The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 11, 1916, Page 4

i z*»z-';‘*;!’i‘fim-n. i WHEN | PROVED UP )} WAS YOUNG,STRONG AND AMBITIOUS S0t PUT A MORTGAGE G MY FARM TQ BUY SOME. HORSES. THEN .4 _HAD A SHORT CROP ANO K3 @UT-A MORTGAGE ON MY HORSES To BUY GOME MODERN MACHINERS League movement. Here are several daily papers of general circu- lation in the state busy attacking the League and the League’s officers in every issue, seven days in a week, scouring thp country to try to dig up something discreditable in the personal histories of men connected with the League, resorting to every trick of deceit and of misrepresentation, calling to their aid ‘every disgruntled petty politician who controls newspaper space; and the net result is what? : Out of 35,000 members of the League all who have deserted can be counted on the fingers of one hand. . And those who have turned their backs on their own cause have not done so because of being influenced by anything the gang press has printed. In each case there is a personal reason which is not to the discredit of the League. : : g'i‘lhe fact is that the newspapers of this state which are fighting the League are completely discredited before their own readers. They have betrayed the people so often that no-one has any confid- ence in them and no one believes what they print until he has had it verified from some other source. They have dragged the banner of the writing profession in the dust. They have taught the _beople of North Dakota to believe that newspaper publishing is a swindling business. ; X & They have only themselves to blame now for the plight they are ‘in. They have distorted the news so persistently and misstated the facts so often that no one but the most ignorant any longer will be- lieve them. The agents of Big Business will have to employ some other weapon if they want to break up the _Leag'ue. . OME of the support he is receiving in.h.is race for the Repub- S lican nomination for governor in opposition to Lynn J. Frazier, the farmers’ candidate, must be a distasteful dose to Usher L‘. ~ Burdick of Williston. S : Burdick has been regarded as a “prog'ressn_re gnd in the past has arrayed himself against the powerful combination of interests which have dominated the politics of the state for many years, Now he finds his candidacy being supported by men of the inner circle of ring politics in the state. A mouthpiece of the old gang exults that professional pfilitli\?ians l'ltg,ve “ibohshed antagonism” for the purpose of fighting the Nonpartisan League. : 5 I')I‘here are many indications of the truth of that boast. An in- stance is the interview given by H. H. Steele, a member of the state tax commissioin, to a Fargo daily newspaper a few days ago. ¢ icans of North Dakota are in a position today to realize their long- expre?si%uglégfie of getting togethqr-—and in U. L. Burdick, candidate for 'the Republican gubernatorial nomination; they hp.vp the ,man vyhom th_ey can select as their leader. -Issues that have been injected into this campaign are such that an alignment for and against should be made. * * * He has a record of achievement in the past, in the matter of fulfilling party pledges, that should win him the-support of all. His record is such-that no man' would feel alarm if he were elected governor—and every man would get his day in court with Mr. Burdick in the gubernatorial chair.”? = . So reads the interview. Notice that the great body of Re- publicans in the Nonpartisan League who have indorsed Lynn Fra-— zier, a farmer and a - lifelong Republican,. as their candidate for governor; are read out of the party.-by this state official. They are . the “forces” against whom an “alignment” must be made, an-align- ~ment of “progressives” and “stalwarts” .and every .br_eed of e Perhaps Mr. Burdick: doesn’t approve. this “alignment,” but he can’t help himself. Men of .greater inside influence than himself are ‘busy with the plans. He is to have the Old Gang suppox;t whether he wants it or not. The object of “abolishing antagonism” with Mr. Burdick is to beat the.Nonpartisan League. It is any- thing. to defeat Frazier, the farmer’s candidate. : Notice- how - Mr. Steele encourages the gangsters to.hope that their efforts for Burdick- will be rewarded. “Mr. Burdick has a record of achievement in the past in the matter of fulfilling party pledges.” Will Mr. Burdick be bound by the action and promises of a state campaign committee? Mr., Steele apparently wishes to create the impression that he will. - ' There is something-else in Mr, Steele’s interview thé.t‘definitely; ‘egtablishes his own political position. Speaking of ‘the new tax schedule, that work of art now being-circulated among the farmers of the state, Mr. Steele says: I believe the schedule is jus§ whgt the people of ‘the state desire. We have long heard the cry in this state of over-taxation—and this-schedule is aimed at bringing out. and placing on the tax rolls property that/ has escaped taxation, It is true that this schedule can find no support among the profes- sional tax-dodgers—" : N . ~ Let’s