The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 20, 1916, Page 19

UST on the eve of the primary J election the Minneapolis Journal, Whlch occasionally . makes an eflort to cover news of North Dakota, dis- covéred the Nonpartisan League, and in a belated and prejudiced news article and in editorials joined the side of Big Business in . attacking the farmers’ movement. The Minneapolis - Journal articles drew from a member of the League a redhot response, which . is printed herewith because. of its forceful statement of conditions. ‘Mr. Ribb, the writer, is secretary of the Farmers Co- operative Elevator and Trading com- pany of Coulee. Followmg ‘is his letter: v Coulee, N. D., June 29, 1916. Edfior Minneapolis Journal: ‘Dear Sir: I read, with considerable Sjngeres(: editorial under capt.lon “Sound fiought is Needed” in your issue of the 27th inst. 1 am not spineless- to the degree you iy our politicians: are’ and therefore resent your attitude” even f.hough be heresy m your view. \You say ‘“under present “conditions y with capital to_invest will Jlogk . that way.” Is that a threat? It can not.J be otherwise for by no process of “gound” reasoning can it be arrived at as a statement of fact. Let me give a farmer’s viewpoint— something which your sound _thinking doés not sem to have included within its scope. Have you ever heard of somethmg called “sops”? Well, it is too many sops * that have caused the present political uprising among the farmers of North Dakota.” In the Journal of the 26th "your Mr. Cheney called this uprising ‘a revolt. Let me correct Mr. Cheney. This is not a revolt. It is a revolution and some one has ‘wisely said that revolutions mever go backward. R i About sops: JOURNAL ENLIGHTENED ON STATE HISTORY Beginning about ten years ago we had 8 succession of years during which the rainfall gradually decreased until, at its climax, the situation in ahe western part of the state became serious. Our farmers could not meet their obligations to the merchants; the interest on their loans was not met and the twelve per cent interest rate made the outlook for the future look rather gloomy. At this time some of the benevolently minded gentlemen among your bankers, lumbermen, ete., Jomed with some of our leading financiers in 1aunchmg the “Better Farming” movement in this state. They sent wise young men here to tell us this: “milk cows, feed hogs, raise sheep and you ¢an pay that 12 per cent interest.” If we asked them how to acquire these blessings we were told to borrow some more 12 per cent money from our bankers and buy them. Your Twin City bankers never thought of’ joining with our bankers in getting us cheaper money to borrow, which The National Barn Ventilator Insures perfect ven- tilation = for - your barns, creameries, ete. ventilation health for~ catalog. RNXCENQND ORNAMENT COMPA - 1002-6 Front Street . North Dakota J - ("Attention Grain | Men “We offer for sale elevators at ‘Dazey and Walum, N. D. Each in .good condition and at a reasonable f price. Terms may be arranged for -tesponsible buyer. Write, phone or wire ; DAKOTA TRUST COMPANY, TRUS’I‘EE : North Dai( ta. acts About the “ Olof Ribb Explains to a Big Business Editor What Farmers Have Suffered would _have been . like. rain- to one famishing in a desert. Oh no, not that! - We did - not get a reduction in the . interest rate until an indignant public forced an unwilling legislature to act. THE HAMMER OFTEN A GREAT EDUCATOR Your lumber men did not think of reducing their exorbitant pnces on lum- ber until we began buying “from ‘inde-"" pendent mills in the west. Then' they: . suddenly discovered that they could ship direct from their mills' to the consumer and our Mcal papers were filled thb “ advertisements - heralding the ‘newborn - era of low prices. But in the state of our greatest - stress -the - relief we .most needed was denied us.: Instead they gave us a sop called “Better Farming.” Do you still - wonder why the farmers are so apa- thetic toward the prophets of this move- .ment?. A few years ago we asked our Legzs " lature for a state hail insurance law.- ‘We got it in the shape of an abortion. that does not work and was not meant to work. The lobbyists of the insur- ance companies got busy and we got another sop. We have been asking for rural credit _legislation to enable us to capitalize our business. as other business is capital- ized and - thereby ~be. enabled to get - money’ on the same terms as.other bu- siness is getting it.’ Congress has given us another sop. We are preparing against the day when our leg‘slature mlght want to do likewise. WHEN THE LEGISLATURE PUT “—ELL” IN SOP. We ORDERED our Legislature to build an elevator at one of our terminal. markets. This time we got not even a sop but were told to “go home and slop the plgs:” Our lawmakers put “—ell” in sop. By law we provided for a tax commis- sion, the business of which was to be to - revise our system of taxation to equal- ize the burden somewhat. By executive action the power of this commission was practically nullified and bestowed on a body that gave us mnot a sop but a slap, and we still pay more taxes and the other fellow less. The Dominion of Canada has provin- cially owned terminal elevators. Is it unsound thinking to ask the substitu- tion of the words “state owned” for “provincially owned" on this side of the 49th parallel ? The province of Saskatchewan has provincial hail insurance. Is it unsound thinking again to ask for the same sub- stitution of words in this case? Our former neigbors, now in Canada, are not slow in telling us of these ad- vantages. Are you still in a fog as to some of the causes of our Canadlan emigration ? Our congress evidently thinks we ought to have rural credit’ legislation but seems to have a very hazy idea as to what it is. Is it unsound thinking 4 HE GOT A BARGAIN Editor Nonpartisan Leader: 5 I never got miore value for my money than I did when I Jomed the League.— M. J. HAGEN. DIFFERENT FROM GUILD While not content, the Mirror is per- ? fectly satisfied with the result of the: recent primary election. If a majority of those who voted the Republican ticket . want certain men nominated for office; then “there's nothing for the “minority members, if ‘good sports; but to take their medicine as gracefnlly as posslble‘ rie WOLFORD MIRROR. A BITTER PILL " of the Non; but even: though it is hard to swallow, it is bound to cure them of at least some for us of North Dakota to ask for ‘the real thing? New Zealand, admittedly one of the ~ most progressive and prosperous colon- ies on earth, has single tax on"farm . lands. Are we of unsound mind in " thinking we would like to be equally progressive and prosperous? ‘When we seek to improve our econo- mic condition so that we can pay east- ern capltahsts what they ask in return for. the use -of théir money are we of unsound mind in thinking that the per- son who says that capital will not look this way does not know what he is talk- ing about or else -is deliberately fal- - sifying ? Has it penetrated the eminently sound shell enveloping your sanctum sancto- rum of thought that you no can longer FY .................................,.9...’,_.’..... “10c Car Fare Saves You $100-00’:’; VISIT BOOTH 27 at the North Dakota State Falr and WIN the World’sGreatest Player Plano LOUIS SANDQUIST & CO. 1301 Fourth Avenue, North igh‘ Grade Pianos and Player Pianos evolution” use the word “socialism” as. a bugaboo ‘. wherewith to scare folks? There. is | Jocialism that will work and there is ! socialism that won’t work. We are ‘af- ter the kind that will work. Seems to me there’is a lack of sound thinking around your editorial desk omewhere.- Yours, o ' OLOF RIBB. [ Money Loaned For five, ten or twenty years. We loan money for twenty years on the Amortized- Plan, same .as proposed. plan of the U. S. Government, and at same rate of interest. Loan in morth half of North Dakota. Write for information. M. F.-Murphy & Son Financial Correspondents = Union Central Life Ins. Co. Grand Forks - - FARGO, North Dakota roomiest car anywhere near its class. the road at high speed. full-floating rear axle with Timken beari in the rear, which insures easy Bordulac, N. D., Jnne 24, 1916, More Brothers, Fargo, N. D. that the- Pullmun can looks ‘,m;nm-y teuly, villultrafzd cataloz We lre NOW mskinl Satisfies the Dealers and Owners The Pullman is staunchly built to stand the toughest road day after day, week after week. It has clean flowing lines, and solid reliability. It is the family car; light enough to insure economical operation, heavy enough to hold "~ It has 114-inch wheel -base, 32 to 86 hompower four eyl[mkr motor, Stroml man top, demountable rims, rain vision windahielfi ndependen suu-ung and ignition system, Willard six cell, twelve volt battery. Genuine 1 ding. Transmission, selective sliding "type,’ bnll-beuinx. three speeds forwabd, - Read What They Say About the PULLMAN tnyrmrloftheznd.' " ’a ‘number of them. ‘Yours' very truly, “ i ANGUS FERGUSON. Z LOTS MORE ‘LIKE THESE—ASK FOR THEM, tory: State of North Dakots, Western Minnesota’ and Eutu'n M o ol Arh: dnllveriu fum Mo,“ onunn. Sepd for A car to be proud of. A large, roomy, rn, electric lights with dlmmen. One upholstery - thruout.: Cantilever 8Springs Large, roomy. —rear seat. Honey-comb radiator. U Figin, N. D., June 25, 1916, “More: Brothers, Fargo, N. D. ’»,Gentlmnf—.‘l’uat got ‘my Pullman ' yester- met hira there and drove it here, Must say I am well. pleased. Thilhtlufiml’ullm&u : lnlhevieinity mdnhewnhmaklnzn /it Belleve T will have no" trouble in selling (Signed) - JULIUS HEIL. ~North Dakota § | OOOIOOOI0.0...'......Q.0....0....0.....‘.00' { } ] day. - Mr. Heying drove it to Flasher and I | & o3 % it -