Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-06-07

subjected to regulations and restric-
tions that are entirely new to us;
and by so doing center our thought
on real or fancied grievances. thus
bringing about condition of unloy-
atty that, so far as its practical ef-
facts are concerned, becomes almost
as dangerous as active disloyalty.
What we as a people need more
than anything else in the world at
this time is the will and the deter
mination to win this war. And the
man or set of men who contribute
in any way to jeopardize our chanc-
es will never live long enough to get
over being sorry for it.
The loyal man will think of his
country first now. He will be bound
to consider his every act in the light
of its effect on our chances of win
ming the war.
| The "unloyap' man will be tempt
ed to think that this is good time
to get what he thinks is coming to
him In the way of profits. He may be
tempted to ignore the possible ef-
feet of his acts on the larger inter-
ests of the country, in order to get
what he wants for himself.
This appears to be just what the
organizers of the nonpartisan league
are guilty of, and what the farmers of
Nebraska may become a party of If
they are not careful.
1t matters not what declarations of
loyalty the nonpartisan league puts
forth, nor how much gratitous ad-
vice they give the president, so long
as their organizers are going from
farmer to farmer and trying to con-
vince them that their liberties are
taken away and that they are living
under an economic autocracy that is
as bad as the German autocracy that
is seeking to be forced upon the
world, they certainly are not leaving
their converts in very good frame
of mind to make intelligent choice
between the two evils.
If you succeed in convincing a
man that he is likely to escape one
form of evil to be caught by another,
he is not likely to be over enthusias-
ticrabout getting away from the first. |
Non-partisan league organizers and |
lecturers are telling the farmers that |
"big biz is standing between them |
and their liberties. That as a class +
the farmers have been deprived of
their constitutional rights.
They say that our legislatures as
now constituted are corrupt That
the "big biz forces control their
votes in the making of laws; that the
same influence controls the enforce
ment of laws; it controls the public
press thruout the country; it gives
orders to the courts, from the low
est thru to the United States supreme
courts, which one leader of the nom
partisan league referred to, it is re-
ported. as consisting of nine old fos
sils.
And these men are going about ov-
er the country at a time like this,
when our very existence as an inde-
pendent nation is at stake, and carry
ing this sort of propaganda form
mouth to mouth, and then have the
supreme effrontery to resent the sug-
gestion that their attitude is lacking
In the loyalty that is due the nation
under the direful circumstances.
Now then, most of the leaders OF
this league are or have been ayowed
socialists. They cannot and do not
attempt to deny it, 1t is fact that
the very essence of socialism is "un-
oyalty." Socialism has never found {
put one government that it was loyal
70, and that is the present condition
N that unhappy country. That is,
however, a logical and inevitable re-
suit of socialism in government. 1t I
means political and economical chaos
And it is this very demonstration
If practical socialism that has ruined
Russia. and that had freed the Ger +
nan legions for their terrific drive
against the western front at this
ime. 1t is going to cost the lives
If many thousands of Americans to
,ffset the terrible effects of applied
ocialism in Russia.
Do the Nebraska and American
armers want that condition to pre-
all here? Germany does. And Ger I
nan money has been and is being {
pent in large amounts to cripple us 4
". whatever way she can in this
ountry. What better way could she
ccomplish her purpose in this coun- i
ry than to get the producers of this Ii
ountry to make q war upon others ;
f their countrymen under mistak-
n notion that they were thus pre-
erving for themselves what they
hink are certain constitutional
lights? i.
How do farmers of the northwest
now that the nonpartisan league is G