The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 25, 1918, Page 7

-, ‘ “PEACE—AND THEN WHAT? - : 2 HE war is over. Autocracy and militarism have been de- stroyed in Germany. The Hohenzollerns have abdicated and are refugees in Holland. A people’s government is being set up. The empire of the Austrian despot has crumbled. A half do_zen people’s governments have been set up on the ruins of the misgoverned, exploited lands formerly ruled by the Hapsburgs. The Bulgarian king has abdicated and the people are setting up a democracy. Russia, sorely tried by civil war and beset without with influences that are hampering free development internally, yet has forever thrown off the tyranny of the Romanoffs, and whatever government finally becomes permanent in the old dominions of the czar, it will be liberal and democratic. There remains no arbi- trary government in Europe, and over half the old world is engaged in setting up new regimes of the people that will be ultra-liberal, if not downright radical, in their handling of political and economic problems. : - . ; .. And while all the world, almost, is in this process of change, building anew and democratically on the dust of empires and dynas- ties, sweeping aside the old order that has kept the common people down and exploited the masses—while political and economic re- form_ is being carried forward on the wings of a new world en- thusiasm for right and justice, and men’s hearts are full of the gospel of a better day—while all this is going on in half the world, what are we at home, we Americans, doing to keep abreast of the times? Are we looking to a new day nationally, to a wider democ- racy and an ORDERLY, PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT in poli- tics and economics, that will cut away the causes of discontent and . save us the baptism of blood that alone and too often has been re- quired to bring nations to their senses? Are we? It may be the signs we have seen during these last few weeks are false signs. It may be that the successful attack of the tories and imperialists on President Wilson’s peace and economic policies, as shown by the congressional elections, is a mere incident, a mere brief turning aside from the ideals and principles whose realization we believed a few months ago was close to the hearts of our people. It may be that the agitation now abroad in the land to interfere with the new democratic governments in Europe, on the plea of “preserving order” but really because our junkers believe them too “radical”’—it may be that this is not an indication that our faces are turned backward instead of forward. But even if these and many other signs are true signs that we have agreed for the time being to live in the past while the world sweeps by us, still let the junkers and tories beware! America alone in the whole world can not-stand out against progress for’ long. If our press and political leaders ; and the big interests that dominate both : continue. to throw up obstacles in the way of orderly, progressive reform and a free development along liberal, democratic lines, it will be but damming back a flood which will eventually break all bounds. We do not want a baptism of blood here in America. We do not want “red revolution,” followéd perhaps by anarchy and years of pain and suffering before complete democracy emerges triumphant. We want to PREVENT “red revolution.” Let our temporarily triumphant junkers remember that the best way to prevent what they most fear is not to dam-back the demand for orderly and- e\{olugonary reforms. Let them not be" too ious to saddle militarism on us - during the next few years to come. Let them not stand in the way of a final world peace of justice and a League of Nations. Let them let us withdraw our armies from Russia and allow the Russians to . i&= _work out their own:salvation, as we let - Mexico work out hers. Let them not : carry out their threat to prevent Germany and Austria from estab- lishing people’s governments as radical as those peoples desire. . Let them not attempt to undo the economic progress already made by us during the war in the nationalization of transportation on land and sea and in other things. ] - 3 EOITOR| J & l\ % BT - Above all, let them read a lesson from history. Let them study - the “holy alliance” of Europe of the last century and the conditions which just recently drove kings and emperors from their thrones - and their junker supporters to cover. : o _ PREACHING AND PRACTICING E CAN remember, away back when the farmers first start- ' ed to organize for political as well as economic action, that. one bright editor argued it out' this way: Politics is a . dirty game, played by tricksters, crooks, saloonkeepers, Tammany Hall and ward heelers. Why! should farmers want to get mixed in saichamess? “> oo T Ever since then, the: participation of farmers ‘self-government have:been sitting up of reagon ‘armers ghould not be in politics, ] ; cénvinci those of the nights to t! FOR TH' LOVE OF PETE— THEY'RE GETTING STRONGER- TELL TH' PUBLIC,THRV <] YourR PAPER, THAT THEY ARE GETTING WEAKER —, BY ALL MEANS KEEP TH' TRUTH fRom ‘EM | XK hired editors of the interests that fear ‘winning 3 0L “gllies fought to wipe off the map of Europe. This is what “wi 4 “they shall not, must not, get away with it. The TlonpariSén Teader Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 8, 1879. : A. B. GILBERT, Associate Editor B. 0. FO8S8, Art Editor Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in_ advance, $2.50; six months, $1.50. Please do not make checks, drafts nor money orders payable to indi- viduals. Address all letters and make all' remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, Box 575, St. Paul, Minn. MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS THE S. C. BECKWITH §PECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City: OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising columns, We have before us a copy of a “weekly letter” gotten out from the headquarters of the National Founders’ association at Chicago, 1I1., and sent to all members of the association. You see the found- ers are ORGANIZED. Now, these weekly letters ought to deal with matters like making two castings grow where one casting grew before, or with scientific methods of rotating casting crops, in order to produce more to the acre, or with methods of eradicating bugs which nibble at castings. However, they don’t. They deal with plain, ordinary POLITICS. Thus, we find the founders’ weekly letter reporting as a “healthy sign” the fact that the United States senate is on record against strikes during the war for whatever purpose called; that. the house of representatives is “following its usual policy in accept- ing the dictation of the American Federation of Labor’’; that Sena- "tor Thomas of Colorado delivered a ‘“severe arraignment” against workers who strike; that congressional prohibition legislation will create a “billion-dollar deficit”; that there is “well-grounded senti- ment” against the government taking over power plants during - the war; that the United States department of labor has issued “mouthings” to the effect that there was-going to be a great strug- gle against encroachments of capital after the war; that the direc- tor general of the railroads has established a complaint department that “will require 50,000 clerks to handle,” thus showing how in- 3 efficient government control of railroads is; that George Creel of the United States committee on public information is a “So- cialist” and a “special product of these radical times,” and that there has been ~too much “Creeling” going on. The let- ter ends up with this: J. Konenkamp—bless his Irish name —president of the International Com- mercial Telegraphers’ union of America, which in membership is almost equal to its name, announces: “It is our mission to see that government control is turned into government ownership.” More Creeling! These are the things the National Founders’ association is interested in, and | it’s nothing but POLITICS! Consider that this is only one of the hundreds of national manufacturers’ associations and business men’s associations that main- tain Washington bureaus and deal in POLITICS. And then there is the United States Chamber of ‘Commerce, supported by big and little business, whose one 5 ; function is POLITICS. Yet it is too dirty a game for farmers! Stay on the farm, you rubes, we’ll tend to the politics, these fellows say. Sure the rubes will—not! z PEACE AND THE SECURITY LEAGUE HE National Security league announces that it will carry on a vigorous campaign, now that peace has come, to educate Americans in the “meaning of Americanism.” This league stands for universal and compulsory military training and service. This is-the thing which Germany and Austria, with help of the best blood of the more democratic nations which made war on their kings and emperors, have at last thrown off. This is the thing which, chief among all the rest, caused the war that broke on Europe in all its fury-in August, 1914. : il - ‘'We win a great war for democracy against-autocracy and mili-- ~ tarism. We win it so thoroughly that even the peoples who har- bored those tyrannies have seen the light. And now a group of eur own imperialists and junkers is taking up a great “‘campaign” to - gaddle on us, right here in America, the thing we and our bra war for democracy” means to our Roosevelts and Lodges. Bu Jer is for this fight. Let every democrat buekle en his sword. L5 R s