The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 29, 1919, Page 4

O e County Organization for Nonpartisans Important Improverfient_s n} L%gugl l(’)lan A_dotgted——More Powers and uties for Local Organizations NEW epoch in the development of the Nonpartisan league was opened as the result of the an- nual meeting of the national committee of the League at St. Paul December 10-12. The na- tional committee consists of the members of the state commit- tees in League states and its annual meeting, which also is attended by other farmers, is known among Leaguers as the “national convention.” The committee meeting this year de- cided to develop a more intensive form of organ- ization in states where the League has passed the formative stage. In such states new bylaws, authorizing precinct and county organizations, were provided. £ plan of financing the county, state and nation- al organizations was worked out by which the county organization will get 39 per cent of League membership fees from that county, the state or- ganization 22 per cent and the national office 39 per cent. The national office share meets the cost of publication of national and state Leaders. Leaguers always have met in their precinct and county conventions in election years, choosing del- egates to county and state conventions and legis- lative candidates. The new permanent precinct and county organizations, and the fact that the county organization will have money available, will make it possible for the members in each or- ganized county to decide whether or not they want to take part in county elections. Heretofore the League has had candidates only for state and na- tional offices. The next important action of the national com- mittee was to raise membership dues. These have been $16 for each two-year election period, or $8 per year, or 6623 cents per month. The raise de- cided upon was $1 per year, so the fee will be $18 for each two-year election period, or 75 cents per month. For some time the $16 has not been worth half what it was. The cost of organization has gone up with the cost of living. In spite of rigid economies it was found that the work had been greatly hampered owing to increased costs. The necessity of having money to meet expenses of the proposed county organizations finally prompted the na- tional committee to make the increase. Under the $16 membership fee, the plan was to allow $5 to the county or- ganization after it is formed, $4 to the state and $7 to the national office. After deciding upon the increase the additional $2 was voted to the county organizations, as soon as they are per- fected. Thus out of the $18 hence- forth to be collected from each mem- ber, $7 will go out to the county as soon as it organizes, $4 to the state and $7 to national headquarters. NATIONAL FEE PAYS COST OF PUBLICATIONS The part of the membership fee that comes to the national office is the ex- act subscription price of the Nonparti- san Leader and state Leader for two years. The balance, $11, will remain within the state. The national office expects out of ‘the $7 subscription price of the papers for two years to be able to pay the cost of publishing the two papers. and save enough to maintain the national office. Regarding the new plan of organi- zation, national headquarters at St. Paul, Minn., made the following offi- cial statement: “The raise in membership fee is to ‘stroy the evil influence and ized plunder. (Signed) The above resolution’ was adopted by a at the final session of the League national convention. go into effect in all the states January 1, 1920. “The local county organization plan will go into effect in the different states as rapidly as the state managers, cc-operating with the state executive committees and county committees, can put it into effect. “The county organization plan will not go into operation at the same time in all counties. The plan depends for its operation and efficiency upon co-operation and agreement between the state and county organization. : “The plan is' not expected to work in unorganized National committee of the National Nonpartisan league, in annual meeting in St. Paul, December 10-12. or poorly organized counties, and will not go into effect in any county until a county committee, con- sisting of one committeeman from each voting pre- cinct and a county executive committee, have been elected. These committees will be elected at the regular precinct and county conventions held to in- dorse candidates and state delegates. “In counties well enough organized and where the membership wants county organization and has elected its committees, the membership through county committees will enter an agreement with the state manager to employ an organizer or county manager who will r side within the county and give all his time to the gvork in that county. “The $7 out of the $18 membership fee that goes to the county is to be used by the county executive committee to pay the county organizer-manager and other county organization and campaign ex- penses. Thus the county, through entering into an agreement to employ a county manager, will, under the direction and with the aid of the state manager, assume the responsibility of securing