The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 15, 1918, Page 5

S e e seives, The association was the club they intended to use in the legislature. The hope of getting this money back has been the big incentive to keeping the Greater Iowa association alive ever since. That it was the sole motive for its organization is proven over and over again by the newspaper articles and editorials that detail the progress of the associa- tion; its legislative campaign and the bitter de- nunciation that followed when the legislature of 1915 refused to pay these business men the $32,000 demanded. THE GREATER IOWA ASSOCIATION’S CHIEF AIM — By the way, that was as far as they got with their $300,000 boast. Just about 10 per cent. They fell down 90 per cent in spite of their song, “Don’t it beat hell how the money rolls in.” And money is still the soul, backbone and ultimate aim of the Greater Iowa association. All that has been taken on since that is just camouflage to make a showing before the people until the time when the Greater Iowa association can swing a legislature and get back for its wealthy members the $32,000 they so generous- ly “donated”—on the expec- tation that they would be re- imbursed. Oh, it has done a few other little things: The association boasts that its publicity mat- ter gets a “world-wide circu- lation,” and that it-sends its “dope” to 100 papers in Yowa; |it got together some movies of Iowa; has helped to reorganize some defunct commercial clubs, etc., etc.— but all these are just side is- sues, camouflage, adopted after the defeat of its orig- inal purpose. Of late it has taken on a more serious pur- pose—namely," the “destruc- tion of the Nonpartisan league,” but until a few months ago its mainspring was the hope of recovering the $32,000 which “its mem- bership so wantonly subscrib- ed in those good old days of special trains apd exposition enthusiasm. And finances are still an awful important part of its . business. - The Greater Iowa association has three financial engagements that weigh con- stantly on its mind: first, to make Jowans think that it refunded $15,000 of state money (which it never got its hands on), and that it “sav- ed” that-much to the tax- payers by its economy in handling the Panama-Pacific exposition; second, to. keep them from finding out that it still actually_holds $20,450 of state funds that were put into its hands, for which it has never given a/ny account- ing; and third, to filch from ..the taxpayers of Towa $32,000 \.more, over and above the . .$20,450 it still has. These “are important matters and “.they are keeping Secretary ff;‘_floodworth Clum and a batal- .Hon of big business lackeys “busy building political fences, soliciting funds, and plan- ning to capture the next legislature for- the Greater Iowa association. " -That came . about in this way. After Waterloo won 1 e the honot™of representing Iowa at the exposition, and after’ the Greater Iowa association had been ‘formed, Governor Clarke - appointed officials. and - directors of the Greater Iowa association as an “exposition commission,” put the $60,000 appropriated by the. state for the exposition.. There “was. to have been $75,000, of which $15,000 was set aside especially for a. live- stock exhibit, but the hoof and mouth disease came- “along about that time and prevented the livestock . exhibit, s0 the Greater Iowa: association got onl: - $60,000 to spend instead of the full'$75,000. - Never- .-theless they have been telling the taxpayers' ever . since that they “turned back” to the state $15,000, -7 the weakest man of ized farmer? ORGANIZED, FARMER~ éTRONGEST “The organized farmer has ships, judgeships, etc. He is a strong man—Baer the unorganized farmer—pity him, folks! He ¢an n zation—no real voice in politics, government, contempt from. poli JInto their hands was - “ trying to create the impression that they saved this much out of the appropriation by economy, also to help sweeten the bitter pill that they will one day have to swallow when Iowa learns the truth about the $20,000 shortage, MUST SOON TELL WHAT THEY DID WITH MONEY Woful truth! The day of reckoning is now fast approaching. Twice since the exposition was over has the state demanded an accounting. Twice Woodworth Clum and the Greater Iowa association have “stalled,” the first time on a plea of illness in Mr. Clum’s family, the second time, because of the obvious necessity for “gtalling.” Maybe Mr. Clum can account for the $20,000. Maybe the Greater Iowa association is not guilty of any graft, but if so, Clum will have his third chance to ex- plain in a few days now, after two long years of waiting. : ~ ORGANIZED AND UNORGANIZED — = 7 — all industries. : / Clum’s accounts show that general items were . “used to conceal huge expenditures, such as “W. Clum, “taxicab, service, trangportation and repairs to: building, $315”; $724.82 for telegraph and tele- phone service; $298.55 for water and milk at the . Iowa building in San Francisco; $77.50 for ice “cream; hotel for Governor Clarke and his retinue, $894.50; “wet goods,” $69.60 on one occasion; and ‘many large sums entered under such general head-- ings as “expense.”