The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 30, 1916, Page 10

TEN . i The Nonpartisan Leader PUBLISHED WEEKLY—EVERY THURSDAY Official Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political Ledgue of North Dakota Entered as second-class matter September 3,. 1915, at the postoffice at Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. D. C. Coates - - - o A s 2 L Managing Editor Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $1.50; six months, $1.00. c@ 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. : AN EDITOR SEES THE LIGHT NE of. the most pleasing testimonials to the good work of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League of North Da- kota that has come to the notice of members of the League is an editorial in the Pierce County Tribune.of March 16. Editor Bratton of the Tribune in the past has given heed to many unfair and untrue stories regairding the League that have' reached him by roundabout sources. Many of these stories he has "reprinted and he has conjured up for himself a terrible vision of a “boss-ridden” organization, holding out talse promises to the farm- er and making itself a “menace” to the legitimate intcrests of others. Yet on the first occasion that Editor Bratton is privileged to see the operations of the League itself in his own bailiwick he is forced ' reluctantly to admit that it is really a representative organ- ization of free, conscientious and “unbossed” citizens working for the highest good of their own community. Here is what he says: “The delegates to the Nonpartisan convention held in this city last week, in their selection of candidates for the legislature, chose two men who will no doubt be satisfactory to all of the voters of the county, whether they happen to be farmers or not. In A. G. Lowe and A. H. Oksendahl, we have two level headed farmers and business men, and their reputations are such that they could undoubtedly have been elected any time they chose to scek the office, whether they were indorsed by any league or not. It is with a feeling of real pleasure that the editor of The Tribune extends congratulations to both the candidates and the delegates who selected them., We feel that if every legislative district in the state should select candidates of this calibre, there would not be the danger in this new “boss- ridden” party that menaces the state at this time, for the reason that when the time came to act they would be found standing squarely for the good of all the people of the state and not representing any class or faction ex- clusively, which is the self-asserted aim of the leaders or “bosses” of the League. That kind of propaganda, if successful, would be a real danger and do inestimable damage to the whole state without bringing about the deserved benefits to any class. We are glad that these men have been selected for other reasons. They will represent the best of our citizen- ship and possess the entire confidence of their constituents, and everything they do should meet with the unanimous approval of everybody, especially - the farmers. It is conceded that they will do as near right as possible but they want to be prepared to explain, about two years from now, why the promised relief in the shape of lower taxes and higher prices for wheat has not arrived.” Let Mr. Bratton’s testimony be taken for just what it would be worth in a court of justice. Let him be heard on the facts of which he has knowledge and let the rest of his testimony be ruled out as irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial. Where he has seen the League in operation he pronounces its work good. For the rest he has only rumor and conjecture. Of the “self-asserted aim of the leaders and bosses of the league” he shows plainly that he knows nothing, but is merely fretting himself over a wild delusion gather- ed from heaven knows where. “It is conceded they will do as near right as possible, but,” says Mr. Bratton, launching himself upon a new worry, which is only a borrowed worry, after all, fer it belongs to the candidates endorsed by the League and not to him.. What about today’s record? “It is good, so far as I have seen any of it,” says Editor Bratton, “but,” he adds, “I fear you won’t be able to do all you promise.” - As to that, Brother Bratton, there is that good old proverb: “Take care of today and tomorrow will take care of itself,” or, in other words, “You should worry.” . JUSTICE; THATS ALL — | NEMIES of the Nonpartisan League have tried, and no doubt will continue to try, to picture it as a gang of wreck- ers set out to plunder and destroy. If any fair-minded men have given heed to such an impression they have gathered an entirely wrong idea of the great uprising of the farm- ers of the state, represented by the League. The essence of the platform of the League is a cry for justice and a square deal. Farming is the one great industry of the state. Every other legitimate industry is dependent upon the welfare of the farmers. What hurts the farmer hurts the honest business dependent upon him. To remedy the wrongs