Washing- ton, D. C. The Leader is authorized to make this offer to readers under special arrangement with the committee. Why not start a war photograph collection at once—your children will like to look at the pictures in years to come. _PAGE THIRTEEN ness. While we have eliminated profiteering in several branches of industry, it still runs impudently rampant in others. The farmers, for example, complain with a great deal of'justice that while the reg- ulation of food prices restricts their incomes, no restrictions are placed upon the prices of most of the things they must themselves purchase, and similar inequities obtain on all sides.” The St. Paul farmers’ conference, under the auspices of the League, was attended by 5,000 delegates from 15 states. It represented and spoke for. the farmers of America. Yet it was heralded abroad as a conference of “disloyalists” and “anti-war agitators,” despite its resolutions approying the president’s statement of war aims and pledging the League and the farmers in giving every help possible to win the war. And then President Wilson, in the statement above quoted, ac- for the. big interests that are fighting the farmers and attempting -to make them out unpatriotic! - This is only a brief summary of the principal suggestions in regard to the proof that they were right and have since become the policy of the nation. The June (1917) League resolutions and other League and Leader state- ments declared against forcible annex- (Continued on page 23) = knowledges the fairness and justice of: the St. Paul resolutions! What a pill | war made by the League farmers, with