The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 23, 1915, Page 2

T e TWO “No other business can pay more than 6 per cent for money; How can farmers? They can’t. There may be a farmer here and there who can pay big interest and get out from under it, hut for the general run of farm- ers more than 6 per cent interest as a steady diet is fatal. Ten and twelve per cent can not run along with hog cholera, hail or a sick wife without disaster.”—L. J. Brcker, Immigration Agent of the Northern Paciflc railway, in a talk at the an- nual convention of the North Dako- ta State Federation of Commercial Clubs in Fargo last week. The ‘_I\fOI‘f:h Dakota farmer would hace had cause to swell out his chest a little and would have realized what a big man he is had he drop- ped into the sessions of the North Dakota Federation of Commercial Clubs in Fargo last weck. Incidentally the ears of some of North Dakota’s bankers must have tingled during those sessions. Bank- ers came .in for same pretty severe criticism. Not the least said, about them was the statement of C. C. Connelly of the Lake region, who de- clared they were the greatest men- ace in the state today to the farmer and to the development of those things which are a benefit to the farmer. Discusses Farm Labor and Immigra- tion. The meeting discuzsed principally the problem of farm labor and im- migration. The net result was the appointment of a committee to in- vestigate the labor matter and report recommendations to the executive committee. The investigating com- mittee consists of W. C. McFadden, secretary -of the North Dakota Bank- ers’ association, R. F. Flint, state THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Federated Commercial Clubs Hold Meeting Speakers Urge Help for Farmers and Roast Bankers ; and Land Agents. immigration and labor commissioner, W. E. Holbein, Minot; C. W. Graves, Grand Forks; and G. L. Price. The immigration matter was placed, in the hands of another committee, like- wise to report back to the executive committee. Everybody agreed something must be done to supply the farmers with labor when they need it during the ‘rush season, and everybody had a plan. Banker McFadden broached a scheme whereby bankers and com- mercial clubs in their several locali- ties would ascertain in advance the needs of the farmers for the harvest season. An effort would then be made through advertising in the farming communities of the middle west to interest farmers and farm- ers’ sons there to come to North Da- kota and work during the harvest season. This, said Mr. McFaddeu, would result in getting a high class of labor and at the same time bring reople to the state who would be- come interested in the land and its possibilities and who might decide to buy land and settle. Radical Reform Neceded. ‘Its all right to talk about getting the cooperation of the bankers in a plan like this,” said Theodore A. Koeffel of the Bismarck Commercial club, “but there will have to be some radical reform among bankers of North Dakota before they will drop petty jealousy and pull together for the farmer. To show you how the bankers ‘coorprate’ to help lard cwn- ers I will cite an instance which came to my personal attention. If a farmer or anybody else wants to sell land the banker asked to value it for the purchaser often enough will put a ridiculous value oon it, be- cause the owner doesn’t trade at his bank. In the case I speak of a bank- er, through petty spite, put a value of $1200 on a piece of land for which the purchaser afterwards was induc- ed to pay $2000, and the purchaser took $2400 in crops off the place the first year.” : The conscensus of opinion finally was that the committee should work out ‘a plan under “which the banks, commercial clubs, state labor com- missioner, federal employment = bu- rcaus, roilroads and farmers them- selves should cooperate. Connelly’s Hot Shot Mr. Connelly’s hot shot into the bankers’ camp came during the dis- cussion of immigration question. He declared, something would have to be done to suppress the real estate agent and banker before anything could be accomplished in this line. Their itching palms, he said, were responsibe for keeping settlers out. “Real estate egents have got to realize, and they will sooner or later, that they must not try to bleed the new settler. Banks are already real- izing that they must lower their in- terest. A bank up our way discover- ed it could loan money to responsible farmers at 8 per cent instead of712, and make more money through a big- ger loan business. And now that bank is arranging to put the interest at 7 per cen . Qther bankers claim- ed this bank would fail on such re- turns, but they have been disaproint- ed,” said Mr. Connelly. Northern Pacific Immigration agent Bricker, who denounced interest greater than 6 per cent as a burden the farmers as a whole could not stand, said the only successful im- migration propaganda, his road had found, was to send successful farm- ers from North Dakota into the mid- dle west, personally to talk with their old friends and acquaintances in those localities and interest them in the great northwest. John J. Bates of the immigration department of the Soo line paid a tribute to the farmer and incident- ally rapped the spirit displayed by some of the commercial clubs. Get Cart Before Horse. “Some of yuur clubs,” he said, “are after bigger populations for your cities and are bocsting for the cs- tablishment of factories. Let me tell you that you are getting the cart before the horse in your eampaign. The farmer is the man you want to boost, for he makes your cities; with- out him you would have no cities. Make conditions the best you can for the farmer; make those that are here prosperous and conditions such that others can come in and prosper. Then your cities will grow, and then there will be such a demand for factories that they cannot be kept from springing up.” The conventien clected the follow- ing officers before adjourning: J. P. Hardy, Fargo, president; C. W. Graves Grand Forks, first vice president; Frank Hyland, Devils Lake, second vice president; W. B. Holbein, Minot, third vice president; F. Turner, Bis- marck, fourth vice president; R. F. Flint, secretary-treasurer. .Nonpartisan Political League’s Official Program ; Every member of the Nonpartisan League has signed a program. This program