The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-06-13

A league meeting was advertised to
be held in Valley City last Friday
at 8 D. m. to be addressed by Con-
gresham J. NJ. Baer. There has been
considerable agitation, around the
state as to the advisability of allow
ing the league to hold meetings in var
ious cities and towns Of the state on
account of so many socialist organic
ers and speakers being under arrest
for sedition and some Of them con-
victed. This has aroused the patrio-
tic feelings of the people Of this city
and petition has been circulated
asking the authorities to forbid this
meeting being held in any public
building of the city. The governor of
the state has been going around max
ing speeches with men who have been
indicted for reasonable utterances
and has said by his action that he ap-
proves this method. The loyal people
of the state are saying that they do
not intend to stand for that sort of
business. We are at war, and very
much at war, and every month the
farmers and business men Of Barnes
county are sending their sons to the
army to fight for the freedom and
democracy of the world while these
league speakers are going around
Haunting their socialism and I. w.
WIS brazenly and openly and then are
asking the people to stand for it. This
is the situation in nutshell. Now
as to our attitude in this matter of al
lowing speakers to speak in Valley
City or anywhere else. Congressman
Baer is billed to speak here. He has
done and said nothing so far that
should cause him to be barred from
speaking-although he is travelling in
a class that has been sowing seeds of
dissention, class hatred and who have
previously opposed the governments
war plans and conscr;ption plans.
That they are now camoufiaging by
opening their meetings with a Red
Cross subscription stunt is nothing
more or less than blind. because they
do not believe in that kind of work
and are only doing it under pressure
of public opinion. There are times
where citizenship is judged by mans
own personal actions under no re-
straint. If he is loyal in times of
peace he is more loyal in times of
war-especially just war such as is
the case in the great worlds drama
in which we are now taking very
serious and active part-that has not
been the record of the leaders of the
non-partisan league in this state or
in Minnesota. :. Townleyhas called the
farmers lot Of damned hogs from
the public platform time and time
again and he has told them it is none
of their damned business where their
money is spent. Other socialists of
this organization have repeatedly
stood up in public places and told the
people this is war brought on by
profteers to extract money out of the
people and that the whole war is one
big graft or words to that effect.
While they are telling this the farm
er's boy, the business mans boy, is
going over to give, if need be, his
life to fight. for the greatest cause of
humanity and freedom that has ever
been or will be written on the pages
of the worlds history Do the league
leaders think the people of Valley
City or Barnes county take a wrong
stanA when they do not want men who
represent these anti-American senti-
ments to speak in the city tomorrow ?
We do not think so. This is no time
for reflection or sentiment but it is a
time for all loyal citizens to crush
under foot every bit of sedition and
sentiment that is building up a great
German propaganda in this state and
nation. "By your works we shall be
known" is only too true, and there is
another saying that the company a
man keeps must have some impress
sion upon that man. Mr.. Baer is a
Ekable man, but he is in decidedly bad
company and that must have some i'm
preston upon him. Personally the
editor would just as soon let him talk
as not, so long as no other man is al
lowed on the platform or to speak who
has been indicted for sedition. We do
not believe in muzzling free speech
so long as that speech is confined to
topics of interest to the farmers and
does not in any way criticise the gov
ernment's policy in the conduct of the
war. Tie point is that so many Of the
league speakers have promised these
things but have stopped over and you
cannot blame loyal people from being
suspicious.