The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-11-30
THE VICTORY OF THE FARMERS NON
PARTISAN LEAGUEIN NORTH DAKOTA

Nonpartiaan Leader, published at
Fargo, N. Oak.
Russcll's most effective work in the
early editions of the Leader was the
grilling Of the kept Press' and
their poisoned News and the eff
rcctivencss Of his mastery handling
of this subject was reflected in the
treatment the farmers later ON ac-
corded the representatives. of that
class of North Dakota papers when
they opened up their campaign of lies
and abuse against the Farmers
League.
Prior to the primaries and after
the representatives of big business
within and without the state discover
ed somewhat the size and character
of the movement there was launched
the most bitter newspaper campaign
against the League that ever arose
in the Northwest.
The Kept Press, big and little,
fully justified its existence. But it
was not long before many of them
fell by the wayside.
They awoke to find dwindling or
almost utterly destroyed subscription
list.
They called the farmers So and
later 50 suckers" The executive of
ficers and Organizers Of the League
were characterized as carpetbaggers,
Socialists, anarchists, !. W. WIS,
atheists, infides and freelovers.
The farmers were warned that the
Legislative program of the League
was Socialism pure and simple, and
the farmers began to write to their
formerly favorite family paper, along
with their cancellation Of subscription,
that if that was Socialism, they want
ed it now.
The Farmers Nonpartisan League
before the primaries made a cond-
ton with the already organized labor
bodies of North Dakota which operat-
ed to their mutual benefit through the
primaries and the election.
The organization now proceeding
in Minnesota, South Dakota and Mon
tan is aimed at the capture Of those
states in 1918 on programs identical
with that of North Dakota.
Almost the full strength of the So
cialists supported the League pro-
gram and League candidates. They
justified that course on the ground
that it was a direct and workable
move toward collectivism; that it in
volved them in no compromise; that
it was getting somewhere now; that
it provided an unprecedented cam
paign of education that went far to-
ward destroying the prejudice pur-
posely created by the master class
against the very word and idea of So
cialism, and they take the view that
in the march of progress and evolu-
ton, if orthodoxy becomes a STUN
bling block, they prefer to kick or
thodoxy out of the path and move on
more freely to the goal.
AS rapidly as the orthodox or
strict constructionst Socialists be-
came convinced that the new method
took strict care to exclude all polite
ians, big and little, from membership
in the League, and from the internal
machinery Of the League, they came
to the Leagues support.
They favor changing the rules of
their organization to keep step with
unmistakable developments.
Those who predict that the League,
Legislative and executive, will pass
and sign lot of freak legislation or
will compromise on any of the legis-
lation pledged are doomed to disap-
pointment.
The farmers and wage workers
will get just what they bargained for
this time and what they get in the flu
ture will depend upon how we'll they
continue to keep themselves organ
lied.