Hazelton’s History

“… delving into local history to tell a story of how things were and what happened in the past.” –Pete Gesellchen

Editors Note: Please, let me introduce you to Cecile Long. She and her husband, Mark, have lived in Hazelton since 2015. She lived next door to Pete Gesellchen, and like the rest of the community, felt his loss deeply…she mentioned to me that his Hazelton History articles would surely be missed. I asked her if she’d like to try her hand at it. She is an author, a writer of plays and songs, so I knew she would do a fine job.

Cecile is well known throughtout the area, as the Longs owned the popular, That’s a Pizza and More restaurant, in Linton. The building was sold in 2023. Health issues followed, and Cecile is still recovering… but when I asked her to try her hand at taking over where Pete left off, she said she would be honored to give it a try. Here is her first article.

As you know we lost a dear friend this last September, Pete Gesellchen, passed away quiet unexpectedly. He left a big hole to fill in the newspaper office. I have been given the opportunity to fill that hole.

As I was going through some of the papers Pete left behind I came across an original article from a newspaper called THE FARMERS UNION HERALD. I found that it is a Hazelton newspaper of old. In looking over this paper I ran across a very interesting article that apparently has been revisited once before.

This article gives information about the year of 1892 and January of 1929. I found it interesting that in November of 1892 for the first time we voted for a President of the United States of America as a state and not a territory. In January of 1929 we swore in a new President of the United States as well.

Perhaps this was the reason Mr. D. Brandt of Hoople, N.D., asked for this article to be revisited. Either way it’s thought provoking to go back 133 years and see how far North Dakota has come since its beginning. And ponder on why Mr. D. Brandt asked to revisit the article from 1892.

This information was gleaned from THE FARMERS UNION HERALD January 1929

Back in Populist days about 1892, a secret circular was sent out by the National Bankers’ Association to its members. One of the bankers to whom this circular letter was sent let the “cat out of the bag” and gave the letter to an editor who printed it. Millions of copies of this letter were later distributed by the old Farmers’ Alliance. Recently one of our readers, Mr. D. Brandt of Hoople, N.D., sent us a copy of this old circular letter with the request that we publish it. Here it is as it appeared in June, 1892:
“We must proceed with caution and guard well every move made, for the lower orders of the people are already showing signs of restless commotions. Prudence will therefore dictate a policy of apparently yielding to the popular will until all our plans are so far consummated that we can declare our designs without fear of any organized resistance.

“The Farmers’ Alliance and the Knights of Labor organizations in the United State should be carefully watched by our trusted men, and we must take immediate steps to control these organizations or disrupt them at the coming Omaha convention, July 4. Our men must attend and direct the movements, or else there will be set on foot such antagonism to our designs as may require force to overcome. This at the present time would be premature. We are not yet ready for such a crisis. Capital must protect itself in every possible manner through combination and legislation. The courts must be called to our aid; debts must be collected; bonds and mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible.

“When through a process of law the common people have lost their homes, they will be more tractable and easily governed through the influence of the arm of government applied by a central power of imperial wealth under the control of leading financiers. A people without homes will not quarrel with rulers. History repeats itself in regular cycles. This truth is well known among our principal men now engaged in forming an imperialism of capitol to govern the world. While they are doing this, the people must be kept in a condition of political antagonism.

“The question of tariff reform must be urged to the organization known as Democrats, and the question of protection with reciprocity must be forced to view through the Republicans. By thus dividing the voters, we can get them to expend their energies in fighting over questions of no importance to us, except as teachers to lead the common herd.

“Thus, by discreet action, we can secure all that has been so generally planned and successfully accomplished.”