and RESOLUTION OF CONFIDENCE Whereas, during the presidency of A. C. Townley the organization of the National Nonpartisan league has grown from a handful to 300,000 members and is now the recognized liberal and progressive movement of the United States, and " Whereas, under his leadership a great constructive pro- gram has been enacted into law in one state and will be enacted e ) into law in all other states for the relief of the producing s taie s ek ianl theres Taly; Jyhits masses, and Whereas, his masterly fight for the common good has brought down upon him the concentrated hatred of the prof- iteers, exploiters and speculators, who have used every instru- ment of power and wealth to blacken his name, in the hope of destroying the confidence reposed by.the membership in him and of poisoning the minds of the general public, and- Whereas, we realize that such has been the treatment ac- corded every great leader of the common people, all of whom have been similarly slandered, abused and persecuted, there- fore be it Resolved, that we, the PAGE FOUR e e g e | delegates here assembled, affirm our absolute confidence«in the leadership of A. C. Townley as president of the National Nonpartisan league and pledge our undivided support in building an organization that will de- power of those who live by legal- E. D. PAQUIN. E. R. MEITZEN. E. E. JOHNSON. Committee. unanimous vote maintaining the membership and carrying or the county organization, using the $7 per member to support that work. : “In unorganized and poorly organized counties, or counties where for any other reason no county organization is effected, the $7 goes to the: state office and the state office continues to assume as in the past the responsibility for maintaining and securing the membership, using the $7 to defray the expenses until the county is strong enough to effect a county organization and assume that re- sponsibility and use the $7 fund to defray the expenses. “County organizations can not be put into oper- ation in all counties at once. The success of the county organization de- pends upon proper co- operation and agreement between state manager and the county commit- tee. AUDIT SHOWS ACCOUNTS O. K. “Each county organi- zation will go into effect through a separate agreement by the county committee with the state manager.” . 3 As usual in its annual sessions-the committee made a thorough audit of peague books and accounts. Everything was found in splendid shape, the zuditing board reported.to the committee, which approved the findings. The committee congratulated Thomas Keys, treasurer of the League, on his complete records of all in- come and expenses, and thanked the Equitable Auditing. company of Minneapolis, which was em- ployed by the committee to make an independent audit and which confirmed Mr. Keys’ annual finan- cial report in every particular. The resolutions adopted appear on another page. The matter of a nation-wide crganization of League women was discussed and some initial plans for starting it adopted. These plans, however, are now being worked out in detail by committees and announcement concerning them will be made in next week’s issue of the Leader. North Dakota al- ready has a Woman’s auxiliary. . The meeting was one of the most successful and enthusiastic ever held by the national committee. Those present at the meeting, by states, were: MINNESOTA—Henry Luehrs and Joseph L. Baldus, Glencoe; Hector Durocher, Glenwood ; W. Hanscom, Faribault; John Kolu, Duluth ; H. E. Thormondson, Dalton; Carl M. Iverson, Ashby; Magnus Johnson, Kimball; Nels A. ' Pederson, Milan; D. L. Williams, Cambria ; Victor Johnson, Gibbon; Henry Hess, St. Cloud; W. L. Layton, Brainerd; John M. Nelsqn, Litchfield; A. C. Welch, Glencoe; E. E. Johnson and C. F. Norwood, Balaton; Kit- tel Halvorson, Brooten; Erick Anderson, De- troit; E. D. Paquin, Round Prairie; Ernest Nyvall and Ernest Oye, Hardwick ; F. D. Free- man, Andrew Alm, William Ekern and P. S. Jensen, Minneapolis; G. E. Noltimier, New- NORTH DAKOTA—E. E. Larson, Appam3 Axel Strom and R. M. McClintock, Fargo:; J. D. Meyers, Douglas; T. W. Hopkins ‘and H. L. Pruitt, Pettibone; C. W. Scott, H. F. Dimond and Fred Dimond, Reggan; C. O. Swenson, Northwood; S. T. Kvamen, McVille; Andrew Nelson, Flaxton. SOUTH DAKOTA—Nathan Gorsuch, Effing- ton; O. S. Evans, Mitchell; A. D. Engle, Fulda; Henry Paul, Wallace; O. A. Granaas, Veblem; J. R. Cotton, Waubay. MONTANA—Erick Melgaard, Plentywood; Peter Nordby, Raymond; A. Budden, Great s A. F. n_and O. A. Aspelum, Dooley; E. F. Redhim, Lambert. y NEBRASKA—O. E. Wood, Bethany; F. A. Amsberry, Mason City; A. M. Templin, Oma- ha; Jesse R. Johmnson, Lincoln; J. D. Ream, Broken Bow. . % KANSAS—M. L. Amos,” Ellsworth; Waldo Frank and J. O. Stevic, Topeka; A. K. Mills, Almena. Z IDAHO—O.. N. Tronaas, Bliss; O. A. Hall, Boise; H. F. Samuels, Samuels; James Gil- lespie, Rexburg. WISCONSIN—John McComb and David Mec- Comb, Stoughton; Beecher Moore, Madison; Neils Hokstad. WASHINGTON—Henry. A. McCormick, Yak- i‘(ma: J. L: Freeman and_R. B. Martin, Spo- ane. TEXAS—J. J. Sulak, J. B, Milam and E. R. Meitzen, Waco. ' COLORADO—John Morris, Golden; R. W. Morser, Denver. OKLAHOMA—P. H.” McConnell, Oklahoma ity.