The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 21, 1919, Page 4

League Fight Saves Montana Primary Farmers Now Assured of Victory in Battle to Defeat Infamous Law—Old Party Bosses Join in Defending Act of Legislature BY E. B. FUSSELL F THERE ever was a test for Nonpartisan league spirit it is in Montana this year. For three successive years the farmers have had crop failures. This year crops are almost a total loss and there has been so little rain that there is practically no ’ pasturage. Cattle are dying off. Many farmers are being foreclosed and are mov- ing out of the state. Some are so poor they can’t ¢ afford to move. But with call this trouble facing ‘them the farmers of Montana are sticking with a vengeance. When I was in the League of- fice the other day they showed me a letter from one member. “I’m moving out of the . state,” he wrote, “but be- fore I go, if it’s the last thing I do, I want to pay :my League membership . fee.” And inclosed was his check for $16. Organizers, working throughout the state, re- port a splendid spirit among the farmers. Many of the farmers have no money, but they know what the League is do- ing, they see victory ahead in 1920, and they are anxious to join in the fight. The spirit has been particularly good since news was received from the referendum election in North Dakota. Montana farmers know now that North Dakota ‘farmers mean business. *And the Montana farm- ers are picking up the North Dakota battle ery: “We'll stick and we'll win.” There is another rea- son for confidence in the .League on the part of Montana farmers. Be- sides seeing what the League is doing in North Dakota, they see what the League is doing, right here in Montana. ‘PRIMARY HELD ALREADY SAVED The Nonpartisan league is in the fight to save the primary law of Montana. The fight to save the pri- . mary has gone so far now that it can be stated with every as- surance that the pri- : mary law is SAVED. i And for this fact the | Nonpartisan league i is solely responsible. { The Leader has printed {previously something labout the primary law isituation. The last leg- {islature, like the legis- {latures of many other states in which the League iis organized, set out to kill off the primary. Re- jpublicans and Democrats combined forces to re- iestablish the old convention system in the belief that thus they would kill off the League. With an loverwhelming vote in both houses of the legisla- iture they passed a bill establishing the convention system: and providing that no man whose name was placed before the convention as a candidate for the nmomination could afterward file as a can- didate for the office in question after the conven- tion got through “steam-rollering” him. As a sort of a sop to the people the legislature provided that this law should be submitted to the voters at a special election September 2, at a time when the farmers of Montana will be busier than ever be- fore in their history, trying to save what scanty crops they may have been able to coax from the unwilling soil. This infamous bill was passed by both houses and signed.by the governor with hardly a ripple of protest from any one—outside of the Npnpar- tisan league. But the farmers were awake. Im- mediately after the legislature adjourned they con- This poster, stuck in the windshield of the flivvers of Montana farmers, has been a tremendous help in the fight to “save the primary” law of the state. Although the petitions have not yet all been filed, the League farmers of the state are assured a victory. ferred as to 'the best plan to be followed. It was decided that the only thing that could be done would be to get out an independent, referendum against the bill: This will postpone the vote from September, 1919, to November, 1920, and will bring the question up at the general election when every- body in Montana, farmers as well as politicians, will have time and opportunity to vote. The referendum law of Montana is a difficult one. ' It is not simple and easy like the referendum law of North Dakota. Under the Montana law refer- endum petitions must be filed in' a majority of all PAGE FOUR et : the counties of the state, and in each of these coun- ties there must be secured the signatures of 15 per cent of all the men, women and repeaters who voted for governor at the last general election. The word “repeaters” is used advisedly. In the one county of Silver Bow alone there were 1,500 fraudulent votes cast at the last general election, according to evidence submitted to the last legis- lature, to which the legislature failed to give any attention. After the bill to kill the direct primary was passed, the bosses of the Democratic and Repub- : lican parties met to- gether and put out a re- markable “manifesto” in defense of the action of the legislature. This ac- tion was remarkable be- cause of the openness with which the bosses of the theoretically opposed parties made common cause. BIG PARTY BOSSES JOIN ISSUES Those who signed the manifesto were Bruce Kremer, Dem- ocratic national com- _mitteeman; T. A. Marlow, Republican national committee- man; Hugh Wells, chairman Democratic state central com- mittee; John A. Tressler, chairman Republican state cen- tral committee; C. B. Nolan, vice chairman Democratic state cen- tral committee; J. H. Burligame, vice chairman Republican state central commit- tee. The connections, financial and other- wise, of most of these gentlemen with the Anaconda Cop- per Mining company are well known. Mr. Marlow is known as “in charge” in the state of Montana of the opposition to the Nonpartisan league, holding the same po- sitionin Montana that Charles Patter- son does in Minne- sota. Mr. Patterson and Mr, Marlow have been in frequent con- - ferences. The Republican poli- ticians who signed the manifesto are followers of Marlow. The Demo- cratic politicians = who signed_the manifesto are - supposed to be followers of President Woodrow Wilson, who personally took a hand in saving the Colorado primary law when it was threatened some years ago. . But in this instance, at least, - the Democrats proved to be closer followers of the Anaconda Copper Mining company, which. wanted the primary law killed, than of President Wilson. As A. C. Townley would say, the Demo- cratic politicians of Montana were behind the presi- dent, but altogether too far behind. At this time there was no organized effort being > made from any source to save the primary. Attor- ney General S. C. Ford was opposed to the steps being taken by the legislature, as was B. K. Wheel- * er, former United States district attorney, but neither had the power to make much of a single- handed fight.. Such papers as were not leading the B e e I e )