The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 10, 1918, Page 6

" The Eyes of the Nation on Minnesota T CAN be truly said that the coming state-wide primary in Minnesota is one of the most important, if not THE most im- portant election that any state ever held. It will be the first test of the ability of farmers and city working people to co-operate and take over the functions of government for PRODUCERS, who constitute two-thirds of the mass of the people, and who are con- sequently entitled to rule. The organized farmers and organized labor have a complete state and legislative ticket in the field, and they have agreed to a political and economic program on which these candidates are asking nomination at the hands of the voters June 17. The state is overwhelmingly Republican. The present state officeholders are Republicans and are running for renomination in the Republican primaries. The farmers and work- ers have candidates in the field opposed to the present officehold- ARS ers. If the producers win at the : 1 primaries, they will carry the election next fall with ease. HE Nonpartisan league car- ried the state elections in North Dakota two years ago and the congressional elec- tion there last year. The farm- ers had the full co-operation of organized labor, but the state is overwhelmingly agricultural and the vote of labor, while it carried Fargo, the principal city of the state, in the congressional elec- tion, was not essential to the sue- cess of the people’s ticket. In Minnesota, however, there are three big industrial centers—Minneapolis, St. Paul and Du- luth—and numerous other towns where organized labor is strong. In fact, the city and rural vote is about evenly divided in Minne- sota. The farmers can not win without the help of labor, and labor is powerless without the help of the farmers. the producers number two-thirds of the population. This is the first political campaign anywhere in which the pro- ducers of city and country have got together on a big scale with a chance to win. The possibilities of this sort of co-operation of the common people are vast. If organized farmers and organized labor can carry Minnesota, they can carry any state in the Union. Car- ried to its logical conclusion, this sort of co-operation eventually will mean the election by the producers of a president of the United States and of a majority in both branches of congress. The nearest paralle! to this condition is the Labor party which rules Australia and is composed of small farmers and tradesmen and organized labor. o MERICA has always been ruled by a minor- ity, simply because the interests that profit by minority rule of lawyers, bankers, specu- lators and big business have always been able to keep the great mass of the people, farmers and workers, divided at the polls. The possibilities of the situation being brought about by the Nonpar- tisan league, therefore, have thrown terror into the ranks of the big interests and monopolists, who have never before been seriously menaced in their enjoyment of special privilege. Hence the tre- mendous opposition the Nonpartisan league has stirred up. "Hence the bitterness and foul methods of the opposition in Minnesota, where the first test of this new plan of co-operation by the people will be made. Hence the fact that the eyes of the na- ; tion are on Minnesota! The campaign in Minnesota, to shake the organized farmers and workers in their determination to stick together and win, has taken on tremendous proportions. Not a daily paper in the state in any of the larger cities is backing the producers in this cam- paign. Every one of these papers, with perhaps one exception, is engaged in a ruthless campaign to break down the morale and scatter the forces of the farmers and workers. Not a word is printed of the real news of the campaign—the vast assemblages of the people that are turning out daily throughout the state to hear the candidates of the people. Nothing is published in the press, even if it be real news, which reflects credit on the organized farm- ers or workers; but on the other hand trivial matters and per- sonalities, which the hostile press believes: will discredit the move- WONDER WHAT'S TH MATT TH! RUBES oon*rgeem ; Together, however, - ment, are magnified and played up in big headlines. No paper in the state, no candidate opposing the people’s candidates, HAS EVEN DARED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES, to which hundreds of thousands of people are eagerly listening weekly at League and labor union meetings. The politicians intrenched in office, the grain and mill combine, the other big interests, the press—all are insist- ing that there is no issue save “loyalty,” and that all the producers’ candidates are “disloyalists” and all their opponents “patriots.” V] VHIS plan to make patriotism serve a base political purpose, this plan to capitalize the American people’s love of country, " this plan to stampede voters in the sacred name of patriot- ism in the interests of corrupt officeholders, at the start was be- " lieved by the opposition to be suf- ficient to fool the people and per- petuate minority rule in Minne- sota. But the opposition has had an awakening. The onward sweep of the people’s candidates has astonished and dismayed the }: press and its backers. To date [ the organized farmers and work- ers have “stuck”—they have stood by their guns, and they have carried the fight into the enemy’s country. Will they stick until and during the fatal day, |{: June 17? That is the question U on the lips of people all over the United States. The Leader be- lieves they will stick—that the primaries June 17 will usher in [ the dawn of a new day in Amer- A , ica—a new day for the people : ' who toil and sweat and produce, and likewise a NEW DAY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE BY THE SWEAT OF OTHER MEN’S BROWS. . ' THE PICTURES ON PAGE EIGHT N PAGE 8 of this issue the Leader reproduces a number of photographs of Roosevelt and the kaiser, taken during the colonel’s trip to Germany a few years ago. In those days Roosevelt and the kaiser were great friends. This was after the colonel had served his last term as president of the United States. The kaiser looked upon him as the greatest living ‘Amer- ican. He admired Roosevelt’s military views and bearing, his ego- tism and his tendency, while president, to rule with a free hand and domineering manner, regardless of the restrictions which are supposed to hedge about the elected head of a re- public. On his part the colonel expressed great admiration of the kaiser’s army and leadership. From his contact with the kaiser and his army in those days, the colonél may have found evidence which satisfied him of the benefits of compulsory universal training for all citizens, which he is ad- vocating now.— - The press of the world, at the time of the colonel’s hobnobbing with the kaiser, illustrated by these photographs, was full of character portray- tween them was pointed out. One of these, a pic- ture in Punch of London, showing the colonel and the kaiser together with upturned mustaches of the same kind, was considered so complimentary by R.oosevelt. that he included a reproduction of it in his autobiography. During his term as presi- dent the kaiser presented America with a bronze : statue of Frederick the Great, the first great mili- tarist of Germany. This the colonel dedicated at Washington in great ceremony and it was set up in front of the war office, but was. - removed lately by order of President Wilson. Lately the colonel has posed as chief kaiser-hater in this country. He may have had a genuine change of heart. If so, he _deserves credit. He still, however, is advocating a system of com- pulsory military training for American citizens to be adopted by congress now but to apply AFTER THIS WAR IS OVER. Presi- dent Wilson and Secretary of War Baker and .other thoughtful - citizeps are opposed to this Rooseveltian idea: They say that we at thlq time are fighting for world peace, disarmament and a league of nations, and that to provide now for a great military establish- ment for this country after the war would be to belie our preten- - 5 GPAQE SIR - G s L) > e : SR als of the two men, in which much in common be-