The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 2, 1916, Page 6

A s e ccmmes .._-_.__.~_..__&' “ b ! L ‘ e84 | oaait | { . | ok oSl TS, e e BIX : ; o i THE NONPARTISAN LEADER The anpa-rtis.an Leader PUBLISHED. WEEKLY—EVERY THURSDAY .~ PUBLISHED WEEKLY_EVERY THURSDAY Official Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League of North Dakota Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 38, 1879. D. C. Coates - - - - - - - - Managing Editor Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $1.50; six months, $1.00. @ Communications intended for the paper should be addressed to the Non- partisan Leader, Box 919, Fargo, North Dakota, and not to any individual. The Leader solicits advertisements of meritorious articles needed by Farmers. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly ad- vertised, 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-wideawake and up-to-date farmers. MUST SHOW HAND SOON HE state board of regents has decided on the removal of J. H. Worst as president of the State Agricultural college and announced that his successor, Dr. E. F. Ladd, will be-in charge of the entire institution, doing away with the present two-headed management. i The removal of Mr. Worst and subsequent developments have been a sensation, but it has not resulted in clearing up the most important thing, the fate of the college itself. ¢ This, as President Worst aptly states, is more important than the fate of individuals. In the hands of this newly created board of regents rests the future of the one higher educational institu- tion of the state dedicated solely to the use of the industrial and farming classes. ; President Worst charges and it has been generally whispered that the board intends to reduce the agricultural college to a mere farm and trade school, placing all technical courses leading to de- grees at the state university. He says that his removal is a step in this direction. - . 1t is unfortunate at this time that the regents refuse to give specific assurances regarding what they intend to do, setting these rumors and charges at rest. They say in general terms they wish to let the agricultural college remain the leading and biggest in- stitution of higher education in the state, but they. decline to go into detail as to courses, etc., until the survey of the state educa- tional institutions they are conducting is completed. The agricultural college was established under and exists dedicated to an entirely different principle than the state uni- versity. The college stands for practical technical training in ag- riculture and mechanic and applied arts; the university for pro- fessional and cultural training. This fundamental difference means that the agricultural college always will draw the great majority of the young men and young women of the industrial and farming classes seeking higher education, while the university will continue to draw the children of the professional classes and those seeking education for culture largely. VR : It follows, therefore, that no matter what courses the board of regents make available at the university, the great majority of the young people of the state will be deprived of them unless they . ; can get them at the agricultural college. : Any effort to take from the agricultural college its technical courses, such as engineering, will therefore be a direct blow to the great majority of the people of ‘North Dakota—the people on the farms. And this majority to a man will oppose any- such scheme. 2 The agricultural college, as the one great educational institu- tion in the state belonging to the farming class, must not be re- duced to a mere trade and farm school, with everything eliminated from it except that which smells of the stable. : It must continue to teach and give degrees in all practical and technical courses pertaining to agriculture, regard- less of any dust kicked up about duplication. 5t The board of regents must show its hand soon in this respect and it will be the purpose of the Leader to keep the farming peo- ple of this state informed on their moves in the matter. : The members of the board have expressed some doubt about getting satisfactory appropriation for the college from the next legislature. They néed not worry about that. The next legis- lature will be a farmers’ legislature and without doubt it will ap- propriate generously for this farmers’ college, if it is known that . the institution is not to be crippled in any way, shape or form. The question is: What are you going to do for the college now? And the farmers are anxiously awaiting your answer. LITTLE GRAFTERS AND BIG THIEVES T a farmer pays $9 to build and maintain an organization _ that will help him to protect his own interests, there are plenty of “farmers’ friends” who will raise a loud la- mentation about the farmers being grafted. : And yet, when it is shown that the farmers are robbed out of millions every year by socalled