The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 15, 1916, Page 7

5 [ This is the Black, Hand Folder. NORTH DAKOTA IS FACING A CRISIS Did You Get Yours? = JIF YOU HAVE A HOME IN NORTH DAKOTA, OR IF YOU EXPECT TO BE A PART Of the Future of the State. this situation coneerns you. Read carefully this appeal, and let mo regligence on your part contribute to the menace that confronts the State. -~ FARMERS---MERCHANTS---PROFESSIONAL MEN ~ Reflect carefully, act firmly and see that your primary vote is registered for Sanity in Government, no matter in what political party it shall be cast. = ——————— To the Citizens of North Dakota:, ‘The state of North Dakota today faces the greatest erisis in its histary’ On the result of the approaching< ~ election wil) depend, in very large measure, the state will.ratain its presem position as the ~crous Union ar will enter upun Ntes A PATRIOTIC APPEAL This folder, with the facts and arguments fmm various sources which it preser-\u, is intended as a convenient method of conveying information to-thosé who may not be in possession of it, and’a» lative and state offices. This wark was carried on 1n thy varfous legislative districts during the late winter un the personal direction of representatives of the self-§p pomnted board of control, and was completed at Ahi state convent~ March 3) 41, a conve, (S - ~ AN APPEAL.TO THE PATRIOTISM OF OUR PEOPLE to permit no group of imported gogues # © a harvest of profit for themselves * s Efaleat *nsiop / “cto all reputabls 2 This unsigned, angnymeous cu\:mar is being put in the hands of evefy voter in-the state, so far as Big Business, through an extensive publicity system, is able to reach them. No one has admitted authorship of the circular and great care has been taken to preserve secrecy in distributing them. The circular asks you to “see that your primary vote is registered for SANITY in government.” Would it"not be better to see that it is registered for HONESTY in government by being cast in favor of the candidates' indorsed by the Nonpartisan League. - the RATLROADS were represented, and so was THE MINNEAPOLIS ° CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. In short, it was a meeting OF THE POWERS THAT. PREY. Its object was to lay plans and to RAISE FUNDS for carrying on the campaign against the FARMERS AND THEIR LEAGUE. i . It didn’t take long to get the money. It came in thousand-dollar chunks. FIVE THOUSAND WAS GATHERED at this meeting, with the understanding that MORE WAS TO FOLLOW. Thus the “Good Government League’s” campaign of “publicity’” was- quickly and easily financed,, If you know what “citizens” to call on, the rest is easy and when' you have established REGULAR CONNECTION with the Big Business payroll A LITTLE EXTRA for an emergency is easily obtained. . But we ought to say a word or two about the poster itself. We don’t address this to Dr. Guild. - He had nothing to do with it aside from TAKING PAY—once or. twice—for printing it. A cleverer man than he wrote it. . - In a way, it’s a literary gem; modeled, of course, on the, usual lines. of these GANG PRESS attacks upon the League. It carefully avoids discussing THE REAL ISSUES and it even borrows some of Doc Guild’s picturesque epithets. When it comes to epithet, anathema and impre- cation the Doc is there, weak as he is on facts and argument. . It deals with the Leaders of the League by making the usual AT- TACKS UPON THEIR CHARACTERS. It is SILENT about the CAN- DIDATES INDORSED BY FORTY THOUSAND VOTERS OF NORTH DAKOTA. It is SILENT ABOUT THE ISSUES FOR WHICH THEY STAND. AND YET IT ASKS THE PEQOPLE OF THE STATE TO VOTE AGAINST THESE CANDIDATES. - ; Can you beat that? Tt asks you; it “appeals” to you, to VOTE AGAINST THE FARMERS' CANDIDATES-—YOUR CANDIDATES —BUT IT DOESN’T SAY A WORD AGAINST THEM OR A WORD IN FAVOR OF THEIR OPPONENTS. The wholé substance of the New Railroad Commission is appeal is: “Vote against these candidates because the men who got yow together into this organization so that you might select your own candis dates are ‘carpetbaggers.’” Worse than that, they are ‘agitators’ and ‘Socialists.” ”’ § & g Well, that’s énough about this “folder” itself. Read it and you will find there isn’t much to it, anyway. It’s the same old truck, put up in a larger package and meant to be administered in a larger dose. man can swallow it- without gagging he certainly needs allopathie treatment. [ B S I But there is a true word in the folder and we mustn’t omit mention« ing it. One good grain among so much smut and chaff is surely worth honorary mention. A true word is sometimes spoken by accident, you know. s : - It is this simple sentence with which the.circular begins:- - NORTH DAKOTA IS FACING A CRISIS. 