The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-26
D
Why Does Il Sound Otherwise?

Why Does II Sound otherwiss2
Why, If it is loyal, does it always
sound otherwise? asks The Duluth
Herald, in dealing with President
Townley's protestations of loyalty.
Says The Herald:
Mr.. TowRley's Farmers Nonparti-
son league protests that 1t is loyal.
We HOPE that that is so.
The protestation is badly needed.
because the league has just completed
a meeting in st. Paul where La Fol-
lette, Gronna and Van Lear were hon
oTed guests, and where they talked in
a manner highly pleasing to the
kaiser and very disgusting to every
real American.
Maybe the league is loyal We
believe the rank and file of its mem
bership ARE loyal.
But If 1t is loyal, why is it that
every time tbs leaders speak or the
situation contrives to take on an at
mosphere of disloyalty?
IF the league IS loyal, why is ii
that its activities during the Liberty
Loan campaign in North Dakota re-
suited in a distressingly small sale of
bonds in that region?
IF the league Is loyal, why is il
that the ringing declaration of IN
eously from the lips of every true
American and form the heart of every
gathering of true Americans NEVER
comes from the lips of Townley,
NEVER comes from a gathering of
this organization?
Wed vastly rather believe people
loyal than believe them disloyal. But
IL seems to US that the Nonpartisan
league, and especially it's leaders,
have much to say and much to do to
make a convincing demonstration of
their assertion of loyalty"
The Steel Price and Wheat.
The Minneapolis Tribune, dealing
with the governments action in fix
ing steel prices. declares that the
continued activity of the federal gov
eminent in dealing with price prob
lens must convince the farmers of
the northwest that their demagogic
leaders are talking through their
hats. Says The Tribune:
league eI Conferences in St. Paul fste i last
week were believing speeiously
about the governments alleged toler-
ance of industrial profiteering and de-
claring that the farmers were being
trimmed while other interests were
permitted to gouge the public for ill
gotten gains. w. B. Colver, member
of the federal trade commission, tried
to assure the delegates and gallery
visitors that the government was ex-
ceedingly busy on the task OF fixing
fair prices for other things than
wheat, bat what he said seemed to be
taken with several grains of salt or
to be quite discredited. That skepti-
cism could be traced back to the dem
agogic utterances of speakers who
preceded Mr.. Colver on the program.
AT the very time this stun was be-
ing passed out in st. Paul with me
possible effect of arraying class
of war industries and the steel pro-
ducers of the country probably had
agreed upon the prices that should be
paid for iron ore, coke, steel plates,
At any rate, the agreement was made
public yesterday. From current mar
ket quotations the reductions In pric-
es for these commodities, iron ore
excepted, range from 40 to over 70 per
cent.
1T is further agreed that wages
shall not be lowered, that the prices
quoted are to the government, the al
lies and the American public, and that
the producers will make every, EFFORT
to keep their plants going up to oper-
ating capacity. Thus the interests OF
the iaberer and the consumer are pro-
tected, and the demands of patriotism
are served.
tisan league conference will possess
their souls in patience, they probably
will learn soon of other like actions
tending to show that there was no
need for such a conference, to prove
further that the demagogic SPELL
binders were talking through their
hats and to convince all fatr-minded
citizens that there is as much patriot
ism at the mine and in the factory as
on the farm in this country. The pro
ducers agree to the prices, with the
full knowledge that they may. be re-
vised downward or upward the hrst
of the coming year"
Mask Torn From Them.
The Minneapolis Journal believes
that st. Paul disloyalty demonstra-
ton has torn the mask from the
leaders of the Nonpartisan move
ment, and notes that organized
labor's reputation of the plan OF
afiHation is we'll merited. Under
the caption, THE Disloyal League,
The Journal says:
THE Indignation of the patriotic
people of st. Paul over the trick by
which their municipal auditorium was
made the scene of series of disloyal
meetings last week, eliminating in
the seditious La Toilette speech Is
only natural under the circumstances.
The refusal of the st. Paul associa-
ton to make its promised contrlbu-
tion to the expenses of the Nonpartl-
san league conference, because the
character of it had been misrepre-
sented, is quite justified.
THE president of the league, a. G.
IOWnleys ndu @hetN eAANAG
would be no seditious speeches., and
that any speaker giving utterance TO
dfsloyal sentiments would be thrown
out, 1t was a promise more honored
in the breach than in the observance.
'sThe strong undercurrent of disloy-
aIty that flowed through nearly all
the addresses was partly concealed by
a camoufiage of protestations about
patriotism. But at the last meeting
This was thrown of, and the WILSON,
sin obstructionist - whom Colonel
Roosevelt has dubbed the neo-cop-
perhead'-was permitted to go as far
as he dared in the direction OF open
treason.
whether Senator La Toilette con-
trived to keep within the law, while
voefferatinE his pTo-German argu-
ments. will now be determined by the
proper authorities. But there is no
doubt whatever OF the reasonable
spirit of his speech, nor of the fact
that il was calculated to give aid and
comfort to the enemy.
Nor is there any doubt that ali this
might easily have been toreseens IL
due attention had been given to the
Character and previous utterances OF
the man, as well as to the record and
purnoses OF the inner circle that abb
aoiutely controls the Nonpartisan
league. They are disloyaiists at heart,
~ they plainly revealed in the frst
Liberty Loan campaign. They have
since then found Ii expedient to as
sumo the virtue Of loyalty, IL they
have ft not.