The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-09-07
This Was Business.
Nonpartisans Gather.
Things Needed Now.
Party Lines Are Out.
Whence Come Reform:

Party Lines Are Out.
Whence Come Reforms.
1t has been more than twenty years
since this columnist attended a Non
partisan convention. Previous to that
time he had attended good many
and noted the enthusiasms, the strug-
giles and the serious effort to awaken
the sleeping voters to their duties as
citizens. At the beginning of these
conventions many of the delegates re-
minded one of the old Irish song
Father O'Fylnn" in which the padre
was represented as: "Coaxing the aisy
ones, helping the crazy ones and lift
in tn lazy ones on-wid a shtick!"
They were mostly farmers who had,
until then, left matters of government,
regarded as dirty politics." to the
benign care of the reigning political
machine. They were IMMERSED in
matters of political expediency or
strategy, but every man of them knew
be shown the way and what to do
to get it. Nobody thought of a state
owned bank, a state-owned flour mill,
state-owned workmen's compensa-
ton, state hail insurance or any of
the eleven original planks of their
platform as politics. No sir This
was bushes without any of the po-
lotical folderols and oratory of the
day.
Something of all this went through
the mind of this writer as he sat
with 700 others at the banquet in the
big ball room of the Radisson Hotel,
on August rs. This was
another nonpartisan convention. They
did not need to announce it. You
could tell by the way the crowd
cheered and aplpauded when some
speaker hit a homer. You could tell
it, too, by the realistic and matter-of-
fact program that was discussed.
Issues, created by parties for delud-
were demands for a certain course of
action which, if supported and pur-
sued, would help the average man or
it did not help the pol
ticians.
1t was in 1915 that A. c. Townley
with some farmer neighbors started
out with his strange non-political, non
partisan proposals. This writer has
seen the original-prnted with mime
,graph purple ink on flimsy paper
10 simply written that it sold itself
ind that the ''wayfaring man, though
| fool, could not err therein" In 1916
hose proposals swept the state and
elected farmer for governor and
lumber of state officers and the leg
stature. The Minneapolis convention
vas like the original nonpartisan or
ANIMATION of North Dakota 1t set
orth the things needed now to i'm
rove the condition of the common
eople, like reduced taxation, in
nore home building, enlarged medical
ABILITIES and enactment Of the Fair
employment Practices Act to curb
discrimination against religious and
acial minorities
The name of this movement is:
National Citizens Political Action
Committee" and Elmer Benson, form
r Minnesota governor, is out selling
to the people, aided by G.. B. Bald
in, a Virginia Democrat and former
cad of the FSA, who has a persua-
We way with him. They announce
lat the movement is nonpartisan be-
ause it does not concern itself with
olitical parties and invites men and
omen of all parties to join with it
nd do a bit of thinking as to the
lings that must be done for the peo-
e OF this nation In other words,
le old political party "hooey" is out
Id little bit of clear thinking is in.
In one particular the Minneapolis
invention was unlike those in North
akota. Its leaders and most of those
attendance were of the Farmer
abor Democratic party. In North
akota they were mostly Republicans,
it'll sprinkling of Democrats, as
ere wer sprinkling of Republicans
Minneapolis. Democrats in North
akota in that era were an almost
visible minority. Five loaves and
70 small fishes would have banqueted
EN- all! So it was as Republicans
at the nonpartisans put over their
ogram then. And watch-the non
rtisans that are now moving in
nnesota, labor organizations, farm
ops and Roosevelt Democrats, will
in there backing the candidate of
y political party that will accept the
inciples of the NCPAC, and elect
them in 1916. No political party
er gives reforms. The reforms for
man betterment must and do al
4ys come from the people them
ives. All that is needed is to arouse
en- to their needs