The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 9, 1920, Page 4

. of this drunk. F 4 cheap anti-farmer politicians to put over their propaganda against genuine farmer reform movements. Mr. Currie, the editor of the C. G., would doubtless resent any intimation that -his paper is po- litical, but the C. G. business office is willing to supply Texas poli- ticians with reprints of C. G. attacks on the Nonpartisan farmers, containing C. G. subscription ads, to be used in the unscrupulous and contemptible campaign being made against the organized farm producers. ‘ ] : : TERRORISM : HE Leader in the last few issues has recorded outbreaks of I terrorism against the farmers. The mobbings, suppression of free speech and intimidation, directed against the farmers enlightened enough to organize in tfieir own interests politically, have reached a serious stage in Kansas, and there have been a few scattered instances of the same disregard of law and order and vio- . lation of constitutional rights in Montana and Oklahoma. The condition seems to be a -hangover from the insanity and excitement of war times. Many people got drunk emotionally while the war was on and, remote from the battlefields where brave‘men were doing the real fighting, indulged in an orgy of hate and intoler- ance at home, directed against (fellow citizens who had or seemed to have political and economic opinions not in accordance with the or- JuL BE ) / ! {:gaxibv For By 1IN JueT A MNUTE # thodox views of the big press. - There has simply been a hangover In the name of patriotism and “Americanism,” and in violation of the criminal laws as well as the constitutional guar- antees of citizenship, designing persons and interests have been fan- ning the mob spirit in certain localities. Enough thoughtless and vicious persons have been found to fall for this sinister incitement to make the outrages possible in several local communities, especial- ly because spineless; sycophant officers charged with enforcement of the law predominate in many places. : It is useless to rail at this condition. Every effort should be made, and is being made, to force state and federal authorities to act, and to bring members of the mobs to justice in the courts.. In the meantime, in thé infected localities, farmers are standing on their rights. They do not have to submit tamely to this abuse. They have the right of self-defense, either individually or in groups, . and they should not hesitate to exercise it. The law is with every man who uses his fists, a club or a pitchfork in defending himself from personal assault or protecting his own property. It is a sad commentary on our local and-state governments when it is necessary for citizens to defend themselves and property by physical force from lawbreakers. whom the public officers allow to commit damage to life and property almost at will. But a few black eyes and broken heads among members of mobs who assault law-abiding farmers will have a wholesome effect. ' The members of these mobs are cowards at heart. They will turn tail and run at the first show ef firmness and fight by their intended victims. = They act only when they believe they greatly outnumber their intended victim, or believe he is cowed. - Let every man defend his constitutional rights and protect his own life and property in any manner that seems effective. The law is \with every farmer who does so. THE ALIBI OF THE RAILROADS RIEFLY, this is the recent history 6f the railroads: When the war came and they had to meet their first' real emer- gency—a real test of private ownership and operation—they succumbed. In order to move troops and munitions, to say nothing of ordinary traffic, the government had to take over the operation. Handicapped as it was in many ways, the government at least made the railroads serve, after they had completely broken down. The roads were returned for private operation last March 1. They are now in a condition worse than they were when the government took them over. They seem to be helpless. : ; : . To explain this very convincing demonstration of the waste, inefficiency and helplessness of private control and operation, the roads allege that the goverment returned the equipment to its own- ers in miserable condition—as ‘junk,” they even say—and they allege that the roads are now suffering from: the effects of the dis- organization and inefficiency of government administratign. Even if the record did not show that the roads we to the owners in better condition than they were taken over, this ® argument of the opposition to government ownership would mot stand. The government successfully hauled many more passengers and much more freight over the roads during the war than the 5 W