The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 12, 1918, Page 9

/ | 2 2 ’ : A / ° [ [ ‘ Red Cross Can’t Be Used by Politicians Manager of the War Relief Society Blocks All Attempts to Deliver Partisan » Speeches Under the Guise of Patriotic Work \ EMBERS of the Nonpartisan league, who have universally and en- thusiastically sup- ported the splen- did work of the American Red Cross, will find an added reason for giving their money and work to this cause in recent of- ficial instructions of George E. Scott, acting general manager of the na- tional Red Cross, to various divisions of the organization in America. Mr. Scott has sat down on the at- tempted use in some quarters of the Red Cross for political purposes. His instruetions absolutely bar politics from the Red Cross, which he truly says is nonsectarian, nonpolitical and nonfactional. In several instances local or. state Red Cross officials in the past have taken an active part in the campaign against the Nonpartisan league and its political candidates, in some cases using their positions in the Red Cross and Red Cross organization, directly or indirectly, to further the interests of politicians and candidates opposed to the organized farmers. This has not interfered with League members generously supportmg the Red Cross, for League members have recognized that these local officials were mis- using their office and were stooping to mean attacks on the League, con- trary to the spirit of Red Cross work. and in violation of the wishes of the national officers of the organization. In North Dakota a Red Cross of- ficial used his position in the Red Cross shamelessly as:a cover from which to attack the farmers’ organi- zation, and recently there has been a report of a soldier touring South Dakota under auspices of the Red Cross, who is devoting a large part of his speeches to political attacks on the League. There have been other instances. - The announcement of the national manager of the Red Cross will put a -stop to this. In case it does not, League members should call attention " of Red Cross officials to the follow- Dear Cousin: ers, for instance. oppose the League program. when they do come. fields. A Voice From the Camps An indication of how men in the national service feel toward the Nonpartisan league may be seen in the following letter writ- ten by a soldier to a League member: I was overwhelmed with joy to learn that the League has been victorious in its fight again in North Dakota. ‘I now thmk they will be just as victorious in the fall electlon. The farmers and the fruit growers in the country ought to be orgamzed in the League, for Big Biz and the polltlcal gang are sure giving them a rotten deal. They have to almost give away their fruit, yet the dealers charge just as much as always. There’s some- thing wrong somewhere that needs fixing. Most of the boys here are very much in favor of the Non- partisan league and quite a few of them are members of it. And yet the old gang press told the people in big head lines that the League members were disloyal to their country. What would we all be doing here if we were not loyal? To tell the truth we are more determined to beat the Hun than those who have not received the League papers but I thank you many times ‘for them and I will certainly enjoy reading them This is a fine country to live in but I would just as soon be in good old North Dakota where you can see the big wheat division, state and local officers and workers in the Red Cross: “The Red Cross is and must be maintained a strictly nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization. Member- ship in the Red Cross includes so many persons and there are so many men of prominence in its work that it is not unlikely that many will be candidates for office. No matter how sincerely any Red Cross official or, worker may strive to keep separate his Red Cross work from political am- bitions he may, and probably will, be quite unable to prevent his frlends from using his connection with the Red Cross to gain favor with voters. “While such action can not be con- trolled, all candidates should realize that they must do all in their power\ g;;event the public from gaining an impression that political prefer- ment can or should directly or indi- rectly be affected by Red Cross work either at home or abroad. The text of Red Cross service to mankind is stamped by the approval of the Amer- ican people, regardless of politics, race or religion. No taint of selfish- ness or self-seeking can be allowed to creep into the work endangering, and even perhaps destroying, its great accomplishment. “Accordingly, the Red Cross . war council instructs me to direct that you request all officials of the Red Cross either in chapters or division headquarters, who are in any position of executive authority, and who at the same time contemplate candldacy for public office, either to resign in their official capacity from the Red Cross or to refrain from such candidacy.’ We ask that you use every influence to prevent the use of the Red Cross or of its services in the pohtlcal cam- paign of any person.” So passes an almost unbelievable situation. In Minnesota, thousands of dollars of Red Cross contributions were turned down by small-town of- ficials who did not like the organized farmers who contributed. No Leaguye meeting was held without a collec- tion for war relief being taken up. This money more often than not was refused by local representatives. In Camp Fremont, Cal. Take the fruit grow-" ‘ANTON KLIER. ing instructions of the national offi- cers, and if the violation of these in- structions continues, farmers should appeal the matter by letter to the national officers of the Red Cross. Following are the instructions to all Throwmg hand grenades in practice in trench warfare. The American hand grenade is heavier than a baseball, and is thrown with a straight arm motion as is shown in the picture. The American grenade is considered a big improve- ment on any that have been put out by any of the European nations, as it has a uniquie safety device, which must be released in the act of hurling, which protects the thrower against an accidental dlscharge. such case it was sent to national Red Cross headquarters. National Red Cross officers were in no way responsible for this condition. The fault rested with overofficious po- litical aspirants who wished to prove organized farmers were unpatriotic. T Washington Grangers Accuse the N ewspapers | The Campaign of Falsehood Against the Organized Farmer Is Carried on by Editors Who Have Sold Out to Blg SF® . Business, Resolutions Adopted in Okanogan Declare—Resent All Such Interference With the T e i : nghts of the Common People to Prot ect Themselves From Explmters .. Whereas, every day furnishes additional evidence that a large portion of the public press is only the mouthpiece of the industrial lords and special privilege, by its utter disregard for men and measures not in accord with their rapacious greed, and Whereas, an organization 'known as the Employers’ association, of this Northwest, with unlimited capital behind it, has for months been vxolently attacking certain farmers’ organizations, by publishing the most malicious and indefensible stereotyped falsehoods against the loyalty of its members, for the purpose of discrediting and retarding progress of such movement on the part of the farmers, which mlght menace their complete control over our markets, and which might give the farmers some voice in determining the - market price of what they produce, and Whereas, certain county papers have seen fit to lend themselves to the support of the propaganda of said Employers’ association, and are taking an aggressive personal mterest in attnckmg the nght of the farmers to organ- " dze; and . ey g : Whereas, the edltors and publishers of practically every newspaper in _the i ".,_state and nation, lmve for years been theroughly\orgamzed, and" have their annual or othér meetings for the purpose: of protecting their interests, and " Whereas, the federal administration at Washington has proclalmed the right of labor to orgamze, as_well as the right of collective bargaining, as a. _matter of justice, ‘and in order to unify the- nation and thereby speed the ! winning of this most horrible war. ' Therefore, be it resolved by Pomona Grange No. 22 of Okanogan county, 'Wash., in regular session assembled this 13th day of July, 1918, that we look: upon such interference by the press, with the rights of the farmers to organ- ize, with the greatest resentment; that the farmers are the main support of any local newspaper; that its subscnptlon list among farmers determines the: value of any local newspaper as an advertising medium; that the continued’ attack, by any newspaper, upon the farmers or their orgamzatlons, proves only that such newspapers are in direct sympathy with:the aims and purposes of the said Employers’ assoclatlon, or directly in their employ, therehy serv- W. T. BEALS, Master, : P. A. LARSON, Secretary pro tem. .ing the interests antagonistic to us. ARTHUR WELLS, W. C. OSTENBERG. s Committee on Resolutions.