Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-05-19
Regarding Murray's Campaign


Geo. T. Murray, of North Dakota.
is travelling in his lecturing against the
Non-Partisan League, and has recent
ly been in Kandiyohi. He is telling
the farmers how it is all wrong for
them to organize politically-that is
undemocratic, he contends. How can
a democracy exist, we would like to
ask, if those who produce are left at
the mercy of small group who do
not produce? Democracy is something
more than the right to vote for men
selected by those who already govern.
OF course, Mr.. Murray and his kind
will object, for it is right here their
power is threatened thru the organic
ed workingmen and farmers who are
organized to get representation and
personally see to it that legislation
for their protection is passed.
Just organize "any old way" but not
politically 1t is "class government"
to unseat those who govern now and
in any way interfere with ''big bust
ness" Mr.. Murray would have US
petition for our rights, petition
rather than have equal rights. We
propose to make it unnecessary to
petition and have our petitions turned
down.
But the whole plan of his ''big bus
iness,' sound government, I. V. A. or
ganization is so raw that even the fool
need not be deceived. He denounces
the N. P. l.. for collecting money for
political purposes and then ends by
proposing that everybody join and
pay in money to the Sound Govern
ment-Big Biz Association. There
must also be other sources of revenue
for this work since in Minneapolis
there is a school run teaching men of
Murray's type how to fight he Non
Partisan League. 1t is all wrong for
the N. P. L. to use money for politi-
cal PURPOSES but just the thing for
any other group of citizens to do.
Inconsistency thou art jewell"
AS might be expected Murray is too
wise to openly support the reactionary
parties. But he always was a react
lonary and never was progressive. He
is hide bound Democrat Now if
socialism, as this speakers would have
you believe, is radicalism it is equal
ly true that the Democratic party is
the most reactionary party of today
1t is as faithful to Big Business today
as it was to slavery in the day of Lin
coin. It's only progress is to support
slavery in another form.
Mr.. Murray did not tell his audience
that he was connected with string
of papers in N. OAK, owned by Geo.
]. Smith. This will account for his
antipathy to the League papers. Smith
was a candidate against Frazier in
1916. In the primary election he was
so popular that he got 1881 votes
Frazier got 1926. John H. Frame
$3.50; Usher L. Burdick $780, Of
course we do not blame Mr.. Murray
for having crouch.
On the other hand, Usher L. Bur
dick who is a man of big calibre and
progressive Republican has never
fought the League and stands for the
Leagues progressive program. Bur
dick has honestly worked for the good
of the people, and would never be
found engaged in the sort -of work
Murray is.
1t is hard to believe that Murray is
honest when one reflects that his
whole proposition ends in an attempt
to get the farmers to desert their own
organization and then be- left at the
mercy of the old parties. The far
mers will hardly be fooled by desert
ing their own organization and being
left at the mercy of their enemies.
The trap is we'll calculated oneland
shrewd but the farmers have brains
and will use them.
Murray recognizes that his case is