contains _ five principle planks. It was believed that these planks represent, at least a few, of the things that the farmers of this state want. Not that this platform is iron clad and cannot be changed, varied or modified but that in a gen- eral way it covers some of the im- mediate demands of the North Dako- ta farmers. i The first plank in this program reads: State Terminal Elevators, Packing Houses, Steck Yards and Geld Storage plants.” Public Ownership Increasing. Every day in modern times sees an incrcase in the number of publicly owned utilities. Many municipalities have public water works, light plants gas plants and some ‘have publicly owned street railways. Ten years ago citizen; of Scattle Washington, paid 16 to 20 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, since . the establishment of the big munieci- ral plant they pay on an average of 3 cents per kilowatt hour. Milwaukee, Wis., owns its own wat- er works. The average rate per fam- ily per month is twenty-five cents. Racine and Superior, for example, in the same state, do not. The average rate per family in these latter cities is $1.25 per month. The difference is due to nublic ownership. Soite Notable Examples Pasadena, California owns its elec- tric plant. The people pay five cents per kilowatt hour while in Detroit, Mich., or Portland, Oregon the peo- ple pay nearly twice as much. The difference is due to pmblic owner- ship. The Kansas City Star, speaking of Kansas City, Kansas and other towns ~which have municipal ownership, re- cently had this to say: “Here is the city across the line By OTTO T. MONROE Article No. 1 6-cent rate, and for cooking at a 3-cent rate. Here is Topeka with a T-cent rate. Here is a little Garden City with a 7-cent rate. Here is Tola with a 4 cent rate. Here is Cleveland OLio, making its own electricity and selling it for 2 cents! And here is Kansas City with a 10-cent rate.” In Milwaukee the rate is 11 cents and the street railway company is asking for more. Cleveland, which has a municipal electric lighting plant is paying 2 cents. . These few examples show what could be done on a larger scale. There is no reason why the same would not be true of state and even national industries. Are Public Necessities, Tndeed, Louisiana has a pnblicly owned, terminal, located at New Or- leans, which cost over two million dollars and has a capacity of more that two million bales of cotton an- nually, which is now saving the farm- ers of that state 40 per cen on ship- ping and handling charges. s Terminal facilities, flour mills—like the great mills of Minneapolis—stock yards, like those of South St. Paul, Chicago, Kansas City, and Omaha, racking houses and cold storage rlants are great public necessities. Moreover they make vast fortunes fox tteir owners. Those vast fortunesare taken out of the pockets of the pro- ducers and the consumers. I£ those great public nece-sities were owned by the people, just the same as the rost office and the public roads and the schools, they could. be operated at cost and thus result in a great sav- ing to all and yet give the producer more for his products and reduce the cost of commodities to the consumer. " Why Not North Dakota? They are necessary in the process of handling and the mahufacture of nec- essities. They should not be operat ed for huge profits any more than the postoffice or the public roads are operatcd for profits. A lot of North Dakota farmers have come to the conclusion that if Fargo can operat a fire deparment at cost, if Milwaukee can operate its water works at cost, if Seattle.and Pasade- na .can operate their electric light plants at.cost, if Louisiana can oper- ate a two million dollar terminal at cost, and all at a saving ta the people of many millions of dollars annunally, then they see no reason why North Dakota, or any other state, could not orerate grain handling facilities, stock handling facilities and other public necessities at cost and also at a saving to the people. Burden Already Enough. The nzcessary cost of handling, milling, storing and shipping commo- dities is enough expense for the pro- ducer to be put to. But when there is added to ‘this, large profits, often on fictitious capital and fraquently augumented by virtue of combina-~ tions and monorpnlization, the cost be- comes unreasonable. This is an un- necessary burden wupon the people. It may as well be eliminated by the people owning and orerating these facilities at cost. ) Shall We stop Progressing? This, of course, is a departure from rast customs. But every day finds us departing from customs of the past. ‘We have departed from the custom of harvesting with a cradle, threshing with a flail and going to mill with an ox-cart. ‘When shall we stop departing? Whatever is profitable to the majori- getting electricity for lighting at a fI‘hese things are public necessities. ty of the people we should do. What- cver redounds to the bsst interest of the masses should be adopted. Certainly it would be better to have the majority of the people reasonably prosperous than to have a small ma- jority unduly rich and the majority extremely poor. : F If public owned grain handling and stock handling facilities will help, even a little, let’s have them. * * * CONTEST EDITOR BURIED = % * * TFor three days the contest ed- * #* itor has been buried alive—buri- * ed beneath the ‘plie of con- * # test letters that rouved in vncn % * him. He says that there are so * * many good letters that it will # % require the wicdom of a Solomon * * to decide the winners. He rays * # his only regret i3 that all can’t * #* be winners. t ¥ . He announces that the contest * * will be settled, the prizes sent * * by the middle of the week.. An- * nouncement of tte names and * * answers of the winners will ap- * * pear in next issue of the Leader. % # Watch for the next issue for tke = * winners in the big contest. * * *® N "Hew to the line. We are after better ‘markets. We want bstter laws. We want more monzy for what we raise. We are organizing to get them. One man cannot get these things so we are all going at it. All of us together can get them. Furthermore, we are not going to stopy until we DO get them. Any- thing or anybody failing to help is holding us back. Kick these latter obstacles out of the way and kee plugging: : Nine dollars ,foday c_.an mean nine hundred dollars tomorrow,