The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 16, 1915, Page 6

i i § } } e R e S S CORRIEI, . - SIX THE NONPARTISAN LEADER THE NONPARTISAN LEADER PUBLISHED WEEKLY : Official Paper of the Farmers Nonpartisan Political League of N. Dak. 1 Entered as second-class matter Se ptember 3, 1915, at the post office at Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Advertising rates on application. q@; Subscriptions, one year, in advance, $1.60. Communications intended for the paper should be addressed to the Non- partisan Leader, Box 919, Fargo, N. Dak., and not to any individual. The Leader solicits advertisements of meritorious articles needed by Earmers. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly ad- vertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers wiil advise us promptly phould they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising columns. Discriminating advertisers recognize The Nonpartisan Leader as the best medium in the state of North Dakota through which to reach the wide- mwake and up-to-date farmers. THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. ROM the standpoint of “diction,” “phraseology” and hyphenology, the president’s message was a “master- piece.” [ From the standpoint of “preparedness” for war and on the expenditures of the people’s money it was a home run. On the matter of rural credits it did not get to first base. And finally, it knocked into a cocked hat all the fine “neutrality” which the president proclaimed a year ago. KEEP A WEATHER EYE OUT FOR JUDAS HEN a move is started that threatens the security and safety of the powers that prey, said powers oppose it tooth and nail. ; If they can, by lies, slanders, wit, sarcasm, ridicule, misrepresentation or inuendo, kill such move, well and good. If, however, all this fails, they suddenly face about, profess a profound change of heart and receive such move with open and welcome arms and while they fondly embrace it they gently but firmly slip the fatal dagger under its fifth rib, and tenderly lay it away amid maudlin tears, and solemnly announce, “That farmers simply cannot crganize.” o ‘E THE CAUSE—WHAT IS THE REMEDY? HE State Rural Credits Commission of California has { publicly announced ‘that ninety percent of the farm @ ventures of that State during the past five years have proven failures. It attributes the failures to “inflated land values, ignorance of local conditions, and lack of capital.” Land speculation, however, in California has not proven a failure. It was land pseculators who “inflated land values.” They reaped a rich and successful harvest. The State neglected to educate and inform the farmers as to local conditions. The legislators were, in all probability, too busy fiddling around with something about as silly as an anti- snuff law to give attention to vital and needed laws. The state was, perhaps, too busy helping “infant industries to get credit, to help the farmers obtain financial aid. The farm- er is supposed to scratch for himself. % When the farmer’s voice is heard by a legislator it will be when he gets in the legislature and hears his own voice. SHOULD BANKERS HOLD OFFICE? ERTAINLY they should. And so should lawyers, and businessmen and doctors. Well, then why the “holler?” : G The “holler* is to the “amount” of office they should hold. ; Bankers should hold offices just exa&ly in proportion to the number of bankers in the State. Certainly no more.. The same is true of lawyers, businessmen and doctors. Why should they have more political power than their just and equal proportion? For the same reason ‘that plumbers and peddlers should not have more than their equal proportion. There can be no just and valid objections to bankers hold- ing office. ; ) office. No interest can be justly and fairly represented in. office unless it has its equal proportion of representation. s That’s all we want. - : o : -~ _He who wants more is a hog. - SN Wh;ZII' this‘"wild éxcitement ‘about preparedness? By the time the European war is over, there is not a country involved that could lick Cass County. e e - burdened, downtrodden powder But there are valid objections to. thier monopolizing. on the bill of fare at Washington this winter. ‘the scrap heap and nothing for build ' in the world—s JUST GREEN GOODS. HERE used to be a famous cartoon that was entitled “The Opening of the Duck Season” and represented by ) fifty hunters armed with everything from horse pistols - to gatlings, all aiming at one poor duck then diving into the center of the pond. : It was son on the opening day of Congress.. All the politi- cal pot hunters were out to take’a shot and the thing they were aiming at was Rural Credits. : Of the 3257 bills introduced in the first two days of the ses- sion a disproportionate number were on this useful subject. . On feature almost all of them had in common. They, proposed in one way or another to keep up the grafting system by which the government advances the money to the bank and the bank fora fat rake off passes it along to the farmer. ; We suppose this means that somebody’s eagle eye has dis- covered that the farmers are growing weary of this arrangement and .therefore the political bank hastens to dig itself in. Once upon a time this was mighty good strategy. Give the people something that has the name of a Rural Credit system and really is the same old condition in another suit of clothes. But the great question nowis if these skillful tacticians are not too late. A lot of things have happened since the good old days of gold bricks and green goods, though to judge by their Congressional performances some of our Eminent Leaders haven’t yet learned of them. SOAKING THE PEOPLE AGAIN. HEY are going to “soak” you again. This to be an ad- | & ditional “soak” to the soaks already landed. Not only will they repeat the old “soaks” but they will add new ones. Secretary McAdoo, of the United States Treasury, has made his report, estimating the revenues required to run the govern- ment for the next year. He estimates that more than one hundred and twelve mil- lion dollars additional must be raised. He suggests a way to raise -that amount which he affirms will not be any “appreciable burden upon the American people.” He would not raise this by increasing the percentage of the income tax or the inheritance tax. The common people have very little incomes and their inheritances are negligible, hence the omission. At present single men with incomes of $3000 and married men with $4000 incomes are exempt from a tax on incomes. The new plan is to reduce this to $2000 for single men and $3000 for married men. : j The present tariff law provided that sugar will go on the free list May 1, 1916. Mr. McAdoo urges that the tax on sugar be retained—because poor people must use sugar, doncherknow. He suggests that the present emergéncy——stamp tax—Ilaw remain in force. _ As a special favor to the consumer he urges that a tax be levied on “gasoline. crdue and refined oils, horsepower of auto- _mobiles and othe: .ntérnal combustion engines and various other “articles not necessary to mention.” ; Farmers are beginning to use automobiles, the-efore soak ’em. They are beginning fo use gas driven tractors, sc s ak ‘em again. They use a lot of oils, and that’s another good place to hit ’em. ; : How thoughtful of Mr. McAdoo to spare the poor, over- makers, bomb makers, gun makers, battleship and armour plate makers. > How kind of him to exempt the speculator in war stocks and the gambler in grain. Not one thing that he suggests will “cause these poor, oppressed hard-working people a moment of distress or uneasiness. - ‘ - But if you can boast an income of $2000 or $3000 a year you’ll have to divvy.up. If you sport around:in a Ford, if you grind-feed or pump water with a gas engine or if you enjoy the luxury of a gas tractor, the tax collector will get your goat if you don’t watch out. : : , But, shucks. this will be no “appreciable burden on the American people.” ek ; ; S -McAdoo says so. . One hundred and twelve million dollars is nothing! z e LA SRR R Politics should be a science, = not a game that is i)layed by gamblers. = . : < If Big Business profits by. “going .in” : i EOns. ‘ to politics, why will fan\ners profit by “staying out” of politics? : ARR A It is reported that “pork” will occupy a prominent e - Congress wants to spéhd $363 000,000 to build warship’s for ‘, lding up the greatest indust [y o i 8 (A y i 2 % o g place -