The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 27, 1918, Page 11

: A 1‘"‘&‘“7 e * ; » » R 4 v L) 7 i Y b 1} | ! [ - against the interests of the masses. upon to - destroy- the organization of the farmers that will surely, if it succeeds, as succeed it will, put an end to many robberies of the producers and consumers of the country. Then it is evident that there is a reason why Judge McGee should make the statements he made. at Washington, which he has had to retract-on getting home and facing an outraged and insulted people who will not permit their loyalty to be questioned. And there.is a reason why organizers of the League should be persecuted by county of- \ ficials who take orders from the’ governor and the safety commission. ; I am reminded of what happened in the early days of Christianity. Get your Bible and read Acts of the Apostles, Chapter XIX, verses 24-28. “For a certain man named Demetrius, a silver- smith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain to the craftsmen, - “Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, ‘Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. “‘Moreover ye see and hear that not alone at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, say- ing that they be no gods which are made with hands: A “‘So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought, but also that the temple of the great Goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.’ “And when they heard these sayings they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, ‘Great is Dlana of the Ephesians.’” Money Mad Editors Pick on Farmers If the Producers Instead of the Middlemen, Spent Millions for Advertising, ‘ Every Newspaper Would Favor Their Cause St. Panl Dispately BY WALTER W. LIGGETT IS conceded that the St. Paul Dispatch has one virtue. That virtue is conmsistency. If con- sistency is a jewel, as the an- cient adage rums, the Dispatch is a veritable: Kohinoor dia- mond. One never has to puzzle about the Dispatch’s position. It is nearly always on the wrong side of every public question.. A great many persons in St. Paul who have no'time fully to inform themselves on state, national and municipal affairs save time and vote right by tak- ing a hasty glance at the Dispatch a few days be- fore -election and then casting their ballot directly opposite to its recommendations. For more than 85 years the Dispatch has pros- tituted itself to big business and opposed prac- tically every progressive movement inaugurated in either city, state or national politics that in any way threatened to. interfere with the profits of its plutocratic friends. Papers have distinct personalities, just like people, and the Dispatch has established a repu- tation of being utterly unreliable. In St. Paul, where it is best known, its support usually is fatal to any man or any movement. Even standpat poli- ticians, who want office, would rather have its op- position than its support. Years ago, when St. Paul was a small city, the Dispatch was purchased by an Englishman, who apparently started out with the deliberate inten- tion of using the paper to build up a private for- tune. He consistently trained with the Twin City Street Car company, the railroads, the liquor in- terests and other ramifications of big business. The paper seldom hesitated to malign any man who opposed any program decided upon by its corporate supporters or espoused a policy which threatened the profits of big business. In these attacks the Dispatch usually has not been scrupulous about its methods. If fair means failed it resorted to foul. The public interests are a minor consideration and it habitually twists the truth in its efforts to act as a brake upon the wheels of progress. FOUGHT FARMERS 20 YEARS AGO No paper in the Northwest has been more un- fair than the Dispatch in its attacks on the Na- tiona! Nonpartisan league. In these attacks the Dispatch is only running to form and standing for the selfish interests of its reactionary supporters More than 20 years ago the Dlspatch was conducting the same kind of a campaign against the Farmers’ Alliance movement, which was.the first really concentrated effort made by the Minnesota farmers to better their own condition. Sidney M. Owen was the Alliance candidate for of the greatest American poets, shortly before the Civil war ad- dressed some cutting words to cowardly newspapers, which do not dare fight, or even mention, injustices at their own doors, because the own- ers of the newspapers or their finan- cial allies make money out of the in- justices. To the believers in long dis- tance democracy in the Northwest, “The Pious Editor’s Creed,” which