The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 29, 1918, Page 7

. fornia. - laration of war, has supported ~war aims, which have been a £ * progressive who'will make the state the best chief executive it ever “had. But outside:of Idaho the indorsement of Senator Borah for another term will:probably hold the chief interest. Republican, and Samuels will seek nomination on the Democratic ticket, demonstrating :the complete nonpartisanship of the organ- ized farmers. Senator Borah is one of the biggest men in the United States senate and has a record on sound liberalism and progressiveness known to every one from the At- Rty lantic ‘' to the Pacific. - Several times. he has been urged as presidential timber by the pro- gressive branch of his party, and | is even now mentioned as the only Republican who would have a chance against President Wil- son in 1920. Borah’s record in the senate in reference to the war is prob- ably equaled by no other senator save Senator Johnson of Cali- He voted for the dec- SAVE THAT EXTRA LUMP all war measures in congress and has been a staunch backer of President Wilson’s statement of hard pill for reactionary Repub- 3 licans to swallow, but which have the support of liberals and pro- gressives throughout the world. Senator Borah has led, with Sena- tors Johnson, La Follette and others, the fight for heavy excess war profit taxes, and other measures to divide the burden of war equally among the rich and poor. He has fought the war profiteers, “has lent his powerful aid to the campaign to stamp out mob vio- lence and lawlessness at home during the war, has done more than any other senator in disabusing the mind of the senate of the idea that farmers are “war profiteers”—an idea propagated by big business and the real profiteers—has demanded the abolition of secret treaties between nations and the discontinuance of the prac- tice of making treaties by the senate in secret. He has stood for the enforcement of the constitutional right of free speech and peaceful assembly during the war, in behalf of loyal citizens who state the truth for justifiable ends. Borah has been a bulwark in the senate against the move to farm out or give away our remain- ing natural resources and he has held up the hand of the president in extending government control over the railroads and big indus- tries during the war.. He has encouraged the public ownership of . public utilities both in war and peace. That the Idaho farmers should indorse Borah for re-election this year was only natural. He stands for what they stand for. The indorsement ought to put to rest the frequent charge that the League is an organization simply to “capture offices” for its mem- bers, and that the League is against all officeholders, whether right or wrong. - Borah was entitled to the support of the Idaho Leaguers on his record, and he got it as a matter of course. H. F. Samuels, the League candidate for governor of Idaho, removes another silly argument made against the League. It has been said the organized farmers are engaged'in a “class movement,” " that they are actuated merely by a jealous hate of rich and suc- -cessful men, and that they will not recognize ability in men who have had interests other than in farming. Mr. Samuels is a farmer. ! Besides being an American of sterling character and loyalty, he is wealthy and successful. He made a comfortable fortune in Idaho mines and other business enterprises, but wealth and suc- cess did not congeal his heart, dry up his conscience or make him fat and reactionary. He has always been a leader in Idaho of sound progressive thought. His money has not been used to op- press and exploit his fellow: citi- - zens and he has always been on the side of democracy and jus- : ot ¢ ~ tice, while others in the same GUARANTEED “| position as he have thrown their 0 KEEP THE MOTHS AwaY- eFfeciivery| influence against the workers in : ; < politics and economics. An in- S - > & stance is Mr. Samuels’ advocacy since-the start of the war of heavier taxes on wealth. His con- ! tributions to the Red Cross and investments in Liberty bonds run - into five figures. The town of Samuels, Idaho, is named after him. And Mr. Samuels is a farmer. He owns 10,000 acres of land in . Bonner county, 2,000 under cultivation and the balance being rapid- - ly put into production. ' He is' carving out of the forests of Idaho a ranch home for himself that serves as a model for the farmers ~ of his state. Mr. Samuels has been a member and warm advocate _* " of the Nonpartisan league since it started work in the state and he . BOTH IN G ibes. healx)'tily to every plank of the farmers’ program on. ' practically only Borah is a- in Nebraska, the League had -Neither was it organized as a result of GOOD