The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 6, 1918, Page 13

- Montana Farmers Losing Their Rights: Combination of Politicians and Money Grabbers Prevents Two Speeches by a Nonpartisan Organizer—Some of the Letters That Roll In GOVERNOR Stewart in the audience? The Nonpartisans of Montana wish to ask him what he is going to do about two cases where meetings of farm- ers were prevented. Or are the promises of him and his at- torney general that the rights of citizens shall be respected worthless ? Opposition to the Nonpartisan league in Mon- tana is growing more desperate. The old gang at Miles City was driven so crazy by the coming of J. A. McGlynn, a League organizer, that they _dared not let him speak. A committee from the trades and labor council, the Society of Equity and the carpenters’ union had sent out 65 invitations to friends and their wives in Miles City to attend a meet- ing at Wibaux hall, April 8, to hear Mr. McGlynn explain the principles of the National Nonpartisan league. While Mr. McGlynn was eating din- ner in a cafe, James Nugent, F. K. Woods of Powderville and another man, ordered him to go to the sheriff’s office. He started to walk to the sher- iff’s, but was forced into a motor car with the -warning, “Get into the back seat while the getting is good.” The car was driven by State Sena- tor Rolla Hern. They stopped at the rooms of the chamber of commerce. The scene as described by the organ- izer is like that of the black hand. In a sworn statement he says: PLOTTERS MEET IN SECRET “We turned into a cement-walled, dungeon-like room used for bath rooms. They had their chairs in a circle. After a long wait, some 10 or more men were seated. Later a few more came in, and a heavy-set, jron gray-haired man called-the meeting to order. He said: ‘Mr. Farr will render our decision.’ Mr. Farr said there would be ‘no discussion, as it already was decided that the Nonpartisan meeting will not be held tonight. A committee of you men will see that the speaker leaves town on the first train in either direction’ They filed out, leaving me in charge of a guard of four men. Among those I recognized at the meeting were Senator Hern, Attorney Farr, Secretary of the Chamber of Com- merce Robinson, Banker McClintock, McVey, a former salesman for Cudahy Packing company, yourself.” Nugent, George Stockhill, K. I. Woods and Pete Jensen, a rancher. “They drove up to the depot and with guards all about me, asked me not to get on the train until it was ready to leave. I got on and bought a ticket to Forsythe, the first stop.” From Howard McGee of Miles City, who became interested in the League through reading a copy of the Nonpartisan Leader handed to him by a friend, it is learned that George W. Farr, former opponent of Miss Jeanette Rankin for congress- man in the Republican primaries, assisted by the Commerce club secretary, tacked up a sign in the hall which read, “There will be no Nonpartisan —Drawn expressly for the Leader by J. M. Baer Bill Doughbags: “Of course, you believe everything you read about Henry Profiteer: “No, honesty would forbid me to indorse fully everything my newspapers say about my patriotism, but it counteracts all the farmers and laborers say against me.” meeting here tonight, by order of those who are loyal and patriotic.” A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE IN TERRY “Talk about lawbreakers!” exclaimss W. W. Palmer of Miles City, Mont. He goes on to tell of the high-handed refusal of officials and mer- chants of Terry, Mont., to allow the farmers to meet there March 16. Organizer McGlynn was to speak and he had invited Mr. Palmer, who is a four-minute man, to come over and hear him, i The powers in Terry are the bank cashier, the | mayor, who is a lumber dealer, and the editor of | the Terry Tribune. Shortly before the meeting was planned, an ordinance had been put through the town council forbidding any one to speak un- less he signed an affidavit showing how much he had invested in Liberty bonds, Y. M. C. A. and Red Cross work, and that he was not pro-German and that he would not say anything calculated to stir up class hatred. Mr. McGlynn executed the affi- davit satisfactorily until he came to the last clause. Then he told the mayor that among other things HE WAS ADVOCATING A LOWER RATE OF _INTEREST, and asked the mayor if he considered SEEN AND HEARD IN THE LOBBIES that such was calculated to stir up class hatred. The mayor said that his holding was that IT WOULD. The hall was then closed and the farmers filled the streets, pretty hot. Many came to the hotel to say that they knew little about the League, but that they had seen enough to convince them that it was something they need- ed. They know that.in one year the Terry State bank made 64 per cent on its capital. CALLED FARMERS “UN- KNOWN AND OBSCURE” The denial of the rights of loyal Americans has aroused the citizens of Montana. Farmers who come to town to hold a meeting do not become con- vinced of the good character of busi-~ ness men who chase them out. Every mail is bringing to the editor of the Leader letters from Montanans telling of their resentment at the dishonest tactics of