The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 10, 1919, Page 7

> & __ TRUTH AND THE EFFETE EAST \ S PRESS clippings from eastern newspapers on the Scan- ) dinavian American bank case pour in on us, we are tempt- ed to announce a prize contest. For first award there should be offered, perhaps, a life membership in the Ananias club; for second, the life history of Baron Munchausen; for third, a simple leather medal with a suitable inscription. : In the New York Sun of October 12 a writer named Edwin C. Hill takes two whole pages to tell what he doesn’t know about North Dakota and the bank case. The story is embellished by an elaborate drawing of masked “night riders” with torches, ap- parently intended for North Dakota farmers setting out to burn their own homes and wheat fields, or maybe this picture was drawn merely because the artist had been to see “The Birth of a Nation” ~and couldn’t think of anything else. There are also reproduced photographs of Doctor. E. F. Ladd and of Governor Frazier. Just what connection Doctor Ladd had with the bank case is hard to understand until, upon reading the article, we learn from Mr. Hill the astounding news that it was Doctor Ladd who told the North Dakota farmers that they were being cheated out of $55,000,000 * a year! Governor Frazier’s picture is printed, we learn, because heiinvited the People’s council to meet in North Dakota. - Of course, Doctor Ladd did not make the statement about the $55,000,000, Governor Frazier did not invite the People’s council to meet in North Dakota and North Dakota farmers do not go riding about at night, wearing flu masks and nighties, burning their own houses and wheat fields. But these are minor details. The New York Sun evidently felt that it simply had to have two pages roasting North Dakota and the Nonpartisan league, so it told its writer and artist to get busy and this is the result. In the New York World of October 14 we see that the state government of North Dakota has engaged in “warehousing, mill- ing, house building, merchandising and newspaper publishing.” We can assure readers of the Leader that if we had known about the state of North Dakota having established state stores amd state-owned newspapers we would have had articles about them. But it is news to us. Going on with the World editorial we learn that “It is the favor shown to these loosely managed projects (state warehouses, mills, stores and newspapers) that broke the bank.”" This sentence is crowded about as full of misstatements as the ordinary liar could get in a whole book. In the first place . THE PRIZE the Scandinavian American bank has never loaned a cent to any state warehouses or mills. There are no state stores or newspapers - and consequently money could hardly be loaned to them. Next, the Scandinavian American bank is not “broke.” As the state bank examiner has shown, it has a reserve $85,000 above require- ments, has never refused to pay cash, has collateral amounting to nearly two and one-half times the total value of its loans and is in a sound condition in every way. We must admit that the World and the Sun are running a very close race for first ‘honors. Richard Spillane, writing in the Philadelphia Public Ledger of October 13, also makes the libelous statement that the Scandi- navian American bank has “gone bust,” as Mr. Spillane rejoicingly puts it. He then proceeds to enlighten the readers about how the - . League started. He says that A. C. Townley was a merchant whose store failed. Truly, we learn more abogt the League every day we read the enemy press. However, let us not blame -Mr. Spillane. He makes his statements, he assures us, on information furnished him by the office of the attorney general of North Da- kota. Until we have thoroughly cleaned out the liars at home we can not expect strict accuracy from abroad.‘ : AN UNDERHANDED ATTAC publican national committee asking editors to attack the Nonpartisan league, besides being a prize political “boner” by the national G. O. P. bosses, reveals a mean method of attack. Mr. Chilson, assistant regional director at Chicago of the Republi- . can national committee, who wrote the letter on the national com- ik THE letter sent to Republican newspaper editors by the Re- mittee stationery, asked that Republican editors make the attack : on the organized farmers in a way so as not to reveal that the national Republican committee was back of it. Editors were asked to republish a vicious and untrue attack on the League which ap- peared in the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Herald, crediting the attack to the Herald and not to the Republican committee.. The G. O. P. bosses, therefore, would not appear as the authors. : We have always understood why Mr. Hays, national chairman : '«of' the Republicans, in the past balked efforts of various state chair- men to commit