The nonpartisan leader. [volume], March 29, 1920, Image 7

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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Red Cross to Rescue
Great Relief Organization Backs League
Congressman's Drouth Bill
Washington Bureau,
Montana has received official indorse
ment from the northern division of the
American Red Cross, with headquarters at Min
neapolis.
Congressman Sinclair's drouth relief bill, for
political reasons, was shoved to one side by house
leaders in favor of the Riddick bill, dealing pri
marily with Montana. At a recent meeting of the
rules committee Representative Sinclair was given
a hearing, however, when he urged amendments
to this bill so that it would be of some aid to North
and South Dakota as well. The committee, how
ever, cut the hearing short to listen to appeals
for aid for starving Armenia, Austria and Poland.
Starvation nearer home may be dealt with later.
Representative Sinclair presented the committee
the data secured by the Red Cross in a special sur
vey of western North Dakota.
"For four years," says the introductory para
graph, "the farmers of large areas in North Dakota
have failed to receive the harvest of their industry
because of a combination of continued drouths and
plagues of black rust and grasshoppers. The re
sult involves much acute suffering and little hope
for early improvement unless effective and speedy
aid is given."
A review of state, county and Red Cross aid since
1909 is given, showing that the legisla
ture of North Dakota in 1918 and 1919
took steps to enable the counties to aid
these farmers both through loans and
through extensions of loan periods, until
some of the counties are bonded to the
limit permitted in the constitution.
Twenty per cent of the 1,400 farmers
operating in Stark county are without
seed, feed or credit. Three hundred have
moved out on account of drouth. Fifteen
per cent of the horses and 10 per cent
of the cattle have died of starvation,
while over 25 per cent of the livestock
have been shipped to market at great
loss to the farmers. Of the seed bond
loans to farmers in 1918, 45 per cent
were not refunded, while of the loans
for 1919, 88 per cent were not refunded.
Of the total amount loaned in the two
years, 53.3 per cent has not been re
funded.
STATE AND COUNTIES
HAVE DONE THEIR PART
From Slope county 90 of the 900 farm*
ers have moved out while 500 are with
out seed, feed or credit. Ten per cent
of the taxes have been uncollectable for
the past two years. From Billings coun
ty one township reports li out of 31
famijifcs driven out by drouth during the
fall and- winter. Three hundred forty
five of the 450 farmers
are
without
Beed,
feed or credit Ten to 12 per cent of the
horses and cattle have been starved to
death* during the winter Eighty-foux
families have been assisted by the Red
Cross to the amount of $4,777. Farmers
lost 50 cents on the dollar on from 40
to 60 per cent of their cattle, as they
were compelled to ship for lack of feed.
"As I drove out into the country in the
first days of December," reports Miss
Lund, in charge of relief work, "I blinded
myself to the sight of the shivering
horses and cows that were pawing weak
ly for a tuft of grass. Even so, farmers
were giving stock first choice in the en
deavor to secure funds for feed, and the
family crept in a close second. Inva
riably the answer to my question is to
the feed on hand would be 'Russian
thistles.'
"One county agent expressed the com­
si*-* rr^-f :•-•.* -":'-?l5j?^^iy ^'i
Nonpartisan Leader.
HE long-pressed demand of Congress
men Baer and Sinclair of North Da
kota for federal relief for drouth
stricken farmers of the Dakotas and
I AM OUT OF WORK
AND V\fANT A JOB
CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE NATION'S CAPITAL
mon fear that there would not be enough horses
left in various counties this spring to till the
ground. The Red Cross has in some instances sav
ed families with small children from selling their
last milch cow.
"I have talked with men and women in all sta
tions and professions of life—the county officers,
business men, the country storekeeper, the district
school teacher and .the Red Cross workers. I have
stayed at the houses of farmers, slept under their
rafters and joined in their discussions over the
kitchen table and the one live issue of the day is
the question of feed and seed. 'We have struggled
along, last year and the year before that, in the
hope that a good year was coming, believing that
we could not go through with another one. Now
we know we have come to the end unless help
comes soon.'
"It is remarkable to note the plucky spirit of the
stricken farmers. They can put up a good fight,
even when weakening. 'We have one whole dollar
left for the winter,' wrote one mother to the Red
Cross. -My husband left the, farm to work in "the
mines, but he was not strong enough, and, now he
is in the hospital. The children cry for food. Their
underwear is made of sacks and they are cold.'
