New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1920-02-11

] yarn to the effect that President Town
1 ley had decided that. the League Woulc
Endorse Congressman Keller for governor
! All these maneuvers Of the kept press
of course are very funny. The purpose
! is to get League members divided int
| factions concerning various candidates
:: before the League convention meets
which would make trouble in the con.
vehtion and prevent that unanimity O
action and solidarity which has always
! been the most striking characteristic
of the organized farmers movement
and which has been one Of the chic
causes Of its success. Another purpose
of this kept press dope is to lead League
members, if possible, to believe that
someone is picking candidates for them
without their having a voice in itt--that
it is all cut-and-dried affair.
Nov, the papers which are making
asses, of themselves by trotting out the
only real genuine League candidate
for governor every other day or SO and
naming A DIFFERENT MAN each
time, know very well, as every member
of the League knows, that the League
candidate has NOT been selected, or
even DISCUSSED, and will not be
selected or even discussed, UNTIL THE
LEAGUE STATE CONVENTION
MEETS:
"These papers know perfectly well
that League members are to meet Jan
uary % in their voting precincts, and
that the primary purpose of these pre-
cinct caucuses is to name farmer dele
gates to the county convention that
will indorse men as League candidates.
Because this matter of candidates is
entirely in the hands Of the farmers, the
Minnesota Leader has refrained from
proposing or discussing any candidates
and will continue to do so. Neither
the Leader nor any one connected with
the League staff will do or say anything
| to prevent the League candidates being
the open and free choice Of the farmers
themselves in convention assembled.
Section Of the League articles of asso-
citation states plainly that the members
reserve to themselves ALL POLITICAL
POWER" This means, among other
things, POWER TO INDORSE CANDI-
DATES.
Zone, would think that the kept press
would profit by its experience Of two
years ago. Before the 1913. League
state convention, the papers brought
forward supposed League gubernatorial
candidates by the wholesale, but none
of them proved to be the man named
by the convention. 1t will also be re-
membered that after the convention
the press alleged that the convention had
been 'rigged'- League leaders had
controlled it, and that the candidates,
who afterwards polled 100000 votes,
three times the League membership
in the state, were not the choice of the
near being the candidates, not only of
the League, but of the whole state!
The Leader, after the convention, pub
lished statements of EVERY FARMER
DELEGATE, giving the lie to the press
charge about alleged control of the
convention. The SAME CHARGE
WILL BE MADE AFTER THE
LEAGUE CONVENTION THIS
YEAR. .-. II =
The frantic efforts of the BroUm
County Journal, along with other pratt
ling mouthpieces of polluted politics
throughout the Northwest, to discredit
the Nonpartisan League and ridicule
those farmers, who are League members,
are sufficient to make laughing hyena
weep.
And when these very farmers dis
continue the papers that malign them,
a terrific wall Of boycott" is heard
The League farmers are supposed to
keep right on subscribing for and other
wise. supporting those newspapers. that
do not miss a single opportunity to cal
them Socialists, pro-Germans, un-Amer-
lean, Bolshevikis, I. w. w. sympathizers
land, other choice slanderous epithets
of similar import.
/ Also merchants who refuse to advertise
in these farmer-deriding papers, be-
cause they are in sympathy with the
| farmer and his views, are accused Of
'<boycotting the publishers and are
likewise called Germans, un-Ameri
can, etc., etc.
How long will the farmers and >mer:
( chants stand for this uncalled- for anc
wholly unwarranted abuse?
+ The Free Press cannot, join Franklin
! r. Ellsworth in his desperate firta-
! ton with Townleyis1n. This paper does
not believe in socialism and free love =
i and furthermore it will not lend it,
assistance to any movement that might
place the North Star state under the
4 baleful political domination Of mar
i like ToWnley Minnesota deserves IA