The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 14, 1916, Page 5

Justice Waste of * ABOR DAY was made memor- able in Fargo and- in all of North Dakota this year by a’ gather- . ing that for ‘a long time will be remembered as unique. . . Under the direction of a committee of trades unionofficers an open-air gather- ing in Island 'park was addressed- by three speakers, none of whom was-a union man, none of whom was a wage _worker, but all of whom showed them- selves in thorough sympathy with all men who work for wages and all who toil with their hands. The three speakers were President E. F. Ladd of North Dakota Agricultural college, John N. Hagan, member of the Nonpartisan Leagiue and Repuhlican nominee for commissioner of agriculture and labor, and Lynn J. Frazier, who was introduced simply as “the next governor of North' Dakpta.” -~ These three speakers.each brought a message to all the people of the state —and the most significant thing about the “whole - meeting was that though ' approached from a different point of view and expressed in different the messages of all were very much the same. Y : WASTE OF DISTRIBUTION THEME OF ALL SPEAKERS . Dr. Ladd ealled attention to figures ‘ recently published in a magazine show- ing how excessive costs of distribution, including. . high' profits to middlemen -of various ranks and needless transporta- tion and storage charges have brought | abott a situation where only 30 per cent of the selling price of a manufactured article represents the actual cost of pro- duction, the remaining 70 per cent being -consumed in" distribution costs and dis- tribution profits. . “This . is & great burden that lies heavily both upon the producer and upon the :consumer,”. said President Ladd.. . “The farmers and the working men of North Dakota can well join to fight the great grain and ‘other ‘combines that - "1 exhet their toll alike from produser snd onsumer,” said Mr. Hagan'in the course . of his address. -~ 3 Appropriately. it was Mr. Frazier, the final speaker on the program, who sum- \med up the situation and pointed to the “The greatest danger we face today,” paid Mr. Frazier; “is the fact that in this country today-10. per cent. of.the people control 90 per cent of the wealth and the 90" per_cent together own only 10 per Com i3 petit * together only own 10 per cent.” interests.” - Part of the audieqce that heard Labor day addresses in Fargo FROM FRAZIER’S LABOR DAY ADDRESS: ; “We do not complain at prices for our manufactured goods based upon good wages and ¥ood working conditions for those by whose labor the goods are produced. But we do object to carrying the heavy burden of big profits on - what we buy and what we sell paid to those who do not by their labor add anything to the value of the product.” 3 * x % - ; “We don’t object to high freight rates based on good wages for railroad men, but we do object to extortionate freight and passenger rates based on watered stock and huge profits for Wall street promoters.” ce for All the Workers” Labor Day Speakers Join in Urging Political Unity; ion and Speculation Greatest Evil * “Until til‘e women get the ‘ballot—and I hepe it won’t be long—it’s up to the men to protect the women workers.” . . * % # : “The idea that the world owes every man a living.is all bunk. The world - does not owe a living to the man who can work but will not.” : SR e : “Idleness " is an evil and a disgrace. The idle rich are just as much a menace to this country as any Weary Willie or ‘hobo by the roadside.” : . E * % : . “The greatest danger we face today is the fact that in this country 10 per cent of the people control 90 per cent of the wealth and the 90 per cent - « ® x “It is a serious condition in any land when wealth brings idleness, luxury and oppression and poverty brings disease and crime,” * 5 “The bl'nliority of the people in this country have the power to rule and to right conditions. Why in Heaven’s name do they not cast their votes for men who will represent the majority instead of representing a few special e o e T — | gathered in the shade of the trees about the band platform in Island park was composed in considerable part of union workmen and their families. There' was a high percentage of women in the gathering and there were a number of civil war veterans, always interested in any meeting of a patriotic character. From the start this gathering took on ‘that nature. A big flag' was draped across the corner of the platform and . when the band at the conclusion of a medley: of patriotic. and old-time airs, broke into the. clear, measured strains of “The 'Star Spangled Banner,” all within hearing quickly sprang to. their feet, with bared heads. It was =a noticeable ‘contrast to many occasions when the playing of the national anthem has awakened only an occasional tribute. ..The entire audience gathered closely about the stand when Peter N. Wingren of the Tailors’ union, chairman of’ the day, ' introduced Dr.. Ladd, the -first spegker, and from that time on the (closest._and most respectful attention was given to each of the three speakers. - 'Dr. Ladd in his brief talk gave ‘the agriculture and labor worthy the sup- port of all elements of the state’s voters. It remained for Mr. Frazier, however, to raise the audience to a high degree of enthusiasm by an address which was straightforward, packed with strikingly epigrammatic sentences, imbued with patriotism and state loyalty on a lofty scale_and which rose to a high pitch of eloquence at the close. . death’ (At the outset Mr. Frazier thanked the ~ union workmen for the support they had given the Nonpartisan League ticket in the primaries and expressed the hopa . that they would not be disappointed in : their. expectations of the people’s admin~ istration when it is put into power. : NECESSITY DRIVES WORKERS TO POLITICAL ORGANIZATION “The interests of labor and the farms~ ers in this state are much the same;” . said Mr. Frazier. “We are all of us. working people—we earn our way by, our own toil and we need to stand- together to improve our condition. “Political organization of the people is brought about by necessity. Necessity, drove our forefathers from the Ol World to this country. They were pers secuted there. They would not stay, there to be slaves and so the bravest and best came to America seeking liberty. - “But the power of England followed them and sought to place them under. the same conditions of subjection that “they had fled from. Conditions grew so intolerable . that the words of Patri Henry, ‘Give me liberty or give me became the spirit of the majority. g [ “It was the plain people who resisted the aggressive power of England. The plain people stood together in the battles of Lexington and Concord. The privil- eged classes were not with them. The wealthy’ and powerful were the Tories, They spoke of these patriots as ‘rebels’ and. ‘traitors.’ * “It took a lot of courage for thesd colonists to stand together to- resist England. It took a lot of courage for those delegates to sign their names tq the . greatest political document ‘ew: written, the Declaration of Independ+ ence, which declared that all men by,