The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-03-12

elected through the efforts of your
league. .-.r
"The cheering and the applauding
of the unpatriotic utterances of Sem
ator La Toilette at your last conven-
| ton put stamp of disloyalty on it
that can never be erased.
Your present publicity agent lost
the position he held at that time be-
cause he supported La Follette's I'M
patriotic ideas and, after his dis
charge by his employer he was en-
ployed by your Nonpartisan league.
Gilbert Convicted.
Another of your leaders, Joseph
Gilbert, called a director and mana
ger l believe. has been convicted by
jury because of his disloyal utter
ances. He together with Mr.. Mana
han, an attorney of your organiza-
ton, unpatriotically used a strike sit
uation here to advance the political
interests Of the league.
These two men have maliciously
slandered public spirited members of
the Public Safety Commission in an
attempt to bring together the farm
ers and wage earners for the politi-
cal purposes of your political party's
self constituted leaders who are
neither real farmers nor real laborers,
but self seeking demagogues whom
the actual farmers and the actual la
boring men of our state will sooner
or later find are nothing but pretend
ed friends-'wolves parading in
sleeps clothing
Defended Murderers.
you, who appear to be the execu-
tive secretary of this organization,
were the attorney who defended the
murderers in the /. w. w. trouble on
the Range two years ago and who
has assisted the I. w. w organiza-
ton which has publicly announced
that it is it's intention ultimately to
take the farms from the farmers,
whose headquarters since the COM
mencement of the war have been
raided by the federal government and
whose members are now taking ref
uge in such organizations as the
National Nonpartisan league.
How, under such circumstances,
the farmers of Minnesota, who have
been threatened with the loss of their
farms. who have time and again been
compelled to appeal to peace officers
for protection against the members
of this lawless. anarchistic organiza-
ton, can now join a league with
promoters whose sympathies have
been with the breaking Bolshe-
vik element In our society, is well
nigh inconprehensible.
1.-The only explanation that can be
given is the fact that some of the
leaders and organizers of the Nom
partisan league evidently are not vet
laborers OF our state as they are to
those who have had more experience
with them.
Fears Misunderstanding.
Another reason for declining your
invitation is the possibility of con-
STRUNG my presence at your partisan
campaign rally by some as an in
dorsement of your propaganda. 1t is,
of course, the duty of the governor
TO be fair to all classes and to oppose,
any program which is apt to result
in a division Of our state into classes.
Such arraying of class against
class would be welcomed by the enc
mics of our republic for such a
course will tend to defeat our nation
in this war and eventually will mean
the dissolution of our form OF gov
eminent and the undermining of the
economic and political freedom OF
our people.
He who in normal times needless
ly arrays class against class is most
often the ambitious demagogue, but
any individual who will do so when
our nation is in a life and death
struggle is knowingly or unknow-
ingly a traitor to his state and to
his country.
In declining to speak at your par
tvs rally, / wish to say further that
Tor me there are, during this war.
only two parties--one composed of
the loyalists and the other of the
disloyalists. The only party whose
cause ] shall strive at this time To
advance is the party composed of
those Americans who. heart and soul.
are loyal to their country.
Win War, Only Issue.
"The only issue that to me is
paramount at this time is the win
ming of this war and that cannot be
done if our house is to be divided
against itself through false accusa-
tons on the part of political agita-
tors such as those who head your or
CARNATIONS.
THE only party and politicians
whom l am in this campaign going to |
oppose are that party and those poll |
tlcians who for party purposes, by |
lnnuendO or otherwise. are discour- |
aging our people by claiming this is |
a war begun by the rich or that the |
burdens of the conflict will fall more |
heavily on one class than anotheryl
or make statements which in some |
other way will lengthen the conflict |
by creating dissatisfaction at home |
and thus indirectly cause the death /
Of additional thousands If not mil