the national organization against the League. : ~'1_;.',\(Ilqsez_tq a million normally Republican votes in rural districts in - states where the League is strong were involved. Mr. Hays wanted ese votes for the Republican candidate for president, regardless the fact that they were cast by farmers and their sympathi -sas bankers and manufacturers, under date of October 6. He -~y who in local state matters voted for the League program. Even | while it is still far from certain that the organized farmers will have a candidate of ‘their own outside the big parties for president next year—even while it is yet uncertain whether the organized | farmers will even enter the national campaign—Mr. Hays permits | this attack on the farmers’ organization to go out. Leaguers and their friends will vote the League state tickets next year. Where will their vote for president go, in the event that the League has no candidate of its own? Does Mr. Hays think these million votes are going to the Republican candidate? Does he think there is a i chance of the League indorsing the Republican candidate, now that his committee has committed this uncalled for attack on the organ- HEULL Wi J> SEE Mf-:me ized farmers? Also, does Mr. Hays want to carry North Dakota, normally Republican, for the Republican presidential candidate o next year? ‘ : Let Mr. Hays answer these questions. Let him explain why his committee is not manly enough to ask Republican editors to 5 print an open attack on the organized farmers, signed by the com- i mittee, but tries to get attacks on the League printed and credited to somebody else. ' : v : gy Maybe Mr. Hays won’t answer. If he doesn’t it is evidence he & thinks the Republican candidate for president doesn’t need the vote of League farmers and their friends and doesn’t want them. If so League farmers will act accordingly. Maybe Mr. Hays also, ! shrewd politician that he is, has been carried away with hate and prejudice for the farmers who have gotten into politics. Maybe he would like to have a Democrat elected president again next year, rather than a Republican with the help of League votes in 13 states. League farmers are not insulted and reviled with impunity. e R S ZIMMIE, ANTI-BOLSHEVIST ; S WE have had occasion to say before, P. E. Zimmerman of Kansas is an agitator who scares business men into opening their purse strings to furnish slush funds to fight people’s movements. He tells ’em harrowing ghost stories and about bogey- men who will “get you if.you don’t watch out.” Zimmie then: spends the money to fight the Nonpartisan league. At present he is running the “Kansas Anti-Bolshevik campaign,” whatever that is. Well, Zimmie’s little “anti-Bolshevik campaign” seems to be having hard sledding. We find him writing a circular letter to Kan- P says that he must have more cash at once. The “only alternative,” | he says, “is to close up our office, discontinue our splendid pub- @ licity service and field work, disorganize our forces and give the | Reds a free hand to help themselves to YOUR property and ours.” ! We sincerely hope that the business men come through again. | It is just such stupid campaigns of hate and prejudice against people’s movements that give the Nonpartisan league and sim- | ilar organizations more strength. We can not afford to have an | enemy, who helps us as much as Zimmie, remain inactive. ; We also learn from Zimmie’s latest appeal for funds that “the Nonpartisan league is staging an intensive invasion of Kansas”; that “League-labor agitators are gaining control of the situation in many of the important labor centers of Kansas.” But here is the gem of the circular: : . 2 : League orators, one of them the equal of Bryan, are setting our farmers aflame with their CONVINCING and destructive Jpropaganda! ! This is a high compliment to the League. It is making great ’ headway in Kansas, says Zimmie, and its arguments are convine- i BOO! S S A Y S SO R R e o § N TG <. Z/ MMIE ing! Can you wonder that we hope Zimmie does not run out of | funds? He puts out such good League propaganda! o Zimmie's letterhead alone is worth the price of admission. He | always is funny and real fun is always worth the money. The let- terhead has a list of names headed “advisory committee.” The | first member of the advisory committee, to quote Zimmie verbatim, ' is: “Theodore Roosevelt (deceased).” Can Zimmie be getting ad- vice from the late colonel by spirit messages? Another member of : Zimmie’s advisory committee is: (Again we quote verbatim) ADr. Alf Rothchild, patriot extraordinary.” Where did Alf get _this degree? We admit we never heard of any college which confers it. .Come to think of it, though, it’s not a bad idea. Why not hav t course leading to the “P. E.” degree in our colleges? We nominate Zimmie as “professor of extraordinary patriotism” in the firs lege which takes up the idea. i sl