The Dickinson press., 1916-03-25
THE NON-PARTISAN LEAGUE

Lewis Lake world: Inc editor OF
this paper is and has been a farmer
for the past fifteen years, and our
interest has been more in farming
than in the newspaper or any other
business and we realize that what is
good for the farmer is good for the
business man, and the country at
large. We are strictly a farming
community, and if the farmers are
not successful the business man can
not hope to be successful. It is
aim at all times to advocate and
boost for everything and anything
which tends to make the farmer more
successful in his operations. But we
do not believe in falling for every
whim and scheme that is set forth
by a few smooth, oily grafters who
have only one idea in view, and that
is to get money. We are one of the
Oldest members of the Society of
Equity in the county, and have al
ways believed that If the proper
methods were adopted that such? an
organization would be of much bene-
fit to the farmers, but the trouble
seems to be with these organiza-
tons that just as soon as they spring
into existance and promise some
benefits, a handful of grafters gen
orally work themselves into the head
of the organization and by their
grating methods spoil the whole
plan. Take the Non-Partisan League,
for instance. We do not dispute that
this organization contains many hon
est and honorable men, farmers who
have looked ahead to this organiza-
ton as n which would be of some
material benefit in shaping legisla-
ton and bring about results which
would better farm conditions and
therefore be of benefit to the whole
state. But this thing was started
out wrong in the first place. The
average farmer has had some expert
ence with the I. w. WIS and what
this organization means to the farm
ers of North Dakota, and how men
have been sent here and lectured
against. the members of that nefarj-
GUS organization working for less
than 81 or SIS per day, and there is
not a day in the busy season of
harvest and threshing in this state
in the fall, but what many idlers are
hanging about the streets trying to
induce and keep men from going into
the harvest fields, and claim to be
l. w. WIS. Now, in the head organ
izers of the Non-Partisan League
who do we find? Well at least two
of the leaders are said to be I. w.
WIS, and heretofore have been going
over the state and l%ecturing and
keeping their members from going
into the harvest fields and aiding the
farmers to secure their crops. Just
the fellows who have been the most
t~ireless enemy of the farmers of
North Dakota, and now they are or
ganizing the farmers into a political
organization and gathering in the Sc
and SO memberships. And the ball
ance of the leaders are we'll known
and recognized Socialists. Now, we
want to ask, what a the farmers
expect from an organization which is
in the hands of such fellows and is
being engineered and controlled by
them. They are not farmers nor
probably eve expect to be, but they
are simply farming the farmers"
To sum the whole thing up we be-
lieve it is a very smooth scheme run
by a very smooth bunch of blood
suckers, who have only n purpose
IN view and that is to get all the
money out of it that they can before
seeking Fields anew and pastures
greener." AS said before we are in
terested in farming and are willing
to boost any legitimate proposition
that will help better the farmers con-
ditions, but we do not propose to be
stung by the fellows who are the
leaders of this organization. The
farmers of the state who are men,
bers of this organization should de-
mand an accounting and an itemized
report to show where their money
has gone, and we believe that if they
could secure such a report-which
they cant-that they would see that
they have been stung to the extent
of Sc, at least, which is not much, but
too much to hand out to such a set
of leeches. ~