The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 14, 1919, Page 6

“y | Ly ) Tonpartisan Tader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week D I E——————— Entered as second-class matter September 3, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. OLIVER_S. MORRIS, Editor E. B. Fussell, A. B. Gilbert and C. W. Vonier, Associate. Editors. B. O. Foss, 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 SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City. : ‘ 3 T — 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. - VICTORY—AGAIN OR a week before June 26 the daily press indulged itself with Fsuch headlines as “Townley Desperate,” “North Dakota Slip- ping From Clutches of Townleyites,” and “Dakotans Going . Back to Sanity.” This, of course, was.just the usual way of the hired press before an election in North Dakota. For some unknown . reason the editors believe in kidding themselves and trying to kid their readers along during every campaignin the first Nonpartisan league state. They even like to imagine they have won after the vote is taken, and so for two days after June 26 the headlines said: “Count Slow; Townley Measures Run Behind,” “Some League Measures Believed Defeated,” “Townleyites Lose Strength.” __ But as this is written the truth, though covered up and neatly and inconspicuously tucked away in the news columns, nevertheless has been reluctantly published. The fact is; of course, that the or- ganized farmers of North Dakota, with the aid and co-operation of organized labor, have again come triumphantly through a political TEqsy 70 I SEE THROUGH LAt </ .S CONTROLLED % LRESS campaign, and with increased majorities.: All of the séven acts passed by the farmers’ legislature and signed by the farmers’ gov- ernor, which were referred to the people for a vote June 26, have been approved by the voters, the League hag maintained its over- whelming majorities in the rural districts and greatly increased its strength in the cities. , There never was any doubt of the outcome. The farmers and workers of North Dakota have not worked for four and a half years and paid out their hard-earned money to keep up their organization | and campaign funds only to see the fruits of their toil and patience || snatched from them on the threshold of realization. Coming on argument by big business politicians when hard pressed. }'r/ll/ ///% . Y 1y 7 | N 4 ’Iélll/% 7% wy, C offices, who took the stump in the interests of the League opposition. And yet these traitors had no effect on the vote. The League piled - up its usual majorities. Thus has another conspiracy to block the onward strides of the organized farmers been rebuked. In the campaign last year corporate monopoly interests that had furnished the gold to fight the League were skeptical over the proposition of donating more to what they had come to believe was a hopeless cause. At that time, however, these interests were as- sured that if they came through once again and furnished the 1918 opposition slush fund, even-if they lost, they would be keeping the . organization of the opposition together and in fighting trim, against the time when the League would “be busted up from the inside.” They were assured that this year several state officials indorsed and LANGER~ HAIL. BNO KOSITZKY ¥ elected by the farmers would turn against the farmers’ cause, fur- nishing a wedge that would divide the League into factions, destroy its solidarity and result in its defeat. On that basis the big fellows came through to the opposition politicians last year for that campaign, and, true to the promise, early this spring three North Dakota state officials came out against the bills passed by the last legislature, and issued manifestoes for Leaguers to rally around them, deserting Mr. Townley and the reg- ular League organization. The statements of these traitors were not even ingenious. They claimed still to be for the League program “in principle,” but against the League leadership and the way the League legislature was carrying out the details of the program. This camouflage lasted until the closing weeks of the campaign, when it was dropped and the turncoats came out flatly against all the referred measures, and - : toured the state frankly in the interests of the Independent Voters’ association, the opposition organization. The opposition, of course, . used the treason of these state officials to the best effect possible.. It was their last hope. But the people of the state gave the decision in the primary vote of June 26. The League traitors are now in the political diseard. oy : We would not have liked to be Judas counting his pieces of sil- ver. We would not have liked to be Benedict Arnold, tossing on his bed of remorse. And, thank God, we can look the farmers of North Dakota in the eye and not be ashamed. The primary vote was a just rebuke for Bill Langer, Tom Hall and Carl Kositzky, but it-is sterner punishment for them to have to carry around a guilty conscience and see, even in their sleep, the finger of scorn of every honest farm- er in the state pointed at them. DISHONEST OPPOSITION BEATE il HE big thing about the North Dakota result is the proof it ; furnishes that the-people are able, when reached with fair. I .. and frank discussion of the actual issues, to see through the camouflage of dishonest opposition and brush aside the meaningless name-calling and dirty personalities always advanced in place of - The issue in North Dakota was the approval or rejection of seven specific acts of the farmcrs’ legislature. The laws voted upon were in plain English and easily understood. The issue, of course, X ) ) ! was_ whether the laws were meritorious or evil—whether they || economic reforms enacted into law by the recent legislature will be would benefit the state or the opposite. Mr. Townley was not run- || carried out. The last faint hope of the opposition has gone glim- = ; e | mering. ; ; E ! { i , i | | top of decisions of both the state and federal courts holding that E tional, the verdict of the referendum means that the “New Day” the industrial program and allied measures are legal and constitu- :: has come to stay in North Dakota—that the great political and | rger ceermmay . : L_af Bovs. . ; THE TRAITORS REBUKED SEVEN DR I R ™ || J N NORTH DAKOTA’S jubilation over its latest and most sweep- BILLS I N : [ ing victory over the forces of greed and reactionism, one signifi- ” ; I cant point will not be forgotten: The tremendous majorities e o 3 ' piled up at the referendum for the seven measures passed by the . : s o - s - -t o v ) o | farmers’ legislature marks the failure of the opposition’s most || serious and most dangerous attempt to break up the farmers’ move- || ment from the inside. : : I At four different primaries and elections prior to that of June 26 the common people of North Dakota marched to the polls and . overwhelmed the opposition to their industrial program. But in | | none of those campaigns did they have enemies in their own camps | to contend with. The attempts of the opposition to buy or other- ] wise influence League-indorsed and elected state officials to betray | those whose ballots elected them were fruitless. In the campaign. i ning for office and, no matter what his personal or public character . is or is not, the laws before the people were good or bad on their own merits, and not good or bad according to whether you consider Mr. Townley personally good or bad. 2 : Yet the opposition, as usual, attempted to make Mr. Townley , and other leaders of the farmers an issue. They called these men = ¥ “I. W. W.s,” “Bolshevists,” “anarchists” and “Socialists,” and on = . that ground asked votes against measures the merits of which they refused to discuss. Even if the League leaders are crooks, grafters and fire-eating anarchists—which, of course, they are not—what possible bearing has that, for instance, on the question of whether the Bank of North Dakota act will benefit the state? Imagine th B Eal e g oD { just ended with the smashing indorsement of the farmers’ bills, i | ! however, the Nonpartisan league and the farmers’ state administra- % ' tion had to contend with three turncoats holding important state 1 ot i S A SR SR AR AN T e W b L