The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 5, 1918, Page 5

Y - Walla in ejecting the state Grange All Attempts of Political Gangs to Bully Farmers and Wives Fail, and the League Is Booming as Never Before The water supply for both men and animals is one of the big items of harvest and thresh- ing time in the wheat belt of Washington. Often water is hauled 10 miles to the fields This is one of several such teams often NE thing about the N ational Nonpar- tisan league—it makes farmers everywhere interested in what’s going on in other states. There was - a time when a cotton planter of Texas had no inter- est in the welfare of the dairy farmer of Wiscon- sin, and the corn raiser of Iowa gave no thought to the wheat grower of Washington. But now that the farmers are organized, they feel that an injury to one is an injury to all, even though half a continent may lie between their farms. That’s what makes the situation in the state of Washington chock full of interest. There’s a shortage of law and order out there as far as farmers’ rights are concerned. However, there is far from being a shortage of enthusiasm for the League. Here, as perhaps in no other state, the farm women are taking a most active part in building up the organization. Organized labor, too, is working hand in hand with the organized farmers for the cause of de- mocracy and justice. The story of this combina- tion of forces is told in a recent dispatch printed in the Seattle Union Record. It reads thus: "TACOMA, July 15.—A political organiza- tion, which it is said may change the entire political aspect of Washington state, is in ex- istence today as the result of a conference of the Central Labor council, held here. The conference, according to A. L. Dickson, secretary of the council, is an organization composed of delegates from all the unions af- filiated with it. Qualifications of candidates will be passed on, in conjunction with the granges and the Nonpartisan league, and those worthy of the- support of organized labor will be indorsed. The movement is in accordance with action-taken at the last con- vention of the State Federation of Labor at Aberdeen.® WILL CLEAN OUT THE LEGISLATURE Two League.farmers were present at this conferénce, and two members of the Grange, also. The Tacoma Ledger says the movement. is state- wide. The news account states: . “The meeting at the Labor temple, at which the political conference was perfected, was the last of several which have been held recently. It was addressed by a delegation of four rep- resentatives of granges and of the Nonpartisan league, headed by Fred Chamberlain, .well known in Grange circles. “ “The conference, with the granges and the Nonpartisan league, is go- ing to clean out the county courthouse and the legislature,’ said Secretary A. L. Dickson, following the meeting. ‘Up to this time the offices of the na- tion. have been filled with candidates chosen hy about 15 per cent of the people. We believe it is time for the 85 per cent to put its own men in. “‘We are going to have men and laws for the workers of the country. By 1920 we expect to have made a clean sweep of things in Washington.’ the N “The action of officials of Walla convention from the schoothouse in which it gathered last May, and pre- venting it from reassembling else- where in the city, largely because the where the work is in progress. between the be destroyed. | 3. These in actionary politicians unless it is'destroyed. 7 4. That the exploiting corporations see their finish, if the Wilson control of the federal government is maintained, or if Northwest. required to keep one crew supplied with water. convention had listened to a Nonpartisan organ- izer, has been carried before labor unions all over the state by the farmers, and it is said to have everywhere secured the condemnation of the unions, who have backed a memorial to President Wilson demanding' investigation. “The incident has served to solidify the farmers and unions as nothing else in years, it is said by political observers. It is said to have formed the basis upon which the object of political co-opera- tion was most easily brought up at the recent state federation convention, with resulting approval.” THE BRAVE ROLE OF THE FARM WOMEN One of the women members of the Nonpartisan league is Mrs. Ina P. Williams, legislative repre- sentative from Yakima county. She has always been a thorn in the side of machine politicians of the state. When the state convention of the Wash- ington Grange was driven out of Walla Walla be- cause it refused to denounce the League, Mrs. Wil- liams was there. At a massmeeting of business men and farmer-haters in that town, she was in- vited to make a speech. When she said in the course of a patriotic address that she was a mem- ber of the League, she was hissed from the stage. This gang unwittingly started a boom which may send Mrs. Williams to the United States congress. Readers of the Leader will remember .the" fine letter of Mrs. M. E. Pettyjohn of Dayton, Columbia county. She is typical of