which have been a burden upon the farmers of the state will benefit every citizen. An alliance between Big Business and a political machine is THE NONPARTISAN LEADER a combination for the benefit of a privileged few. It is a device to reap unfair profits, to throttle competition and to injure the farmer. : : Z Such an alliance the Leader firmly maintains has been in power in this state. It is a cancer whose corrupting growth leads through all the channels of government and business. It uses weapons both political and financial to make its rule permanent. It holds a club over the privaté citizen and by threatening him with ruin forces him to suffer and be silent. It muzzles the press by the same powerful means. Its insidious influence is felt on pulpit and platform.- It is the enemy of the truth and the enemy of the expression of the popular will. It enchains the people of a whole state. 3 It is this alliance that the Nonpartisan League has set out to fight. It does not expect the victory to be an easy one." Interests long entrenched behind a rampart of unfair advantage over inde- pendent citizens will not yield up their power without a struggle. As the sincerity of the members of the League becomes more apparent to all the people of the state and as the real purposes be- come better understood the League should enlist behind' it all the forces which are honest in their belief in good government. It does not expect nor want the help of those who are hypocritical or cow= ardly in their professions of devotion to the cause of the rule of the people. The strength of the League is the determination of its mem- bers and the righteousness of their cause. Its weapon is the truth. It holds no menace for honest men and. honest business. A WAR ON BANKING ROTTENNESS 5 EFORE it gets through endeavoring to help the farmers. to | a better understanding of the state house-cleaning prob- lem that is before them the Leader is going to give some attention to the banks of the state. : : The exposure in last week’s issue of the Medina bank case is only a startcy. It illustrates just one phase of the banking situa- tion and the inherent rottenness of the conditions of supervision and control of this vitally necessary factor in the business trans- actions of the people of the state. - Any new attempt to impose stricter regulation of any business by the state always is spoken of as “interference with private busi- ness.” It is “interference” to demand that a bank shall have as- sets sufficient to pay the people who have deposited money with it. It is “meddling” for a state to demand protection for its citizens against fraud and thievery, against usury and extortion. The idea of some persons of the proper function of a state banking board and a state banking examiner is to see that there is not competition enough in the banking business to reduce the rates of interest to a legitimate level and to make sure that when a bank fails all big banks shall get their money and only the little depositors shall lose. ) Do the people of the state of North Dakota know that under the regime of Hanna there is operating in this state what amounts to a state-protected banking trust? The facts regarding the outrageous orders of the state bank- ing board, the chairman of which is the governor of the state, are almost unbelievable. Buf there are records to prove them true. The Leader is not declaring war on the fair and honest banker. It is declaring war on extortion and starting a fight for effective. state supervision of state banks. THE FARMERS’ ARMY IS MOBILIZING Yy EOPLE like to talk in military terms just now. Here is a good military word for our attention today: “Mobilize;” that’s the word. It means to assemble something—men or materials—to get them together so that they can be moved as a unit in one direction and for one pur- pose. Troops are “mobilized” when they are called into position and equipped ready to move against the enemy. Germany de- clared war because Russia, she said, was mobilizing against her. The farmers of North Dakota are mobilizing. The Nonpar- tisan League furnished the machinery and plan for mobilization. It is a mobilization for hostile purposes—hostile to political fraud, hostile to trickery; hostile to graft, hostile to oppression. . The farmers and the great mass of the people of this state, -whether farmers or not, have long been oppressed by an alliance of selfish interests' which has balked and fooled and tricked and robbed them at every turn. They are tired of it. They are angry at it. They are rising in their wrath. They are mobilizing. They are going to move against these enemies and demolish their cunningly wrought ma- chine for political and economic domination. b This is no secret mobilization. Its purposes are plain. It means war—a war without bloodshed, a war of the ballot—but none the less a war. i 05 * . The farmers are mobilizing—willingly, gladly—with joy in their hearts and a song on their lips. They exult in the chance ght—to fight for justice—for state, farm to fight a winning fi and home: Sy e e b A