The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 25, 1918, Page 4

Legislative Victory Is Far-Reaching | - Farmers Elect Over 100 Lawmakers in Six States Outside of North Dakota—— Ny League Will Have Powerful Voice in Legislatures of Many States [ETURNS already in from the seven states in, which the Non- partisan league took part in contests for seats in the legis- lature on November 5 show that over 100 lawmakers have been elected by the farmers, OUT- SIDE OF NORTH DAKOTA. At the election prior to the one Jjust held the organized farmers won a majority in the lower house of the North Dakota legislature, but lost the North Dakota senate by several votes. At that election, in 1916, there was no League or- ganization in any other state. Now, two years later, the organized farmers gain more than 100 law-making seats in six states outside the state of its origin. In‘addition, the League in North Dakota has not only re-elected its house majority, but has captured for the first time the state senate. i The legislative victories, while they have not given the organized farmers a legislative majority in any state except North Dakota, have assured its program a hearing in six other states, in some of which its group of legislators will hold the balance of power in law-making. The voice of the League will be heard officially in the legislative halls of over a half dozen states. The farmers’ movement has become in these states something more than an “agitation” or mere organization seeking reforms. The League has actually taken its place in legisla- tive assemblies, and is a power to be reckoned with., Following the Leader gives the legislative situa- tion in the seven states referred to, so far as it is able to size it up at this writing. Returns are far from complete, but the figures given are conserva- tive. The League has not won less than here shown and probably has won substantially more. 5 ; l North Dakota l The organized farmers gained control of the lower branch of the North Dakota legislature two years ago at the election, but did not gain control of the state senate. The senate majority ‘against the League at the last session was five to seven votes. This prevented the larger part of the farm- ers’ program from being enacted, although much of it went through, The League’s principal bill, - however, one to amend the constitution permitting the carrying out of the entire League program, was killed in the senate. ; In the election just held the League has increased its majority in the North ‘Dakota house and has captured the senate. In addition, the people of North Dakota have adopted a new constitution by their votes, enabling the entire farmers’ program to be carried out by the next legislature. The League now has a big majority in both houses and a new constitution that will permit all the neces- sary reforms. : .. Even in North Dakota, where the League is thoroughly organized and politically in control, it has taken two elections to win a complete victory. I Minnesota l The Minnesota legislative situation is much bet- ter than reasonably could have been expected after .- only two years of organization work by the farm- ¢ ers, in a 'state where agriculture does not predomi- . -nate as it does in North Dakota. The city and country vote is about evenly balanced, and the League had organized in only about one-third of the rural districts of the state. However, in Minnesota the State Federation of Labor, through a state-wide political convention,_ decided to co-operate officially with the farmers’ League in the election campaign. The combined farmer-labor forces have at least elected 15 state senators and 36 house members. - This partial re-~ turns show is sure, but it is expected that these ' figures will be substantially increased as counties now missing or partially reported are heard from., *Of the total elected, the rural communities where the-League is organized returned 11 senators and 26 house members, all League men, and organized: labor in Minneapolis and St. Paul returned four' % senators and 10 house. members; all pledged to the ¢ farmer-labor program, it Sl | This, however, ‘really does not show the exact - situation so ‘far as the progressive forces of the state are concerned. Many districts where neither the League nor labor put on a campaign sent tried and true progressives to the legislature, so that, at this writing, the progressives, including the League- labor forces, have 30 votes out of 67 in the senate and 60 out of 131 in the house. These figures in- clude only those elected legislators known to favor all of the progressive program. Many other legis- lators will vote for the tonnage tax on iron ore and other progressive measures, but not the whole progressive program. % The result of the Minnesota election is that the tonnage tax bill of the League program and several ‘other fundamental reforms will pass, and a gover- nor who had the fight of life to be re-elected in the face of the farmer-labor opposition will not have the hardihood to veto them, it is believed. At any rate farmers and labor have never been so well represented in the Minnesota legislature. They now have the balance of power and a voice in legislative affairs the importance of which can not be overestimated. i South Dakota . The League elected 14 legislative candidates on the face of fairly complete returns from the eastern ‘part of Scuth Dakota. There.is a possibility also that League candidates won in Butte, Harding and Perkins counties in the West River country. Meager returns from those counties have placed the League in the lead. Five candidates already reported elected by the League for the senate are Charles Boreson, Repub- lican, Davison county; P. P. Kleinsasser, Inde- pendent, Hutchinson county; E. H. Odlund, Repub- lican, Turner county; John J. Hepperle, Republican, McPherson county; C. J. Kjeldseth, Republican, Yankton county. Eight representatives so far reported elected are William Bartling and William Friederich, Inde- pendent, Hutchinson county; L. E. Stoddard, Inde- pendent, Turner