CROPS AND HIGH sf__indglgrganizaiéionhequally easy in districts where there have been : ML S a— IR A SRR S T URTFEE state and cofigyeééional candidates indorsed by the Idaho Leaguérs appear in this ussue. : THE NEBRASKA AGREEMENT HE Nehraska Council of Defense attempted to enforce a decree that organizers or other persons working for the League' were in ‘“useless employments” and would have to “work or fight.” In other ways, through ignorance of what the League is and what it is trying to do,”the Nebraska council tried to. block the organization of the farmers of Nebraska. The Nebraska “League brought -an injunction proceeding in the courts to prevent the council from stopping the League’s work. At the hearing on this injunction the Nebraska Council of Defense did not attempt - to press the reasons, or alleged evidence, heralded abroad in the Nebraska papers for its action against the League. The council ir.xsisted‘only on two things: First, that the League discontinue circulation in Nebraska of a pamphlet stating the “war aims” of the League, and second, that the League cease employing “outside ~ paid organizers” in' Nebraska. It probably surprised the Nebraska council when the League attorneys promptly agreed to this. The “war aims” pamphlet re- ferred to has not been circulated by the League for nearly a year. It was withdrawn from circulation because practically all its de- mands were granted. It asked for a statement of war aims which would disclaim any purpose to annex territory or enforce indem- nities and which would declare for the abolition of secret treaties. Since the pamphlet was circulated the president of the United States has made several statements of war aims complying with the suggestions of the pamphlet, and as these were the principal de- mands_of thg; pamphlet, it became obsolefe and was withdrawn from circulation voluntarily by the League. In its stead a pamphlet has been issued giving the war aims of America as stated by the ' president and commending these aims to the people. It is also interesting to note that the pamphlet objected to by the Nebraska Council of Defense was one of the two on which Mr. Townley was arrested, and was declared to contain nothing disloyal or unpatriotic in the recent de- g cision of the Minnesota supreme - court which freed Mr. Townley and the League of the charge of “discouraging enlistments.” Out of about 100 organizers two or three men who were not residents of the state. The Nebraska organizing force has consisted practically entirely of Nebraska farmers. The two or three who are not Nebraska citizens will be withdrawn. The demands of the Nebras- ka council worked no hardship on the League and were prompt- ly agreed to by the League at- torneys. The council has agreed not to interfere further with ? League work in the state, and the League has dismissed its suit for an injunction. Thus the great clamor about the League in Ne- braska ends, and the League work will proceed as before. Despite these facts, the newspapers mostly -reported that the League had agreed to withdraw from Nebraska, and.the Associated Press car- ried a notice to that effect. It seems utterly impossible for news- papers and news services to tell the plain truth about events affect- ing the organized farmers. ; AN L TAKE YOUR CHOICE 2 HE effort to account for-the growth of the Nonpartisan leagu produces some amusing statements. Conservatives and re- actionaries generally hold to the belief that the organization of the farmers was caused by BAD CROPS AND LOW PRICES. This view is well represented by the statement of Lafayette Young, standpatter of Iowa and a hitter opponent of the League program. = He made the statement that Towa “did not need the League because Jowa had no crop failure.” - It is frequently said by stupid League _opponents of this class that the movement will be broken up by an “era of good crops and high prices.” Extreme radicals, who have joined. the reactionaries in tfie : fight on the League, account for the origin and growth of the move- ment by attributing it to EXACTLY OPPOSITE CONDITIONS. - | This view is illustrated by a statement in the current issue of the Socialist “Year Book.” This Socialist document says that the League was started by “FARM LAND. OWNERS” WHO HAVE BEEN, MADE RICH BY BIG CROPS AND HIGH PRICES and who, as 3 result, are “THIRSTING FOR POLITICAL POWER.” Both these statements are of course nonsense. The League' : was not organized as a result of POOR CROPS AND LOW PRICES. PRICES. It was organized to correct political and economic abuses which take toll from producers and consumers of farm products BO { GOOD CROP YEARS AND BAD CROP YEARS, in times ‘of HIGH PRICES AND IN TIMES OF LOW PRICES. The Leagu there: have been: poor crops.