The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 24, 1919, Page 3

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_called before a commit- . for ~full patriotism to . - 'grounds” Representative . Royal C. Johngon of - South Dakota, who was ~ Ity ‘In the interest of a square deal for the farmers Romart Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League VOL. 8, NO. 12. A magazine that dares to print the truth 8'1‘ PAUL, MINNESOTA, MARCH 24, 1919 WHOLE NUMBER 183 Guilty NE of the big sensations of the closing days of congress was the report of the special con- | gressional committee appointed - to investigate the National Se- ‘curity league. As readers of the Leader know, this committee has been busy for weeks inves- tigating, hearing testimony of both- sides under oath, weighing evidence. The evidence as reported from time to time was indeed surprising, but the final verdict of the com- mittee is more so. By a vote of seven to one the judicial verdict of this committee is GUILTY.: The Security league is guilty of being a mere political organization, conceived and supported by munition peddlers, profiteers, reactionaries of great wealth as a means of camouflaging their fight against liberals and remedial legislation. It is also guilty of violating the corrupt practices act." . “On this latter point the decision reads: “In the judgment of your committee, the Na: tional Security league has violated the provisions of that act(the corrupt practices act), the penalty - for which is a fine of not more than $1,000, or im- prisonment for not longer than one year, or both.” The high-handed treatment accorded Congress- man King of Illinois by a small group of special- interest representatives masquerading as the Chi- - cago branch of the great “patriotic society” is typ- ical of the methods used. According to the com- mittee report. he “was tee of the Chicago branch of the league and when there, was tauntingly confronted with a speech which’ he had made in congress, - attacking the methods of the packers.” He was asked why he had used the name of Mr. Morgan (J. P. Morgan): @ in his speech and the house committee ex- plains: ‘“The real object was disclosed when he was asked by the spokes- man of ‘that committee how he stood on the ques- tion of government own- ership of railroads.” ONLY 47 MEMBERS “PATRIOTIC” - Another typical meth- od was the chart design- ~. ed to show the loyalty candidates for congress. This .chart gave ' credit only 47. of the 435 mem- bers of congress. Forty- five of this 47 represent- ed districts - along. the Atlantic seaboard and their real Tecommenda- : tion: was their hostility to heavy taxes on big in-- comes. The Security league was so brazen and crude that it marked for oppesition: on: “loyalty that time in the ranks vork of aced on the' Sec e North Dakota f at the battle front in France. He was severely wounded in the battle of the Argonne Forest. The investigating committee also gives an in- ‘teresting point on the origin of the league when it says: e £ “Sight must not be lost of the fact that it was conceived in London by an attorney rep- - resenting the sugar, steel and other large in- terests both in this country and abroad, and that at its very inception in New York others representing like interests are found among those who became the most active in its or- ganization. i “The testimony discloses that. S. Stanwood Menken is the one who conceived the idea of forming the National Security league. This was done, he says, while listening to certain debates in the house of commons in England on August 5, 1914.” The committee admits that the fight made by the league upon the loyalty of men of the highest pa- triotism failed, but shows that the failure was due to an error of judgment on the part of the league and not because of any lack of vicious purpose. It . concludes: “The National Security league and like organi- zations in their political activities constitute a se- rious menace to representative government. Ordi- narily their real purpose is concealed and their ap- peal is made to the public on some principle in har- ‘A REAL WELCOME LR R AL 4 l970 5" s AR LR No other state can offer its soldiers such real welcome as the state of North Dakota does. It is a real welcome because .North Dakota has provided ways by which the. soldier can easily return to civilian life. It has opened up its great industry, farming, to the soldier. It has given him a bonus of $25 a it is no worse than many ~month for each month of service as-a means of getting a good start. What a contrast this patriotic . action is ‘to the vulgar pretense such as that represented by the National Security league, which has for so long passed as patriotism_and the object of which is to undermine real patriotism! The verdict I & urity league by the congressional committee is certainly a contrast with A 1 i, who _fire of ‘bogus. patriotism. armers, _have been so long under Verdict on Security League Special Congressional Committee, After Careful Weighing of Evidence on Camouflage Patriots, Submits Strong Exposure and Condemnation mony with dominant sentiment. Usually, as in this instance, they have access to almost unlimited wealth, and borrow respectability by the use, in honorary positions, of the names of men of na- tional prominence. If their real purpose were ap- parent, the danger would be relieved. HOW LEAGUE THREATENS DEMOCRACY “Men in public life are given by them to under- stand that they must be subservient to the de- mands of such institutions and, upon their failure to do so, they will be held up to public scorn and humiliation by false accusations. Under such cir- cumstances the best-intentioned candidate for office realizes that he has one of two alternatives: He must be either subservient to the demands of these camouflaged organizations, or be put on the de- fensive by false charges. Such activities on the part_of organizations similar to the National Se- curity league have a tendency to compel obedience to the wishes of special interests, rather than obedience to a real concern for the welfare of the people. This condition is not at all fanciful, since / its baneful effects have been fully demonstrated by the activities of the National Security league.” Congressman Walsh, in his minority report, gives a list of fully a score of pamphlets issued by the league during the past two years and notes that it furnished material in the form of news items to some 1,200 news- papers throughout the land and conducted a general publicity cam- paign. He said of the league: “It has filed no return or account of_the expenditures made by the league in carrying on its activities, and while it is claimed that only $5,900 or thereabouts was expended in its congres- sional activity, this does not include salaries of those engaged and cost of printing and circula- tion of literature other than the chart and ques- tionnaire.” Mr. Walsh stated, how- ever, that he thought the National Security league from its foundation “con- tributed in a large meas- ure to the work of arous- ing patrictic sentiment in the country, both 'be- fore and after our entry into the war,” but added: “At least one of its of- ficers has not hesitated to express sentiments hardly to be expected ‘from a person directing an organization seeking to inculcate 'patriotism .and love of our govern- ment.” Bad as the Security: league appears, however, as a result of this verdict, other organizations with: - the 'same purposes and ‘the same :interests have also tried to use really patriotic organizations.

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