the feminine boosters of the League, and has written another letter which - will be published in a later issue. The Loyalty of Farm Organizations G. P. Hampton, who signs this article, is the manager of the Farmers’ National headquarters, the joint Washington (D. C.) offices of over 15 progressive farm organizations. was a speaker at the Washington state Grange convention, which was driven out of Walla Walla by the tools of big business. first appeared in the magazine of these organizations, the June {Farmers’ Open Forum.” No one can have a clear understanding of the underlying purpose of the constant systematic attacks on the farm or- ganizations of the Northwest who does not keep in mind four things: 1. The dominating, overmastering desire of the reaction- ary politicians to retain control of the local and state govern- ments ‘and recapture the national government by defeating President Wilson and his policies. 2. That the reactionary politicians and their overlords, the exploiting special-privilege corporations, never lose sight -of the fact that the farmer vote of these northwestern states was the main thing that put Woodrow Wilson in the White - House for the second time and gave the control of the federal government over to the Democrats for another four years, and that this contrel may be continued unless the good will president and these northwestern farmers can ) onpartisan Jeague captures the state governments. . With these facts clearly in mind, it is easy for any fair- minded disinterested observer to see the cowardly and disloyal nature of the attack upon the farm organizations of the Hi GEORGE P. HAMPTON. terests believe that the National Nonpartisan league, having 'demonstrated its power by taking the control of the government of one state out of the hands of these re- , will capture all these northwestern states Union Labor Is Joining Forces With Organ- 1zed Farmers— Little Stories of the Struggle for Democracy Some there are who have suffered martyrdom for the principles of the League in Washington. There have been two cowardly attacks on organizers with tar and feathers; and threats galore. One of the bravest missionaries of the League is Mrs. Alfa Salmon Ventzke of Winthrop. Her husband is a substan- tial League farmer and together they circulated President Wilson’s speeches and Nonpartisan literature and preached the doctrine of democracy to the people of their community. When the local paper, the Methow Valley Jour- nal, printed a lying article entitled “The Nonpar- tisan League Unmasked,” it was Mrs. Ventzke who wrote the reply, in which she denounced mob rule and showed that those who used violence against the League did so because they could not meet it in fair argument. Mrs. Ventzke formerly lived in North Dakota and is unusually well informed about the League. She is of English descent, born in Kentucky, and is an ardent patriot. For several years she had been a member of the county board of education, and the present superintendent of schools feared she would run for that office. There's always something of this sort back of every piece of persecution. Well, after Mrs. Ventzke had written her letter defending the League, she received a communication from the school superintendent asking her resignation from the board of education. The note said her connec- tion with the Nonpartisan league made it look as if she were disloyal. The testimony of P. A. Larson, manager of an abstract company at Okanogan, might be given at’ this point. He writes: “Mrs. Ventzke has al- ways been the strongest admirer of President Wil- son, and is as loyal as any person in the whole country. It is simply the rawest-kind of a game of politics.” The brave spirit of this League woman is unbroken. Her resignation was forced but in a recent letter she said; / He THE GRANGES TO It HER DEFENSE “We are circulating ‘The New Freedom’ and other literature that we get from time to time. Mr. Ventzke and I are both willing to do harder work if the League needs us. A coat of tar and feathers will not scare us out, either. We want to make it safe for one of our good speakers to come in without being mobbed. You will find inclosed $7 for which please send 10 copies of ‘The New Freedom.’” Swift to defend the wife of this well-to-do farmer were the 'scal granges. Here are resolutions adopt- . ed by them: : “WHEREAS, we, the neighbors and fellow Grangers of Cub Creek Grange No. 575, of Okanogan county, Wash., having been informed that our sister and neighbor, #rs. Alfa Salmon Ventzke, has been removed.from the county board of education, on a charge of disloyalty, consisting mainly in having some alleged connection with the National Nonpartisan league, and “WHEREAS, our said sister de- . manded proof of such charge, and re- quested to be heard in defense there- of, but was absolutely refused, and “WHEREAS, through our intimate knowledge of the facts, we are fully convinced that no more loyal and pa- triotic person can be found than our said sister, as she has continually’ (Continued on page=-15) ' : ;