The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-02-07
NON-PARTISAN LEAGUE MEET
SATURDAY INTERESTING:
WELL ATTENDED
f. Waters OF the National League Made Address That
Pleased Hearers; Organizer Taylor Here
Secure Many Members

A well attended meeting of the Non
Partisan League was held in Odd
Fellows hall last Saturday afternoon
at which +. 2. Waters, districts sup
erlntendent of the League spoke. Mr..
Waters was introduced by Chas. Chase
who presided at the meeting After
outlining the plans methods and ac-
complishments of the organization in
North Dakota where the movement
! was started, Mr.. Waters read articles
from the local paper of Grangeville in
which the organization was attacked
and the loyalty Of the farmers of
Idaho county was brazenly questioned.
He then showed the loyalty and pat
riotism Of the Ihaho farmers by read
ing large number of names of farm
erS, most of whom were members of
the Non Partisan League, who had
sons already in the national service
III both the army and navy and some
of whom are now in the trenches in
France. The large gathering voiced
their approval of the condemnation Of
the libel on the farmers by applaud
ing Mr.. Waters when he spoke In de-
fense of the farmers of the country
and voiced their patriotic support of
the government by the giving of their
sons for defense of the nation in this
time of strife.
When introduced, Mr.. Waters stat
ed that he was going to talk to the
farmers there in farmer language as
that was the only language he knew
as he was down to the soil" farmer
himself. He stated that In order to
let everyone understand just the mis-
sion and purpose of the Non Partisan
League he would have to take them
back for a few years into history of
North Dakota. North Dakota, said
Mr. Waters,is a grain raising state,
producing as it big money crops, grain
For years the farmer there had been
selling their grain to the dealers who
were principally agents for the big
grain spectators in Minneapolis
They would take in their grain to the
market where It would be graded No
or 3 or and when this same grain
was received at the terminals it was
then No. l. This cost the farmers
millions of dollars in dishonest grades
every year. To change this the people
OF the state decided 10 build state ter
minal elevators and when the question
was submitted to the voters it carried
by 10 per cent The big business own
ed legislature of the state would not
provide the enabling act and decided
to submit the question again. The sec
ond carried by over Sc per cent.
While the people of the state voted for
the terminal elevators, it required an
act by the legislature to authorize the
actual construction work. A large
Il a1 1aua finn of thn CIR
went to the state capital to urge the
legislature to pass the enabling act
When they filed into the gallery of
the house, a lawyer really represent
ing the Minneapolis chambe- of com
arce, but who had been elected to the
legislature stated: / consider it an
insult for these farmers to come here
and try to brow beat this legislature.
They should leave this legislation to
Deople who know how and had better
20 home and slop their hogs"
Being unable TO get favorable con
'ideration from the legislature, stated
Mr. Waters, the farmers went home
md stopped their hogs but also de
.ided to organize to fight the grain
gamblers and big business which had
and control of the state leg
stature. At this juncture, A. G.
Townley, big wheat and flax grower
# western North Dakota. who, be-
-ause the spectators had knocked
he bottom out Of flax prices was
orced into bankruptcy after he had
aised large amount of flax and
'ould not sell it for enough to pay
or producing it, decided upon the plan
f the Non Partisan League for the ]
purpose Of getting all of the farmers I
egardIes Of politics and political party