returned - roads are now called upon to handle with the same or better equip- - ‘ ment, and did it with a system that had utterly broken down in pri- 2 PAGE FOUR / sy vate hands. The government operation we had was not ideal. It was inexcusably faulty in many ways. But it enabled us to prose- cute the war and carry on business where private ownership with the same means at its command failed. But we have cold facts to prove that the railroads were not turned back in worse shape than they were taken over, as alleged. The record shows the percentage of locomotives fit for service at the end of government operation was greater than it was at the same time in 1916, before the gov- ernment began operation. The same is trué of the number of freight cars in repair and fit for service. Under unified operation in 1918, and with substantially the same equipment, the railroad administration freight tonnage was 403 billion tons, as against 277 billion tons in 1915 under separate, private operation. - . The alibi of the railroads will not do. A REPORT FROM WALL STREET E REPORTED the commentiof Wall street when Harding was nominated. It remains to hear what they have to say of Cox. Here it is, in the®July 8 Wall Street Journal: “On the nomination of Governor Cox the stock market, which had been improving slowly for some days before, showed definite strength. It is duly thankful not only for what it receives but for what it escapes.” “ ; It “escaped” McAdoo, the Journal explains, the least objec- tionable from a progressive point of view of the Democratic candi- dates for the romination, a man favored, so the Journal says, by the labor unions and advocates of government ownership of rail- roads—just as it “escaped” Johnson at the Republican convention, the candidate for the nomination most nearly satisfactory to the liberal elements in the party. ; And so it is now unanimous. The big financial interests have stamped both Harding and Cox with their O. K. They will donate campaign-funds freely to both parties and have a spectacular “con- test”—and rest assured that the winner will be eminently satisfac- tory. It will be a sordid fight for the jobs, the power and.the pat- ronage only. There are no issues to be decided between the parties. WILL A. CAMPBELL, PLAIN LIAR THIS heading is, we admit, rather strong. However, if any reader of the Leader can suggest a better one after scanning the following facts, we will gladly accept the amendment. Mr. Campbell is secretary of the Montana “Loyalty” league, a hangover from the days of war hysteria. The “Loyalty” league publishes an anti-League pamphlet called the “Montana Loyalist” Montana Leaguers say “Loyalist” in this instance refers to the copper trust, one of whose papers Mr. Campbell edits. George W. Johnson, a Three Forks (Mont.) Leaguer, wrote Mr. Campbell and asked him why, after printing attacks on the Nonpartisan league by a North Dakota Catholic bishop, he did not, in fairness, also print a speech made by Father Martin O’Donaghue of Washington, D. C., who re- o - Year Mo THe RusmeR PAE DA # cently made a series of speeches in North Dakota and Minnesota on ?efialf of the League. In reply Mr. Campbell wrote Mr. Johnson as ollows: - . Martin O’Donaghue was not a priest, but a faker, and after mak- Ing a speech at Bismarck, Mr.-Townley canceled all his speechmaking . dates and he was driven from the state of North Dakota. A statement from Bishop Shanan of the American university at Washington, D. C., shows this man, who was out boosting the Nonpartisan league, was an unfrocked priest many years ago. ¢ : Each and every one of these statements by Mr. Camgll)g]l isa ing in flat falsehqod. Father O’Donaghue is a priest in good st the Catholic church, being authorized by Cardinal Gibbons, as late as last May, to function as a priest in any church in the country. The ,Leade; 18 In possession of a photographic copy of Cardinal Gib- bons qertlficaye attesting to Father O’Donaghué’s good standing as a priest, which has never been revoked or even questioned. Bishop §hanar£ of the American university of Washington, D. C., did NOT show” that Father O'Donaghue was “an unfrocked priest,” or make any such charge against him. No other Ctholic prelate ever made such a char ze against him, for the simple reason that he is a priest and all Catholic clergymen know it. Father 0’Donaghue was not “driven” from Nor.th Dakota, nor did anybody cancel his speak- ing dates.' _After making some speeches in the eastern part of the state.he was-called East on private business, but RETURNED to fill his other North Dakota dates, particularly at Bismarck, and spoke also in Minnesota, 3 ik : Now, read the title of this editorial again and suggest a better -one if you can.