The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 8, 1918, Page 7

These men are of the people. There are seven on the state ticket. Two are the direct selections of organizd labor—men who have the confidence and esteem of the organized city workers of Minnesota and have been prominent in the counsels of organized labor.. The head of the ticket, Mr. Lindbergh, candidate for gov- ernor, is a farmer and lawyer, who served 10 years in congress through the suffrage of the common people of his district. Three others on the ticket are actual, on-the-land farmers—men who have no other interest or business than that of farming. One is a banker and farmer. . These men are men who did not seek the indorsement of the farmers. They are nmren whom the farmers and workers DRAFTED to run for office. Not one of them is a self-seeker. Not one of them but that considers his own interest secondary to that of the cause and the platform on which he runs. to the people. We'll stick! We'll win! - UNITED THEY STAND HE outstanding feature of the great Minnesota convention of the Nonpartisan league is the amalgamating of the cause ) of union labor and the organized farmers. What the news- papers and the big interests have told us was impossible has hap- pened in Minnesota. The common people from the farms and from ~ the factories and shops and mines have united.. The St. Paul mass- ‘meeting, which lasted three days, was under the joint auspices of . the trades and labor assemblies of the Twin Cities, aided by officers “of the State Federation of Labor and other prominent ‘union of- ficials, and the Nonpartisan league.: : B ;84 The final night of the rally fully 4,000 farmers and 3,000 union § labor members packed the great municipal auditorium. President Townley of the League, presiding, asked the farmers present if ‘;‘-" they pledged themselves to the cause of organized labor and would stand with the workers of the cities shoulder to shoulder to win 4 Minnesota for the people. There was a roar of assent and applause. | “Then you farmers who make this pledge, stand up,” he said. Half 0 % the audience stood amid cheering that shook the rafters. “And F now, you union men, do you pledge yourselves to fight shoulder to S0 ghoulder with the farmers in this great cause?’ - Again the foun- dation vibrated with an enthusiastic outbreak. ‘“Then stand up, A » you union men, who make this pledge,” said the chairman. The * half of the andience that had remained seated before now stood. = Words fail to describe the scenes which followed this mutual pledge. The “impessible” was achieved. For 50 years the big in- terests have maintained their grip on politics because they have’ 3, been able to divide these two groups of the common people at elec- - tions. - But they will not be able to do it this year in Minnesota. 2 e T TR A e S ; e THE FALSE ISSUE OF .LOYALTY I NHARLES A. Lindbergh, for. 10 years a member of congress from Minnesota, now the Nonpartisan League candidate for governor of Minnesota, accepted the League indorsement in a brief speech before the final session of the big St. Paul workers’ and farmers’ rally. - Mr. Lindbergh’s appearance on the platform -was the signal for an impressive demonstration by the nearly 7,000 i B labor unionists-and farmers in the great auditorium. 2 ks ‘ - Mr. Lindbergh’s speech to this assembly is published in this ‘issue of the Leader. In those few words he has crystalized the ‘thoughts and emotions of the common people .of Minnesota, and of the nation, for that matter. Mr. Lindbergh’s speech of accept- T: STAND , It is these men who will restore the government of Minnesota : DIVIDED ) o R BiG BIZ— INVOLUNTARY CONFE SSIONS — | AM THE "FAVIoUS” WAR | |4 [ Rionert MY TIME S LIRME Nemiing’ £ - IFTHE LBL 1S A LeG TNy g BaPend THC - | B, SHOFRNG LEnRls g | PROFLIEER. 1 A Eiguming | ) ORGAN?;EI\D( ';'35{'123 e LEA&?)EE" ’_'. 35% o M% SALARY IN ALL THE BIG DAILIES|LABSRER APART, 4 1 ¥ & WRITING LIES ABouT| ! LIKE 11 ‘I NEED THEIR 't THE LEAGUE, PUBLICITY, MONEY .J ) ; o oF aNyY @iee : ‘e plisdlaligtes »%»i‘ . : e a ‘h Bis te |ba Yoa S e state. Every worker of the state, every person who does not live ance speaks for itself, and readers of the Leader, no matter in whatz £ by the sweat of another’s brow, can conscientiously and will sup- state, will read it for themselves. But we want to point out just ; port these men, whether members of the Nonpartisan league or a one phase of it here. bl labor union or not. ) An attempt has been made in Minnesota, as elsewhere, a false issue of loyalty, which has set neighbor against neighbor - s and divided the people, at a time of all times when there should be €'t to raiseg. - unity and co-operation among all citizens. This false cry of dis-9 & loyalty, which has nothing to do with real disloyalists and sedition-"{ T ists, has been raiced by politicians to discredit their political ene-' * mies. It has been raised by war pro“teers and beneficiaries of g 7 special privilege to discredit reforms and reformers which endanger st the rule of the money kings and monopolists. It is a false cry, and :° Mr. Lindbergh in his brief speech, in a few well-chosen words, dis- I':f closed its cheapness, its inconsistency #nd its unfairness, and heh'! has shown the REASON for it. Mr. Lindbergh says: i Do i ; yi Those who have thought most seriously upon the conditions know e there is no issue of loyalty. The most harmful act to create distrust and class prejudice in these times is-that adopted by these profiteers and ‘po’iticians who try to emphasize their own loyalty by accusing of disloyalty those who do not “flock” with them, and in that way to make loyalty an issue when as a matter of fact it is not an issue. All the people are loyal. The few exceptions are only isolated ihdividuals, comparatively so few that it creates no issue, for our people are Amer- ican, whether born in America or naturalized -Americans. Wherever, a disloyalist exists he is an exception and should be arrested and dealt with by law, and no false issue of loyalty should stalk over the country to create prejudice and riots. These profiteers and politicians, as pre-. tel;xded guardians of loyalty, seek to perpetuate themselves in special privilege and in office. They assume that they are called upon to pass upon: the acts and: motives of those citizens who' are-endeavoring to . follow out their constitutional rights of political and economic organi-- - zation and expression in a legal, loyal -and orderly way, guaranteed to . them by the laws of the state and the nation. . & 4 ® D O SN A AR SR R P Rt B B S § o » . THE MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN OPENS ; HREE cheers for Minnesota, the first League state to line up for the 1918 primaries and elections! ' Precinct caucuses of the League were held throughout the state February 22; county and district conventions immediately afterwards, and now the state convention and opening membership campaign rallies have been held at St. Paul. - 5] A : - The League farmers at St. Paul indorsed a state ticket and adopted a platform for the campaign. The ticket and platform were printed in full in the Leader last week. The state-wide pri- maries in Minnesota this year will be in June, hence the early start of the campaign: & : : : North Dakota will be the next state to get into the campaign this year. Precinct caucuses of the League were held in North Dakota on the same date as the Minnesota caucuses, but the North Dakota state convention at Fargo was not held till a week after the Minnesota sfate convention. The North Dakota primaries- are in June. Watch the Nonpartisan Leader.for a full account of the North Dakota farmers’ ticket and-platform. 3 The primaries in South Dakota also are in June, but South Da- kota League members, at a state-wide conference recently with officials of the national League, decided not to enter the primaries in that state, but to make the big fight in‘the November election. The primaries in Montana and Idaho and other states where the League will make a fight this year are not till September; and con- ! sequently the League membership caucuses and conventions will likely not be held till July. ' ' et 7 e . The year 1918-is full of big things for the farmers and workers i of the country and history-is going to be made during the next few months in the League states. Wi ks T P T TTRW W 4 W TN W T D D @ R G RE T < ARG Lo EISa T AR O Y S e W FT T W WM T ACT WU W e o WE . FALL. ™ Ad 'l ‘s