It was another story of debts beyond the limit. At
best, their life is often a heavy and sad one."
The report makes no attempt to argue whether
this region should be abandoned as farming coun
try it points out that there is present suffering
that must be relieved and losses minimized.
"Money or credit is needed immediately so that
stock can be put in shape for spring work," it de
clares, "so that seed may be obtained and distrib
uted. Such money or credit should be granted on
such liberal basis that those who have exhausted
commercial credit may be able to obtain benefit."
CALLING NAMES ISN'T ARGUING
I DO HOT AGREE. WITH YOU
MAJORITY SHOULD RULE!
YOURE BOLSHEVIK!
WE ARE QOidq TO KOL.D A
LABOR MEETING TONIGHT/
oh
MY I gAbLSHAVlKAMT
BULLSHEWEEK
WE ARE QOIN.G TO PE.TITIOM
TO RESTORE FREE. SPEE.CH.'
BOLSHEVISM!!
[W£ WANT TO ORQAMlZE LIKEI
THE BUSINESS MEM PO-'T
B0LD5HEW5T!
I BELIEVE IN THE NONPARTISANS
0OLSHE\/lKlSM!
—Drawn expressly for the Leader by Congressman John M. Baer.
The mortgage bankers, after reading this page, probably will call Red
/. Cross workers Bolsheviki.
PAGE SEVEN
Land Banks in Danger
Drive of Mortgage Bankers Threatens Fed
eral Farm Loan System
Washington Bureau,
Nonpartisan Leader.
ORD has gone forth from the farm
loan board here to the farm loan
banks throughout the country that no
more farm loans shall be approved
until the United States supreme court
has decided the suit brought to test
the constitutionality of the farm loan act itself and
the constitutionality of the clause in the act which
relieves from taxation the farm loan bonds and
bonds issued by joint stock land banks.
Since this virtually stops the machinery of the
farm loan bank system, the enemies of the rural
credit legislation have scored a point in their long
battle to prevent the federal government from in
terfering with the high interest rates charged by
the investment mortgage bankers.
Thousands of farmers in the drouth-stricken
area of western North Dakota and eastern Mon
tana, whose hope of planting a crop this spring
rested in their ability to get money from the farm
loan associations, will be left helpless. County
and state funds available for loans have been gen
erously dealt out in North Dakota, but there is a
limit even to these. The American Red Cross has
announced that it has appropriated $50,000 to re
lieve immediate suffering among the members of
families in the drouth area, but that federal and
state aid must be had to meet "what amounts to
a national catastrophe." In this emergency the
suit brought against the farm loan bonds, which
now prevents their sale and the making of new
loans, is a deadly blow at the farmers.
Inquiry at the office of the farm loan.
board brought forth this statement of
the case from J. B. Morman, assistant
secretary in charge of bond matters:
WHDLE FARM LOAN
SYSTEM ENDANGERED
"If the supreme court holds the act
unconstitutional, the whole system is
destroyed. If it holds only the tax-free
clause void, then it leaves the bonds,
bearing only 4% per cent and which can
not be sold below par, waiting in vain
for purchasers in a market where in
dustrial bonds pay 6 and 7 per cent.
As these 4% per cent bonds can not be
sold, no more money can be furnished
for new loans. While the government
has no direct knowledge that the attack
on the law is brought by the organized
investment mortgage bankers who have
for many years lobbied and fought
against every step toward helpful rural
credits, it is the opinion of farm loan
board officials that the Smith suit was
instigated by the Farm Mortgage Bank
ets' association at Chicago, and that they
are behind it now, with the motive of re
storing their own former control of the
farm loan business throughout the
country."
A statement of the farm loan bureau
shows that since the law went into oper
ation there have been approved for
North Dakota 9,916 loans, for a total
of $29,104,600, of which -5^38*7 loans for
a total of $20,688,600 were actually
closed to February 28, 1920. Minnesota
had 4,092 loans closed for $13,648,300.
In the case of North Dakota there were
withdrawn or cancelled 3,435 applications
covering $7,934,100, and in the case of
Minnesota 2,010 applications covering
$3,870,650. This left $481,900 of approved
loans still to be met by cash for North
Dakota, and $1,608,200 for Minnesota.
If the supreme court fails to uphold
the farm loan act in its entirety there
will be no more money until congress,
shall have passed a new law—which may
be delayed for a year. The case has al
ready been submitted to the supreme
court and has been under consideration
several weeks.