The Washington times., 1922-07-16

they had been able fully to con-
troll the Democratic primaries they
would not have organized a new
party or fused with the Repub-
licans to secure the victory their
fusion won In lS94-96.
WHERE "BLOC" ORIGINATED.
In North Dakota "the farm
bloc" may be said to have been
born because for years 1t has been
thrown solid for~the Partisan
League, and its membership 10
chiefly in the agricultural dis
tricts. The clash between town
and country has been and 10 still
acute. the dwelier In the small vii
lagos as in the city largely lining
up against the league. They seem
to instinctively feel that success
OF the farmer will take the sceptre
from the town. More-or less of
this sentiment OF antagonism
seems to be a condition easily pro-
duced wherever the farmer feels
called upon to organize q bloc"
to secure consideration.
HAD JUST GRIEVANCE.
North Dakota has suffered
severely. For five years the rust
and drought have cut off their
crops. The condition Of farmers
has been deplorable. Add to the
hard times produced by small
crops. they have had q just cause
to kick. ''They have been out
ragsously bled." said an anti-Non-
Partisan League man this morn.
ing. "They were outrageously
held up and in addition to being
compelled TO pay 10 per cent in
terest for money they had to pay
a bonus also. They were hooked,
too. In grading their wheat The
hard times and injustice struck
them SO hard they felt that they
must try to find way out. It was
in their desperation they. looked to
the Partisan League for life
preserver."
He did not believe II had done
them any good. On the contrary,
he said it had worked to their in
jury, the ring leader Of the league
had got rich and the farmers were
left with the bag to hold.
POLICIES A RELIGION.
But there is another side to the
picture. / met q farmer whose re-
ligion as the Non Partisan League.
He believes the report of league
leaders getting rich is a slander to
destroy the only hope Of the farmer.
THE policies Of the league when
carried out will end the robbery
long practiced in grading our wheat
and in making US pay usury when
We have to borrow money" he said
THE town bankers and traffickers
fattened upon us. We could not
help ourselves as we saw most Of
our earnings monopolized by the
middlemen. We adopted wise and
Just measures of banking ana ware
housing by the State government.
There was no flaw in the plans. In
fact, they were so sound they
scared the big bankers and the
little ones. too, and in and out of
North Dakota they united to de.
stroy the States new institutions.
They determined at any cost not to
give them a fair chance. Fortu-
nately for them the money scarcity
and the slump in farm prices came
at the time Of their propaganda
against the leagues new govern
mental agencies. In that distress
they invoked the recall, appealed to
prejudice and put Governor Frazier
out Of office In the middle of his
term. and but for an honest and
courageous Supreme Court they
would have completed the COM
plete ruin Of the splendid creations
for the public welfare. The court
alone prevented their partisan and
destructive plans"
CAUSED MCUMBER's DEFEAT.
asked the N. p. l. farmer what
caused the defeat Of McCumber and
the election Of Frazier. "It was
this way" he said. Frazier was
the N. P. L. governor and the best
governor North Dakota ever had.
No. I will not except John Burke.
though he was a good governor and
an honest one. Frazier had vision
and was constructive. He had or.
ganized a great banking and ware,
house system to take the farmer
out of the clutches of men who
made them pay 10 per cent interest
aad bonus for money and cheated
in the wheat grading. His policies
took big profits from traders and
bankers. They set UP q hue Ind
cry that Frazier was running the
State. The only folks Frazier was
running was the profiteers. But that