the old gang. P. J. Wallace of Big Sandy has of- fered to debate the editor of the Butte Miner on the principles of the League, and chased that great mind into a hole. “If you want the truth, read the Miner and reverse what it says,” is Mr. Wallace’s shot that _hurt. In this correspondence, J. L. Dobell, the editor, made a slip that has given the Nonpartisan leaguers another phrase perhaps to become'as famous as “Go home and slop your hogs.” He sneered at what he called “anknown and obscure:ifdividuals.” To this Mr. Wallace rejoins: to 990y “Perhaps you mean that the farmer“is obscure because in the past he spent most of his time slop- ping the hogs and raising ‘wheat and was content to leave nice soft-handed gentlemen like you to look after his interests in a political way, If that (Continued on page 23) Very Suspicious of President Wilson’s Book in Texas HE antics of the farmers’ ene- mies often are humorous. An instance is a report recently re- ceived at the Texas headquar- of the League. It seems that a group of farmers’ enemies, who are attempting to prevent the League from organizing and holding meetings, are not even going to let League workers get away with circulating Presi- dent Wilson’s book, “The New Freedom,” if they can help ‘it. "In fact, this anti-League gang has asserted that the president’s book is clearly sedi- tious, and they are not going to take any chances . on it, so they say, and therefore will send copies of the book seized from League organizers to Wash- ington, D. C., to have it “investigated.” As throwing light on the fight being made against the" organized farmers and the conditions of ter- rorism which-the gang is trying to bring about.in some parts of the United States, the Leader here- with publishes the report from one of the League organizers: X “League Headquarters, “Waco, Texas. “Gentlemen: g “T was in Wood county two days this week. Every one is afraid to speak his sentiments unless he knows to whom he is talking. Mr. Job Holbrook {leading League booster near Mineola) said that Reverend Hughes, Dick Shields, real estate man, -~ ters from one of the organizers - —~and Walter Jones, lawyer, came out to his house and asked him for the book “The New Freedom” that had been used by League organizers in their work .in Wood county. They said they were going to SEND IT TO WASHINGTON TO HAVE IT INVESTIGATED. Mr. Holbrook gave it to them and offered them $5 if they would go to Washing- ton with it. Mr. Holbrook said that Reverend Hughes had a big gun on him. “The country people of Smith and Wood counties are certainly wrought up over the outrages. League friends said it was a good thing that Organizer Destree did not come to Lindale, Saturday a week ago, as there would have been blood spilled. The gang at Lindale took their cue from the Mineola crowd and had framed it up to run Destree out of town. However, the farmers got next and a large crowd was there to take Destree’s part. Owen Brothers (merchants friendly to the League) had hundreds of farmers come to them .and say, ‘We will stick with the League and with you; you will get all our trade from now on.” Also learn that a strange man (believed to be from Mineola, 10 miles distant) was going to the members around Lindale, telling them that he had a list of all the members (some 1,200) in Smith county, that they had a chance to quit the League, but that if they did not quit they would have to stand what was coming to them. They think the fellow is from Wood county employed by the Tyler politicians. = - “All the farmers that I have written up for the League as well as all other League members I have " PAGE' THIRTEEN ‘izers. At that, the League's ‘attorney, Mr. Webster: - Jarvis, at Tyler, had much trouble inducing the met, say they will stick-until it is proved that the League is pro-German. “The editor of the Troup (Smith cuuniy; Banner had McKinley and Tracy, organizers for the Leazue, arrested for vagrancy immediately following. the Mineola outrage, thus using one crime to excuse another. I heard him say so in a speech he made at Tyler. plaints that caused the arrest of other Smith county organizers and that he was sorry to say that there were men in the city of Tyler ready to bond these pro-Germans out. He was speaking of Doctor Bell. “R. A. Land, president of the Red Springs Farm- ers’ club, told us this story as to the bonding of the five League organizers who, were jailed at Tyler for vagrancy immediately following the Mineola outrage: “Mr. Land, Mr. 1. B. Christian, Mr. Winters and two other leading Smith county farmers, all Dem-' ecrats, all League members and holding property valued at a total of $125,000, came forward Mon- “day morning to go ‘on the bond of organizers in jail at Tyler. Dr. F. W. Bell of Tyler and Jim Hamrick of Wood county also came to give bond.: » The authorities refused the names of the five Dem- ocratic farmers above named and accepted- instead Doctor Bell and Mr. Hamrick, who.aré Socialists. The evident intent of this move is-to show that ng- ..’ body but Socialists will go the bond of the or officers to release these men on bonds at all.” B T He also said that he had made the com- - | i