Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-08-14
THE SOLID WEST" A "..
7 POLITICAL PUZZLE
Farmers Movement for State Own
ership Spreads From North Da-
kota to the Gulf. ::

St. Paul,-"The "Solid West" is the
newest figure in the political world.
This new giant matches in political
strength the Solid South, and Is with
out the complacent leave-things-a alone
attitude that characterizes the older
states. Farmers are the mainstay OF
the movement, although in several
states organized labor already has
made treaties with the farmers and
will unite to ind0rse representative
men for Office.
Take a map and begin at the Cana
dian boundary. There's North pako-
ia, the seed of the new movement, Al
most four years ago the farmers there
decided that the way to obtain legis'
lation badly needed by them was to
organize and vote as unit. There
was formed the National Nonpartisan
league. The working principle of this
| innovation was to unite all the farmer.
vote on a friendly candidate, no mat.
| ter what his political party. The meth.
+ cd was q success from the start, and
| resulted in turning the state govern
ment over to the agricultural class,
which is in an overwhelming majority.
From North Dakota, the backbone
of the Solid West runs south to the
Gulf of Mexico. In South Dakota the
farmers have put full state ticket
in the field for the November elections,
| Their candidate for governor is M. P.
Bates. q farmer who is noted for his
fine stock.
Next come Nebraska, where the
farmers League has Endorsed large
number of candidates for the legisla-
ture. The movement was too young
to be sufficiently organized to venture
the Endorsement of q candidate for
state Office, since 1t wants no defeat
chalked up against it. Rather, the
farmers are willing to play a waiting
game, and have their eyes on the cleo
tons of 1920. They are content fol
the present to elect solid block Of
farmers to the legislature and thus
control the law-making body. -
From Nebraska the League has ex
tended into Kansas, always fertile
field for radicalism. The backbone
continues through Oklahoma and into
Texas.
Then there are number of rib:
extending from this backbone. There's
Colorado, where the farmers are max
inc the state candidates bid high fo
their votes, and have named cand1
: dates for the legislature. Farthe
north is Montana, where, in the ab
. sence Of a general state election, tn
farmers have put up long list o
candidates for the state Legislature
In Idaho, the farmers have put on
a full state ticket, headed by H. +
. Samuels, millionaire who made hi
money in mining and is spending
:. as farmer. Senator William +
r Borah, Republican, and Senate
: John f. Nugent, Democrat, have bee
f Endorsed by the Nonpartisan leagu
t for reelection.
In Washington state are almos
10000 members of the farmers
! League. Other farm and co-operativ
r organizations are working hand i
l. hand on the political program. Fror
Oregon and California farmers ar
watching the spread of this politics
= movement, whose principal platfor1
1 If for government ownership of publ
t utilities and control of marketin
conditions by the state rather tina
by the monopolies.
Y Even as far east as New York an
Maine the farmers are studying tn