The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 2, 1916, Page 9

THE NONPARTISAN: LEADER : NINR S TR 27 Farmers Protest- . Washington, D.. C., Feb. 26—The situation in regard to the- Hollis Rural Credit bill underwent a consid- erable change this week: ‘A week ago the general opinion was that this very bad measure would go through the senate. .and probably through the house. There would be some opposition to it, but the con- trolling -powers had determined to pass it and further comment was superfluous. Since that time the voice of the With Ear to Ground, Senators and Representatives Hear Rumblings from Rural Commanities Showing Dissatis- faction Over Hollis Rural Credit Bill--Smooth Sailing for Bankers’ Measure May Be Interrupted. By WILLIS J. RUTLEDGE Special Representative of the Leader at Washington Present condition of farm bills: -Congress Sits up, Takes Notice sibilities of benzol manufacture in North Dakota. : When the war thredtened a gasoline shortage in Germany last year the chemists of that country began mak- ing benzol from waste coal. The bureau of mines took this suggestion and began experimenting with low grade, unsaleable coal in West Virgin~ ia.. The experiments in West Virginia were not promising for commercial success even with gasoline at its pres- iti istri t price. farmers has been heard every day Hollis rural credit—Before . th AR ke R L R R i i Sl e Columbia at th 2 It is pointed out, however, that lig- louder and more distinct, utterly con- senate. : : ment. 81268 of the segvern nite is Il)nuch richer in benzol t?lan %s demning the bill, until gentlemen that “have large farming constituencies begin to see that it will be far from afe for them to give any help in put- ting this thing over. As these gentle- men have at all times one ear to the ground and are aceustomed to heed the messages it gets, the bill is in for a lot of trouble. Let us be glad that this is so. The more trouble of this kind the better. The more we see of the kind of inter- ests that are back of it the clearer is the impression that this is one of. the most adroit and detestible tricks that the money power has'yet attempted. Would Cinch Farmer The fact is, Wall street didn’t want any rural credit legislation at all. ‘When it ‘saw that something of the kind was reasonably certain its clev- erest manipulators got together a measure that, while it pretended to relieve the farmer in the matter of money would in reality cinch him worse than ever for tue benefit of the banking combinations. Hence this bill. ¥ Nobody ought to be fooled by:any of this. cheap talk in congress about devotion to the welfare of the farmer. There are 18 better bills at hand if these smoothly talking gentlemen really cared to do anything for the farmer. The aroused farmers are not con- fining themselves to sending in a flood of written protests. Delegations are coming -down here to ‘give the erring statesmen a jolt they will remember. Grant S. Youmans of Minot, res- enting the Society of Equity of Nerth Dakota, is _due here y-on such a mission and others will come later. Better. Bill Offered Representative Stephens of Miss- issippi introduced this week a bill that if the controlling powers really want- ed- to do anything. of - value about rural:credits they: would-be.compelled to regard -as a-million times better in all. respects than the Hollis abomination. Instead of creating a vast and pon- derous machinery -with two new kinds of banks and an -enormous.expense both to the farmers and the national treasury, Representative Stephens seeks to use the government appar- atus that now exists. ; Postmasters are to receive applic- ations for loans, United States dis- trict attecrneys are to examine the titles, conduct the forclosures and do the rest of the legal work, and the money is to be loaned direct from the treasury to the farmer at 4% per cent. Guarding Against Fraud Provisions to prevent fraud and to protect the treasury seem to be ample. Applicants must make affidavits and submit a first mortgage. Their lands must be examined and credited to by independent examiners, and loans are limited to $3000.: The treasury can lend $25,000,000 in this way, and after that can issue bonds up to $50,000,000 at 3% per cent. 3 If the senate committee really want- ed to set the farmer free they would get back of some such measure as this. But they don't. What they - want is to keep everything as it is and bank dividends lovely. ; Copies of the Stephens bill can be had through the Leader’s Washington bureau by addressing the editor. Agriculture Bills ; jcultural bills this week Shackelford good roads bill—Senate post roads committee. Shields water power bill—Before the senate. ; Ferris 640-acre homestead bill— Senate public' lands committee. Want Bank Reopened Efforts were made last week to in- duce the Treasury Department to con- sent to the reopening of the First North Dakota Calm “I am firmly of the opinion that the North Dakota farmer gives more study to government questions than the average city dweller,” said Nor- ton. “I believe North Dakota will give its full support to any reasonable program of defense, but North Dakota will not be carried away by the present hysterical clamor for unlimit- ed appropriations for army and navy.” About 100 North Dakotans of Wash- CONGRESSMAN H. T. HELGESEN National Bank at Casselton, N. D. The first vice president of the closed institution, M. G. Straus, with Mr. Bergman of Casselton and Bank Ex- aminer C. H. Anheir of Fargo, held several conferences with Comptroller of the Currency Williams on last Wed- nesday and Thursday and left for home Thursday night. % It is understood that the treasury is willing to have the bank reopen if a sufficient quantity of capital to finance the reopening can be furnished and if other conditions can be met. The treasury officials would not discuss these terms, but intimated that a decision in the mater could be expect- ed in a few days. It is understood that Straus and Bergman returned to Casselton to see if the department’s conditions can be met by local finan- ciers who have come to the bank’s rescue. The bank was closed by Ex- aminer Anheir recentiy after it was discovered that heavy loans had been made to a-real estate concern in which some of the bank’s officials were interested. - ! Discuss Preparedness A lively debate over the administra- ington attended the dinner. Repres- entative Young also spoke, as did Colonel Lounsberry of the Department of the Interior, who in the early ’80’s was stationed in North Dakota in the government service. Farmers Pay Anyway “This is just a fight between two trusts,” said Senator Gronna at the close of