The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-12-09
NEW ECONOMIC
MOVEMENT BORN
0FTHE FARMS
Farmers Take Initiative in Inde-
pendent Political Or
ganizatiOn
MAY HAVE WIDE, SCOPE
Indications Are That Actual Men
of the Soil Are Back of
Development
MAY HAVE WIDE SCOPE

From over in Griggs and Steele
Counties, far removed from the at.
mosphere of big cities with their
morning and evening papers and fre-
quent lectures on numerous topics Of
interest to the ordinary citizen, comes
a story indicating the desire for more
enlightenment on public affairs,-
social, economic and political.
Early in the fall, E. W.. Everson, a
farmer and former member Of The
Legislature from this district, took it
upon himself to induce a number OF
his acquaintances in the district to
join hands in an organization for the
purpose of gathering and disseminate
ing unbiased and truthful information
on some of the political issues now
zperplexing many mind In this state
The organization was named the
Plain Citizens Political Reform asso-
citation. FE%
In talking with people from other
sections of the state about what they
were doing in this community, Mr..
.Everson soon found that there was
general demand for statewide
movement along that line, and so he
got notion to try to develop the or
ganization on a state scale.
AS an initial step toward that end
he under took to enlist with him in
the effort Thos. G. Nelson. the man
who took the lead in developing the
American Society Of Equity in it's
pioneer days in North Dakota eleven
years ago. Mr.. Nelson, who is now
farmer in the western part OF the
state and has farmed all his life eX-
cept time devoted to organization
work among farmers, was raised and
lived for many years on a Trail coun.
ty farm where Mr.. EversOn learned
to know him as an unceasing cham
pion for better farming, better busi.
ness and better living on the farm
In the summer of 1907 Mr.. Nelson,
then on the farm in Trail county,
planned, directed and financied an or
ganization campaign for the Society
of Equity, that brought in 9,99S men,
bers in forty days.
A number of the most active men
associated with Mr.. Everson met at
Cooperstown, on Thursday, Dec. 5, to
discuss the proposition Of making the
organization site-wide, which it was
decided to do, according to the fol-
lowing items taken from the minutes
of the meeting.
A resolution was offered by S. II.
Nelson of Finley, and adopted by the
meeting, as follows:
The arbitrary and unusual changes
required to be made in the working
conditions and relations of labor and
capital, producer and consumer. man
ufacturer and distributor, in order to
successfully prosecute the War just
ended, and the work of reconstruction
coming with peace il going to make
many old political q Dstions acute and
bring with it. many. new social, eca-
nomic and political problems which
must be met and solved, as far as
possible by the ulain citizens of our
country ~
And since in representative de-
mocracy like ours the will of the peo'
pie must be expressed by means OF
elections, it is very important that
the voters of our state should, IN or
der to protect and promote their own
welfare and for the good of the state
and the nation as whole, make
every effort to provide for the gather
ing and dissemination Of truthful in
formation on all sides of all questions
without being colored or warped by
prejudice, malice or any selfish in
terest; and to have our system OF
elections so revised as to naturally
promote greater interest than ever
before in public affairs. and to pro-
vide for a minority representation in
all steps incident to the making oil
government, and majority vote deci-
sions at all final elections
|. AS a means to attain these enc:s,
we, members of the Independent
Voters. Association, assembled in pub
lie meeting, at Cooperstown, North
Dakota, this fifth day OF December, A.
d., 1918, do hereby authorize and in
struct our Executive Committee to
cause a special effort to be made to
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