The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 8, 1918, Page 14

zens, who advocate and occasionally practice depor- tation, tar and feathering, lashing and lynching; and who are really more dangerous to American insti- tutions than all the kaiser’s agents and sympathiz- ers put together. These crimes are being commit- ted today under the guise of patriotism. “After beating down the kaiser and political autocracy in Europe and making the world safe for democracy, shall we have to carry the war into Walla Walla? Or perhaps it would be better to make a state prison of the entire place, surround her with a defensive fortress with all guns manned and trained on her thoroughfares. “It has been my pleasure to associate intimately with members of the state Grange and the Nonpar- tisan league and I have yet to hear the first disloyal word or see a disloyal act from either source. Here is the cause of the whole trouble: There is an or- ganized and concerted effort to fight and discredit these movements by secret and under-handed meth- ods on the part of a set of cheap reactionary politi- cians and others financed by those who consider their economic interests involved. It is the same old fight of the ages between the common rights of man and those who enjoy the exploiting power of privilege.” WHAT PRESIDENT WILSON KNOWS - Disgraceful incidents such as these at Walla Walla no doubt have been hard to believe in the faraway national capital. But President Wilson had a personal.friend there, George P. Hampton, director of the Farmers’ National headquarters. Here is his comment on Walla Walla, given to a reporter for the Seattle Union Record: “The real animus of the situation, as I analyze it, is that the reactionary forces that seek to main- tain control of the political situation in the North- west, see a double danger to the continuance of that control,” said George P. Hampton, a personal friend of President Wilson and a member of the Grange. “First of these dangers is the growing confidence of the farmers in President Wilson and the second is the growth of the Nonpartisan league. The president knows that it was the farmers, organized laborers and other progressive elements of the Northwest and Pacific coast states that elected him president. This confidence must be broken down—the progressive forces must be divorced e Won’t Be Bullied Prosser, Wash. Nonpartisan League, St. Paul, Minn. I am inclosing check for $16 to pay my membership fee, the membership for which I hereby make application. Several months ago I talked with -Knutson and Bignell, organizers for the League, but this application is not a result of being canvassed. It is the immediate result of the Walla Walla -~ Commercial club’s action in breaking “up the sessions of the Washington state Grange. This is my compliments to the mob- ocracy of the business interests. E. BOWLES. from the president and the good feeling destroyed, if the reactionary control is to be maintaintd. “The Nonpartisan league, which at first was treated as a joke, has ceased to be a joke—it has captured one of these northwestern states and the reactionary forces fear that it will carry out its threat and secure control in all of them. The only way in which this:growing power may: be curbed * and the reactionary forces left in undisputed con- trol of the political affairs of the country is to place the stamp of disloyalty upon this organization. We propose to bring the matter to a head—we want to know if such charges, made against organizations which are supporting the president in every effort he is making to win the war, shall be classed as disloyal by groups of reactionaries, or if they shall be permitted to continue their fight against organ- izations of former political bosses.” : - AN IDAHO NONPARTISAN ' A TYPICAL “HEADER” SCENE NEAR Two methods of harvesting prevail in the Walla Walla country, one in which the header is used in conjunction with a stationary threshing machine, the other that in which the “combine” or combined harvester moves across the field, cutting, ‘threshing and dumping the grain as it goes. This is a re- markable assemblage of “header hoxes” supplying one machine, showing 13 header boxes and three headers parked on a hillside.