The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 1, 1918, Page 11

" ownership of its soil, and they repre- " ent who was not .willing and anxious SISO ————————————————E A M LA S £ e Good Menand True on Farmers Ticket Forgetting Faction, Party, Religion, Minnesota Farmers Gather in Convention and Name Standard Bearers i in Great Campalgn for Democracy and Justice TUESDAY, March 19, a body of Minnesota farmers met in an assembly room on the ninth floor of the Pioneer building, St. Paul. There was nothing es- pecially remarkable in the out- ward appearance of these farmers. They were hard- handed, intelligent, sturdy sons There was nothmg out of the ordinary in of toil. the fact that farmers were holding a meeting. Yet, the eyes of the people of Minnesota were fixed on that meeting. What these farmers were to do would be big news throughout the United States. This body of men had assembled to indorse the candidates and formulate the platform of the Non- partisan league for Minnesota, in one of the most strenuous and spectacular political campaigns that the country has ever seen. ' The men who composed this con- vention had been selected by the mem- bership of the Nonpartisan league in 48 out of the 67 senatorial districts of the state. Their friends and neighbors had entrusted them with the duty of naming a state ticket for the organized farmers, and with formulating the platform on which they expect that ticket to be swept to victory at the June primaries and the November election. The men composing the Minnesota League state convention were all ac- tual farmers. Their interest in the state of Minnesota consisted in actual sented other hundreds of thousands of farmers whose interest in the state also consisted in the ownership of the actual land of the commonwealth. The delegates from these 48 sena- torial districts of the state, elected by the rank and file of the Nonpartxsan’ league membership were men of all parties. Republicans dominated, as . Minnesota is a Republican state. There was a strong minority of Demo- crats and a sprinkling of Socialists. There were men who had been mem- bers of the Prohibition party. There were grizzled veterans - of former farmers’ political struggles, such as the old Farmers’ alliance and People’s party. Some had never belonged to any party. There were Protestants and Catholics, and men who had never belonged to any church. There were men who had been born and whose ancestors for many- generations-had been born and bred in the United States. There were hardy pioneers and sons of pioneers. There were men whose parents had come from Ireland, or the Scandinavian countries, or per- haps from Germany. SELECTIONS OF FARMERS ARE BEST POSSIBLE But every one of these men was an American citizen, and they had as- sembled there with a single purpose. They realized the importance of the work which had been delegated to them, and there was not a man pres- to sacrifice personal preference, to: lay aside the claims of friends, to for- get party politics and to unite with his fellow delegates in the single pur- pose of naming the best possible ticket for the organized farmers of Minnesota—a ticket which would not only be a credit to the Nonpartisan league but to all the people of the state. . It was expected that these men would make mistakes—perhaps’ seri-" ous mistakes. Many of them were taking an active part in politics for the first time. Most of them were. not familiar with the ways of polit- ical conventions and knew nothing of the game of playing pohtlcs After a session lasting all day, these delegates announced the selection of the standard bearers of the Nonpartisan league for Minnesota for this campaign. The result of the convention’s work was a surprise even to the best friends of the League in Minnesota. The strongest ticket ever put in the field in that state by any political party or faction was named by these delegates. These determined, humble farmers clinched pohtlcal vie- tory for producers in Minnesota. The announcement of the League candidates was received with unbounded enthusiasm at the big. massmeeting of League members, which convened at the St. Paul auditorium immediately after the : Charlee A Lindbergh, Nonpartisan League eandidate for governor of aneso PABEELEVEN indorsing convention completed its work. League and Leader headquarters have been overwhelmed with telegrams and letters of congratulation on the selections of the farmers. Never was a people’s campaign commenced under such favorable circum- stances or with such good chances of victory. FARMERS ARE NAMED FOR STATE OFTFICES Charles Lindbergh, who heads the ticket as the League candidate for governor, is one of the most popular men in the state—a man who has won the esteem of the common people through his fearless stand against mongpoly, *he money kings and the forces which are fighting against democracy. Mr. Lindbergh for 10 years represented the farmers of one of Minnesota’s congressional dis- tricts in the national house of repre- sentatives. His public record is spotless, and the worst enemies of the League will be unable to find a single fault in his record as congressman. Mr. Lind- bergh is a farmer, owning and person- ally operating a large farm near Lit- tle Falls. He is also a lawyer, but his law office, when he has practiced that profession, has been on his farm. Lindbergh is a warm sup- porter of the organized farmers’ movement in Minnesota. He has the solid backing of organized labor, and his nomination at the June primaries and election in November is certain. For lieutenant governor, the farm- ers chose a tried and true farmer, who has served the producers of Mower county in the state legislatuz2. He is Representative R. E. Crane. He was so well thought of by the Non- partisan league members of his own county that, prior to the. state con- vention of the League, he was in- dorsed by the League county conven- tion for the state senate. that the state convention has drafted him as a candidate for lieutenant gov- ernor makes it necessary for the Mower county League convention to reassemble and indorse another man for the state senate. The claims of organized labor for representation on the League ticket were recognized by the farmers in .the indorsement of Victor Power of Hibbing, Minn., as candidate for at- torney general. Mr. Power is a law- yer and is mayor of Hibbing, a town in northern Minnesota on the iron range. Power is a man of the people. As mayor of Hibbing and leader of organized labor in the iron mining country of northern Minnesota, he has waged many a fight against the steel trust. He is hated by the steel trust and loved by the people. He is a man of unimpeachable character and has the necessary legal training to make an ideal attorney general. He adds material strength " to the farmers’ ticket. BANKER IS INDORSED FOR STATE TREASURER For state auditor the farmers in- dorsed another farmer—S. O. Tjos- vold. Mr. Tjosvold is a pioneer farm- er of Yellow Medicine county and for- mer auditor of that county. Delegates from the Yellow Medicine region to the League convention pressed his claims for recognition and, after a thorough discussion and-investigation of his public record and character, the farmers gave him their indorse- auditor. Another substantial farmer was in- _dorsed for secretary of state, in the person of Henry Holmes of Big Lake, who now ‘represents the farmers of his county in the legislature. Mr. Holmes formerly was a minister of the gospel, but now is an active farm- The fact- ment for the important office of state A SRR P Lo i~ p——— R AR SO0 s D AR W T R N T TR W T T O C A ™ Tl B