The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-05-20
N0N-PART|SAN
LEAGUE IS NOT
WANTED HERE
OFFER TO SEND LEAGUE ORGAN
IZER HERE TO WORK FOR RED
CROSS REJECTED
ASKED TO REMAIN AWAY
LOCAL ORGANIZER CALLED BE-
FORE COUNCIL OF DEFENSE
SATURDAY

A special meeting~of the executiv
committee and other resident mem
bers Of the defense council was he'll
Saturday evening for the purpose o
scCcsidering a tender of assistance il
the Red Cross drive made by the mol
partizan league. The council had be
fore it the following telegram:
F. W. Waters, field superintendent o
the nonpartizan league, will be avail
able to serve your county committee
as speaker exclusive of Red Cross
subject next Monday. If you can use
Mr. Waters services kindly wire us
collect Immediately so we can plan
his itinerary accordingly one organ
lied also at your service in county
who will report tomorrow.
Also Mr. Best, an organizer, who
was in the city and had rendered his
services in person to the chairman of
the council and to Mr.. Green, chairman
of the Red Cross drive. The result
of the meeting is set forth in the fol-
lowing letter which is being sent out
to all precinct captains:
Precinct Captain,
Defense Council
Dear Sir: The Red Cross drive
chairman received a telegram from the
nonpartizan league at Boise offering
the services of Mr.. Waters and Mr..
Best, organizers for the league to as
-sist in the Red Cross drive in this
county.
The drive chairman turned the mat
ter over to the council of defense for
attention. A meeting was held Satur-
day evening and Mr.. Best, who was in
the city and proposed to do organiza-
tion work for the league in the coun-
ty was called before the council and
the matter discussed in detail.
It was the unanimous opinion of the
council that if it accepted the tender
made it would be recognizing and ac-
-cepting the services of partizan and
political organization and would be
giving support and sanction thereto
It was the sense of the council that
the Red Cross and defense council
should not in anyway recognize or
use any political organization or mem
Der thereof as such, be it democratic,
republican, socialist or nonpartizan
league and especially not the latter
as much of that organization is looked
upon with great suspicion in our own
and other states, it's president and a
number of its workers being under in
.dictment for unpatriotic activities.
It was therefore unanimously voted
that the tender of the league be de-
clined. The question of the need or
demand of the farmers of Latah coun- I
ty for the services of the league was
q russed. From an examination of
Nr. Best it appeared that he had been
sent into the county by the officers of |
the league at Boise that he knew of no
request from the farmers Of this To-
caliy for the services of the league
that he had come into the county for
the purpose of organizing it for the
league and proposed to hold meetings
in the various school houses and to
solicit among the individual farmers.
1t appearing to the council that this
work was being done not at the solic-
itation of our own people, but at the
behest apparently of persons at dis
tant points in the state, if not without
The state and that inasmuch as there
was strong feeling in several parts of
The county against the league that for
The peace of the county that the
league be requested to refrain from
Organization work in the
county and the chairman was instruct {
I'd to inform the league of its wishes. {
rhe following telegram was sent: {
League of Idaho, {
Boise, Idaho. g
Can not use Waters, Best or any {
,ther representative of nonpartizan 1
eague or representative of any polit- \
cal organization for Red Cross or
ther war work.
We know of no demand of Latah b
ounty farmers for organizers of your d
CONTINUED on page two.) r