Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-09-25

sions as "Nonpartisans cheer disloyal utterances' M
and the charge issparroted by the stupid little
dnilies of North Dakota which have made such a
mess of their fight on the League.
The effort is to make it appear. first that
the League Is responsible for all La Toilette said;
second, that the. union men and farmers who
attended the convention approved it.
OF neither OF these propositions is there
proof and neither is true. The sentiment of the
farmers and the wage workers who attended the
conferences is shown in resolutions prepared
and adopted in the final conference session
Thursday afternoon without a dissenting vote.
II even the most rabidly hostile newspaper finds
anything in those resolutions un-American or ex-
pressing disloyalty it has not yet been pointed
out. @
La Toilette had been invited to speak on
"The Peoples Fight to tell of the struggle of
farmers and working mon for economic Justice
thru political means. matters Of which he is well
qualified to speak because no man in public life
has fought more unrelentingly for the rights Of,
the common man as he sees them.
Unfortunately the audience which heard La
Toilette was four-ffths made up of citizens Of
St. Paul and Minneapolis, some of whom appar- a,
emily sympathized with his anti-war attitude and
a number of others who were determined to goad
him into something which could be interpreted
as disloyal. They had been invited to that course
by articles in q st Paul newspaper and were
in no mood to listen patiently to tame stuff,
The audience wanted fireworks"
La Toilette fell for it" abandoned his writ
ten speech for the time being, and launched
into an impassioned defense of his conduct in
opposing the entry Of the United States into the
war. No matter how sincere and honest La
Toilette is in that attitude-and his honesty and
sincerity have not been successfully impugned
it is a sadly mistaken course for him to go on
telling this old tale. 1t is a course that can do
no good; is much more likely to do serious harm,
both to the nation and to his own usefulness.
But whatever the culpability of LaFollette,
let it not be warped into an accusation against
the farmers, least Of all by st. Paul and Mime
apolis newspapers. It was their audience which
heard LaFollete, and If they. find blame to at
tach to its conduct, let them appropriate part
Of it to themselves for being bad shepherds of
public opinion.
Let it also be pointed out that the news
papers which made much of the statement that
La Follette's words were 'disloyal" and "infam-
matory' were the very ones which found it neces-
sary to print the "disloyal' paragraphs in full
and to publish them broadcast. thus making sure
that all their ~infammatory" content might have
its full effect on public sentiment.
The Courer-News thought it better. merely
to describe in general terms the speakers state
ments, of which 1t does not at all approve. be-
cause it did not believe their publication would
do good and feared it would do harm.
We fear very much that the PATRIOTIC in
dignation Of the Twin City dailies and their re-
print editions in North Dakota is inspired, not by
love of country. but by a low form Of political
passion, one which makes use of a very despic-
able weapon. e.
With so much space devoted to the above gem it,
at this time to make the extended and Apr,
comment that the subject warrants, and for IL
resent mere causal and cursory treatment must sufhc
1t will be noted that the Fargo paper, which is tt
ally organ of the Nonpartisan League in this state,
scussing the late meeting in st. Paul which it announ,
as a meeting to protest against the price Of wheat
xed by the government, but which was later declare
President Townley to be nothing of the sort, ar
ownley's disclaimer was echoed obediently by his go,
nor, his congressman and others.
That meeting was called by. Mr. Townley. It's pu
ose was announced by him. Its. speakers were selecte
Y him. All its proceedings were under his directao
nd he was on the job all the time. Senator La Toilet
as selected as one of the speakers because he is the so
man that he is, and because he has been in the hab
making such speeches as he made at st. Paul ar
'uld be expected to make no. other kind. This is ais
ue of Senator Gronna and Congressman Baer. who
e Courier-News very properly considers unworthy
otice.
The st. Paul program was carried out as arrange
were no bitches. The meeting was not grabbed (
ltsiders. The speakers said what they were expeete
say. They were applauded to the echo. Buy the ne:
orning, after the debauch of anarchy and sedition, the
as a sad awakening. 1t was found that, pleasing as he
zen the program to those who had prepared it, tt
oldness of its disloyalty had shocked the entire nortl
est into a realization of the infamous nature Of tt
ans which it had been called to promote, and prote
led on protest until it was evident that something mu
done to avert the storm Of indignation.
Something was done. The Courier-News did it. I
gillette was the man at whom most Of the criticism W,
med. Therefore, La Toilette must be repudiated. Mar
le article. To make the disavowa1 less harsh we are to-
lat La Toilette was goaded into saying something, th'
3 had not intended to~say. Think of it! La Follett
he hero Of a hundred chautauqua platforms who new
st an opportunity for theatric effectiveness! With OF
two possible exceptions the most loquacious man
The ready debater and seasoned campaigne
Toilette goaded into talking sedition when he h:
liked little else for three years! What a desperate eau
need bolstering by such a dimsY argument!
But, with this lame apology for La Toilette, IL
gan Of the president OF the Nonpartisan League gray
and sorrowfully washes its hands of him. It had NJ
ublished La Follettes remarks for fear Of doing har
hereby. Or was it because it hoped that the thing migl
ip by with little notice. At any rate, it is now compelle
come forward, and to take some definite stand wit
to the seditious speech. Obviously the simple
hing is to make La Toilette the scapegoat, and this
hat is attempted. That it is not better done is eviden,
the hopelessness Of the case.
Let it be understood that nobody is cr1ticising I'll
'rners" of the northwest, as the Fargo paper wou
ave its readers believe. The farmers, we take it, al
BILE to take care Of themselves. II any Of them wei
resent at that notorious meeting and applauded IL
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