The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 19, 1921, Page 5

L) Ps < g ¥ Orgahization Work Started in Oregon NONPARTISAN LEAGUE NEW Opposition in N. D. Has Internal Battle l - WASHINGTON I m| HE Washington state division of the National Nonpartisan league held a mass convention in Spokane recently. It was well attended by farmers from all parts of the state. They reorgan- ized the League under the new ruling from the national office and adopted a new consti- tution and bylaws.” The state now has complete autonomy. ; A new executive committee was elected consist- ing of A."D. Zander, Bellingham, chairman; Y. C. - Mansfield, Sunnyside; Jesse Yeager, Wilson Creek; A. C. Jansen, Lind, and Mrs. Alfa Salmon Ventzke, ‘Winthrop, secretary. The convention was characterized by strong de- termination on the part of all present to go forward until equal rights and equal opportunity can be fully realized by all. A plan of organization was discussed. The organizers are in the field. - It is the duty of every Leaguer to put his shoulder to the wheel and push. All persons who have given post-dated checks that are now past due should get in touch with the state office. If you have not the money to pay it all now, write to the office and explain. You can arrange to pay a little at a time. THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS! DON’T WAIT! Prompt action saves expense to the office. The executive committee is depending upon_every Leaguer in the state to do - his part. . E. R. Ormsbee has resigned his position as state manager and A. L. Packard has been given com- plete charge of the office for the time being. Lynn J. Frazier, farmer-governor of North Da- kota, recently made a journey through Washington. He spoke to large audiences of farmers and labor- ing men in several of the large cities of the state. Everywhere he was met by responsive crowds eager to hear the farmer’s program of the great state of North Dakota. P The vicious laws passed, at the last session of the legislature and “King Louie’s” poll tax have made many friends for the League out of men who were formerly our enemies, and have strengthened the determination of our members to win in the next campaign. _ One of our oldest workers, J. A. Blodgett, has been placed in charge of the field men. He has a number of men at work in a drive team which is just getting nicely started in Whatcom county. They expect to work all of the Coast counties as rapidly as possible, adding other teams as we are able to finance them. We also expect to have at least two crews at work on the eastern side of the mountains in a short time, as soon as farmers get returns from their crops. The League can use a number of farmers with cars as organizers, paying them the same commis- sion as we pay our regular organizers. To: any farmer who wishes to help in this great organiza- tion, now is your chance. Write or call at our of- fice, 603 Rookery building, Spokane, Wash., or J. A. Blodgett, field deputy, care of White House hotel, Bellingham, Wash., for particulars. - - MINNESOTA HOSE responsible for the reign of terror in this state against the farmers during the po- litical campaign of 1918, when farmers and League supporters were deported, tarred and feathered and beaten by mobs, and a horde of so- called “disloyalty” -prosecutions were brought against League leaders, have received a jolt in a recent decision of the United States district court of appeals, sitting in St. Louis. John Meintz, not actually a member of the League but a League sympathizer and a stockholder in a League country weekly, was deported from Rock county during the campaign and tarred and feathered at the county line by a mob of townspeople, including bankers, professional and business men, who had previously notified all Leaguers to recant or leave the county. Meintz sued for damages some 30 prominent citi- zens of the county who participated in the mob, but the judge of the United States district court in __Minnesota instructed the jury in effect that tln_a/ terrorist act was rather a patriotic one than other- wise. The jury under these circumstances refused to award Meintz damages, but the circuit court of appeals has ordered a new trial and has forbidden the judge charging the jury a second time to the same effect as he did in the first trial. It is a vie- tory for law and -order. ’ If the Minnesota supreme court had been as fair as this United States court, President Townley of the Nonpartisan league, who was made a victim through activity of anti-farmer politicians at about _the time of the Meintz outrage, would also have obtained a-new trial. As it is, unless Mr. Townley can get relief from the United States supreme court, he must serve three months in the Jackson county jail for “discouraging enlistments” by urg- ing the conscription of wealth to pay for the war. Minnesota farmers are now holding a series. of meetings to protest against Townley going to jail. I NORTH DAKOTA I NTERNAL troubles in the I. V. A. have flamed into open warfare during the last two weeks. The Bismarck Tribune, anti-League, the only daily in the state capital, has come out openly against the I. V.. A. recall. The Trib- une is generally accepted as being the organ of Alex McKenzie, the old boss of the state, and it is evident, therefore, that he sees a chance CAN YOU READ THIS? | REODHRRAER 542 HR "2 oo RARARNR ¥ MART R B ok B noRuzlltoomns 2 Ramme 1] apctT 5 mexs 2ol e || U MjESteH ° mimt . BHEER [l %t U xemlse EOBEN H i 2 mer o o mim ~ » R I I (NG fiv Hil 6 13T Rl v Sha Sl nE#s s At » YH®Y : M E PRkl g B A Wk T ° HEiL Repg ¢ e R IR S . ] ] S TR T 3 3 > DA T gl 238 R o MEH T Bglt =25 Inm Xl T als Rewmimiiz < D VREE B || P g2 % e BN 7 A 3 s g A A o Yox m || 2 Hta sinimteia Ay ’ ‘®RY o ° ML C o 5t s VNN A 22 AL RINERY 2 » VA> 90| 8 s ieinielia R roe 3 nimiz i3 e Th% Fli2x 00 wiiza 6 > oo @ || & AFRIATEEC 8 A = LS Pl 0 =% 9tz W eixinr> - g | 4] W5 L iU mbe & A gf ? CaX gl BTG mal | R o . g 3 [ Bl By HED SR Y 1o W T BT x oM RE| R g < " 3 2 A4 6ERTM 1 I By 7 Ey ¥ iz B mee G L B ’ LR 8 o BRI NG ¥ mmE A BOLMED AT H R Y b H tm| AR ® 26 Y KT BB N3l #® NS T ] ” L33 e A MEZe AN ok ) 2 ; ar % ¢ ‘{l.» LAE M Ao [ rhE # B S e wa o 4% v unL » | T Y 3 » ®< 4l 7e S . ¥ iU b3 = This is a photographic reproduction (reduced) of - a page of a Japanese magazine, the Nippon-Ichi, published at Tokyo. If you want to read it, begin at the right hand column and read toward the left, which is Japanese style. The front cover of the magazine from which it was taken corresponds to the back cover of an American magazine. While we know this much about it we can not translate the page reproduced above, but we are assured by the editor of the paper, in a well-written letter in English, that this is a write-up of the Nonpartisan league, informing progressive Japanese what this great American farmers’ movement is and is do- ing. The Japanese editor wrote to League head- quarters in Minneapolis for information about the movement and this article in his paper is the re- sult. There is no land too remote for: knowl- .edge of the Nonpartisan league to penetrate. PAGE FIVE L) to regain power by unseating Judge N. C. Young, counsel for the Northern Pacific, who is the head of the I. V. A, The Tribune takes a position that the I. V. A. papers find it hard to assail. It claims to be consistently against all public ownership, which it designates as “socialism.” The I V. A. nominees pretend to be for the completion of the farmers’ program, and hence the Tribune rejects them, as it does the Nonpartisan leaguers, and de- mands a campaign against all public ownership. The Tribune likewise claims to -be a regular Re- publican paper, opposed to the hybrid I. V. A. or- ganization of Republicans, Democrats and So- cialists. e It is currently rumored, too, that William Langer, former attorney general, and 1. V. A. can- didate for governor in 1920, will take a public stand against the recall. Langer’s position will be different from the Tribune’s, however. tends to be for the farmers’ program, and claims (which is true) that the I. V. A. would kill the pro- gram. It is well known, too, that Langer believes the I. V. A. betrayed him in 1920, and is anxious to get even. % 5 While the I. V. A. ranks are thus splitting, the League is solid against the recall. ¢ - John Skelton Williams, former comptroller of the currency, has volunteered to come to the state at his own expense and help in the fight, as he realizes, better than most people, that the fight in this state is but the opening of the great battle that the people of the United States must make to wrest control of their banking system from Wall street and vest it in the people’s own representa- tives. Meantime, in spite of all the sabotage of the I. ,V. A, and the adverse advertising the state is re- ceiving from the big business interests, the sale of state bonds proceeds, and the Bank of North Da- kota is winning through to a constantly stronger position. There are more bank failures by far these days in Minnesota than in North Dakota. - The I. V. A. must file their recall* petitions by September 19 to secure an election by the desired date, November 8. As yet they are several thou- sand names short, and are sending out petition circulators with orders to get names by any means. Evidences of fraud are being reported from all over the state, and when the Nonpartisan league offi- cials get a chance to go over the petitions it looks as if there would be plenty of work for Attorney General Lemke. l OREGON | organize in Oregon has been persistent for three years. Prominent farmer leaders from all over the state have been urging national League headquarters to make a start in Oregon, and members of existing farm organizations, which are of course not in politics, have been demanding political action through the League. National head- quarters finally decided to see if there was-suffi- cient spirit and demand to warrant chartering an Oregon state organization. A meeting was called recently in the state, the invitation to attend being signed by a large group of prominent farmers. The result proved the state was ready to “go.” T HE demand for the Nonpartisan league to “Over 40 wide-awake farmers from all parts of : the state were present,” writes O. J. Nelson, report- ing the meeting to national headquarters. “They pledged themselves to get the League started in - Oregon. They elected a temporary state commit- tee, to serve until the membership can hold regular caucuses and elect delegates to a state convention which will name a permanent committee. J. D. Brown, for many years at the head of the Oregon Farmers’ union, was chosen to head the commit- tee. . He is a strong man and respected all over the state. “Mr. French of Forest Grove, a Grange leader and a well-grounded conservative farmer, is the second member of the committee, and the third member is Mr. Benedict of Albany. “The Oregon League is born and is a lusty child. Members are already being signed up 'in large numbers. The future of the organization in this state depends on the work and enthusiasm of these farmers who got together to get it started, and on (Continued on page 1F) He pre- - RN ST “ N R R T P T T e R T S