- The entire outfit, including camp cookhouse on wheels, water tanks, portable mangers and horse troughs are moved from place to place once or twice a day as large areas are cleaned up. Wilson, as the most high-handed action he had ever seen. “Talk about disloyalty. When the order came “for the Grange to get out of the school building there were bétween 400 and 500 members of the Washington Grange there, as loyal and patriotic men and women as there are in the state. It was - the most damnable thing I ever heard of, when you consider there were between 40 and 50 women there, many of them grown gray in the service of their country, and who have from one to three sons in the army, and many in France. And yet, a bunch of self-constituted patriots at Walla Walla come into the hall and kick these mothers out. THE VOICE OF FARMER PATRIOTS “The Nonpartisan league stands for two princi- ples that are obnoxious to big business. These principles are that there shall be no profiteering, and that the war shall be paid for as we go. I'd like to see the government take:the wealth of the country proportionately and pay for this war. Sup- pose it costs 20 billions a year. What is that to the wealth of this country? Wealth ought to be first to come forward to help. This government has protected wealth and given men of riches the op- portunity to make it and they should be the first to come forward.” The enlightened farmers of Washington are standing as one man to wipe out the insult. The kind of action being taken is indicated by the fol- lowing: “Kent, Wash., June 12, 1918. “Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President. “Mr. President: The Meridian Council for Pa- triotic Service, a subordinate of the state and coun- ty council of ‘defense; whose membership is com- posed of loyal farmers and their families, who are also, in a.great measure, members of the Grange and the National Nonpartisan league, are standing squarely behind you in your war program, and we - strenuously object to any obstructive influence that might curtail or embarrass you in the: futher- - - ance of your program. EXPECTS ACTION 5 = ke Further comment was added by a noted: Granger “_-and Nonpartisan, H. F. Samuels of Samuels; Idaho. He said: : : “Just wait until President Wilson gets after that “The territory comprised in this council is the voting precincts of Meridian, Suise Creek and Covington, county of King, state of Washington, and’the voting strength is less than 400 and we subscribed $1,480.95 to the ‘last Red Cross drive. Twenty-eight stars are in our SERVICE FLAG at this time, many of whom enlisted. We oversub- . scribed the last Liberty loan quota. . bunch at ‘Walla: Walla. = The ejectment -of the ' Grange from the high school was characterized by. ~ George P. Hamipton, the representative of President .and gives:: its’ unqualified “In regular meeting assembled June 12, 1918, the -aboye mentioned council went on record as pro-. testing: against the. outrageous treatment of the. “ state Grange_ by the authorities of Walla ~ handed him he tore it up. In very emphatic la - guage he told these farmers that they co - advertise any Nonpartisan picnic in Scobey. The entire outfit is shown here. ; ; to the president asking for a federal investigation, and the secretary is hereby instructed to send a copy of this statement to the president, to the county council of defense, to the state council of defense and a copy to the press. - “C. R. COTTRELL, Secretary. . “Executive Committee: Henry Reidling, Magnus Peterson, Julius J. Whall, Homer Hoffman, Mrs. S. H. Nelson, Mrs. P. T. Nelson, Mrs. F.. A. Dis- brow.” The whole affair is admirably summed up by the Yakima Valley Farmer, which says: - “Contrary to misguided public opinion the Non- partisan league is just exactly the political expres- sion of the organized American farmers who com- pose its membership. The League is just as loyal as American farmers are loyal. It is just as pa- triotic as American farmers are patriotic. And certain editors and small-town business men may congratulate themselves that the League is just as patient and long-suffering as the American farmer is patient and long-suffering: Otherwise every mob attack or tar-and-feather party would be a bloody shambles instead of 2 means of outlet for the bestial passions of enemies of the country parading - as patriots.” ' -Another Wallow Wallow "~ in Montana o News of Picnic Organized by Equity and Nonpartisan League Arpuses Kaisers Scobey, Mont. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: A few days. ago the Equity -organization ‘pf} -Peerless, west of Scobey about'20 miles, decided to hold a pienic in-conjunction with: the Nonpar- tisan' league. Those in charge had-previously cor- responded with ‘the speakers’ bureau of the Non- . partisan league and had been informed that United - e States Attorney B. K. Wheeler and Congresswoman -~ Jeanette Rankin would attend to: deliver patriotic’ - addresses. Today a couple of farmers came to Scobey and” got out bills announcing ‘the picnic: The bills, as' printed, announced the picnic would. ‘be held under the auspices of the Equity organi- zation and the Nonpartisan league, and also that the entire Cross. bills-about the streets of Scobey they were stopped. Mayor Sid Bennett of Scobey asked them to let -him gee the bills. ' When he had read one that they. proceeds would be.donated to @he‘ Red When these farmers i)éédn to place a few of thess : P e ES 2 - o~ s - & -