Grand Forks herald., 1917-02-23
Grafton Member Points to
Defects in Farnlers'LeQgue
February -, 1917.

O1S OILO .LIk Il "A
February -, 1917.
Editor Herald:
1t 10 proper that someone should. at
the present juncture Of affairs with
the Nonpartisan league, speak UP and
enalyze the requirements which the
farmer has right to make before he
renews his membership. In my at
tempt to analyze the situation I shall
average man when confronted by the
question Of whether or not he is to
continue his loyalty and financial
support. We are not going to pay
good money just to zee q spectacle
similar to the one just enacted. We
than this. We must be assured that
our opinion may be registered in OUT
lining future policies. Standing as 1t
does for the Improvement in gov
ernment. the league should begin at
its own door and create within its
tive government.
But this sentiment must be dis
seminated in some manner in order to
insure anything like universal adop-
ton and shall make no apology for
appealing to The Herald to serve as
medium. The Herald has been en-
gagged in battle royal with tho league
FORCES. but wish to ask, has it not
right by every criterion to maintain
and expound its honest convictions?
Though we be convinced that 1t Is
erosely IN error, We must respect its
rights to defend even to its errors
Respect 1t In so doing, in fact 80 long
as its tactics are honorable and con-
s!stent with good form. believe The
| -k~<~
and happier and more prosperous
farmer and will impede no movement
which 1t believes to be one Of better
ment.
In impeding the wave Of popular
desire as EXPRESSED in the league
movement, The Herald may have
served a useful purpose. We may
not always be assured that such
insights as to their justice or ex-
pediency. Reform movements are
liable to certain defects amonr which
we may mention impulsiveness, which
Undertakes obstacles. be they natural,
social or legal. also a lack OF re-
spect TOT precedence and predecessors
to swallow nostrum and nut faith in
panacess; We are prone to put
much faith in reformers. to ahso1ve
tnem from all petty motives and at
er1nute to them a purity of purpose
wnicn Is out Of keeping with our ex-
peT,ence pt with the average person.
But waves must be and reforn,
movements must be. It ia indead ~
some value If we possess clearer
understanding of their nature r.
VIII enable us to see SO much mora
clearly why 1t has been the on;nion-
OF statesmen that the permanence Of
ars s.a.e REQUIRES that constitutions be
HVsD&e
den onslaught due to social % ,1nhaavsi suI
and and that every amendment or "a, %
Vision vs,e Il, snail be presented in such a
way that citizens may have smn,e
s ene 70 form an unbiased opinion he
Tae,, tE,e registering their preference
e@sh,,e Gacn one 10 should emphasize this thor
Is fully conditioned by me mechani.ne @ t.re
and device. It is an axiom II not
law. that every invention must mass
tnrough q period Of experin entation
nefore 1t becomes an important adii-
ZION to the tools Of the world. The
fyehelom car ha IN e1,. OF administrative methods
Dakota were to declare for the flnanc-
Ing Of terminal elevators, -four mills
packing plants and cold storage
houses and to proceed ad libitum to
erect the same, tt>would not be the
natural way In which we look to-
nrnen.. waras the Introduction Of inventive
processes Let us not anticipate the
millennium. am willing to wait 20
years for the day when the North
Dakota farmer can scientifically mar
ket his product. I feel that we NAV
walt longer than that even with the
Mompar.,san non arisen. league IN healthy and
| fact is our Nonpartisan contingent at
Bismarck has shown itself as propa-
gandists OF radical doctrine rather
than as statesmen. The last legis-
!ature has presented a peculiar socio-
logical phenomenon. No individual
legislator acknowledges otherwise
than that he has acted on his own
initiative. yet events have shown that
power has been exerted to compel
unanimitv of action which is never
seen under normal conditions and
which acting without check would he
as dangerous as the onrush Of a mob.
acting as unit when their interests
coincide cannot be questioned. The
practicability of using the admins
trative machinery Of our common
wealth for commercial results cannot
be questioned. But the means and
not been tested and the pioneer at
tempts must be cautious ones.
! One Of the most effective weapons
Of the league leaders has been the
heaping Of contumely upon the ''in-
terests" and thus arousing the feeling
Of the people to fighting pitch. But
here the proper method is not fight
but to become informed to organize
and work. The abusive treatment Of
big Biz is good deal like throw
ing ink at the devil. It only spatters
the wall. It 1s by no means neces-
sary to abuse the obsolete even
though we must consign It to the
scrap heap. I have found in my ex-
perience that those who are too
quick to scent evil in others are not
above being wicked themselves,
As medium for the expression
collectively Of the opinion of its
membership, the league is more
archaic than the most ancient forms
Of despotism.
It Is constructed admirably to con-
troll public opinion, It is true, but it
has the fault which is damning in the
face Of modern views Of associative
existence. 1t is not plastic to the
will Of the people. It is not created
by the people. There is no guarantee
that it will be for the people. We,
the members Of the league, are abso-
iutely at the mercy Of the leaders in
every matter that pertains to league
activity. s
We may ask: Who initiated the
league movement? Who created the
ONCE personnel? Who have planned
its legislative program? Who edits
the paper that consolidates league
| opinion? When have you seen an