The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 23, 1915, Page 7

ha T _l;;i..u_*am;.nu.___;.;.__.;,____m_.m,flg___fi%nMA--,..“__.q‘._ s T e e S T Ziap e ———— TR THE NONPARTISAN LEADER SEVEN R. F. Flint was elected Secretary-Treasury of the organization of Federated Commercial Clubs. Not that we have aught against Mr. Flint, personally or otherwise, but because of his official position on the state board of immigration. Mr. Flint is Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor of North Dakota. Just-how he is going to serve, impartially, the people as a pub- lic official and at the same time serve efficiently the Federated Commercial Clubs of the State is beyond our comprehension. What about it, Mr. Flint? SAYS IT°S NOT NONPARTISAN | HE Farman Independent News accuses the Nonpartisan League of not “playing fair”. The objections raised are that the League movement “looks like an attempt to-wreck the republican party”, that it will bring about “class legislation” and that it is an attempt to “kill off Gov- ernor Hanna.” Our brother alleges that such conduct is very unbecoming a “nonpartisan” and looks “like partisanship of the worst kind”. Now, the Nonpartisan Leader has attacked Governor Hanna but very little. It has not attacked him as a republican at all. It has attacked him occasionally, only as the head of a very bi-partisan, bi-classed administration. Just how our critic found out that Leaguers will register as republicans we do not know. No such announcements have been made from this office. Such “information” must have or- iginated in the “guessing contest” in which a number of our brother knights of the quill have been participating. We are not after the republican party any more than any other party. Our chief objection to it is that is has never done anything for the farmers of North Dakota—except to help keep them divided. As farmers we are under no obligations to it, This little jab of our Sargent County brother looks like an effort to keep the farmers divided by a gentle crack of the party whip. It looks like an effort to keep them from getting together as farmers, that they may wield a political power sufficient to get a respectful hearing in Bismarck, by keeping them divided by party lines. : If uniting the farmers will disturb the politicians of the republican party we are very sorry but can’t help it just now. There is nothing that can save them now, for the farmers of this state are going get together and they are going to stick. . As to the fear of class legislation we only remark that it would be real interésting to witness some legislation that is more bi-classed than the brand put out by the last session of the Legislature of this state. . ‘A MERRY CHRISTMAS E thousands of newspapers and magazines of the coun- try will spread the shop-early-while-prices-are-high Christmas spirit abroad. The Leader feels that that job will be well attended to and therefore it turns its attention to other things.” Well, don’t you wish us a ‘Merry Christmas?” Most assuredly we do. But wishes don't build elevators nor break the grip of the gang that gouges. There can be some mefriness and some happiness, it is true, with things just as they are. But there could be more merri- - ness and happiness if things were different. There would have been a very great lot of merriness.in - North Dakota if the- farmers of this state had gotten about one dollar and a quarter for their wheat. There would have been a lot more happiness - in this state if freight rates had not been so high, if interest had not been more than half as high and if there had been a sane and fair system of dockage and grading. Such conditions would have brought more merriness and happiness into North Dakota than all the “good wishes” in ‘the world. Such conditions would have fllled more stockings with useful presents and hearts with glowing cheer than all: the Christmas Greetings that will ring thruout the land. That’s the reason why, at the risk of being called & pessi- mist and a grouch, we leave the “Merry Christmas” chorus to sing their own: song, and continue the prosaic task of trying to spread abroad substantial ideas and progressive thots. We' are not a grouchy old Schrooge like Dickens tells us about. We are not a hopeless pessimist nor a chronic knocker, even though we do see beneath the varnish and the sham. But we do know that the thing that will bring real merriness and permanent happiness is fair and square justice. ] Simply saying, “Mer-ry Christ-mas” in a cherry tone does not always bring the cheer that is needed. As much as we, professedly, detest the sordid material things of life, we must confess that it-is they which form the foundation for merri- ness and happiness. : The shining gold, clinking silver and rustling bills' are what puts the spring in the heel, the stiffness in the upper lipv and the ramrod in the backbone. A man who is “broke” goes down the street like a whipped cur. The man with a large, fat roll in his flank goes down the street like a god. ; b ; The man who comes home Christmas Eve with arm loadsA of valuable presents for Ma ai.l the kiddies feels like a master with the world to his back. The man