The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 11, 1915, Page 4

PAGE FOUR THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Better Watch the Con Man’s Other H and By Charles Edward Russell N Chicago, when I was a newspaper man there, the great trick 1 of the con man and bunko-steerer was to meet unsophisti- cated visitors at the railroad station, and with a genial .welcome invite them: to “go down: to: the lake front and see where the great explosion was.” . The result of these excursions was always the same. The visit- or sooner or later found himself alone and without a cent in the big city. Now observe: In the way the grain business is conducted in this, country at present, grain manipulation is one of the. best occupations in the world. It is safe, involves no. risk, little investment, no labor, no: anxiety, and the returns are fat and certain. Look at the for- tunes the manipulators accumulate. Easy money. . " The farmer that raises the wheat has all the labor, all the| risk and all the ecare. The manipulator, who raises nothing more important to the world than his moustache, cops cff the profits. You couldn’t expect. men to. have a Good Thmg as good as this te give it up: without a struggle. ) Everyone can see that. 5 5 But the trouble is that the way the fortunate gentlemen. | fight to keep their good thing isn’t the way the most of us ex- pect them to fight. If they would come out into the open and say, “We have the Big Graft ad we're going to keep it, and any farmer that objects we’ll bat over the head and throw into the river,” every man in ‘because we are so warmly devoted to your welfare. Trust not _the evil men that urge you to do things for yourself. Trust only ‘the good kind: bankers and commission men: that are so fond of you.” Then when the Farmer accepts the invitation and goes out ‘arm in arm with his new: friend to see “where the explosion was on the lake front,” Manipulator reaches his other hand around #nd gets Farmer’s pocket book. To the successful playing of these games the Kgpt Press helps a lot. The smoothery; slickery way it gives advice to the ‘Farmer and keeps him in line for the con man would fool almost ‘anybody. But there is. now something else at work. The most insiduous and develish of the: devices of the manip- ulators is the notion skillfully spread, adroitly insinuated, a:nd quietly talked on:all sides that the farmers never can do anything for themeselves because farmers will never unite and act to- gether. Will they not? Well, when I was young I saw the farmers of Iowa: go to the polls and vote fike one man for their own inter- ests. I saw them sweep. the state and enact the best set of laws that any state had ever passed, and for a time we had something' 'like justice in Iowa. They were absolutely united. Well, you say, why didn’t they continue to rule the State? Good question. They didn’t, because afterward the con men came with profesions of friendship and all this bunk talk about interests in common led them down to the lake front to see where the explosion was. -4 condition of prosperity without re- North Dakota would know exactly what to do. | But that isn’t at all the way they fight. Their idea is always the “Come-into-my-parlor” takes the farmer off his guard. friends. us go arm in arm. game, which disarms suspicion and “Come, dear Farmer, let us be We have so many interests in common, you know. Let. You grow the wheat and let us handle it, In other words, made them believe that something else was of more importance to them than their own interests and defense. They will try that in North Dakota. They are trying it now. From a careful observation of the State and its people I don’t think the trick will work very well. on your guard against it. But you cannot be too much A Word to the Readers of Pearson’s Magazzne By Arthur W. Little in Pearson’s Magazine In the year 1912, and in Pearson’s Magazine for April, I addressed the readers of the magazine and told them something of the trials and tribulations. which had come. to mag- azine makers. The troubles were, as some of you may recollect, money troubles. I explained the several ways out of their difficulties which lay open to magazine.publihsers; and ventured upon a prophecy that, with two or three exceptions, the pub-- lishers of general inierest magazines would all have to tread their choice of those ways. The prophecy came: true. Glothed in New Dress After suggesting the ways open to the others (none of whiech appealed to the publishers of Pearsen’s), I pre- sented Peasen’s to the public. in its new phyzical form, =nd explained |: how, thanks to the economical fea- tures of the new makeup, I hoped to _Be: able to build the magazine up to lying for suport upon anybody but its readers, or uopn any revenues but the subscription money of its. readers. " ¢ I pledged the magazine to. public| service and to: truthful jouralism, in - the. interest of the basic ideals of; American. independnce. /% In response.to. my announcement. ¥ received: over six hundred letters. : . Some men proclainmed that Pear- son’s had published its last and: final number. - And some- men continued so to proclaim each month for many months after the current issue made its appearance, This issue is the forty-second number of this kind of a magazine. Predicted Disaster Some men wrote and