stop right here and examine Mr. Steele’s own record on this matter of taxation and tax-dodging., Remember that the PAGE FO_UR.. = < P This is,what Big_ Biz calls “high financing” among the farmers ~ like that, LATTER | HAD TO PUT A MORTEAGE. | ON MY MACHINERY. TO BUILD A BARN, S WAS PAYING I2% ALL THIS TIMG . . Now 1 WILL HAVE TO PLT A MORTGAGE. ON MY CROP. TO PREVENT FORECLOSUR| ON THE WHOLE D--' WORKS AND ) AINT EVEN GOT A DECENT HOME YET. schedule Mr. Steele is lauding is the notorious 95-item schedule pre- pared by State Auditor Carl O. Jorgenson over the protests of the :two majority members of the state tax comimission. Mr. Steele himself, an appointee of Governor Hanna, approves the schedule, Commissioners Packard and Wallace are unqualifiedly against it. - Mr. Steele is a banker and is connected with the First National Bank of Mohall, Renville county, He is better known for his con- nection with the State Loan company of Kenmare. It was through his efforts as lobbyist that the last state legislature attach- ed a “rider” to the moneys and credits bill settling for $3000 a tax suit in which the state tax commission was attempting to collect - $12,000 in back taxes from the State Loan company. The supreme court declared the whole act unconstitutional and in doing so strongly denounced this plot te settle a private lawsuit by the use of the state’s lawmaking machinery. In the meantime, however, the county commissioners of Ward county had accepted the $3000 in settlement of the $12,000 in taxes. Citizens of Ward county are now endeavoring to get the case reopened. OV It was after this tax-dodging exploit that Mr. Steele was ap- pointed by Governor Hanha to membership on the state tax com- mission, which is expected to_keep watch against tax-dodging, Tt can be seen from this that Mr. Steele is incorrect when he states that the 95-item Jorgenson schedule “will find no support among professional tax-dodgers.” , i ! P Mr. Steele must have been incorrectly quoted in the last sen- tence of his interview, in which he is made to say that the state tax commission “approved” the Jorgenson schedule. Mr. Steele krows ‘that is not the truth and of course he would not have made a state- CAN BURDICK STAND FOR THIS? . {“ ment so easily disproved. 'There is but one member of the commis- sion who approves "the Jorgenson schedule and that is Mr. Steele himself, - SMITH AND THE BANKERS . MITH of Plaza, who owns a string of weekly newspapers and is S trying to jolly himself into believing that he is a candidate for governor, has been sending his Public Opinion to members of _the Nonpartisan League. Some of the members of the League who don’t understand why this evil should befall them have written to the Leader asking an explanation. Read this letter and perhaps you will understand: ‘ ; : ' : iy PUBLIC OPINION . George J. Smith. Editor . s . Bismarck, N. D., April 17, 1916 Brother Farmer: Do you ‘realize the danger of trusting a bunch of Nonpartisan Socialisi_:s vailed during the Populist administration of Gov. Shortridge. Every friend of good government and sound business should unite in showing up the men who are in control of the Nonpartisan League. The League is an organization; and any organization in the hands of Socialists and 1. W. W.’s is a menace to you. If you assume YOUR- share: in this fight you will join with us, in giving Public Opinion the greatest possible ecirculation. We are making the very reasonable rate of $15.00 for 100 subscriptions paid to July 1st, 1916. - Send in YOUR 100 names today and pay one year’s subscription for yourself, Jjust $1:00. The above price will just let us out even. Remember, this fight will not be won by accident or indifference. We have got to act. It is your move, ~ Yours very truly, £ 3 : PUBLIC OPINION. Notice the address, “Brother Farmer:” Is Smith sending i)ut.these letters to real farmers? Not that we have been able to earn, : : : & The printed letter (imitation typewriting) from which this. was copied, was sent to "l‘heFanpers' State Bank” in a North Da- kota town. It is the second or third letter in which Smith has ci cularized the bankers asking them to pay subscriptions to his Bis- marck publication. The previous letter opened with the statement, “We are carrying on a campaign in opposition to the Nonpartisan League.” Smith to that extent is more honest than the news- = papers which va’)’fesg-‘that. they are not fighting the League, but® “only the leaders . : : : To those who know George’s history he is one of ‘the real comedy features of the campaign. ‘George is for anything or for’ body he thinks he can use. When he is kicked off, as the Non- partisan; League kicked him off its bandwagon when he tried to - ake it play his tune, he scrambles nimbly up onto. some other po- ical chariot and goes busily -on with his_clowning. George is a eandidate for anything, He's running for govern- . or now, he says, speaking as seriously as if he really meant it, - What a jolly liftle joker he is! Some of these days he will be fun- ning himself for president, or emperor of Germany, or. something .