3 ; So it is. You know it, we know it, and SO DO THEY. THE TOILERS ARE FACING A CRISIS, AND SO ARE THE SPOILERS If the toilers fail to make the best of their opportunity then the CRISIé for the SPOILERS will have passed. They will go on CHEATING AND ROBBING YOU just as they always have done, JUST AS THEY ARE DOING NOW. Their PRESS LACKEYS will go on drawing their FAT SUBSIDIES for SUPPRESSING AND DISTORTING THE TRUTH, Their POLITICAL AGENTS will continue to use the POWER OF THE, STATE to aid in exploiting the toilers. They will continue to DENY, JUSTICE to the poor man. LR ' But if, on the glerious other hand, THE TOILERS REALIZE THE FULL NATURE OF THE CRISIS THEY ARE FACING, THE SPOILa ERS WILL GO DOWN TO DEFEAT AND A BRIGHTER DAY WILL DAWN FOR NORTH DAKOTA, A DAY OF POLITICAL AND ECONs OMIC FREEDOM AND OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL. YOU CAN BRING THAT ABOUT. WE BELIEVE YOU WILL, Editor Nonpartisan Leader: As-the primary election draws nearer, the political fight waxes warmer. The ‘old gang is surely working overtime, but ‘their work does not show ‘any results for their cause, as this is the time the farmers are going to stick-together for their own protection. < Some people (mot farmers) seem to think that it is not 'good policy to elect three new railroad commissioners as they do not have the experience. Now . ‘sometimes too much experience is not good,_ either. I -will give you some of - - the experience our farmers’ elevator had ,with the railroad and warehouse ‘com- ‘mission. e ; h " Ever since the latter part of October last year, our elevator has been handi- capped in the handling of the farmers’ grain, on account of car shortage, and. about October 20, 1916, our elevator < -~ .~ ° “had to close its doors because we could ot jpetitha oars, Aud it wis so clased Joe . are all in favor of the Nonpartisan Lea- “gue and its candidates. I can see no .- about 16 days, while the other elevators . 'in town did mot close their dogrs for a _ gingle day during- this period, and our . capaci was. abatt 20,000 bushels . greater than any of our competitora. We wrote and we wired to the com- Romsaas Points Out Where Greater ~ Energy Would Help Entire State even wrote te H. J. Linde, the attorney that this situation should be remedied in some way-and I am taking this matter up ‘'with the superintendent of-the Soo as well as the railroad commissioners.” So much for Mr. Linde, as we did not look for much relief from ‘that source anyway. : 3 . Quoting from the . secretary to the commission, Mr. Cushing’s letter of March 2, 1916: “The interstate commerce ¢ommission ./ and the courts have held that interstate . shipments—which your - shipments all are—begin when the the first move to-' general, and ha writes, “It seems to me R NOTHING TO IT Farmers, merchants and business men reason why the Nonpartisan candidates. . ~should not: poll between 50 and 76 votes " at the primary election the 28th day of June, . The farmers have no more ‘use houses put together it is to have twice ward shipment begins and end with the unloading of the car. If this is true then' we' have nothing whatever to do with' car distribution in interstate ship- ments within the state.. This ruling has never formally been used against us by any of the roads, but it has been men- tioned, showing they are perfectly aware of our limitations in the matter, This being the case the commission has never issued a formal order, but has made the rule general that where one house has as much grain to ship as all the other as many cars. _This does not mean that you must take in as much grain as.all _machine, So I don’t think their candi- dates will have any more show in this part of the-woods. I think they have played : their- ERICKSON. S - TQ BE LANDSLIDE Everything indicates that the League candidates will get all the votes in this for the old McKenzie andHanna polifinl " precinct.—HENRY DYE. : e ' PAGE SEVEN S Jast trump—JOHN. E.. the other houses in order ‘to get ad« If any Needed ditional cars, but is meant merely $4: illustrate the rule.” - If the above ruling holds good, why was our elevator closed up for about 16 days on account of car shortage, whild the old line elevators were not closed a single day during this period? Here Wwas a golden opportunity for the coms mission to issue a formal order and test out its ruling, but it is easily seen where the commission stands. Quoting again from the secretary’s letter: “We are if full sympathy with you and have in the past and will continue to use our best endeavors to See justice dome you, foy we can not avoid the certainty that you = have not been fairly treated.”. Now what we wanted from the com- mission was not sympathy, but cars to ship out our grain. Of course we £ got the cars, the latter part of M 1916, to ship out the grain that we had in an outside bin; but by that time soma of the wheat that was in that outsidg s ~ SECR L bin . had spoiled, the water having | soaked in ‘from ‘the bottom, which log amounts to several’ hundred Probably- there is sorfie reason all oup