The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-02-14
As We See 1t
Tom O'FIaherty

by JUN
,olitical season in North
The JUS opened by the Nom
Daho. tan League convention IN
P Baiiimarck with bang: The The
BlsI .ors were out with their lame T7
farmers ,,re and woe unto the l. v.
tueE 1d So posing as Leaguers
A. u same within the range OF
thal 'a v;sion. Considering the
ther ,b.t # is assumed by many
G iao the the NOnpartisan League IS
ihat III the Bismarck convention
deau on NJ animated and showed
wa sHirit BY nominating a farm
u rigbt from the soil for gov
eIl'"' !!!!!!!
Tho two most interesting fea-
~ If the convention were. the
s ie of the Nye candidate for
oorernor and the resurrection of
r TOwnIey as political
a. ,ormv petreI. Senator Nye trOt-
~ ont an |. Y. A. gentleman
t,om Fargo, a "fellOw wit h
nancy" but by the time the far
NV Jolooates got thru with him
h had nothing left but his
u,uey. The manner in which he
Tss Inundated is told in our lead
,t0ry. TOwnley, the founder OF
no Nmpartistan League arrived
With a portfolio full of petitions
far the repeal of the North Da-
Iota prohibition enforcement law
and Judging by the number of
dpIegates that carried bundles of
Them away to their respective
munties. it does not seem that
ND.is as dry as the Sahara.
!!!!!!i
II would not be fair to the far
mers of North Dakota to refrain
from saying that the platform
adopted at the convention was
inadequate. There was a tenden-
CIV on the part of some of the
deIegates-chiefly the Nye fed
Gsl payrOlIers, or "pap-suckers"
as TOwnley calls them-tO go
easy on the |. V. A. Indeed there
was not a word of criticism of
Governor Schaffer in either pro-
gram or resolutions. The sena-
tOrial caucus believes in a united
front with everybody but appar-
emily the farmers don't, And it
looks as if the farmers are in a
fighting mood this year. The
leaders are apt to underestimate
THEN militancy.
!!!!!!!
The convention did not analyze
the economic situation or make
any attempt to get to the root of
the wave of economic depression
that has swept over the country,
and which is spreading despite
the neantatiOns of the sOrcerers
and medicine men of Big Bust
ness who were rallied by Hoover
10 inject doses of optimism into
the blood of the pOpulace. In
deed the program was SO mild
and meek that even the Fargo
Forum, oracle of the /. V. A
hailed the convention as a turn.
ing point in the history of NORTH
Dakota since the inception of thS
NOnpartistan League. That's
not 50 good.
anna
II there ever was a League
year" in North Dakota, this il
one The farmers are discomfort
q. The growth of the Farmers
Union, the biggest and most mill
nns cooperative in the North
vest shows that the masses II
he agricultural areas are get
ting on the warpath. The Farm
en Union membership is IS pc,
cent NOnpartistan and among it
leaders are most of the militan
nshters for the rights of the till
as Of the soil. 1t is the Onl
mas organization of farmer
mat seems to be making head
saS IN every respect. It is Orga
Tl1eo IN every county in Mort
SakOta, believe, with one excer
u0n' Its locals hold meeting
seSularly and it attaches niue
Importance to educational worl
\ : by all means the most i'm
Si!snl factor in the economic lii
I'm. me state on the side of til
r-NNoNtIS
O !!!lll!
sue by side with the deveIor
E Esn Of the cooperative activ
~ ~ q the farmers is a growth ,
~nucal Consciousness. Ther
,r as a healthy dissatisfactiO
~. 'ng q section Of the CONVEX
S a With the extreme moder,
Io1 manifested BY some Of Il
i,V r.rs, The younger eIemel
NJ O,sO a sharper tone towar,
vsn, dictionary l. v. A. Thl
~s,O O a program that won
r,m something. But the pr
.bSS a appeared to be the brail
fT ,u q ! the Nye payrOIIers. wi
%, Ha. II would be Just the thin
Fs,gna mayor 'I Lynner ran back
have . ana candidate Brant m,
Bauk." ;. assemble IS a few mo
ahSS : 50 that he may have som
% stand on. w
n. !l!!!Il
ns All SSOnpartistan League
Of Dra handicapped by the La,
The s press, With few except 10
weak a1d al League papers a
The LeaVUu.I ii Ia They are {
sphion 1 tSs N name only. In n
hkOta i % pest weekly in Nor
sditsd bV y I the e BOwbells Tribu
you'd NOT va" 1c..., the NOnpartista
Republican monkey on with either /