warned me that, if Pearson’s persisted in its chosen editorial policy of outspoken- ness, I should.loze many of my friends: That particular form of suffering has to be endured but once. And some men (and women) wrote and offered their services to help 'along the enterprise. And to this kind of a magazine owes its existence. After Pearson’s made its bow in the present form it had a discourag- ing time for quite a long period. It lost money and it lost circulation. Many magazines lose money when | they gain cireulafion. About a year and: a quarter ago, however, Pear-| .son’s: stopped. losing c¢'reulation. Ap-|i pazently, it had found a fixed family, of readers who wanted a free spoken: 'magazine to endure—whether or not iit eould serve up pretty pictures in colors, of advertisemenis, in their .support.. | We put the newsstand sales upon a non-return basis. Make Great Gains We invited each subscriber to find: 'a new subscriber. it. Today, we've got better than fifty per cent more paid in advance 'And every copy on a news . stand, or chased at a prifit upon the cost of production. _—_—mmnmmm—m— RURAL CREDIT ISSUE|tom for a long time to come. Thel| : The question' of Tural credits is ex- peeted to prove an influential factor in next year’s politics, as is now ndi- cated: by the attention that subject is receiving from farmers” organiza- tions and bankers. : i ‘While the rates on farm loans are Jower than a few years ago; they have seemingly ‘reached about' their hot- class; the forty-second number of this|: A lot of them did: 'subscribers than we had a year ago..| subscribed’ for by te year, is pur- | The only money loss Pearson’s has to stand now; is a part of the editor- ial production expense. As the cir- culation grows larger the editorial ex- pense is divided over a greater num- ber of copies, and the loss sach month graws smaller. At the rate of progress. now.in view Pearson’s will have: arrived-at a: profit-earning basis befora ‘anather year passes. Forum o Advanced Thought As. we stand thus upon the thresh- old of success, I take occasion to re- 'peat my dedication—of whatever .power of the press may accrue to Pearson’s—to the plain people of the . United States, and their interests in the common. good as oppesed. ta the .interests of special privilege. It is the aim of Pearson’s to be a| forum of progressive ' thought; to publish. wholly truthfuyl reports of important matters concerning govern- ‘ment; to appreciate where possible, but to attack where necessary. We shall’ continue to’endeavor to. obtain | way toward true democracy. ' At this time it has @ppeared to-us| ‘that the two most impartant subjects ‘for free discussion' now open to the ‘ American' people have been the great subjects of WAR and of INDIS- TRIAL CO-OPERATION. __ Important Movement Préparedness and intelligent tfi;dér- standifig of these subjects may " one | day be the foundation of the: very ‘and publish interesting; thoughtful, iand constructive articles, blazing the | life of the republic. We urge all citizens to study, wherever opportun- ity is offered, the details of the pres- ent-day struggle of the Northwestern farmers, and the co-operative move- ment among them. "Pearson’s looks upon that move- ‘ment. as. one -of “the most important developments of the times. . We have been supporting the move- ment with appreciative editorial comment; and it is our purpose to continue to support the movement. Must Hang Together As Benjamin Franklin remarked, many. years ago, at the time of the revolt of the Colonies against the mother-country, = England—*If we don’t- all hang together. we may all hang separately!” Editor’s:-Noete—We copy the: fore- going from a statement by the 'publizher of Pearson’s which-appeared in the November ‘is- 'sue; that our readers may get a fair 'understanding - of that pubhca‘bxon ‘and' its mission. According to arrangements, the ‘Nonpartisan League will- furnish its beginning next month. About’ the 1ith of November you: should receive your: first copy of Pearson’s Maga- 'zine, ‘valuable articlé in it, dealing with the conditions now existing ‘in North ‘Dakota. This article is of especial interest to the North Dakota farm- er. Read it. iborrower on gilt-edge paper is: pay-~: ing 6. pe-cent all through . the older: :section of the -Middle -West. and: there: a. large loan is made at 514 per: eent, and so €ager are the in- ivesting companies and = brokers for :loans: that rgeords are scanned: for-ex- pirations. Rates ‘are not cut but pnv:leg,es- are extended and: the-size of the loan Here:|: is a determining factor. ‘representative firms are traveling ov- ‘er the West seéeking:loans, while:the farmer- is" convinced that- with rural much favor on the many projects pro- 'posed by politicians for: giving him this advantage. A meeting of a ‘com-| ‘mittee-represnting. all: states. west .of: eredit. legislation: he; caniget :money - at 3-or 4 per cent and-is-looking: with: the Missouri River is - to:beheld at|C Agents: of | Denver next month. to outline the West’s idea of rural. credit legislation :and.the: plan.will -probably: be. present— ed: to-Congress.. Magazine, members with-Pearson’s im' one year, You will find a very interésting and; Untll»thaew are: orgamzed the farm- ers of North Dakota have about as ‘mueh chance of- overcoming the ‘well - orgamzed money magnates asa band G