The nonpartisan leader. [volume], January 06, 1916, Image 7

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
TI
THE
O"
ORGANIZATION OF FARMERS IS RIGHT
HE Nonpartisan League has been criticised because they
charge a fee. Newspapers have scoffed at them because
they charged the voters for "telling them how to vote."
These criticisms have had no effect upon its members
or the farmers of the state. The farmers know that every other
trade and profession has a similar organization they know that
the bankers charge $25.00 a year, that the newspaper men pay
$3.00, that the hardware men and merchants, physicians and law
yers pay a large fee to maintain their organization. This money
is used to pay for a trade paper, to send lobbyists to the legisla
ture to influence legislation, etc. These trades and professions be
lieve that their organizations is a benefit to them, they know it.
The farmer has been the last man to organize and because of this
he has had nothing for him in the line of legislation except to
reduce his exemptions has been discriminated against, organized
against and his property has been divided among robbers. The
newspapers which oppose the Nonpartisan League want the
farmer to continue to run wild, so that they can get so much per
for telling the farmers through their papers just whom to vote
for. They know that with the N. P. Leader in the field that they
are going to be largely eliminated from politics unless they fall in
line. There is nothing but good in store for the farmers if they
stand by this League and help to run .it properly every farmer
in the state should be vitally interested in this League and from
what we have heard most of them are.—Ryder News.
1910 census is now five years old and becoming less
valuable every day. Some of the most valuable sub
jects covered in that census were unemployment,
marital conditions of persons engaged in gainful occupa
tions, countries of birth of foreign born gainful workers, age
distribution of. gainful workers by five or ten year periods and
class of workers—that is whether the worker was an employer,
an employe or was working on his own account.
When the. reports of these subjects-are tabulated and pub
lished we will then.be able to know how many fathers and how
many mothers there are in this country. We will also know
how many mothers
5&re
struggle to help support their families. We will know how many
people there are unemployed and also how many capitalists and
owners of industries there are as compared with wage workers.
We would also be able to learn why the average annual
death rate of babies in 134 out of every 1,000 in the congested
industrial centers, as against only 80 babies out of every thous
and in the choicest residential sections.
But five years have passed and these reports have not yet
been tabulated and published. The department reports that
funds for this purpose are lacking.
No funds were lacking to tabulate and publish the reports
on the manufacturing industries.
No funds are lacking for pork purposes.
No funds are lacking for battleships battleships, which
after ten years are ready for the junk heap.
Note who is running the country, if you want the answer
to this question.
WATCH THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
N another page of this issue the Leader presents an article
giving the substance of the new law creating a board of
HHISli regents to govern the eight principal educational institu
tions of the state and giving personnell and business of
the five men appointed on this board.
So far as the farmers of North Dakota are concerned the
vital work of this board will have to do with the future of the
State Agricultural college which is above all the educational in
stitution of the state in which the farmers have a keen and un
wavering interest.
In a state in which agriculture is the chief and only great
industry and where farmers pay nearly 80 per cent of the taxes,
it is unfortunate that no actual, bona fide farmer will have a voice
in the future of an institution so closely allied to the great busi
ness of agriculture. The farmers got the usual deal here—the
board consists of business and professional men, with the possible
exception of one member, who is classed as a "farmer and
banker."
Farmers of North Dakota should watch every move of this
business and professional men's board of regents, at least so far
as it concerns the fate of the agricultural college. There has
been no indication as yet that it is intended to develop other
educational institutions at the expense of this farmers' institution,
but it is within the power of the new regents under the program
outlined for them in the legislature's act to make or break the
college as an efficient asset to farmers and agriculture in this
state..
The Leader will report fully the acts of the regents concern
ing the college during the next few months, when important
matters are to be decided.
ATTENDING TO THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IT HAS ALL COME TO PASS
obliged to enter into the industrial
THE NONPARTISAN LEADER SEVKM
DR. LADD VS. CEf EAL PLUNDERERS
HE breakfast food companies are making anonymous at
tacks on State Food Commissioner E. F. Ladd because
USUI he has dared to tell the people what these socalled1
"health cereals" are composed of and the outrageous
prices charged for them, and there are subtle forces at work
to get Dr. Ladd removed from the agricultural college and as
food commissioner.
Well, when these opposition forces come into the daylight,
the farmers of this state will show them where they stand as
between Dr. Ladd and the cereal plunderers.
No wonder the breakfast food bunco game trembles for its
life, when Dr. Ladd shows up its lack of food values, worms and
weevils, short weight and the high cost.
The Dr. said: "Wheat at- a maximum price of $1.80 per
bushel is being retailed as a cereal food in package form to the
public at the rate of not less than $27 per bushel." And the
farmer got less than 80 cents per bushel for the wreat.
"Does it cost 1500 per cent* to transfer a bushel of wheat
into such a food as puffed wheat?" asks Dr.. Ladd, and then
the crooked cereal makers howl.
Let 'em howl, the farmers of North Dakota will take Dr
Ladd's word and stand by him.
Politicians are true—true to the fellow who pays their cam*
paign bills.
S^^~J EVERAL weekly papers thruout the state, which seem to
be endowed with more prejudice than demand for a fair
Siai deal, have made the accusation that the Nonpartisan
League is nothing more than the socialist party under
anew name.
Having absolutely no other way to attack the League they
resort to party prejudice. Being unable to produce logical argu
ments against the farmers' organization they resort to misrepre
sentation. Being opposed to the farmers', organization they try
by little partisan trickery to disrupt the organization and then
wail that "farmers can never stick together."
It is fitting to remark that we knew all this would happen.
We told you it would in the second issue of the Leader. Just
to refresh your memory we quote from the Leader of September
30, 1915, as follows:
"Hardly was the ink dry on the first issue of the Leader when
the papers of the state commenced their mud-slinging****We
knew this would happen. That is why we advised you to "sit
tight.***It (the gang) will set up scare-crows, bugaboos and
hobgoblins along the road side and try to frighten you.****It will
burst its gas-pipe throat trying to warble sweet music under your
window. It will mercilessly swing the party lash and ruthlessly
slam down the boss's big stick."
All this, and more, has come to pass. It hurts those who have
enjoyed some measure-of power over the farmers to feel that
power slipping from their grasp. It disturbs their slumbers to
know that they can no longer lead farmers around by their noses.
The Nonpartisan League does not.care what a man's past
party affiliations have been as long as he votes for the nonpartisan
candidates. There is not a politician in the state who would ob
ject to receiving a socialist vote. Why should the League object?
The mission qf the League is to unite the farmers of this
state—regardless of past party affiliations—into an organization
that will stand apart from every political party, every political
machine and free from every political boss and put men in office
who will legislate in the interest of the members of that organiza
tion. Why should we exclude-the members of one party any more
than any other party?
The interests of the farmers of this state are identical. Di
vided by party lines they get nowhere. United as farmers they
can get what they want. And therein is the cause of the
"holler."
The League is composed of ex-members of all politicial
parties and is therefore strictly .nonpartisan. It is only by such
nonpartisan organization that the farmers of this state can
save themselves from the defeat that comes from division into
parties.
CALL FARMERS RUBES AND SUCKERS
RACTICALLY half of the farmers of this state have been!
classified as "suckers" and "rubes". This classification
H£| has been made by alleged farm papers and others whici
boast' of their friendship for the farmer.
The reason for these slurring names is that the farmers of
this state showed enough independence and backbone to attend
to their own political interests instead of leaving it to these
"friends" of theirs.
Some of the small country papers, but by no means all of
them, took up the refrain and repeated the vile slander. And
yet these little country papers could not last over night if the
farmers did not subscribe to them.