. There are entries showing that . prominent ‘Towa people traveled luxuriously from Towa to the Pacific' coast and back at the expense 4 - of the state, the bill being paid-out of state funds o —Drawn expressly for the Leader by Congressman John M. Baer political control. He can handle state offices, governorships, senator- says the strongest man of history. ot even handle a local county sheriff. He’s Organization—power, influence, justice. no chance for adequate farmers’ legislation, ticians and big business. Arg you an organized or unorgan- that had been put into the hands of the Greater’ Iowa associatio.. Clum' is alleged to have paid one’personal bill for $45 out of state funds, and the Leader has seen photographic copies of the check he drew and the receipt he made out to be returned to him. Besides all these items and many more like them, that are accounted for in this way there is exactly $20,450.77 not accounted for in any way—money entrusted to the keeping of the Greater Iowa as- sociation for the purpose of carrying out a great public project, which it has never returned to the state treasury. Up to date neither the association, nor Mr. Clum, who handled the funds, has been able to tell what became of it. TRYING TO RECOUP BY STINGING FARMERS But they have one bright spot_to Jook back upon —the time when “it beat hell how the money rolled in.” In that spirit they spent the money, and in that spirit they went back to the legislature in 1915 de- manding that it should try to excel -even this enviable record that “hell” was mak- ing when it cut a financial swath across Iowa and didn’t give a rap. And they still have one bright spot to look forward to—the easy money that they may yet be able to rake in from unsuspecting farmers. Why, if they are whoopingly successful, maybe they can make the deluded taxpayers contributé that whole $20,- 450.77 in $30 memberships to the Greater Iowa association, and then—then perhaps the taxpayers can be paid back their long-missing trust fund —providing Mr. Clum does not find special trains, din- ners, taxicabs, etc., enough to show how it was spent. But alas, they are meeting with cold rebuffs everywhere except among the business ‘concerns that have lived through the strenuous career of the association, and misery, we know, loves company. Farmers have not been fall- ing for this new campaign. _.The lure of a $10 a year niembership ($30 for three years) in this big money- grabbing, anti-farmer, lobby- ing concern is not as strong as the lure of an $8 a year membership in the Nonpar- tisan league, through which the taxpayers will be able to get rid of all such things and give their state a thor- sugh housecleaning. The facts of how thé Greater Iowa as- sociation actually did “beat hell” are still fresh in their minds, and they have no relish for contributing money and influence to an associa- 2 . - tion that intends to use them : e A as a “jimmy” to open the WEIAKEST MAN OF ALL treasury doors of the state INDUSTRIES. and take out in one handful the sum of $32,000—to say nothing of the political collar that would be welded around their necks if they did. — TRUTH IS “DISLOYAL?” But ~ S Dutton, Mont. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I am sending a clipping from 'the Montana Equity News. I heard Mr. Wheeler at the co-operators’ congress in Great Falls February 8. I see they are starting the samé here in Montana as they do back in Minnesota, to question a person’s loyalty when he tells the truth. But can we be anything else than loyal to our government? of course not.. But to the many pirates on Hog Island.. and those who made $4,000,000,000 in net war prof- - its in 1917 we ¢an not be loyal. Now, Mr. Farmer, when you are done reading your Leader, hand it to one of your neighbors who is not a member yet. When he is done reading it, . mail it to an army camp, and in this way thousands - of ‘our soldiers who might not know anything about the League, will-read it. In that way we can do great co-operative ‘work. © NIKOLAI NELSON. Lack of organi- no influence in N ET O T B B O T B R 00 e T ey e T e TR ERTY . To® TEYY IR Bognt R = oy BT g J