THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



was, besides, the influence of the comfortable 

 doctrme, often preached, that certainly the 

 thing could never come here. Habit of mind 

 decides most issues in this world. For years 

 the minds of these men had been concentrated 

 on the one question whether North Dakota 

 was to be ruled from the Great Northern Rail- 

 road ofiice in St. Paul or by its own people. 

 Even after April, 1917, the idea that the 

 United States could be so involved in the 

 European contest that the local issue must 

 be subordinated to the national knocked at 

 first in vain at such minds. No American 

 troops would ever be needed on that battle- 

 front; nothing would be at stake more im- 

 portant than some American dollars; and, 

 meantime, how about the great principle for 

 which they had fought so long.^^ Was the 

 war raised to divert attention from that.^^ 



A covert but wide-spread propaganda was 

 carried on by the enemies of the Republic 

 through all the Western and Northwestern 

 states, insinuating and developing the idea 

 that the war was nothing but a rich man's 

 war, brought about to increase bonded in- 

 debtedness, favor the banks, and magnify 

 the dividends of corporations. Opposed to 

 this propaganda there was for months pra<;- 

 tically nothing on the side of the truth. The 

 German agents had the field to themselves. 

 This fact will probably never be compre- 



232 



