The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 4, 1915, Page 9

» THE NONPARTISAN LEADER —— i PAGE NINE g:n: can be done br means of the initiative, which we have in this ate. To do that it would be necessary that a petition, signed by 25 per cent of the voters, based on the last vote for governor, from half the Counties of the State, be presented to the Secretary of State six months before the next general elecion. This would place the amendment on the next general election ballot. In order to carry it must receive a majority of all the votes cast at that general election. In order to assure success of the farmers’ program at the next session of the Legislature some such amendment as this must be put ‘across. j : - WHAT THE LEAGUE WILL DO. OT a few editors, press agents and politicians have been try- N ing to tell the public what the Nonpartisan League is go- ing to do, how it is going to do it, when it is going to do it, and all about it. The Leader desires to once again repeat the warning that Leaguers must take all this so-called, “inside information” with plenty of salt. Don’t forget your rock salt; use it lavishly. Put this fact down in capital letters. The so-called “leaders of the League” are not the League. You faimers are the League. What you will do, how you will do it and when you will do it, the so-called “leaders” do not them- selves know. But whatever is done YOU will do it. The League is not owned by a few so-called “leaders.” The League is YOURS. : So far as the Leader knows the League has no pet schemes to put across: As the Leader understands matters the League will put across what the members of the League themselves decide they want. : So far as the Leader knows the League has no pet politicians, no “friends” to put in office. As the Leader understands the mat- ter the League—not its so-called “leaders”—will select the men who are to represent the farmers in office. Leaguers will not be herded intoany particular pen. They will go where THEY please. They will decide that themselves. Neit- her the Leader nor the so-called “leaders” of the League will have anything to say on that matter. Who are the “leaders”? In reality there are none. A few farmers decided to start the League. That few swell- ed to hundreds, those hundreds to thousands and those thousand to tens of thousands. - And all these are the “leaders” of the League. Those who have been active in forming the League simply wanted you farmers to get together. Now they are going to help you stick together. The Nonpartisan Leader is not going to “order you around.” It is simply going to teach you and educate you on all the best things to do and how to do them. : It will be the mission of the Leader to keep you informed on all the tricks and moves of the politicians, and on all the latest WHEN THE FARMER HAS HIS WHEAT ALL SouD, I'LL SIMPLY BACK OUT ON THE OTHER. END AND SEND IT UP e ST ) T it , N7 and most progressive moves of the wide-a-wake farniers of this and other nations. At present there are three things for you to do. Those three things are; sit tight, stick together and use plen- ty of salt. SOME COMFORT AND CONSOLATION. OR the comfort and- consolation of those who start a violent, F verbal eruption when anyboedy has the temerity to even suggest that North Dakota is pretty well mortaged, we take a dip into the Government census reports. According to that document, in 1910, there were 63,212 farms in North Dakota. ; Of that number 30,651 were free from mortages. Of that number 31,727 were mortgaged. " Of that number 834 were not reported. More than half of those reporting were mortaged. And remember that these figures include only up to 1910. Remember also that 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913 were good years for placing new and increasing old mortgages. The total amount of farm mortgaged indebtedness for the State at that time was $47,841,587. And the number above DOES NOT include the 10,664 farms operated by tenants. Lets take a look at some counties. Benson county had 859 mortgaged farms, 361 not mortgaged and 22 not reporting. : Bottineau county had 1,283 mortgaged farms, 612 not mort- gaged and 6 not reporting CASS COUNTY, in the prosperous Red- River Valley, had 745 mortgaged farms, 591 not mortgaged and 40 not reporting. Cavallier county stood 1,084 mortgaged, 452 not mortgaged and 22 not reporting. McLean stood 1,328 mortgaged, 887 not mortgaged and 7 not reporting. "Pembina, 812 mortgaged, 364 not mortgaged and 6 not re- porting Ramsey, 666 mortgaged, 252 not mortgaged and 12 not re- porting. " Renville, 815 mortgaged, 332 not mortgaged and 13 not re- porting. _ ‘Towner, 557 mortgaged, 144 not mortgaged and 23 not re- porting. Walsh, 1,008 mortgaged, 690 not mortgaged and 40 not re- porting. Taking the United States as a whole we find that in 1890 there were 875,052 farms mortgaged. In 1900 there were 1,093.- 164 mortgaged and in 1910 there were 1,312,034. The total number of unmortgaged farms were, 1890, 2,227« 969; in 1900, 2,419,180 and in 1910, 2,588,596. The percentage of farms mortgaged was 27.1 per cent. The percentage of farms motgaged was 27.1 per cent. The percentage of increase in ten years was 17.7 per cent. If the increase continues at that rate we will cetainly arrive somewhere within the next half a century. HOLD ME UP HERE , BOYS! STICK TOGETHER AND SHOW THEM YOU FARMERS CAN RUN THIS BOARD OF TR:’-\DE_‘.F A — BOO!HOO! THAT'S My( £ TEETER TOTTER!(§