Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-05-01
.llNDBERCH RALLY
DREW BIG CROWD
Opening Meeting for Non-Parti,an
League Candidate. Filled Park
Auditorium to Limit.

League Candidates fuled Iark
Auditorium to Limit.
The opening gun of Ex-Congressman
Charles A. Lindbergh in his campaign
for the nomination for governor on
the Republican ticket at Willmar last
Thursday drew an enormous crowd Of
country people, including some from
all the neighboring counties. A half
hour before time to open meeting |
every seat in the court room of the |
courthouse was taken, and it was |
found necessary to adjourn to the |
park auditorium at the fairgrounds.
Many of those attending walked to
the grounds, forming procession !
which filled the sidewalks for several |
blocks. The seating capacity Of the |
auditorium proved insufficient and sew
eral hundred visitors were compelled
to stand during the meeting. The
crowd was estimated between 1900
and $500, one of the largest assem-
blages that has ever attended polit-
ical meeting at Willmar.
John Wicklund, candidate for re-
preventative presided at the meeting.
Albert E. Bowen was the first speaker,
dwelling upon the necessity for the
ordinary citizen to take more interest
in politics. One of the points he made
was the following:
The Non-Partisan League is a polit-
ical movement. This audience is COM
posed Of farmers. You farmers in the
years gone by have been advised to
stay out of politics-advised to stay
out of politics by gentlemen who are
very high in the business affairs of
this nation.
politics are not rotten by nature.
They are not rotten just because it is
politics. Did you ever see muddy
water? Do you know what makes it
get muddy? It is the DIRT in it.
The WATER is clean enough. That
is the way with politics. Politics
themselves. are clean enough, but
good many times the ROTTEN POLL
l,TICIANS get in: and the only way
you can have rotten politics in a ma
ton, the only way you can have rotten
politics in state, the only way you
can have rotten politics in county
or in municipality, is when the
majority of the people neglect to use
the political machinery Of the nation,
neglect to use the political machinery
of the state, the county or the city as
the case may be.
When the majority of the people
neglect to use that political machinery,
when they leave the control Of the pol
itical machinery in the hands of a
group of men, in the hands of little
clique of men, in the hands of politi-
clans and political bosses, then you
will have dirty politics-rotten poll
tics.
But if you can interest the majority
of the people in politics, in political
action by the use Of the ballot, if you
can have them interested in political
discussions, then you will not have
dirty politics.
Now when they are advising the
farmers to stay out Of politics-and
the Minneapolis Journal and Tribune
and the St. Paul Pioneer Press are
advising that to day; are trying to
) discourage political activity on your
part-l would like to ask those gent
lemen who ask you to keep out of
politics, a few questions.
l would like to point to the great
world war that is being waged today
for liberty and democracy for all the
people of the world. would like to
point to the fact that the United States
. is engaged in that war: and that dur.
ing the last year the United States
has spent NINE BILLIONS OF DOL
LARS in money-what for? Why to
maintain democracy to guarantee
the right Of democratic government
to all the people of all the world
. And during the last year also we have
. asked ten million young men OF
I America to offer their services when.
ever they are needed, to go across
: the seas; and we have asked those
!. young men to offer to LAY DOWN
| THEIR LIVES FOR? FOR
DEMocRACY7
And l am here to tell you this af.
ternoon, that If democracy is such a
l; sacred thing that we pour out our
treasures to preserve it, if democracy
is such sacred thing that we OFFER
OUR LIVES, and ask the best men
of this nation to SHED THEIR
: BLOOD to preserve democracy-I say
if democracy is SUCH sacred thing,
= then it is our sacred duty in the
United States of America to USE
that democracy, and to exercise our
franchise at the ballot box on election
!. day.
Mr.. Lindbergh was introduced and
? was received by the crowd with much
enthusiasm. His speech was inter.
rupted quite often with applause He
said in part:
AT this time war occupies the high
est place in our thoughts. We can
tolerate anything necessary to the
most efficient warfare against our mil
itary enemy" he said.
Give Every Support.
I'VE. must wage war as effectively as
possible. 1t requires our every sup
port; War Tax, Thrift Stamps, Lib
erty bonds, Red Cross aid and all the
other aid. But in order to keep in
creasing these as the war continues
we must study ways and means to
get the funds and materials.
There are few who want to run
the whole thing, except when it comes
to the financial and material support.
Then they say to us,-'Dig up We are
glad to dig up, but we know of no
reason why we can't carry on the
campaign as we'll as they. We are
willing to do our share of the direct
ing, as well as our share in supporting
Up To The People.
''War involves many important mat
tiers and it is up to the people them
selves to do this work. If they do not
do this themselves there will be 9TH
ers who will, and in that case it will
not be done in way to serve all the