The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 17, 1916, Page 12

A T e A e TRCLAG o R3S o Frazier Sees Proof Daily Is Needed Editor Nonpartisan Leader: On the day the Republican candidate for. president of the United States arrived in Grand Forks he and his party, including the correspondents of the larg- est newspapers in the nation, were informed by the Grand Forks Herald that the Farmers’ Nonpartisam League was “a creature of the same spirit” as the I. W. W. This put the forty thousand farmers who voted for the League candidates in the primaries in the same class with those whom the Grand Forks Herald called “a menace to the state.” Mr. Hughes went on to Fargo the same day and spent: the night there. The Courier-News the following morning had only a short extract from Mr. Hughes' address, but. ample space on the front page for an article headed “Politics Sure Makes Strange Bed-fellows,” which was also a sneer at the League and its leaders. It said that President Townley and Mr. Coates were “pulling the wires and order- ifig things about,” whereas the truth is that Mr. Townley was not in the state during Mr. Hughes’ visit and Mr. Coates, so far from “ordering things about,” was not even present at the Hughes meeting and I am positive had no hand in the arrangements and did not seek to have, as it was a matter in which he had no concern. « The farmers of North Dakota have had a hard season. Many of them, no doubt, are on the verge of bankruptcy as a result of the destruction of their crops by flood, hail, rust and blight. I had thought recently that in the face of all these adversities it would be asking almost too much to expect them to. get behind a new daily, no matter how great the need for it might be. But when I saw them insulted and ridiculed and the state maligned before eminent visitors by the morning papers of the two cities I changed my mind. I believe now scarcely any sacrifice is too great to make to insure the establishment of a fair newspaper, one that will not devote its time to vilifying the best class of citi- zens in the state, LYNN J. FRAZIER. FRAZIER MAKES FRIENDS Mr. Frazier is not what is considered an orator, but has a plain, straight-for- ward manner of addressing the people that is convincing. He is a quiet, pleas- ant appearing gentleman, and made many friends by his visit here—BOW- MAN COUNTY PIONEER. - STICK TO FRAZIER No one, whether in sympathy with the Nonpartisan league movement or not, can afford to try and defeat Frazier for governor. He proves at first sight that he is a man through and through and will be in sympathy with all, not just a few bosses, but by farmers and business men. He is your candidate, stick to him—COURTENAY GAZETTE. - People’s Fight in South Dakota One of the most important measures 10 be voted upon by the people of South Dakota at the November election is the amended Richards primary election law, initiated by the most representative body of the people themselves. Many thous- ands . more than the required number have signed a petition to-again submit to the voters a law that has for its object the proposal of principles for represent- ative party majority and minority con- tésts in the primaries, but opens the door to . independent candidates by petition. The “initiative and referendum” was the main plank in the populist party platform -which brought that party ‘into power in this state many years ago. ‘The people found in it a solution where- by they reserved to themselves the supremacy of power to enact laws by a direct vote through the initiative and to veto obnoxious laws through the refer- endum, so adopted a constitutional <) TS Sy A \‘\\0 m i '\\‘ ) X N XX ‘;0 X A \.‘\\ W o e e s 25555 S = S e e T R TR T T This is a scene in a bunkhouse, like they used to have in the lumber camps in the old days. “The farmers of the Northwest have been asleep for forty years,” says a man who knows. Read his interview in this issue of the Leader. But they are beginning to wake up. The Nonpartisan League is an alarm clock. - It set up a clatter that quickly awdke the North Dakota farmer. He wasn’t sleeping very soundly anyway. A lot of vermin known as wheat gamblers and chambers of commerce and_ crooked politicians and other varieties of blood-suckers had been making sleep pretty uneasy. So when the alarm clock rang he tumbled out of the bunk in the righf; sort of mood to do something. He’s on his way to freedom and if anybody gets in the way somebody is going to get hurt. But who's tiis pulling at his boots? I\{Imnesot‘a,- by jing! Minnesota farmers are just beginning to realize that the grain ring has stung them in the past even more than it has the North:Dakota farmers. They have been kept quiet by a lot of niiFense about “boosting their state,” when as-a matter of fact all they were boosting were a few swollen fortunes in Minneapolis, Chicago and New York. Minnesota, too, is going to join the march to freedom, and to join it quickly. -And look, some others are showing signs of life. Perhaps they, too, have been bitten by the bed bugs and are getting tired of bunk-house fare. = { S < - HE numerous articles which have been published in the: Leader-on the subjectof taxation scem: to point . out. ‘at” least one very Story of How Another Legislature Overrode Expressed Will of Voters . again the’ politicians mustered enough h to cause its defeat. "CARRYING THE FIGHT 7 Bantry Merchant Suggests Novel Plan ‘to Reform Tax System of the State i ' important fact clearly; that our system Z By J. T. Nelson TO VOTERS THEMSELVES : of - taxation fs. entinly obsolete. and (By W. L. Walton, of Bantry, N. D.) o 8 : inefficient.. Surely, with the amount of amendment at the November.election in act.forced a division in the Republican ~ With rerewed energy the author initelligence we have among our people in North Dakota some more equitable and serviceable plan can be evolved, and 1 take it that in seeking a remedy for the Present. unfair-system, everyone will be willing . to consider the best system which can be devised. Two things seem to be