legitimate ‘business institutions, not one of these “farmers’ friends” lifts his voice. R, Read the story in this week’s issue of the Leader on gradmg 2 of wheat as announced in Comissioner Ladd’s latest bulletin. It will open your eyes to one of the greatest steals ever perpetrated upon the North Dakota farmer. i : SO Commissioner Ladd has rendered a valuable service as a re- sult of this long and patient investigation. He has rendered a service to the toilers of this state. : : ) As long as the interests, which have in the past, continue to control political affairs in this state, just so long will such ‘Trob- beries go on unrebuked. i When those who are victims of such robberies take over the political powers of the state, then and only then, will there be a change for the better. WATCH OUT FOR CAMP FOLLOWERS HE meetings that are being conducted by the Nonpartisan , League are becoming the mecca of a lot of camp follow- @) ing grafters that would be a disgrace to a third-rate circus. We desire at this time to warn all farmers to turn a deaf ear to the smooth-tongued glad-hander who meets then at the hitching rack or the livery barn when they come to town to at- tend a League meeting. : At one meeting last week one such fellow worked different farmers for about $15, all told. He would approach a farmer in a friendly manner, extend his hand and say, “Well, I see you are in to our meeting. I'm rep- resenting the stock-breeding department and we have a 1ot of literature that we send out twice a month during the year and all we ask you to do is to pay postage on it. Of course you don’t - mind paying the postage.” In the meantime he has made out a receipt, all except the name, which he inserts later. He informs the farmer that the postage will be $1.98. The truth of the matter is this fellow represented the North- ern Farmer, an alleged farm publication, published at Bismarck. Yet he deliberately attempted to make the impression and no doubt did make the impression, that he was connected with the League. At another place there were three of these fellows, all representing this same publication. e There are some farm papers that are above such despicable methods and are willing to seek circulation upon their own merits. But when a publication falls so low that it must keep its name under cover and sail under misrepresentations it deserves nothing but the contempt of those whom it would induce to subscribe for it. Fake schemes of all kinds are foisted on the farmer—he is constantly being visited by agents for stores, machinery, lightning rods, ete. If the farmers of this state will give all such smooth- tongued solicitors the go-by they will save some of their hard- earned money. GAMBLERS DEPRESS WHEAT PRICE N February 22 May wheat was quoted at Minnéapolis at $1.25. On February 28 it had fallen to $1.11. On March 1 it was $1.06. Thus have the farmers been treat- wheat prices, without regard to supply and demand, on the great exchanges. The gamblers have simply been playing with the price of wheat for profit, as usual. This time all kinds of rumors of war and peace were used to accomplish the bear movement. : There was probably as much wheat and as much demand for it for legitimate consumption February 22 as March 1. But supply and demand has nothing to do with it and the farmer with wheat to sell is helpless before the manipulations of the bulls and bears. Wheat a year ago was $1.67. The war caused the high price. Europe was no better off for wheat a year ago than she is now, yet the price in America has taken this slump. On the basis of this decline in a year America is going to. get $200,000,000 less this year for its wheat than it got last year. Why ? S One reason probably is the utterly unorganized condition of the Anierican farmer and his fear of being caught with a surplus of wheat on his hands. He thus becomes the prey of the gamblers. It is probably true also that in the last year the European countries - 5 of the entente have organized their business and now go on the - o “market jointly to buy wheat. The New York Mail charges that two agents of the entente, working with American wheat gamblers, | the usual plan of bear rumors have brought about this great sltifup in a year in the price of wheat, without regard to Europe’s needs B _and America’s supply. 8 i P ed to another brilliant example of the manipulation of - 2 All of which proves that the farmer should ignore wheat’"p'rice} 5 fluctuations on the great exchanges as much as possible an ~ In North Dakota farmers are seeing this 'situation‘ahd are or- ganizing, as shown by the way the Nonpartisan League has taken the state by storm. j ; LR Given a wide-spread determination to know the facts'énd.:d belief in the principle of organization and it will not be long before the American farmer will have something to say about whea' ga) ‘bling, and what he will say will be ‘pretty definite. | He will put a stop to it summarily. e