The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-09-28
MIsREPREsENTs THE, FARMERS.
LNaw York Evening POSt)
Rheims cathedral.

New York Evening POst.)
The National Nonpartisan league is
consciously making modest but very
radical debut into national affairs, 1t
has representatives at Washington
supporting a program Of extreme tax
alton of incomes and excess profits
confident that though farmers as a
class arc taking bill!ols in war profits
they will not be touched; it's conven
ton invited Mr. Hoover to hear its
views on food rrie es;; and its new car
toonist- coma iessnlan is z among those
who den0unce eastern interests
while threatening the power of farm
ers votes as the mightiest interest
in the country 1t has put itself en-
rapport with senators like GrOnna
who the other day were haunting
Hoover with having failed to revolu
tionizc prices and covertly congratu
lating themselves on having obtained
for the wheat growers 81 a. bushel
We are sure the league misrepresents
the farmer in it's demand for higher
crop prices: t.cre is every evidence
that the estimate from the Kansas
state college that $3.50 wheat means
$l.21 net profit a bushel Is roughly
correct, and farmers are wise enough
to know it, liberal enough to appre
ciate it, ard patriotic enough to re
douh,c their efforts without question
The league has been spreading south
east and west: on one issue, which il
essentially sound--that government
should improve distribution to protect
producer and consumer. If it goes If
for pocket policy, it will not get far
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, LEAGUE!
minneapolis Tribune.)
The. Nonpartisan league is badly
hurt; please don't hit it again.
This is essence in the plea made
by A. c. 'rOWG.ey, president of the
league, to Theodore Roosevelt, who Il
coming to Minneapolis Friday to de
liver a loyalty address to Labor's 10y
al Legion. '.5'3 .k,.
Townley is quite right in saying tho
league is hurt. He ought to know, fol
even more than Senator LaF Gillette, HI
is the man who hurt it. LaFollettt
did not assail the league. On the con
trary. he praised 1t and seemed to as
sumo that it approves the kind
moral treason he gives vent to. In
deed, he had strong basis for the as
sumption if the attitude of the audi
ence that listened to LaFollette re
fleets the sentiment of the rank ant
file of the league.
Townley stood by, silent, inert, con
senting, while the man whom Mr.
Roosevelt calls the incorporated
poured out his poisonous attacks up
on the government and uttered the
words that must have been music tC
the ears of his most gracious majesty
the German kaiser. s.
Townley tells Mr.. Roosevelt that the
farmers of the northwest are loyal
that they have been maligned by the
kept press" The newspapers have
not lodged charge of disloyalty
against the farmers of Minnesota. Or
the contrary they have repeatedly de
clared it inconceivable that any great
of them can subscribe to the
kind of doctrine LaEollette and Town
ley preach. They have said the same
thing of organized labor
There is much better way for the
league to seassert its 10y
atty than to rest upon the verbal fla
of Townley. That way is to repudiate
Townley as it's leader and Townleyism
as its creed. The league delegates
were assembled in st. Paul on the
clear understanding that disloyal an6
seditious talking was taboo. The con
ference turned out to be feast OF
reasonable dishes. Most of those
present smacked their lips with plea
sure. Did they truly represent the
league or were they false heralds of
its real tenets? For it's own sake, the
league should speak up and answer
It's silence will be self-con
THE NoN-PRTIsAN LEAGUE.
On another page of this issue o.
The Monitor we nrinf QS&fllnmunica.