Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1918-02-14

league headquarters, and which IL
gladly prints, and we add that we have
more evidence showing the league bos-
ses have operated in manner border
ing ON treason:
On Sept. %, 1917 the Minnesota
public saftey commission met in the
Office of Governor Burnquist to invest
igate the pro-German activities of the
Non-partisan league. Mr.. Townley ties
! titled before the commission that he
was the organizer of the league; that
the articles of association, that is, con
stitution and bylaws were drawn up by
himself and thirty-five or forty other
persons but had never been filed any
place and that he did not know lust
where they were at that time; that
the organization had at that time an
annual income of $1,6OO,OOO which is
paid to treasurer who is a man hired
by Townley; that the members con-
tributing this great sum of money re-
ceive in return merely the privilege of
meeting in secret conventions in their
respective voting precincts and nomina-
ting their ticket. He testified that he
had also organized as a sort of side
kicker for the league what he styled
1.-The Producers and Consumers Con-
ference =" and that it was at the meet
ing of this organization that La
Toilette made his infamous speech for
which he later was investigated by the
U. s. senate on the charge of treason.
When asked by this committee if there
was any doubt in his mind that what
Senator LaFollette had said was sedi-
tiOus and disloyal Mr.. Townley replied,
No, there is no doubt in my mind. -
This investigation developed the fact
that prior to the time LaFollette made
his speech the organizers of the Non
partisan league had been actively and
cordially promoting the spread of pro-
German propaganda especially in the
southern countries of Minnesota and
had given every possible encourage
ment to the pro-German element in the
state to do likewise. That especially in
Brown county they had displayed the
German flag and made many speeches
praising Germany and the fatherland
The infamous ''pacifst convention"
which was so VIGOROUSLY disloyal that
it was by several states forbidden with
in their borders, was cordially invited
by Governor Frazier, the Non partisan
league governor of North Dakota, to
meet in his state and assured protec-
tion by him. Max Eastman, secre-
tary of that ''pacifst" convention,
went to Bismark to arrange to hold
the meeting there but the loyal eiti-
zens of that city ordered him out of
town-and he went.
John NJ. Baer is the Non-partisan
league member of congress from North
Dakota. He was elected last spring
to fill vacancy. He had hardly got
the seat of. his chair warm at Wash
ington until he began to demand that |
the United States make statement of |
its war aims. At that time President |
Wilson had in his message to congress !
asking for the declaration of war, and |
IN his reply to the Pope, made state
nent of our war aims. These two
state papers for their concise, accur-
tie and lofty statement of our aims
Will make them stand as among the
greatest state papers ever penned in
al history and so unanswerable in
heir logic that the civilized world,
With the exception of the Non-partisan
eague, through its representative Mr.
'aer, accepted them as so final and
onclusive as to need no further state
lent or explanation.
Again, Mr.. Baer in the issue of the
partisan Leader of Sept. 20, 1917.
artoons Mr.. Hoover and the food con
ervation efforts of the government.
June Z, 1917, the Leader announced
hat "m German communities there
ill be both German and English
peaking" In the same issue is the
tatement that 'PATRIOTISM is
HE LAST REFUGE OF THE SCOUN-
REL"
A German edition of the Leader was
sued. But when, under the espionage
ct the postoffice department required
nat all foreign language newspapers
ust print sworn TRANSACTIONS in paral- c
j columns, the German edition was t
rather than permit the II
anslations to be published in English. a
July 90, 1917 the Leader says: g Crit a
S of the German government-Max t
arden for instance-have been al a
wed greater leeway than critic of the d
S. government in the United States i