The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 1, 1918, Page 7

e R A g Ao ¥ V & 43 » . bt \> v [ ! \nl o % bay f'f § | w0 i é'.‘ | B 4 05 i L political fights or can not be used by candidates 'Hotaling replying to this inquiry as an individual . “National Editorial association, office of the presi- ‘which is engaged in a disreputable campaign of ‘of the kind of dirty work he backs. But when . of government can be used to blacken bersohs for poiitical reasons. The consequence will naturally be that the prosecutions brought by the government on substantial grounds and in good faith will be weakened because the public will have learned that a large num- ber of disloyalty charges mean nothing. There is also the danger that German spies and plotters will be encouraged by the failure of prosecutions brought by small- town politicians for political reasons. They will reason that even if they are caught and indicted they will have a better chance to get off, because juries and the public will have become suspicious of the good faith of disloyalty charges. This is the most serious aspect of- the case. Every support should be given by public opin- ion to the department of justice of the United States in its prosecutions of disloyalty. This de- partment, with its offices in every city and agents in every community, is certainly competent .to handle the situation. There has never been even a suspicion that the department of justice is in- capable of handling the matter. Yet small-town and county authorities will often refuse to refer cases of suspected disloyalty to the government, and sometimes will bring prosecutions ‘after the government has investigated and found absolutely no ground for prosecution. ' CORRUPTING THE PRESS - HE National Editorial association, we have understood, is a nonpolitical organization " of newspaper men and writers which, un- der its constitution, can not take part in or self-seekers. Nevertheless the president of this association has dragged it into the political battle in Minnesota between the organized farmers and the big interests, politicians and newspapers which are fighting the organized farmers. The president of the asseciation is H. C. Hotal- ing of Mapleton, Minn., a small-town -editor who is rankly prejudiced against the farmers’ move- ment. A publicity agency at St. Paul, known as the Reliance Publicity service, financed by ene- mies of the League, gives Mr. Hotaling as a refer- ence. A country newspaper man wrote Mr. Hotal- ing, asking about the Reliance Publicity service. There could have been no objection to Mr. or as editor of a Mapleton paper, and indorsing this hired anti-League news bureau, if he chose. Instead, he-replied on stationery-of the National - Editorial association—stationery that was headed dent; H. C. Hotaling, president.” It was plainly an attempt by Mr. Hotaling to make the country editor to whom he wrote believe that the National Editorial association was back of this agency, intimidation of country papers. The agency is attempting to influence country editors to use their news and editorial columns against the League by promises of advertising from myste- rious “clients” who ‘are not named, but whom everybody knows. S Now, if Mr. Hotaling’s honor as a newspaper man permits him to indorse an agency of this kind, frankly bringing pressure on a free press to corrupt it, nobody would object. This is his own affair and he is punished enough by the exposure he attempts to drag the National Editorial asso- ciation, of ‘which he is president, into the matter, making it appear also that the national association approves of an agency that offers financial support - to papers in payment of editorial opinion, it is a different matter.. : - We have not seen a repudiation by the Na- tional Editorial association of Mr. Hotaling’s act. Until such a repudiation is made some people are apt to believe that the association approves of the act of its president in the Minnesota political cam- paign, and approves of this hired news agency. : WE WILL KEEP UP THE FIGHT et ~\HE farmers have saved this country more than once. It was farmers who won the Revolutionary war, It was farm- ers: who formed the backbone of the Union armies in the %7 Civil war. . Farmers’ sons today are going to France to make the world safe for democracy. But just as important as - _that is the work that farmers are performing in feeding the armies of democracy and keeping the folks at home from starving. Suc- cess in the war depends on the farmers and their crops, . Farmers are making sacrifices—heroic sacrifices—to , i win this war. And they aredetermmed to make even greater efforts, The AR i e S N A e YA T L AT I A BN 8 A S HEOA R £ A s spring crops will be plarited during the next few weeks. It is going - to be a bumper crop.” Not an acre must be neglected that it is possi- ble to plant. Plant every square foot you can. The fact that you are doing it for your country and for world democracy is going to be- sufficient incentive. And while you are planting the greatest acreage of history—especially wheat, which is needed most of all— the Nonpartisan Leader makes you this promise: It will bend every effort to see that you get a fair deal in the marketing of the crop. It will carry on the fight without letup against the war profiteers, to the end that the cost of the things that go into the crop and the general cost of living can be reduced to a reasonable basis. We sincerely believe that President Wilson is with the Leader and with you in this fight. But regardless of this fight for economic justice at home during the war, America and her allies must have CROPS. Depend upon it, the Leader will keep up the fight. No effort will be spared by the Leader in the fight to get you justice in marketing the crop, and to get you help to harvest it. WHY GET INTO POLITICS? HY should farmers have a voice in their ‘;s ) government? Of what use is it for them ‘ to elect legislatures in which the farm- ing interest is represented in proportion - to the taxes farmers pay and their numerical strength? We find an answer to this in North Dakota where, through the Nonpartisan league, the farmers turned the old political gang out of the legislature and elected men responsible and responsive to the people. The North Dakota farmers’ legislature was called in special session recently by the farmers’ governor, elected by the League farmers. It was called to consider the fact that thousands of farm- ers of the state, ruined by crop failures last year, would be unable to buy seed to put in the big acreage wanted by the government and important in winning the war. The croakers said there was no need of any legislation of this kind. The farm- ers, however, met in legislative session and passed a law permitting counties to issue bonds to furnish money to farmers for seed, taking farmers’ notes, ‘secured by mortgages on land, as security. The legislature adjourned and went home. To date 20 North Dakota counties in regions where there was a crop failure last year have issued bonds for loans to farmers. They have issued a total of $3,060,000 in bonds, and this-amount of money has gone to buy seed for farmers who oth- ‘erwise could not have put in crops. The state is assured of a big war crop. Does it pay to elect a governor and legislature who act fearlessly in the people’s interests? Ask the farmers of North Dakota! ALL SMOKE, NO FIRE ‘'NATION-WIDE attempt to tar the organ- ized farmers with disloyalty has been under way for nearly a year. The Nonpartisan : league has been accused with every soit of unpatriotic crime. The newspapers -have declared in flaming headlines that the organized farmers are I. W. W.s, “Red Socialists” and bolsheviki. The facts have been suppressed or distorted to serve the purposes of those seeking to prove the League disloyal. Every person, high or low, who has expressed an opinion against the League, has obtained columns of space and big headlines. When anybody said anything favorable to the or- ganized farmers, or anything happened favorable to them, the press suppressed it or distorted it or discounted it by putting it in an out-of-the-way “torner. S - SN e The country has resounded with attacks on and charges against the League and its members. And out of this clamor comes indictments against Mr. Townley. There has been much smoke. The * Townley indictments are the first real fire—but what a weak, flickering flame it is! . The state- ' ments on which Mr. Townley was indicted appear in this issue of the Leader. They are an arraignment of political autocracy in ' Germany, of industrial autocracy everywhere and of war profiteers, and conclude with expressions of confidence in President Wilson and his peace formula. This is all they could find on’ which to -indict Mr. Townley, after all these charges of disloyalty and pro- Germanism! The mountain labored and brought forth a mouse! How . can those who have charged the League with pro-Ger- manism and disloyalty explain that all they could find to -indict Mr. ‘Townley upon are statements denouncing war profiteers and Ger- . man autocracy and backing President Wilson in his statement of war aims? : i | PAGE SEVEN T T R L o S e VYT AR Y 0TI T O Tl WS W N P S SR TSR B - S