The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 13, 1916, Page 6

a5 B e — o ST AR AR S S A SR A S S0 | | s e e Sl e o & i i i ....... THE NONPARTISAN LEADER | PUBLISHED WEEKLY thcial Paper of the Farmers. Nonpartisan Political League of N. Dak. e e sl e e ey R R D e e Entered as second-class matter September 3, 1916, at the post office at !’argo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879, D. C. Coates, - - - - - - = 2 Managing Editor Advertising rates on application. T Subscriptions, one year, in advance, $1.60. Communications intended for the paper should be addressed tothe Non- partisan Leader, Box 919, Fargo, N. Dak., and not to any individual E e S S B U S D T U S NP e I S SR A i PR P L The Leader solicits advertisements of meritorious articles needed My ¥armers. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly ad- wertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should 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, ~ WHENEVER the farmers want to build an elevator, ware- ‘house or other shipping depot on railroad right-of-way and the ‘railroads refuse to allow them to do it, please let the Leader know and we will see that a good, legal reason is: given by the railroad company in denying the request. So don’t let the rail- roads bluff you in such matters in the future. TO STATE Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor Robert Flint: Are you going to remain as secretary of the State Fed- eration of Commercial Clubs while serving as a public official? Isn’t it about time you were resigning one position or the other? How can you serve the commercial clubs of the state, run for private gain on the part of certain business interests. and serve - the state as a whole at the same time? And what do you think of the judgement of a public official who would try to fill a public office and a private one, which may run contrary to each other? WE PUBLISH in this issue a most interesting and instruc- tive article on the financial difficulties which the farmers meet- from the pen of Attorney Horace Bagley of Towner. Mr. Bagley is very familiar with the conditions in McHenry county and when he shows that the farmers in that county of North Dakota are bearing a debt burden of $7,000,000 and paying in- terest of 8 and 10 per cent, it is startling, indeed, and should wake the farmers to the fact that they must change such con- ditions by seeing that laws are passed to enable them to get credit on a proper and just basis. Read the article and then ponder over the necessity for the Farmers Nonpartisan League to help solve these problems. WE CONGRATULATE, the Fargo Forum on discovering that “the Farmers Nonpartisan League is not making demands that are unusually drastic,” and we further quote from that paper approvmg the movement: “This movement in North Dakota will be a success only if the farmers bar outsiders. Make it an organization-of farmers- by * farmers for farmers and stick to that proposition ‘till the cows some home. L “The league advocates better marketing faclhtles “in North Dakota. It wants terminal elevators in this state and a North' Dakota meat packing establishment, both run on a co-operative basis. The league proposes to elect men who will work for the in- terests of the farmers as a class. “The big bulk of the people of North Dakota are farmers, No - person will deny them the right to organize .to protect their own interests and if they can really get organized in an effective manner and can put through a program of constructive legisla- tion that will better their conditions and make them more pros- perous, it will be the biggest thing that -could happen for the welfare of the whole ‘state of North Dakota s ‘SOME - OF OUR ' readers may thmk we are occasxonally severe in our criticism of railroads, bankers, ete., but if they will look at it from the standpoint that the bankers and rail- roads have been severe on the farmers they will see that the Lieader is merely pointing out conditions as %they are S0 that the farmers may change them. One of the particular ways in which the railroad companies were being unfair to ‘the farmers was well pointed out by the supreme court of the state in its: recent decision holding that industrial sites on railway rights- - of-way should be:taxed. And that was the fact that railroads - would ‘not let the farmers build their cooperatlve elevators on - - railroad property and they put them to all the mconvemence' They not only" had to pay d property dxd not, possible to maintain these elevators.: taxes, which the private elevators on raily SIX ; S : THENONPARTISANLEADEI‘ : ' e el - basis with the: private elevator. This was a httle severe on- the : farmer, don’t you think? . RS : -4 ; J OUR WASHINGTON BUREAU. o ped in Washington a bureau for the gathering of news and information of especial interest and importance to " the agricultural interests of the northwest. s Its ob]ect will be to observe and report upon all legislation affecting in any way the farmer and to gather the news that .HE Leader announces that it has established and equlp- ' will most interest him. It will also furnish special information about pending bills. If you desire to know the present status of any legislation, its chances and prospects, or if you wish to. have a copy of any bill, write to the editor of the Leader and he will secure it for you through our Washington bureau. We believe this will be found to be one of the most useful branches of the Leader’s service. already sending us more exclusive and inside information con- cerning Washington affairs of interest to the farmer than is. printed in any other journal and we purpose to develop its work. Hitherto, while every other class in the nation was well represented in the Washington news, the farmer has been left to shift for himself in regard to the matters that particularly, concerned him. Our arrangements are such that hereafter he can always find in the Leader full news on all points pertammg : to agricultural leglslatlon PROTEST TO WASHINGTON RE you reading our Washington letter each week? Of course you are and you are finding it the best news from the national seat” of lawmaking that is published in this state. latlon which concerns the farmer and in this way you can be- kept in close touch with what is going on. Both desirable and undesirable legislation from the farmer standpoint is proposed, and it depends:largely on the attitude of the farmers the coun- try over as to just what is passed. ~Much of the legislation needeed may not pass congress at this session, but the farmers can by their approval help some and by their protest defeat undesirable laws. Our special representative in- last week’s issue urged you to wrlte your senators and representatives for - the purpose of defeating the bill introduced by Representative Henry T. Rainey of Illinois, and Representative Young of this state urges such protests. Now, unless’ the farmers bestir themselves this bill is likely to become a law and they can’t leave such matters altogether to the lawmakers to fight—they must fight them themselves. So let.every farmer in this state send in a PROTEST against this Rainey bill.- PROTEST, and then PROTEST, and then PROTEST again, for this bill must be defeated if the wheat interests of this state are to be protected Let them hear from you. BLACK DEAL IN TAXATION. HE Leader in this issue, following its announced policy concerning the state government, with particular rela- tion to the farmers presentsan exclusive article on the latest and perhaps the blackest deal yet to add to the already heavy burden of taxation the farmers of North Dakota have to bear.. The article deals with the new personal property tax - schedule, effective for assessment work this spring, about which the newspapers of the state have given no information. ‘ The “personal property tax at best is the most onerrous tax ' afflicted on humanity. Petty in conception and difficult of en- " forcement it must be, under the most progressive and well _ thought ' out systems, an unequal burden, falling proportionally e heaviest on the small taxpayer and. proportionally lightest on = the large taxpayer. By the very naturé of things, under the = ° fairest possible schedule, the larger taxpayer can conceal his =@ personal property where the smaller taxpayer can not. Yet, knowing these things if they know anythmg at all almu ' ‘taxation, the state auditor and state board of equalxzahon hay devised a personal tax-sehedule adm1ttedly mtended to let _possible article of property of householders and farmers escape, adding greatly to the burden of this class of taxpayers. At th same time the schedule eliminates practically every' knowu DL ness from the Tigorous: scrutmy to. which a ;Earmer’s ' are sublmtted and wfll allow the escape ‘of busir but it cost them much more to ship their grain. because they it could not get close to the tracks. The railroads ;got» j Our Washington bureau is . Particular attention is paid to the legis-- . to obtain for its readers first-hand and inside facts 2 .