one of the hearings last week in the sisal investigation. Gronna said that the consumers of binder twine would have to pay either way the ‘contest between the twine manu- facturers and the Yucatan sisal grow- ers comes out.. Thus far the hearings have been filled with exciting -clashes between the lawyers representing the sisal growers and those representing the manufacturers. Incidentally it is interesting to note that the chief attorney for the International Har- vester company is Former Secretary of the Interior Fisher, whom Presi- dent Taft appointed to his cabinet to placate the progressive wing of the republican party. As it looks now * there seems to be little likelihood that the investigation will benefit the farm- West Virginia coal. The government scientists declare that the success of any benzol industry will depend upon the commercial demand for other by- products of the distillation, such as gas, coke and tar. North Dakota has more lignite coal than Pennsylvania has anthracite and bituminous. Will Help Indians The senate committee on Indian af- fairs has accepted the North Dakota provisions in the Indian appropriation bill as it passed the house, and has added several more. Chief among these is a $30,000 ap%o riation for a new building for the Wahpeton Indian school. The bill as now amended pro- vides that some 200 Indians of the Fort Berthold reservation who are de- clared to be competent to manage their own affairs are to be paid directly from the treasury their share of the $700,000 now being held by the government for the 1100 Indians of the reservation. Demand Boy’s Release : Representative Helgesen is trying ‘to secure the release of a North Da- kota boy who is serving with the Brit- ish forces ‘“somewhere in France.”, He is G. D. Worcester of Christine. He ‘enlisted February 28, 1915, in Canada, being under 18 years of age at the time. His father protested, but finally consented to allow the boy to serve for one year. -The year has now expired, but word comes that the regiment is mot to be discharged. - Upon Mr. Helgesen’s r the state department has cabled Ambassador Page in London to demand the release _of young Worcester. Will Give Out Data Senator McCumber has a supply of 5000 copies of the government docu- ment containing the information cole lected by congress to date in the con- troversy-over the proposition to have federal ading and . inspection of grain. - These phamplets can be had for the asking. The Leader recently ublished in this column the fact that cCumber had a quantity of alfalfa and forage grass seeds for distribu- tion. The response was so great that 150 applicants had to be disappointed. McCumber has filed the excess names with the department of agriculture so that they may benefit in the next ' distribution. Stop at Capitol Oli Eielson' of Hatton, Mr. Bolken of Hatton and N. D. Neison of May- ville formed a North Dakota party who stopped off in Washington last week on their return home from Florida. Dr. L. B. Docliterman, a well known physician of Williston, was a Wash- mfl:on visitor last week. He has been taking a post-graduate course of st_udfl in New York and was on his way bac to North Dakota. Charles A. Lyche, state’s attorney at Hatton, Traill county, was in Wash- ington last week accompanied by his small son. Upon motion of Senator McCumber Mr. Lyche was admitted to practice before the supreme court. . Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Geer of Ellen- dale are visiting their niece in this city. (x,harles F. Rathman of Jamestown, N. D., president of the North Dakota Retail Merchants’ association, and his wife were in Washington last week. They have been in Florida. Mslv-. and Mrs. Fred R. Stevens of Cra};y, N. D., were in Washington last week. r a tion’s program of preparedness occur- - €rs, for the Yucatan sisal monopoly. ' we?gh as follows: red as the chief feature of the North - is protected by the recent amendment S T By Representative Lewis of Mary- Dakota reunion in Washington on the to the trust laws which permits com- MADE TW(O MISTAKES land, a substitute for his bill to est;{- evening of February 22. Major John binations of farmers. .The organiza- Vallay Citv Courier: George J. lish a system of grading milk and M. Hancock, who is paymaster in the tion of the Yucatan growers, however, ‘Smith, of Plaza, announc: d his candi- cream. e bill now not only empow- - navy and also president of the North 18 goirig to cost American farmers dacy for woveinor- on the strength ers the commission to fix es but Dakota Society of Washington, presid- ~$5,000,000 this year in the increased of the fact that he was an Equity " to make rules governing the produc- ed as toastmaster and made a plea to. Price of binder twine. man. Then he made the second big tion and handling of milk and cream. North Dakota to support the prepar- - mistake of his l,ife—the first one was " By Representative Murray of Okla- homa (“Alfalfa Bill”) regulating the ‘use of the mail by grain exchanges and the like, a measure that might hamper the chambers of commerce if it ever could get through. edness “policy. The reply was made by Representative Norton, who declar- ed that North Daketa’s views on pre- paredness are clearer and better based than those’ of the excited population of the eastern United States. May Open New Field The possibilities of a great North : Dakota industry in the production of “benzol, a substitute for gasoline, is seen in the announcement last week in coming out for governor—he tried to get the Norpartisan League leaders to frame up an 1andorsement for him and that is where he fel! down. - The official organ of the League devoted an entire frort page to George con- tative Kent of Cdfiofi- Major Hancock declared that North that the bureau of mines chemists demning him in the roindest terms E iaBt);Rergl\‘gtsl:nfor zfie :l!;ssification of DakoiJ:a should: take a larger view of mnext summer will conduct riments for darmg te 2sk for the support of : pfibli_c inds. ' " the preparedness question. In reply in producing benzol from North Da-. the League an« ‘this action of the By Representative Park of Georgia, one more rural credit bill that is bet-" ter than the Hollis scheme. But it couldn’t be worse.. ' Norton said that he believed that the average farmer of North Dakota has- a er and truer vision of great nai!:gfhl questions thangis held by the . tion of: tl kota lignite- coal. = Senator McCum- ber brouiht the matter to the atten- e bureau, and the decision has been made to investigate the pos- Leader has ias! zbout kiled off the Smith boom. Better not spend any, more money on ‘ke campaign, Georges “Let someone else do:it. W