who comes home with empty pockets feels like a soulless rag. Throttle special privilege and strangle combination and every man can share in the great prosperity of the land. Give every man the chance he is entitled to and he will provide hime self and his loved ones with the things that make for merriness and happiness. . But it’s the spirit that counts, you say. Very well, then, it’'s the WHEREWITHAL that gener- ates the spirit. Give a man the substantial backing of a good bank account and the ‘spirit’ of Christmas will rest upon him like a halo of light. REAL NEWS FOR FARMERS SUPPRESSED B T is not the purpose of the Leader to antagonize our hOP newspaper contempories, as such, but as occasion pre« {&58)] sents we are pointing out to the farmers of this state that they can depend only on their own paper, pub- lished in the interest of their own cause, for real news concern- ing the farmer and his situation as a producer of the necessi- ties of life. We do not charge that news is deliberately falsified at all times, rather the sins of omission are greater than those of commission, that is, real news which may give the farmer aid to better life is suppressed. A real case in point occurred in Fargo this last week. The state commercial clubs were in session and immigra« tion and farm labor were the especial subjects under discussion. The big news features of the meeting were the stateraents of Messrs. Bricker, Bates and Connolly in relation to these sub- jects. Some of their statements were strongly in favor of relief to the farmer and against some of the interests which the daily newspapers generally like to pander to, especially the bankers, and none of these statements found their way into the reports of the meetings in any of the Fargo papers, nor into any of the daily papers of the state which had reports of the meeting. The Leader is the only paper in the state which gives these state- ments and this real news to the farmer. To prove this we give the Every word the Fargo Forum had to say of the speeches of Mr. Bates and Mr. Bricker was the following: “The railroad side of the matter was presented by John G. Bates, as- sistant immigration agent of the Soo line, and L. J. Bricker, immigration agent of the Northern Pacific rail- road.” Every word the Fargo Courier- News had to say of these two talks and that of Mr. Connolly of Devils Lake was the following: “In the afternoon L. J. Bricker, immigration agent of the Northern Pacific, told of the efforts of his road to induce settlers to come to North Dakota, and stated that he was always ready at all times to help the cause along. He was followed by J. J. Bates of the immigration de- partment of the Soo line, who spoke along the same line. C. C. Connolly spoke at some length on the lake re- gion: plan, and gave a very stirring address”. . deadly parallel as follows: Elsewhere in this issue the Non- partisan Leader has its own report of this meeting ahd quotes these gen- tlemen in part as follows: “For the general run of farmers more than 6 per cent interest is fa- tal. Ten and 12 per cent can not run along with hog cholera, hail or a sick wife without disaster,” said Mr. Bricker. “Some of your clubs”, said Mr. Bates, “are after bigger populations for your cities and are boosting for the establishment of factories. Let me tell you that you are getting the cart before the horse. The farmer is the man you want to boost, for ke makes your cities. Make conditions the best you can for the farmer.... ..then your cities will grow, and then there will be such a demand, for fac- tories that they can not be kept from springing up”. After declaring banks the worst menace to the farmer, Mr. Connolly spoke as follows: “Real estate agents have got to realize, and' they will sooner or later, that they must rot try to bleed the new settler. Banks already are real- -izing that. they must lower their in-_ ‘ terest. A bank up our way discover- ed it could loan money to responsi- ble farmers at 8 per cent instead of 12, and make money through a bigger loan business. And now that bank is arranging to put the interest at 7 per cent. Othar bankers claimed this bank would fail on such returns, but they -have been disappointed”. Now Mr. Farmer, which paper is printing the news for you and looking after your interest? Are we justified in occasionally reminding our readers that the farmers of the: state do not get a square deal from many of the newspapers. Hereafter the Leader will have its own special correspond- ent at all such gatherings and we will give the real news to the people of this state, and before long our readers and the other newspapers of the state will be brought to the realization that there is a large portion of suppressed news lying around in North Dakota. So watch the Leader. It is one thing to have a farmers’ organization organize&. and run by farmers and quite a different thing to have a farmers” organization organized and run by “friends” of farmers. Wonder what kind of a fit the bankers would have if farm« ers undertook to tell them how to organize. In a . few years from now we confidentially expect to have a : merry Christmas and a delightfully happy New Year. - { \‘ o