The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 21, 1918, Page 7

polled’ together. -~ They must determine what was - common ground for Republicans, Democrats and Socialists, ‘and stand pat for ‘some definite things. "More than that, they must get.into politics and run the legislature themselves. Farmer Townley talked this over with some of his friends and they came to his way of thinking. : It was a big idea and a big job to organize the different political factions under one banner and thus beat the old political machine which had controlled North Dakota since it became a state. Townley found that it would take a lot of money to put the organization through and he found that he had some ability as an organizer, so he left the farm and started in a quiet way to work out his plans, with a few friends- helping him, 1 ‘ They organized the Nonpartisan league and had 25,000 members before' the political gang was aware of the fact. They got down to business in the spring of 1915, demanding a $6 membership of every * man joining the League. This was later raised to $8, and men pledged a two-year fee. This finances the work and ties the mem- bers more closely to the League. Where a man puts his money, there his interest centers. e Railroads,- banks, timber lords and every other interest put up money to finance the political party of their choice; Why shouldn’t farmers do the same? They must.if they win. - HYPOCRISY OF POLITICIANS / X-GOVERNOR F. N. GOODING of Idaho has been making E himself conspicuous by intemperate denunciations of the 4 Nonpartisan league. His tirades are not remarkable for originality. He relies on insinuations that the League is disloyal and allied with the . W. W. In a recent public statement published in Idaho papers he became “righteously indignant” over the ac- CERTAINLY 2. THOSE ARE NOT - tivities of the League in his state. In reply to him the Idaho League office asserted that this attitude toward the organized farmers. on the part of the ex-governor was not honest, as, before the Idaho League convention met, Gooding had been anxious for the League indorsement for the office of. United States senator. & . However, after the League refused to indorse him, he opened up on the farmers in ridiculous and fanatical attacks on their organi- zation. Hearing that the League was claiming that he originally wanted the League indorsement for senator, Gooding issued the following statement: . ; { I understand that. out of the Nonpartisan headquarters comes the threat that a letter will be published showing that I offered to take the indorsement of the Nonpartisan league. This-is a lie; and I want to say to the Nonpartisan leaders and to every one else that I have been called upon to give this state more than any one else, outside of poor Governor Steunenberg, and they had better have the proof and have it well, unless they want me to start criminal pro- ceedings against them before they make any attack on my\g”ood name. . The reply of the Idaho League to this was merely to publish -~ the photographic copy of a letter written by Gooding two days be- g fore the League state convention met at Boise. - Following is the letter published by the League: S ; ; gt t ; Boise, Idaho, July 1, 1918. vy . Hon. S. D. Taylor, : I = ; 4 Republican State Central Committee, i ; Boise, Idaho. e B 5 Dear Mr, Taylor: ¢ o S -le % Replying to your letter of June 29, I wish to say to you that if I receive the Nonpartisan league indorsement for the short term of: =+ "= . =< = ' & : . e ' “+ German feeling among the people of the Balkan state and a desire -~ for peace that overwhelmed the government when the first military *~United States senator, it will be accepted’in the spirit:in which it:is . - given. T am not soliciting this indorsement, but if it comes to me 1" "7 ghall accept it-as a mark of confidence from the farmers of this state. R e : : Seesai O Very iy i s i e SR e SR NV GOODING: o B Gooding was willing to take the indorsement of the organized ¥ farmers when he thought there was a chance to'get it. When he . erg’ organization. - - 'WHEN THE BOYS RETURN =~ = press that are counting on returned onary cause in America ave the surprise of their lives. ~American fighting ‘men is due to are fighting f cause than which none 52 The magnificent morale of the their conviction that they ‘could-be more righteous 78 was turned down, he proved his small'nes_s__'by attacking: the fa;-m_'- ] - with the kaiser, which is as vigorously denied by. radicals as it is ¢ affifmed in other quarters, has caused many liberals to withhold ~ judgment as to the wisdom of the president’s Russian policy. -But, - press that they are fighting to make the world safe for democracy —for justice for all peoples. They are not fired with lust for spoils. They know_they are not fighting to extend trade territory for American capitalists. They know they are not fighting to seize territory for American imperialists. They know that they are not fighting to make huge war profits for munition manufacturers. Their motive is an unselfish one. They fight against autocracy and militarism. They fight against war and the “war idea” and for international common sense and justice. When these soldiers get back, what is going to be their atti- tude towards the interests, forces and the press in America that have sought to belie America’s righteous war aims and have at- tempted to use the war to make profits, to crush liberal tendencies among the people, to put industrial despotism more firmly in the saddle and to defeat the extension of democracy at home? Are they going to join forces with these reactionaries and sinister interests? Or will they ally themselves politically with the forces in America that have attempted to keep the home fires of - democracy burning while they were away fighting? Will they cast their lot with political groups that have tried to make out that the spirit which has moved our fighters is a pre- tense, or will they cast their lot with the liberal political groups that have supported the president in his economic program and in his definition of America’s war aims? There can be but one answer to these questions. The returned . soldiers will be liberals, not conservatives or reactionaries. : THE WISDOM OF WILSON’S POLICY PRESIDENT WILSON has steadfastly refused to permit con- gress to declare war on Bulgaria and Turkey. For this reason ; the president has been made the object of a bitter attack, led by Colonel Roosevelt and the g«jitors of the big daily press. Bulgaria and Turkey, it is true, have been allies of the central powers, with whom we are at war, but there has been no other reason why we should-declare war on them. They have offended us in no way di- rectly. We are not engaged in military operations against them. Nevertheless, the American militarist party has demanded a declaration against Bulgaria and Turkey, for no other reason, “apparently, than that we ought to take on everybody possible as enemies from pure exuberancy of the belligerent spirit. The presi- dent, as subsequent events have shown, was in possession of infor- mation which he could not very well make public without defeating the best interests of the country, and which made it perfectly jus- tifiable for him to hold off the declaration of war against the minor allies of Germany. : President Wilson was barred from defending himself from - the attacks of the overzealous American war party. But now events have justified his policy before the whole world and silenced his critics. capitulation impgsed by Great Britain, France, Serbia and Italy. Turkey :is on the brink of surrender. Cut off from Germany as a result of Bulgaria’s breakdown, her armies shattered, she faces destruction unless she does hoist the white flag. : The fact that the United States did not make itself an enemy of Bulgaria, we now see, contributed directly to encourage an anti- goa \HOWDY] 5, - - ~ \ ) .v.'\ ) ol N \' reverse occurred. The Bulgarian minister remained at Washington ~ ~and the American minister at Sofia. “Bulgaria, because diplomatic "__" - relations were not broken, learned first hand the honesty of our . purpose’in the war. Thousands of lives have been saved and the war shortened. President Wilson was right. "fhe‘enthusiastic ‘approval of the American militarists. The al- leged criminal relationship of the Russian revolutionary leaders = _on the whole, liberal thinkers have been disappointed. In this case " the president disappointed the liberals; in the case of "Bulg{ma‘and ‘'Turkey he.disappointed the militarists. -The Leader withholds judgment, ‘hoping that future events and future allied policy - ussia will as i:ompl_etelx'ju'sti_fy .the-president as he has been . Igaria and Turkey. Bulgaria has surrendered and accepted the terms of " The Wilson policy in Russia, on the other hand, has recei\_r'ed ¢