The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-09
KANSAS LEADER
OF NONP ARTISAN
LEAGUE DEFIANT
r.. l.. Cooper Says No One Can
Scare Him Out.
He's Not Skittish and Will Not
Drive Easily.
FARMERS ENTITLED To MORE
Organization Would Run COun-
try Thru Its Politicians.
Will Run Men for Office and
Finance Campaigns.
Organization Would Run COun.
FRY Thru Its Politicians.

"If they think they can scare me
out" said r. L. Cooper, organizer for
the Non-Partisan league in Kansas,
thisrmorning, ''let them hop to it 1
don't drive very easy and 1 don't
scare
Evidently. from this statement.
Cooper believes an effort is to be made
to make trouble for him. However,
until about two weeks ago, when the
State Journal published an article
about the league. even the elevator
boys in the New England building had
no knowledge of such an office in the
bililtiing-this in spite of the fact that
the league is reported as having had
offices in the building since some time
in July
III regard to the aims and purposes
OF the Non-Partisan league Cooper
statkd several significant things today.
"a slick reporter came to the office
the tOther day and represented himself
as q. young lawyer of this city interest
ed tn politics." Cooper is reported as
saying on one occasion, when a farmer
from the northwest part of the state
applied for information on the league,
''anH this reporter got away with some
of our literature on that pretense. We
have to be very careful about giving
out four literature for it is often mis-
UNDERSTOOD in the quarters of the prof
iteeks."
Propose TO Run Politics.
We propose to put men in office
that we, as the league, choose. We
expect to pay the expenses of their
campaigns, and to stand behind them
afteF they are in office, explained
Cooper this morning. These candi
dates for office will be responsible to
the No1Partisan league for election,
andfwill go into office pledged to fol-
low 1.-The orders of the farming Glass;
u ri Iaa ftIIfi
the promise of its name in carrying
out this program, Cooper did not say.
one instance in support of the
clain1s and aims Of the league was re-
lated by Cooper to support his theory
that government should be by the
farmer, for the farmer and of the
farmer was this:
At the time of the big parade in
NewgYork of the 30, 900 women of the
laboftng and working class, as a pro-
test Sagainst the IS "a bushel potato
pricess the purpose of the league was
was Shown thus says R. Cooper of
Fargo, N. ID. f"This parade was based
on the original price of approximately
farmers The remaining 81 represent
ed the gains of the profiteers."
Farmers Entitled to More
In driving home the point of his
taleEof this Sensational and revolu-
tionhry parade" Cooper declared:
The members Of the Non-partisan
league. feel that they 9th, farmers)
were entitled to better price than the
one dollar a bushel that they had re-
ceive cd"
When asked in reference to this if
the farmers '. Ell ( not feeling badly be-
cause they had failed to get a half
share at least of the five dollar price,
Cooper evaded tn by saying
1.-THE farmer, thru the Non-partisan
league, expects ~ eliminate the mid
dlerpan, who does not produce"
ITfthe interview 1,Ooper vehemently
repItdiated lack of p~+~@otism on be-
halfs,of the Non-partisan league, and
saidfthat the sole motive of the league
was ito make the profiteer and the
machine politician a thing of the
pasts Cooper refused to make a
statement in writing of any kind.