is written in New England dialect, is recommended : JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, one I du believe in Freedom’s cause, Ez far away as Payris is; I love to see her stick her claws In them infarnal Phayrisees; It’s wal enough again a king To dror resolves an’ triggers— But liberty’s a kind o’ thing Thet don’t agree with niggers. I du believe in special ways O’ prayin’ an’ convartin’; The bread comes back in many days An’ buttered, tu, for sartin; I mean in preyin’ till one busts On wut the party chooses, An’ in convartin’ public trusts To very privit uses. I du believe in bein’ this Or thet, ez it may happen, One way or t’other hendiest is To ketch the people nappin’; It ain’t by princerples nor men My prudent course is steadied,— I scent which pays the best, an’ then Go into it baldheaded. . governor in 1894 and if any curious person will go to the files of the Twin Clty papers for that year, he will see the same campaign of slander and vili- fication that is being directed against A. C. Townley of the Nonpartisan league today. The Dispatch and other papers in editorials and cartoons lam- pooned Mr. Owen as an anarchist, an unsafe man, whose election would ruin the state and its credit. And yet Mr. Owen was fighting for just what the Nonpartisan league is fighting for today—a square deal for all. These papers fought the farmer then just as they fight him now, because the‘ interests that support newspapers can not make so much money if the farmer is allowed to control his own market. ATTACKED JOHN LIND'S LOYALTY There was no war in 1894 and consequently the Dispatch and the other newspapers were unable St. Poaul Pioneer Press to charge the farmers with disloyalty. But in 1898 when John Lind was candidate for governor on a fusion ticket, backed principally by farmers, laboring men and those opposed to the long stand- ing scandals of corporation-controlled government in Minnesota, this country was at war with Spain. This gave the Dispatch an opportunity to dodge any discussion of the real issues and to raise the fake issue of disloyalty. Mr. Lind was viciously attacked on the ground that his election would be an encouragement to Spain and indicate that the people of the United States were not united in the war against that country. The Pioneer Press had a cartoon representing Mr. Lind as an agent of Spain and the slogan was circulated all over the state that “A vote for Lind is a vote for Spain.” " _The Pioneer Press, November 3, 1898, just on the eve of the election, printed the following editorial: “UNDER WHICH FLAG? “Spain is waiting and hoping for a Democratic victory which will be interpreted as a condemnation of the present administration here arid abroad. It will tie the hands of the president in his negotia- tions for peace and help Spain to stand out boldly and obstinately in her resistarce to give up the Philippines. The Democratic party is recognized as an ally of Spain and can be counted on to cripple the president. Therefore, every vote cast for JOHN LIND next Tuesday will be a vote for Spain. “The Democratic party is now flying the yellow flag of Spain. Electors of Minnesota, you are called upon to choose under which flag you will enroll yourself next Tuesday. “Will YOU vote for Sagota and Spain? “Then cast your ballot for JOHN LIND and the Democratic candidates for congress and legis- lature.” November 3, 1898, at the very moment when the Pioneer Press and Dispatch were directing their vicious charges of disloyalty against him, John Lind was in the uniform of an officer of the United States army. IT MADE LIND THE GOVERNOR These charges against Mr. Lind had no more effect than the same false charges of pro-German- ism which these same newspapers are making against A. C. Townley and Charles A. Lindbergh today. John Lind was elected despite the Dis- patch’s opposition, just as C. A. Lindbergh will be elected next November. The Dispatch and Pioneer Press were so incensed with the result of the elec- tion that they “continued to heap abuse on Mr. Lind all the while he was governor. The Dispatch even went to the extreme of accusing Mr. Lind of being opposed to religion. Mr. Lind sued the paper and the jury gave him the verdict. This is the paper that c2:: not refrain from attacking the Nonpartisan league Their abuse against Mr. Lind was S0 violent that upon retiring from office he went to the Dispatch bmldlng and personally chas- RTISINGE WY _DEE-DUM _ G000 MAR Wiy pionT | TA-D SAY ¢l DEE - DEE- OUM FOR You AYN?((%umAG sf's% n’can 00 FORYOL? lf yoq haven’t got some pald advertising, you really can’t expect a welcome in a city newspaper office. : uen ELEVEN