THE ORGANIZATION OF RURAL INTERESTS 567 



Keep this honest farmer in mind; see into what company he 

 is drawn when he rallies to the standard of the National Non- 

 partisan League. Hundreds of meetings called by that organ- 

 ization in Minnesota have been suppressed and the organiza- 

 tion has been barred from holding meetings in many counties 

 because the sheriffs and loyal citizens have become convinced 

 that such meetings, if permitted, would end in riot and blood- 

 shed. This is not at the dictation of "Big Business." These 

 meetings have been banned by the sheriffs and other peace officers 

 elected by the votes of farmers, by men who know their neigh- 

 bors and know where they stand on war questions. The meet- 

 ings have been banned because whenever one has been permitted, 

 it has served as a rallying center for professional pacifists, every 

 pro-German for miles around, for I. W. W. preachers of sabotage 

 and for Socialist spell-binders openly opposing the draft. These 

 same Socialists, who have been active in helping the League 

 leaders, have nominated for Governor of Minnesota a man who 

 has been convicted for obstructing the draft and a candidate 

 for State Senator who is under conviction for seditious utter- 

 ances, and they were nominated on a platform which demanded 

 the repeal of the draft act, endorsed the Russian Bolsheviki, ex- 

 pressed sympathy and support for the I. W. W. leaders under 

 indictment at Chicago, and demanded the immediate withdrawal 

 of our forces from France. 



F. COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION 

 HOW TO ORGANIZE A COMMUNITY 



E. L. MORGAN 



IT is impossible to set up any one particular way of organizing 

 a community and expect it to work in every detail in all parts 

 of the state. The thing needed is for the town to get clearly 



i Adapted from '-Mobilizing the Rural Community," The Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College, Extension Service, Extension Bulletin No. 23, Am- 

 Jierst, Sept., 1*18. 



