The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 27, 1918, Page 23

. where he was abused, names and ordered to leave the town.” Plot to Destroy the (Continued from page b) lowing are the names ‘and occupations of the leading members: J. Pierce, Holly State bank; Ted Ferteney, Holly Lumber company; Ed Jones, pool hall; Harry Lee, broomcorn man; John Duncan, Holly Drygoods com- pany; John ‘Stevens, Holly State bank; Johnson, First National bank; Jim Wilkins, broomcorn man; John Slager, broomcorn man; Joe Cannon, real estate; Joe McMurtrey, real es- tate; the foreman at the English Lumber company. : They compelled Mortonu'i;o go to the : rooms of the Holly Commercial club’ called foul This Morton refused to do as he was loading broomcorn at the switch. There were a great many farmers in town and the mob evidently feared to put their intentions into effect while Morton’s friends were present. One of the merchants, Duncan, said: “This League has been investi- gated and found to be disloyal.” Then one of the gang read the Wichita Beacon article, and .a magazine ar- ticle. While the reading was going on Duncan called Pierce, president of the First National bank of Holly, to come and sit by him. When the reading was finished, Morton said: “Pick some man to read-the resolu- tions of the Nonpartisan league.” Pierce jumped up and said violently: ANGERED BY WILSON’S BOOK Duncan arose and said: “You quit this German propaganda around here, Morton, or we will hang you, for we are with the gévernment.” Morton - said: “So am I with the government,” and started to read from President Wilson’s “New Freedom.” Pierce jumped up again and said: “You ———, we will hang you.” Johnson, a banker, and Kirkhart, the creamery man, both jumped up and yelled, “Hang him!” Harry Lee, a broomecorn buyer, joined in and said, “Hang him.” Ed Jones, a broomcorn buyer, yelled “Throw him out of the window.” After some talk he was permitted to go back to the switch, where he started helping the farmers load broomcorn. They had not been at work long when the marshal came and said: “I will have to arrest you for your own protection,” and took him down to the town jail. Hoodlums in- cited by the business men were talk- ing wildly on the street about lynch- ing him. Fifteen or 20 farmers who had been in town kept watch on the jail that afternoon, others went out in the country and sent in more farm- ers to prevent violence. That night the jail was picketed all night by the farmers. The next moérning feeling was running high. Still more farm- ers came to town and the jail was guarded by the farmers for the rea- son that wild talk was indulged in by the town people to the effect that he should be taken from jail and tarred and feathered or lynched. Fri- . day night the jail was again picketed by about 80 farmers. At midnight Friday Judge H. M. Miner of Rocky Ford, an attorney employed by the League, arrived in. Holly. He coun- seled moderation, sized up the situa- tion and gave them some advice that 7 helped calm the feeling. Later, at the order of the coimty : officials, Morton was removed to the county seat at Lamar and placed in jail there. Here attorneys for the accused were insolently refused. per- mission to see their client, offers fo _give bond were ignored and the man kept in jail several days. After an extended investigation by a United States secret service officer he was released without even: the formality hearing on order of United States® District - Attorney. Tedrow.. -~ . = = A ry - vestigation - Leagfiei 'in Colorado shows that there was never even the most remote reason for: this organ- izer’s arrest except that his work was pulling the broomcorn buyers loose from the graft that they were work- ing on the farmers of Prowers and Baca counties. ; THE BLACK HAND OF HAXTUN April 19, another organizer, C. T. Raywalt, a resident of Colorado since 1886, and we]l known in ‘political cir- cles, having twice represented his .county il} the state legislature, was mobbed at Haxtun, in Phillips county, no claim of wrongdoing ever being made. The sole charge was that he was a League organizer. Mr. Ray- walt had been sent up there to com- plete the work of organizing in that district and had been unable to do any work on account of the bad weather and impassable roads. But the fact that he was a League organ- izer was sufficient to send business men of Haxtun and a sprinkling of town toughs and loafers to his hotel at night. They took him out and ordered him to leave town. No charge of any sort was urged against him, but he was subjected to threats of hanging, tar and feathers and called all sorts of vile names, the city mar- shal and the mayor being active in the proceedings. A banker, Emil Larson, witnessed the affair and helped to cover the organizer’s car with yellow paint. Mr. Raywalt was con;pelled to leave town that night in spite of the - fact that a blizzard was blowing, that he was an elderly man.and not ac- _ leading members: * tist; - GET FRAZIER’S PICTURE HE Leader recently published as a cover a portrait in g| four colors of Charles A. Lindbergh, farmers’ candidate for governor of “Minnesota. : ; portrait in four colors of Lynn J. Frazier, farmers’ gov- === ernor of North Dakota, indorsed for re-election this year by the Nonpartisan league. quainted with driving a car. He was permitted to hire a driver and even with his assistance .they were stuck in the snow and compelled to stay all night in a barn. THE MEN WHO MOBBED RAY-. WALT WERE MOSTLY BUSINESS MEN OF HAXTUN WHO MAKE THEIR MONEY OFF THE FARM- ING POPULATION. Following are the names and occupations of the Doctor Rugg, den- Harry Bellamy, city marshal; Nels Bentson, general merchandise; Jack Wherle, clerk; Edward Intermill, general merchandise; Mr. Willard, Plainview garage; Emil Larson, lead- er, cashier Farmers’ State bank; Charley “Mitchell, elevator manager; Doctor Cline, veterinarian and mayor of Haxtun; L. H. House, real estate, husband of postmistress; Charles Gale, clerk; William Kruger, real estate; G. W. DesVoigne, carpenter; Blaine- Williams, real estate, and Gust West- man, manager Haxtun Lumber com- pany. COULDN'T BLUFF AN HONEST