The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 14, 1919, Page 3

‘In the interest of a square deal for the farmers or b riigsn Teader Oflicia_l Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League A magazine that dares to . ’ print _vthe truth VOL. 9, NO. 2 ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, JULY 14, 1919 THE BIG NORTH DAKOTA VICTORY WHOLE NUMBER 199 League Measures Carrying Out Program Poll Biggest Vote in State’s e History—Labor Upholds Farmer Laws ASTING 6,000 more votes than they did for Governor Frazier last fall and 14,000 more votes than they cast for the consti- tutional amendments voted on last year permitting the carry- ing out of the League program, the organized farmers of North Dakota, assisted by the State Federation of Labor and the united vote of city progressives, swept the state June 26 at the refer- endum election, resulting in the approval of seven acts passed by the farmers’ legislature. With® one whole strong League county missing from the returns and over 100 other scattering League precincts, yet to report, the vote on the LOWEST of the seven measures, the newspaper bill, stands as follows: Yes, 55,763; No, 48,975. A Both the :ndustrial commission act and Bank of North Dakota act, the main program bills, are running away ahead of the newspaper bill. When the missing precincts .are all in -~ the majorities on these two chief measures car- _rying out the industrial program will be close - 1015,000. This vote shows that the League has more than held its own since the election last fall in North Dakota, at which time the con- stitutional amendments carrying out the pro- gram were adopted by a vote of 46,384 for, and 32,574 against. Marching in solid ranks to the polis, the organ- ized farmers of the first League state, assisted by “union labor and the progressive vote of the cities, have again demonstrated their ability to “stick,” and have again shown the futility of the efforts of the minority opposition to delay or prévent the “new day” in North Dakota becoming a reality. One of the big features of the referendum voting was the gain for the farmers’ program in the cities. The cities have always gone against the League by big majorities, and while, on June 26, they still registered in the opposition’ column, it was not by such large majorities as heretofore. In practically every city of the state, including Fargo and Grand Forks, the two big strongholds of the “antis,” - the farmer bills got a bigger vote than Gov- ernor Frazier or the constitutional amendments ~last fall. The splendid majorities were piled up despite lawless trickery in almost every county of the state, practiced by the Independent Voters’ asso- ciation, the opposition organization, and its sym- pathizers. In Fargo and some other cities elec- tioneering and campaigning was done at polling booths by the I. V. A. in violation of the corrupt practices act. This law also prohibits newspapers from urging arguments for or against candidates or measures on election day, and while League pub- lications obeyed the law, the opposition press shamelessly violated it. : In some of the counties, two or three days before the voting, too late for League headquarters or the League and indépendent press to expose -it, contemptible opponents of the League circulated wholesale among farmers fraudulent notices that their farms were going to be taken away from them under the provi- sions of some of the industrial acts passed by the last legislature. 3 It is probable that thousands of farmers, not members of the League but sympathetic with it, were influenced to work against the League pro- gram because .of these scurrilous misrepresenta- tions. Papers gotten up to look like official court. documents were actually served on the farmers in many localities, telling them to take notice that their farms would be taken away from them by the. state within a certain period. Governor Frazier has announced that these disreputable and unfair campaign tactics used by the opposition in its des- peration will be investigated at once, and the guilty persons prosecuted under the corrupt practices act’ to the full extent of the law. The latest count indicates that all seven League measures got big majorities in 35 counties of the state, while the opposition carried only 15 counties, principally those where the big cities are located. Two counties split on the measures—that is, they voted for the main program bills of the League but voted against two or three of the minor meas- ures not directly related to the League program, but adopted by the farmers’ legislature in the interests (Continued on page 18) ~Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris, N A S SRR O AR A S A £ S il SN