The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 27, 1916, Page 6

i | i 5l | ! i | {6t e L:Jll i 1 SIX ; THE NONPARTISAN LEADER THE NONPARTISAN LEADER PUBLISHED WEEKLY Official Paper of the Farmers Nonpartisan Political League of N. Dak. . Entered as second-class matter September 3, 1915, at the post office at: : . Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. D. C. Coates, - - - - - - - = Managing Editor Advertising rates on application. @ 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 meeded by farmers. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not kmowingly ad- vertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly ghould 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- awake and up-to-date farmers. STOP, LOOK AND BE CAREFUL—A WARNING NCE again the Leader must warn the members of the League against the politician—against the schemes and machinations of the professional politicians. 3 Such a politician is one who gets out early and goes gunning for the office—who comes around with his petition long before the time for filing. There are plenty of these fellows. They are always on the job. There has never been any lack of men to fill all offices. Do not become alarmed for fear that offices will go begging. Of course, not every one who seeks office is a crook or even to be distrusted, for there are exceptions, though they be rare. If you sign every fellow’s petition and make pledges and promises to every politician who approaches you, then you will have gained nothing. The offices will be filled with the same kind of men that they have always been filled with and you will have gained nothing by having an organization. The professional politician is the man who seeks the office. You don’t want that kind of a man. You have had enough of them. They are the men who have betrayed your mterests in the past. They will do it again. The real servant of the people is the man whom the office -seeks, whom the voters select and endorse and often have to draft into service. Such men will-stand by you and work for your interests. > The Nonpartisan League was organized that the farmers of this state may collectively select the men desired to run for office. This the League will do in due time. There is no occas- ion for haste. There is no need of becoming excited for fear that offices will not be filled. In this issue announcemment is made of the date when the League will hold its conventions. The League has its eye on the situation. It will keep you adivised just what to do and when to do it. It would be an easy matter to mix things up just at this time. Don’t think that the League is going to neglect its duty or your interests. It is not. It will be right square on the job. : Until the League does take action on the matter of endors- ing candidates, members should turn a cold shoulder to the gumshoeing, early-bird that comes around securing signatures, pledges and promises. That is the same old game that has been played for years. That’s the game you have fallen for repeated- ly—and lost. If you are to win this time you must let the other fellow’s game severly alone. Many of these fellows are cunning and unscrupulous. They will tell you, confidentially, that they have been promised the endorsement of the League. That'is not true. The League has not endorsed any man as yet. It has not promised support or endorsement to any man. It is not going to promise endorse- ment to any man until it has held conventions and YOU: have decided in those conventions whom YOU. want to endorse. Don’t " forget that. Another trick the politician will try to work is that of caus- ing the newspapers to announce that the League has endorsed so and so. They *started this game months ago. The Leader upon several occasions warned you against such announcements. The papers do not know anything about it. They are engaged in a hazardous guessing contest. Their guesses are' usually fathers to their wishes. Their announcements are intended to deceive and mislead you. Do not be influenced by them. When you see endorsements in the Leader then and not till then you can depend on them. Until you do see such endorse- ments just sit tight and watch and wait. The League is not go- ing to let anything slip by. The League and Leader are not go- ing to neglect your interests. Once again let us warn you against the office seeker—thev professional office seeker—who comes around or sends his friends around, seeking your endorsement, seeking your signa- tures, seeking your pledges and promises. If you listen to them you will have nulhfied all the acts of the League and put a stumbling block in its way to success. If you tie yourselves up to these: fellows you will have encompassed your own defeat and will find yourselves just where you have been in previous elec- tions—without a voice in the legislature, without representation in office and no more advanced than you have been in the past. The League is laying its plans. You will be advised in plenty. of time what those plans are. You will have a chance to participate in the execution of those plans. You will be a party to the carrying out of those plans. YOU will pick from among YOURSELVES the men YOU want in office. Don’t destroy your rights by tieing yourselves up to. the scheming politician. You have a right and a power that you have never had before—that of selecting your own candldates for office. Don t sacrifice that rlght WILL A FARMER GET THE APPOINTMENT" - FEW- days ago Actmg Govern()r John H Frame had a' : friend of his call upon the telephone Mr. Ray McKaig, a farmer from Ft. Rice, N. D., who was in Fargo attend- ing the Tri-State Grain Growers’ convention, and ask him if he would take a place on the state board of control if ap- pointed by Governor Fraine. Mr. McKaig said he would accept and he was told that he would be appointed. The news of the appointment or proposed appointment was given out by the newspapers of the state and in the announce- ‘ments it was told that Mr. McKaig was a prominent member of the Grange, Tri-State Grain Growers association, Society of Equity, the Nonpartisan League and other farmers’ organiza- tlons, for the reason that the Grain Growers and Equlty gather- ings approved the appointment. The next day the Acting Governor gave out a statement that he had not appointed Mr. McKaig to the position and did not contemplate filling such a position in the absence of the governor. Now, what changed the Acting Governor’s mind? What has led him to play battledoor and schuttlecock with Mr. McKaig for the past few days, to the great embarrasment of the latter and his friends? Did some of the politicians and their secret and powerful backers oppose the appointment of Mr. McKaig after they found what his farmer affiliations were and made the Governor withdraw it? Or what other reason is there for this conduct, except that the political powers that be do not propose that an honest farmer shall occupy an important place in the state govern- ment? Come through, Governor Fraine, and either stand by the promise which you made to-Mr. McKaig or tell the real reason why you are now trying to deny such appointment. The farmers of thist state are watching this situation with a great deal of interes and want to know the whys and wherefores. WILL THE BOYS BEAT THEIR DADS? HAT some American boys are doing in the corn-growing business these days will undoubtedly make their fathers B0ZH] sit up and take note of the coming generation. Walter Granlund, winner of the first prize in the North Dakota corn contest, demonstrated what a boy can do, -even though the season is unfavorable for corn growing. The . feat of producmg 90 bushels of corn to the acre in North Dakota last year is one to be marveled at. Vernon Adams won the Minnesota prize by producmg a little more than 88 bushels to the acre. The champion corngrower of the world, however, is Walker Dunson, near Alexandria, Ala. This Alabama youth produced a yield of 232.7 bushels of corn on a single acre. These wonderful productions show what can be done under intensified and with scientific farming methods. When this is more fully developed and a marketing system commensurate with it is in operation there is no doubt that the world will be amply fed ; 2 -GOT SOMETHING STARTED ROM the looks of things at the-present writing the Leader has got something started. From every quarter of the new personal property schedule prov1ded by the state board of equalization. Through incompetence, mlsmanagement or extravagance state officials have practically bankrupted the state. Salaries and wages are not being paid and various creditors are waiting for their money. Something must be done: ‘Money must be found. What was more easy and more simple than to dig it out of the pockets of the farmers and the small householders? Nothing. Thereupon the new and unheard-of schedule was provided. " This, it was hoped, would get the com from those less hkely to_‘:" make a kick. But the Leader exposed the tnck and now the state is seetl\ state: comes rumblings of protest and complaint against : RSN ¢ TS