EDITOR After running Mr. Raywalt out of town the mob turned its attention to Vance Monroe, editor and publisher of the Haxtun Herald, a strong sup- porter of the League. For 24 hours they threatened and bulldozed the gamey editor. But he stood pat be- hind two sixshooters and held the mob off his office. Mr. Monroe has a wife and family, one baby only two months old, and naturally his wife is prostrated with the excitement of the affair. However, she stood by her husband nobly and when it appeared certain that the mob would break into the office, offered to use a shotgun. This week our cover is a We offered to send readers a reproduction of the Lindbergh cover suitable for a window card or windshield card for 5 cents each and the_requnse was so hearty that we have decided to do the same thing with the Frazier cover this week. This week’s picture qf Frazier, on_heavier paper and without the Nonpartisan Leader title line, will be mailed by the Leader to readers for 5 cents each —just enough to cover the printing and mailing. Readers can have as many copies as they want at 5 cents each, as long as the supply lasts. . This Frazier picture makes a beautiful window or auto wind- shield card, and even if you do not want one for this purpose, you will want it as a souvenir of the campaign. Help your candidates by advertising them! . Identify yourself as a Frazier booster by displaying one of these cards! The Leader is offering this proposition to readers because, under: the present mailing system of the Leader, an address label appears on most of the copies of the paper mailed, spoiling it for use as a poster. If you want the Frazier picture as it appears on this week’s cover, without the Leader title line, edition notation .. and date, order now, because we have printed only a limited supply.: There are still a few of the Lindbergh window cards left. We will continue to send them to readers at the same. price, 5 cents Nonpartisan Leader, Box 575, St. Paul, Minn. Please send me .......... Frazier window cards, for which I inclose 5 cents each. Tt is understood that the Frazier window cards are a repro- - duction without the Leader title line, of the Nonpartisan Leader cover of May 27, 1918, in four colors, and that the cards will be mailed in a manner ~that will prevent their wrinkling or cracking. s each, while they last. Use the follpwing blank: and inclose the proper amount. Postoffice address........... A ST, PR A % Fill in the blank with the number of copies _gou want, e'izn your name .nnd add;es; : 'WRITE PLAINLY.) : - If you want the Lindbergh window card, draw a line . through the -word Frazier and substitute Lindbergh. The mob demanded that Mon- roe denounce the League in his paper, and he refused. This editor’ is to be credited with the bravest and most self-sacrificing action of any man- in the state, for he has been threat- ened with boycott, violence of a per- sonal nature and every form of tor- ment, but has stood for what he be- lieved was right. His business has suffered at the hands of Big Biz, but the farmers are with him and will see that he gets more than he loses in the long, run. Newspaper men who dare to take sides with the League are visited by representatives of the grafters and told that they must recant. April 19, the Sedgwick Sun printed a strong ar- ticle favorable to the League and cit- ing the rebuke given their local coun- cil by the state council of ‘defense, which gave the League a clean bill of health. In the succeeding issue the editor was forced to recant or be ruined. He took the former course. But it speaks ill for the powers that prostitute the press. Some editors can not be bulldozed. One of the free papers which did not suppress this news is the Denver Labor Bulletin. Following is its ac- count of the events ensuing: FARMERS RETORT WITH A BIG MEETING “When C. W. Raywalt, former mem- ber of the Colorado legislature, ap- peared in Haxtun, on the Nebraska state line, northeast, two weeks ago to represent the Nonpartisan league, he was set upon by a mob of 17 so- ~ called business men and ordered out of town. The mob escorted him from the Central hotel to his automobile, which had been given a coat of yellow paint, and taken across country to Sterling. . “This was done in the name of ‘pa- triotism.” Shortly thereafter notice was served upon Vance C. Monroe, proprietor of the Haxtun Herald, to make tracks out of town because his paper had favorably commented upon the fact that 400 progressive farmers in Phillips county had formed a local branch of the National Nonpartisan league. Monroe didn’t make for the prairie, but remained in his office and told the ku kluxers to come and get him if they could. They didn’t come. “Farmers of the county were indig- ‘nant over this action and a great massmeeting under auspices of the -League was announced for the Gayety theater in Haxtun, the largest assem- bly hall in the town. . “State Manager F. W. Morser and the League’s attorney, Thomas Her- rington, and Ed Anderson, secretary of the Colorado State Federation of Labor, went from Denver and ad- dressed the farmers. The mob did not show itself on this occasion. “Work on most of the Phillips coun- ty ranches was suspended Tuesday afternoon, the farmers and farm hands coming into town in their auto- mobiles by hundreds from all points of the compass. There were half a dozen or more Nonpartisan league organizers there, yet self-annointed ‘patriots’ of the town didn’t protest. Scores of new members joined the League on that day and paid the initi- ation fee and year’s dues, amounting to $16 for each new member. In less than five minutes a collection taken up for the Red Cross amounted to $1817. 4 The theater could not accommodate ' half the number who desired to hear the speakers from Denver, and over- flow meetings were held in the streets. Yet the mob of a few days previous did not appear nor was there even a suggestion that any one should be driven out of town. “As a matter of fact, the Nonpar- tisan league, loyal to the core, is much ° stronger, numerically and politically, in Phillips county, than before the Haxtun mob started out to ‘clean - things up’”"