fundamentally 1898, : LEGISLATURE ' DEFIES - PEOPLE; DECLINES TO SUBMIT LAW ; Then followed. a few years of inactiv- ity, until the year 1004, when 8 primary election law petition was _circulated, ~caused an initiative petition to be circu- e lated in the fall of 1910; presentsd to the Frs legislature of 1911 for submission to' 8 { vote of the people at the general cléction- in 1912. The meastre carried by a two o ene vote, ropealing all former primary { iws. ‘Then-the politicians, smarting because , party and the fight for the adoption of a_primary law. was taken up by the “progressive wing” of the party, with,the result that a primary law was finally enacted in~ 1907, rebuilt in’1909, and again in 1911." Many observers of the state’s tax system believe that the o present method of making assessments is wasteful and inaccurate. ¢ The writer of this article, a merchant of Bantry, N. D., suggests a. novel plan which may interest members of the League and other taxpayers. = The Leader’s purpose in printing it is not to indorse it, but merely to awaken discussion on the subject. £ . oy - Detition was (Jireulated: - Neither of these primary election 1aws of being sShovs o a1l memer o Mactots s o posmenys o Sy T be et s o than quired $ : iz able, and it must’ be workable. . fflfi:w";uflmfim&gfiufiun everything from A to Z, sought to répeal - - £ 5 5 should be deducted and the tax on the this, which cannot be fully discussed of 1905 for submission to he voters at the law by initiating a substitute called i " OBJECTS TO DEDUCTING . mortgage placed upon the owner of the here, but briefly, one’ objection is, that the following general election. the proposed Coffey primary election law, 'MORTGAGE FROM LAND VALUE © m I agree that the owner of = the interest paid for the borrowed money Tho fto Bt e ool Koot but the people stood by their action of . . | Hips B g the mortgage should pay tax, but not doés' not represent the' full producing the people were “deprived of their con- sustaining -the Richards election i ‘Another point which seems to be in that fs should be deducted from the valu- power of that part of the land value stitutional right by the legislature declin- 8 very large majority. The la P the mind of many people is that in taxing ation of the land; - © which it‘represents. “Another is, that it ing to_submit the measire, which very c i 31y i land the of o tgage if any .- Thera are a', reasors for : -\ PAGE THIRTERN will not' bo* workable, ‘The prog and: Fight Still On The fall campaign will soon be on and the farmers must again stand together to crown their primary candidates with success. The Nonpartisan League is still opposed and will be bitterly fought by Special Interests and Corporate Powers which have so long run our state government. Every producer is inter- ested in the economic handling of his produce and the bettering of farm wel- fare and it will again be necessary to work hard for election victory. “We'll stick—we'll win.” —KENSAL ~PRO- GRESS. MAYVILLE LIKES FRAZIER Good _attendance and a favorable impression of the Nonpartisan League candidate for governor, are testified to in the following statement from the May- ville Tribune-Farmer of August 10. In- giving an account of the farmers’ picnic there last week the Tribune said: “The presence of Mr. Frazier was of the most importance and in his speech none were disappointed.” The article reads: Despite the inclemency of the weather the night preceding the Mayville farm- ers’ picnic, there was a good crowd pres- ent at 2 o'clock when the parade started for the park led by the Mayville band. The band in automobiles led the proces- sion on the east side past the Normal school and then through Main street to Island park where the picnic was to bo held. After. a few numbers Lynn Frazi who is a candidate for governor, deliv-, ered an address that was very well received, ‘the audience giving rapt atten- tion to his utterances. Mr. Frazier con- fined this talk very largely to matters that have to do with state affairs and marketing of grain. He outlined pretty well his policy if elected governor and also spoke very kindly of the other can- didates who were nominated on the ticket. A. T. Cole of Fargo was also present and made a short address as was also Judge Pollock of Fargo present. Both of these gentlemen made good impres- sions and their talks were enjoyed. At 5_o'clock the lunches was spread and with the free lemonade and coffec furn- ished by the Mayville business men a very enjoyable picnic of the old fashioned sort was indulged in. BOOST FOR DAILY The Nonpartisan Leader has been such a success as a weekly paper, and realiz- ing that the League needs a daily paper to cope with the political situation, the leaders of the League are now contem- pliting the issuing of a daily paper. Blanks are being sent out to the farmers of the state and if enough paid in advance_subscribers can be secured the new .daily will be launched. It is the intent to start the new paper in about eight weeks if the plans go through. We can look for some real warm news- paper stuff during the campaign if the Daily Leader gets to going.—VALLEY CITY COURIER. Write Your Own Assessments “cons of this proposition are too numer- ous to be taken up here, as the purpose . of this article is to suggest a better plan of taxation, for the consideration of our people. . Assuming what is generally speaking a fact, that mostly every one is willing to pay his share, and that what few per- sons are not should be made to pay their share, I will lay down four cornerstones on which we will build our tax structure. Our "present system, wrong in its . inception, and patched and repatched £rom time to time by interests which are selfish, with the object of favoring cer- tain interests, and not to get at just tax- ation; is_about as pitiable & conglomer- ation as is our law business, which no lawyer or even our judges know the meaning of, sind - instead of our law= suits being determined by & jury as they should be, they are determined by judges, 7 (Continued on page 16) N