The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-05-03
Prevented Nonpartisans From
Holding Their Session
JOHNSON DID NOT TALK
Organizers Had Been Busy In
County Gathering in the
Shekels
The Waterville Sentinel this week

The Waterville Sentinel this week
will publish the following story:
What promised to be an exciting
day for LeSueur county ended quite
peaceably at lie Sueur Center Satur-
day afternoon when the firm action OF
Sheriff Bolke prevented the Nonpar-
tisan league from holding mass
meeting on the court house square.
Several organizers for ToWnley's
.Kaiser's Aid society had been busy
in the county for two weeks previous
gathering the SIG membership fees
from people whose ideas of the duties
and ideals of American citizenship
are somewhat hazy and then the
apostles of class hatred and agitation
arranged what they Planned to be
big coup by spreading the word for
all their followers to advance on the
county seat enmasse on Saturday
afternoon. Blanket phone calls were
sent out over some of the farm lines
and the crafty organizers are reported
to have visited the country school
houses and written notices on the
blackboards which they had the
children copy and take home to their
parents announcing the meeting.
1.-The affair became known over the
county and the loyal citizens, proud
of the county's record in the Liberty
Loan campaign, did not relish having
a shadow cast on the loyalty and
patriotism of LIE Sueur county by per-
hitting meeting such as has been
banned from dozens of other loyal
counties in the state. Hundreds went
to the county seat to protest and the
sheriff, acting under his authority
to prevent a gathering which was
likely to cause riot, stopped the
meeting and prevented the speaker,
Magnus Johnson of Litchfield, from
addressing the crowd. In this the
sheriff was perfectly justified and al
though many threats were heard in
the crowd to defeat the sheriff at the
fall election, the loyal people of the
county will see to it that they do not
succeed.
''The writer was a spectator at the
doings and it was a painful revelation
to observe the number and class of
followers of the league who left their
work and journeyed from different
parts of the county to lend their
support and approval to an organiza-
ton which is under cloud as to it's
loyalty to the country at this time.
while the league now makes a
strong claim of pure loyalty it was
noticeable that about 80 per cent of
the followers present had the map of
Germany on their faces and this was
a most regrettable feature for the
reason that many of our excellent
citizens of German blood and descent
have felt aggrieved since the war
began because the loyalty of so many
of their people had been questioned
that they felt that all Germans were
suspected of being either disloyal or
at least open to suspicion. All sensi-
bic people know this to be unfounded
for many of the most loyal citizens of
the county are of German descent.
But now to see so many of this class
or people fiocking to meeting or an
organization that is not in the inter-
est of the great business of the
country to win the war, is a very
unfortunate thing for the people of
German origin in the county and is
no credit to them. This is due to the
detestable course of the Townley or
ganizers in quietly playing to this
class of people with their propa-
ganda.
THAT they do follow such course
is plain to any observer of their work.
II the German farmers were alive to
their own interests they would lose
no time in showing the road to those
organizers who visit them in new
Ford cars furnished by the Townley
league and attempt to separate them
from SIG of good money, 81 of which
goes into the pocket of the lazy
CRATER who catches the sucker and
the rest goes to the league fund to be
used in catching other suckers and
ultimately to secure control of the
state for the clique of socialist auto
Gratis who control the league and
would make of Minnesota another
Russia.
1T is an unfortunate phsycological
fact that there are many we'll mean
ing men who are so constituted ment-
ally that they never lose an opportun-
1ty OF making jackasseS of themselves
by falling for any fanatical propaganda
that comes along. Dozens of men in
the league crowd Saturday were the
same ones who were active in dis
rupting the peace and harmony of
the community during the wave of
religious bigotry and fanatacism a
few years ago; they are the same
ones whose lack of loyalty to their
own communities is manifested by
their penchant for patronizing the
mail order houses they are people
who are always suspicious of the hon
esty of the merchants of their home
towns but always easy prey for any
suave CRATER who comes along with
a message of discomfort or suspicion
of their country or fellowmen. They
are the ones whose sons do not en-
list and who move heaven and earth
to secure exemptions when their
boys are subject to draft; they want
other peoples sons to fight for them
while they pursue their graspine
money making course; they show NO
cheerfulness in paying to support the
boys at the front who are fighting for
them; some of them are the ones who
turn in Red, Cross cards refusing to
contribute or asking where the money
gees. These are plain statements but
this is day for plain talk and fear
less actions. This paper believes nc
man disloyal until he himself gives
evidence of his disloyalty and we
give full credit to all who are loyal
and do their duty as citizens but we