The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-04-08
NON-PART|SAN LEAGUE
FLAVORED SOC|AL|ST|C
Arthur Foster of North Dakota Tells
Morrow County Audiences OF Dan
ger In the Offing and of Conditions
In His Home State.

While Arthur Foster of Clyde
North Dakota, was not favored by
large audiences in Morrow county,
Owing to the severe bad weather con-
ditions, still those who were fortu-
nate enough to hear him we're given
some straight from the shoulder dope
on the inner workings Of the Nom
Partisan League.
Mr.. Foster spoke at lone on Fri
day afternoon and appeared at the
council chambers in Heppner the
same evening.
THE Farmers Non-P Partisan Poll
tical league is not a farmers organ
ization," declared Mr.. Foster. "The
farmers furnish the money, but vote
as they are told. The organization
is strongly favored with socialism, &"
continued Mr.. Foster. ut will take
fifty years to repair the =. damage
wrought by this sociaistic govern
ment in the state of North Dakota.
June |, of this year is the date set
for the entry of the Non-P Partisan
league in Oregon. Said Mr.. Foster
these people expand in the most Sc
cret, insidious manner. They do not
visit the towns, nor do they herald
their coming with publicity. Highly
trained organizers visit the farmers
In their own fields or at their homes.
In North Dakota they are known as
the Partisan league, in Wash
ington they are the Triple Alliance
and In Oregon their start was made
in the Land and Labor league.
Whatever the guise in which they
come, give them no money and write
them no checks, for money is their
power"
Mr.. Foster and one other man
were the only two farmers in an en-
tire township in North Dakota who
refused to come in on the Non-Parti
san deal. Mr.. Foster moved his fam
lily to Oregon in order that his chill
dren would not have to attend
schools controlled by the league.
League Began In 1913.
The Non-Partisan movement in
North Dakota had its beginning in
dissatisfaction among wheat growers
because of the dockage charged off
by terminal warehouses at st. Paul
and Duluth, according to the speaker.
This evil was being combatted by far
mers' organizations which built local
elevators when they conceived the
idea of having terminal elevator
built by the state of North Dakota,
In 1912 a bill passed the legislature
calling for such an enterprise, but,
because of a constitutional limitation
of $250,O00 upon the state debt, no
funds could be voted The Nom
Partisan league, organized about
1915, took up this state-owned ele-
vator together with many other
state-owned enterprises, as part of
its platform.
A. C. Townley, car of this organi-
cation, Mr.. Foster characterized as a
socialist of the first water and graf
ter who makes Get-Rich-Quick Wal
lingford look like pair of deuces
stacked against a royal flush.
Townleys associates include several
socialist and |. w. w. lawyers and
one lone farmer, in North Dakota.
Only the loyalty Of the state senate
in 1917 prevented the passage OF a
Non -Partisan-inspired act, known as
House Bill A, Mr.. Foster said This
act virtually enacted new state CON
stitution, one provision of which
would allow the state or any subdi-
vision thereof, county, town, town
ship, school district or precinct, to
90 in debt or bond itself In any am
cunt. All 1t needed to do was give
a first mortgage on the public utili-
ty erected and the state would guar
antee the bonds so issued.
Senate Saved State in 1917.
'If half of the senate had not held
over for two more years. thus leavins
the Non Partsans there in minor
ity, that act would have gone through
in 1917" Mr.. Foster declared.
When Congressman Helgesen, OF
North Dakota, died suddenly in 1917,
a special election was called by Gov
ernor Lynn Frazier, Non-Partisan,
to choose his successor. Both old
line parties, Mr.. Foster said, put up
the finest men in their district, yet
John Baer, a cartoonist on one of the
organizations So newspapers, was re-
turned to congress with larger vote
than the other two candidates com
bined "And yet in 1917, Baer de-
clared that 'Americanism is not an
issue in this campaign Mr., Fostei
declared.
Leaders Are Disloyal.
"The leaders of this outfit are no.
toriously disloyal," the speaker said,
"Tdwnley called the recent war rich
mans war and at Grand Forks they
made him eat his words Others of
their ilk have been convicted of dis
loyalty but were not punished be-
cause the governor, three justices OF
the state supreme court and most of
the other officials belong to his par
ty."
Farmers who have Joined the lea
que are not, like the leaders, disloyal,
Mr.. Foster explained. He showed byl
numerous examples that the farmersl
had little to say in the operation of
affairs, for, while they constitute the
bulk of the membership, they have
little representation. The party hasI
elected three congressman and one
senator since getting into power, yet