The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1918-10-18

surprising number Oh Votes IoI w.
partisan league and labor candidates
IN the states where the farmers have
organized. Aftersthe interests THAT
resort to lawlessness when they see
their opportunity for stealing within
the law slipping away had done
their worst, the votes gave splendio
support to the League and labor can
didates.
THE PRIMARY RESULTS
In Minnesota, where the lawless-
ness of special interest politicians
has been worst, the voters gave the
League and labor candidate for gov
ernor 100000 votes in the first. meas
ure of strength and there is full
law and order ticket nominated in 52
of the Ct legislative districts OF the
state. Eleven days later the League
and labor carried everything in the
North Dakota primaries. Violence
had been impossible in North Dakota
because the people already had con-
troll there, but huge funds and star
spell binders were sent in from the
outside to help the reactionaries. On
September 3, the League and labor
forces of Idaho swept everything in
the primaries, putting their nominees
on the dominant party ticket of the
state. A little later Montana, with a
primary coming in the midst of the
harvest, nominated League candidate
for two-thirds of the senatorial va
cancies and over half of the vacan-
cies in the lower house. The state Of
ficers are not up for election in Mon
tana this year. Nebraska has NOM
mated block of 27 state representa-
tives, although the state is only part
ly organized and although vicious
anti-League campaign had been
waged there. The same situation
holds in Colorado, where the League
put up eight men for the lower
house and three for the upper, and
then put every one of these on the
Democratic or Republican ticket.
South Dakota has a full Independent
League ticket in the field and the
League and labor combination is so
strong there that it's strongest OPP
ponent, the Republican party, has
taken over the League platform.
TURNING POINT IN MINNESOTA
The surprisingly large vote in Min
nesota in June marked the turning
of the tide. Up to that time mob
violence and official terrorism had
chance to win, but the farmers
stuck" and from that moment the
game was lost. Shortly after came
the decision Of the Minnesota SUI
preme court freeing Mr.. Townley and
Mr.. Gilbert of the charges against
them that had been made the excuse
of so much mob violence and inter-
ference with the right of free assemb-
ly. A little later the Nebraska stu
alton was settled in court in favor of
the League and much to the discredit
of previous activity of the Nebraska
defense council. These decisions were
just what many persons, who felt that
there must be some basis for the
seemingly outrageous official conduct
needed to set them right. On top of
the court decisions came the presi-
dents message urging Americans to
1--we up to the law and order funda-
mentals of American democracy. He
didn't have to mention any particular
localities, because every one knew
where the mob activities hat been al
| lowed.
GANG LEFT WITHOUT COVER
Because of these and other events
that have ripped the cover off the old
gang officials and politicians, the
League and labor candidates will
come through splendidly in the fall.
Having failed in the game of mob VI
olence, the opposition is in worse
position than it could possibly have
been in had it followed American
methods. What they needed for sue
cess was swift overthrow of the
League, so that they could cover up
any careful inquiries as to methods.
Failing in this federal interference
on their side would have turned the
trick, but what federal interference
there has been, has been on the side
of law and order. Consequently the
opposition stands convicted of violat-
ing American democracy, and has
lost the support of many elements in
the population who have not been
reached by the economic program of
the League, but who have a pretty
clear. idea of what Americanism is.