Nonpartisan League facts for kids

1919 cover of the League's newspaper, The Nonpartisan Leader, showing farmers and workers standing strong against big businesses.

The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a political party started in 1915 in North Dakota. It was founded by Arthur C. Townley, who used to organize for the Socialist Party of America. The NPL wanted to help small farmers and local businesses. They believed the state should control things like mills, grain elevators, and banks. This would help reduce the power of large companies and politicians from cities like Minneapolis and Chicago.

The NPL's mascot was a goat. It was famously called "The Goat that Can't be Got."

How the Nonpartisan League Began

By the 1910s, many people in North Dakota were interested in left-wing ideas. The Socialist Party of North Dakota was quite successful. They invited many speakers, including Eugene V. Debs, who spoke at a large anti-war event in 1915. By 1912, North Dakota had 175 Socialist politicians. Towns like Rugby and Hillsboro even elected Socialist mayors.

In 1914, Arthur C. Townley, a farmer from Beach, North Dakota, attended a meeting. After this, Townley and his friend Frank B. Wood created a plan to help farmers. They formed the Farmers Non-Party League Organization, which later became the Nonpartisan League. Townley traveled around the state in a car, signing up members for $6. Farmers liked his ideas and joined quickly. However, Townley was later removed from the Socialist Party because of how he operated.

The League grew a lot starting in 1915. At this time, small farmers in North Dakota felt like they were being taken advantage of by companies from other states. One writer said that North Dakota was like a "tributary province" of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Banks in Minnesota made loans, and Minnesota millers handled North Dakota's grain. Even Alexander McKenzie, a powerful politician in North Dakota, lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The NPL's Rise to Power in North Dakota

The Nonpartisan League suggested that North Dakota should create its own bank, warehouses, and factories. With strong support from the people, the League ran its candidates as Republican Party members in the 1916 elections. In the election for governor, a farmer named Lynn Frazier won with 79% of the votes. In 1917, John Miller Baer won a special election for the United States House of Representatives.

After the 1918 elections, the NPL gained full control of both parts of the state legislature. They then put many of their ideas into action. They created state-run farming businesses like the North Dakota Mill and Elevator and the Bank of North Dakota. They also started a state-owned railroad. The legislature also passed a statewide graduated income tax, which meant people with higher incomes paid a higher percentage in taxes. They also set up a state fund for hail insurance and a workers' compensation fund for employees. The NPL also created a Home Building Association to help people get loans to build houses.

During World War I, Townley called for "conscription of wealth," meaning that rich people should contribute more to the war effort. He and another leader, William Lemke, gained support from German-Americans who wanted the U.S. to stay out of the war. However, the NPL's early success didn't last long. After the war, prices for farm goods dropped, and a drought hit, causing a farming crisis.

Challenges and Decline of the NPL

Because of the economic problems, the new state-owned businesses faced financial difficulties. Private banks, who had lost their power in Bismarck, refused to help the NPL raise money. They said the state bank and elevator were "experiments" that might fail. Also, the NPL was new to governing, which led to some disagreements and accusations of corruption. Newspapers and business groups said the NPL was not good for the state's future.

In 1918, groups against the NPL formed the Independent Voters Association. In 1921, this group organized a special election to remove Governor Frazier from office. Frazier lost this election by a small amount, becoming the first U.S. state governor to be recalled. However, he was elected to the United States Senate a year later, serving until 1940.

The 1920s were tough for farmers, and the NPL's popularity went down. But the ideas that made it popular came back during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The NPL's William "Wild Bill" Langer was elected governor in 1932 and 1936. Langer was later elected to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1940 until he passed away in 1959.

By 1950, the NPL was divided into two groups: the Insurgents and the Old Guard. The Insurgents were more liberal and supported farmers' unions, organized labor, and the Democratic Party. They wanted the NPL to join with the North Dakota Democratic Party. The Old Guard was more conservative and wanted the NPL to stay with the Republican Party.

Over the next four years, the two groups grew further apart, and the Nonpartisan League eventually split. In 1956, the Nonpartisan League officially joined with the state Democratic Party. This created the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party. Many of the League's other members joined the North Dakota Republican Party. The new Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party put forward a single list of candidates for state offices. They also adopted a liberal platform that included raising the minimum wage and a graduated land tax. In May 1956, the Democratic Convention accepted the Nonpartisan League's candidates and ideas, fully uniting the two parties.

Even though the Democrats were still a smaller party in the state government, the number of Democrats in the state legislature grew a lot. Before the League joined the Democratic Party, there were only 5 Democrats out of 162 lawmakers in 1955. By 1957, this number grew to 28, and in 1959, it reached 67.

The NPL's Story in Other Media

• Northern Lights (1978) is a movie that shows what life was like in North Dakota in the early 1900s and how the NPL grew among immigrant farmers. The film won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980.

What the Nonpartisan League Left Behind

• The NPL started as a group within the Republican Party in 1915. By the 1950s, its members felt more connected to the Democratic Party. They then merged with the North Dakota Democratic Party. Because of this, the North Dakota branch of the Democratic Party is still known as the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party today.
• The Nonpartisan League created a strong foundation for public ownership and responsibility through institutions like the state bank. Studies suggest that publicly run institutions, such as the state bank, have helped North Dakota deal with tough economic times.
• The Bank of North Dakota was created to fix problems caused by large financial and business companies in the early 1900s. These powerful companies made it hard for small farms to get loans. One of the NPL's goals was to solve this problem by creating this bank. The Bank's role in reducing the impact of economic downturns is still seen as a benefit today. This mix of public and private banking helps balance things out and creates an economic safety net for North Dakota citizens.
• As of May 2021, both the North Dakota Mill and Elevator and the Bank of North Dakota are still operating. In 1932, the legislature made it illegal for large companies to own farmland.
• The Fred and Gladys Grady House and the Oliver and Gertrude Lundquist House, both in Bismarck, North Dakota, are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. They are examples of homes built with help from the Nonpartisan League's Home Building Association.