The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 26, 1918, Page 6

Yy . ? K I//// “ sary to take the League management out of the hands of “radicals,” and, supposedly, when this was done it would be easy to draw the teeth of the farmers’ organization by making its program “safe and sane.” Mr. Thomason says that the editor said that the Dispatch and the “business interests” would support a “safe and sane” organization, and he indicated that the League could be made such an organization BY MAKING MAXWELL PRESIDENT. = - So this was the reason for the pretense of friendship for the League throughout the publication of the Maxwell articles. Failing in all attempts to destroy the organization, the opposition hoped_to NAME NEW OFFICERS FOR IT AND OBTAIN A MODIFICA- TION OF THE DEMANDS OF THE FARMERS. It must be ad- mitted that, while this plan had Nonpartisan Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week s sl v T e AT T e e Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 3, 1879, OLIVER S. MORRIS, Editor PAUL GREER, Associate Editor B. 0. FOSS, Art Editor Advertising rates on application. months, $1.50. Subscription, one year, in advance, $2.50; six ! '1_‘ viduals. Addressplg‘l]fel:tzerr?ta::iakren:l?eecfii ?;gfim:%:sm&ne%hgrdfifnxé?sl:}: tfle;ggll': absolutely no chance of success, e i i ok L il it was an improvement on the . H MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS crude efi‘orts Of the past, WhiCh THE S. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, -New consisted of mere blind, desper- - :g’;} York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Ka;msae‘Cnty. ' . : ate attacks calculated to drive the [ sane SHGH SRR Rt Snd Ssresponaible firms are not knowingly adverticed, and we will || the T.eagye off the map. Really The doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising columns. it would be much more satis- and : factory to big business to have (1’:;1 the League continue to exist, i) WANTED TO CONTROL THE LEAGUE i obe - hanmle shrough the ARMERS will have to give their enemies credit for one thing. agement and through alteration sho F Apparently the opposition has at last found out that the of its demands, so that they e League can not be broken up and destroyed. Past plots by would constitute no nienace to 7\ ¢ the hired press and its backers have been formed with the idea of the interests which now behold e T ~ 4 As putting the League entirely out of businegs. The recent Maxyvell with terror the rise of the or- YCLONE cELLAD tele plot, it now appears, had an entirely different object in VIEW. ganized power of the farmers. LD goi Maxwell, a former employe of the League, was hired at a price A farmers’ organization of- _ g are said to be $10,000 to write articles for the gang newspapers, but, ficered by men satisfactory to the St. Paul Press-Dispatch and the €V¢ according to a sensational affidavit made by O. M. Thomason, the jnpterests it represents, and with a program so “safe and sane” that W1 object was not to “bust up” the League, but TO CONTROL IT these enemies of the farmers could support it, would be SOME M FROM THE INSIDE. This “farmers’” organization! How stupid of these so-called “business ) change of tactics by the enemies interests” to think that the farmers are such poor fools that they i of the organized farmers is will permit outside enemies to dictate to them and TO OBTAIN gri Significant. It is now realized CONTROL OF THEIR ORGANIZATION. the that there is no chance to de- The blowing up of the Maxwell plot with an exceedingly loud off stroy the farmers’ organization, “pop” has left the League opposition flabbergasted. ; up and that the only chance of the What next?- . to opposition isil tohg'etd thefmanage- _ sel ment into the hands of persons - : : wi who will be amenable to the big h e SARINING T & e VICRORY. el _ o interests, and who will consent | our years throug e Nonpartisan league the farmers 'LEAGUE PROGRAM; that the =R R to the ALTERATION OF THE it less a menace to the big busi- ness monopolies that prey on the producers. There was widespread aston- ishment, not only among League members but among the general public, when the St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch announced that it would publish an “exposure” of the League, but that the “exposure” would not be an “attack” on the organization, but a The Dispatch said that the League was a legitimate and necessary organization, although there ‘were some things about it that needed “fixing,” and the Maxwell articles would simply call the attention of the League members to these things in a “friendly spirit”! This from a newspaper that has been one of the most bitter and prejudiced enemies of the League, its program, its officers, its candidates and its every activity, was most remarkable. Throughout two weeks this paper devoted most of every issue to the Maxwell articles and comment about them, and throughout it was maintained that Maxwell and the Press-Dispatch were friends and not enemies of the organization, and were doing this in a spirit of co-operation to help the League. Pty At first it was difficult to account for this kind of “bunk” from a paper representing interests that are uncompromisingly against. the organized farmers and everything they stand for. But at last the explanation was obtained. The strange and remarkable profes- sion of friendship by enemies of the farmers, who have stooped to every despicable and contemptible method known to unscrupulous journalists in their desperate battle against the League, is no longer a mystery. The explanation was furnished by the Thomason affidavit. The plan was not to break up the League BUT TO CON- i TROL IT, and it was necessary to assume the guise of friendship to give the plot a chance of success. -Mr. Thomason reported under oath a conversation he had with the editor of the Dispatch, who represented League enémies in the deal by which Maxwell was hired to betray the organization. The Dispatch editor said, according to this affidavit, that the object of the Maxwell articles was TO OBTAIN A CHANGE IN THE program. was not -satisfactory to the “business interests” as it at present stands; that it was neces- LEAGUE PROGRAM, making. “friendly” act. - . that the organized farmers have had to face. ‘A?AGE’_SI; S : have been demanding justice from the packing trust of America. They have brought serious indictments against this monopoly, world-wide in its ramifications, and they have pro- posed as a remedy government or state ownership of the packing - ‘plants. The Nonpartisan league has been the chief force in America battling against the economic despotism set up by the meat kings. It has been more than the chief force fighting for justice for pro- ducers from the packers. It has been the one agency that, through a compact and united organization in over a dozen states, HAS HAD - A CHANCE TO COMPEL THIS SINISTER, UN-AMERICAN MONOPOLY TO RELEASE ITS STRANGLE HOLD ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 255 . 2 Perhaps some may have believed that the indictments brought by League farmers against this perfect flower of big business have A been overdrawn. Perhaps a few have thought that League litera- ture, speakers, meetings and publications have exaggerated ‘a bit for the sake of emphasis, and that really conditions were not as bad as alleged. To all such the Leader recommends a. reading of the report of the fed- eral trade commission to the president of the United States; just made public. From -this you will see that the League. farmers have brought a TRUE BILL against the “Big Five” packers. Furthermore you will find that this official government commission has recommended the same remedy the League has recommended—public supervision and control, the first step toward outright public ownership and operation! : by ; Many will see in the federal trade commission report oneof the reasons for the desperate and almost unbelievable opposition IT APPEARS THAT IN CHARGING BIG BUSINESS WITH BRINGING ABOUT AN ECONOMIC DESPOTISM IN AMERICA, AND WITH PRACTICES THAT HAVE OPPRESSED ALIKE PRODUCERS AND CONSUM- ERS, THE LEAGUE HAS,BEEN TELLING THE TRUTH. Big