county; Louis Thompson, Inde- pendent, Sanborn county; W. H. Fessenden, Inde- pendent, Edmunds county; J. B. Wittmayer, Re- publican, McPherson county; George Zeller, Inde- pendent, Campbell county; H. H. Koehn, Republi- can, Bon Homme county; Clarence Best, Republi- can, Beadle county. One of the closest contests was in Beadle county, where W. W. Howes, League-indorsed Democratic nominee, lost out to Ed Miller, Republican old-gang candidate, by 82 votes. gt : Probably the hottest fight of all took place in Turner county, where E. H. Odlund, ‘Republican, indorsed by the League, and L. E. Stoddard, inde- pendent League candidate, won victories. This county was claimed by the League, but complete returns show that Bates, the farmer-labor candi- date for governor, lost to Norbeck by 35 votes. Figures were not obtainable for the legislative candidates on November 8, aécording to the county auditor, but he conceded the election of Odlund and Stoddard. s ‘ Though Sanborn county gave a handsome major- ity to C. J. Erickson, League candidate for the state senate from Sanborn and Miner counties, the later county vote ov me Erickson’s lead and his op- ponent, Eide, won, 549 to 457. The League delegation in the senate and house will be sufficient: to institute legislation for the farmers and make it disagreeable for the Republi- .can machine if the attempt is made to sidetrack the League program, which the Republican party in its platform indorsed. The Republicans will have no legitimate excuse for refusing to enact the -League measures < into law, ' the constitutional amendments providing for these having been adopt- .ed by overwhelming majorities, I g i ;Colorado | I "Tfhe Nonpartisan league began organizing in . Colorado in June, 1917. ' Thus it was in the political ~field but little over a year priorito the general elec- tion of 1918. Only the eastern third of the state is _agricultural land. : - Taking the dbove into consideration the League executive committee decided to enter the campaign only: on the legislative ticket in the farming coun-" ties. The inability to secu . -PAGE . blizzard on the plains. -together in the face of a most terrific onslaught of . the copper trust papers and politicians, re ‘organizers restricted - Democrat he polled more than 850 the work of securing memberships, but a large ma- jority of the farmers in each agricultural commu- nity where the League worked joined. Four weeks before the election the health authorities of Colo- N rado issued a drastic state order prohibiting all S meetings of any description. This order, of course, ‘ entirely prevented the carrying out of the elaborate speaking campaign prepared by the League. While it interfered materially and seriously with the Non- partisan league campaign it permitted the oppo- ¢ nents of the League to carry on a correspondence v campaign of enormous proportions. An unprece- dented amount of money was poured into a cor- respondence course in behalf of the League’s oppo- A nents. : Notwithstanding a very vicious attack both upon A the League program and its candidates four very ; notable League victories were obtained in the elec- tion of Senators Carl W. Burke from the counties of Prowers, Bent, Baca and Kiowa, A. C. -Scott from the counties of Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Yuma g and Washington, and two representatives, J. .P. & Dillong of Logan and Sedgwick counties and T. T. Wilson from Weld county. In the case of Carl W. Burke, it was in his district that a League organizer was thrown in jail for 10 days. Senator Burke'’s election, in the face of the bitterest kind of attack and the expenditure of a great amount of money, seems a fitting reply to the high-handed tactics of big business interests. The election of Senator A. C. Scott occurred in the district where mob violence was resorted to, resulting in personal assaults on League members and in the driving out of two League organizers, one of them at midnight into a T ) . Returns from the Montana legislative fights are belated. To date jt is known that the League has elected 16 members of the lower house and four members of the state senate. Final returns can not show less than this and may materially increase the figures. The influenza and a blizzard on elec- tion day cut the rural, and consequently the League, vote down from one-third to one-half. On the other hand, it\was easy for the city voters to get to the polls, and the strongholds of League opposition in the towns and cities all cast a big vote. - The above figures do not include three legislators put over by union labor in Butte, which co-operated with the farmers. The union boys at Butte stuck Idaho returns are also” far from complete and hardly any indication of the League legislative suc- cegses can be given at this writing. To date, the returns show the League has elected at least six state senators and ‘10 members of the house. Sev- eral more League legislative contests doubtless have been won in Idaho and will substantially increase the figures given above, but complete, final returns can not be given by the Leader until later. ' . I - Nebraska ' Nebraska polled more than 200,000 votes: Novem- ber 5. The Nonpartisan league, with a member- ship of slightly more than 12,000 and controlling in the neighborhood of 30,000 votes, made a splendid showing in the face of this percentage. This in spite of the fact that practically all of the gue candidates were on the Democratic ticket, and the state was hit by a Republican landslide. =~ - W. J. Taylor was the only League candidate for. state senator out of eight indorsed to survive the: Republican ' majorities.” A dirty campaign was waged against Taylor.. The grain and beef trust newspapers, principally Senator Hitchcock’s World- Herald of Omaha and Gooch’s Lincoln Star, referred to Taylor during the campaign as “Crook-Neck” Taylor, because of a physical deformity. Custer county went Republican by 400 on the state ticket; but thé voters there resented this vile method and admired Taylor’s ability to such an extent that asa ‘majority in