The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 18, 1917, Page 13

-t ontana’s Legislature at Work Invisible Government Is Big Issue Before Solons— Farmers’ . Movement Bothers Erstwhile Bold Politicians (By Special Correspondent) ELENA, Mont, Jan. 13.—The . senate is Republican by a vote of 28 to 13, while the Demo- crats have the house by a narrow mar- gin, 49 to 46. The real line-up how- ever, before the session of the Montana legislature now on, will be for and against Invisible Government. This year, for the first time in years, the membership, committed to a disregard of the wishes of the Amalgamated, has the strength to easily control both branches. o= This is so apparent that the lobby- ists for “the company” are almost panic stricken, and they are pleading for “fairness,” and ‘reasonableness,” and a ‘“square deal,” etc. The answers they are getting, for the most part, do not seem to be setting well on the-corporation stomachs. Most of the bunch look 1like the average small’ boy who has eaten too many green apples. FARMERS MAY GET SOME LEGISLATION It is a fact, almost unbelievably amazing; but true. The “other crowd,” 80 long in a minority in the lobby and on the floors of the two houses, are in the saddle, booted and spurred. And they know how to. ride. And they haven’t forgotten how it has felt to be ridden over, either. There are an unusual number of ac- tual farmers in the legislature, and they are quite inclined to.be assertive. But they are divided between ‘the two political camps, and their influence will be lessened in consequence. This isn’t to say that there will not be many measures passed in the interests of the farmers, for such a result is very cer- tain. -~ While the influence of these farmers will be felt, the most potent influence exerted upon this legislature will be - by farmers ‘who are not only not pres- ent, but who actually live in another state. . What the farmers of the North Dakota Nonpartisan League did to the politicians of that state so recently is vividly in the minds of the politicians of Montana just now. On the political horizon, when they mentally look Dakota- ward, they can see the figure of that tall, grim-faced, hard-fisted fellow who smashed the North Dakota political machines to splinters. Those of them who keeps wised up by keeping their ears to the ground can distinctly hear the tramp, tramp, tramp of the similar thous- ands that will be on the march in Montana next spring. POLITICIANS WISE TO LEAGUE MOVE Oh, they know its coming, these Montana politicians! And the most of thém are getting ready, too. They are warning their fellows.- “If we don’t give these farmers what they want,. they'll eat us up, sure!” Of course, there are many strong men in the leg- jslature who will play the game of politics on the square with the farm- ers from principle. The numbers on the outside are increasing, too, and rapidly. 5 But fear of or sympathy with what the League will do in Montana is but one of the reasons why the agents ef Invisible Government,are in so fear- some a state. The mutterings of revo- Jution are everywhere heard. The - people of the state are openly protest- ing against the continued domination of the Standard Oil interests. The dodging of taxes while fabulous sums are being taken from the mines, and the extortions of the Water Power monopoly are resented at white heat. These will be matters of prime inter- est at this session of the legislature, and the reforms will be sweeping ones. Supplementing these big issues will be the bigger one’ of calling -a constitu- - tional convention. That’s the real skeleton in the closet; Invisible Gov- ernment will do its utmost to keep the closet door closed, as it has been able to do for many years past. RAILROAD LOBBY ‘MUCH IN EVIDENCE While much of the time of the sixty day session will be taken up in the fighting over these matters, legislation for the farmers will not be entirely submerged. Already notices of bills for the Torrens system of land trans- fers, for state hail insurance and for state-owned terminal elevators have \ been given, and bills for other farmers measures are nearly ready for intro- duction. The miling trust will also come in for attention, and there will be a strong fight for reduced rates on commodity shipments within the state. The railroad lobby is already here, A Prosper g YT ous Farmers’ and the millers have also organized to keep alive their cruel extortion on the price of flour. As additions to the lob- by of the Amalgamated they are to be reckoned with. The high interest rate beneficiaries are depending largely on their membership on the floors of the Creamery FARMER’'S co-operative creamery at Audubon, Minn., is shown in the ac- companying picture. It is owned by the Audubon Creamery association, which has a membership of 102 farmers and gives many dairy farmers of the lake region a nearby market for their products. The patrons of the creamery live within-a radius of many miles and bring their milk and cream by wagon sleigh or auto. - This association is 28 years old and is an example of a prosperous farmer’s organization. Plans are now being made for the erection of a new building with increased facilities next spring, but meantime the machinery in the old building is kept busy meeting the demands of customers. average 1700 pounds of butter per week. This is a prime favorite in The institution turns out on an eastern markets, and goes to such cities as Chicago and Phi]a_delphi& The association at present is marketing its product through commission houses in the Twin Cities. The man standing in the doorway is Christ Madson, buttermaker at the creamery. And the People Paid the Bill Legislature Is Handed Useless Report on Elevators-- = Commuissioners ISMARCK, Jan. 12.—One of the B strange and unacc'ountable things that happened the last few weeks before the farmers’ administration took over state affairs was a lengthy report by the old railroad commission on the advisability of building a terminal ele- vator in North Dakota, which report has been submitted to the legislature. - The report seems merely to have served the purpose of furnishing a nice traveling excursion for the old com- missioners at the expense of the tax- payers. They went to Canada and all grain terminal points in the North- west-to “investigate.” The alleged authority for getting out this hasty and ill-advised report was an act of the legislature of 1915. This act, passed by opponents of the termin- al elevator . proposition, pretended merely to authorize an “investigation” concerning the possibility of terminal elevators in North Dakota. Its real purpose was to repeal the annual tax of 1-8 of 1 mill provided by the 1913 legislature to be levied in 1914, 1916 and 1916. A referendum petition by farmers held up the act, and it was voted upon by the people at the Noveémber 7 election last year. MISUNDERSTOOD BY PEOPLE AT ELECTION Through misunderstanding of - the wording and purposes of the act, which were carefully concealed in order to deceive the people, the act passed by a narrow margin. Its purpose of repeal- ing the tax for terminal elevators had been defeated by its being held up on the referendum petitions, The tax the 1913 legislature provided had already been levied for the years it was in- tended to be levied and adoption or. rejection by the people of the act November 7 did not affect the tax. However, adoption of the act did fur- nish some color of authority to the railroad commission to mesie a ‘re- port” and charge up handsome travel- ing expenses, for the act did provide for another “investigation.” The folly of making this investiga- tion, however, is clearly shown by the fact that the act was not certified as having passed until December 11, 1916. This gave the railroad commisgsioners less than a month to make a report before they went out of office. They - vator. Had Nice Trip must have realized the impossibility of making a detailed and fair investi- gation in that time, and they must have realized that there was a complete mixup on the part of the people in re- gard to the act. They also knew that the “investigation” part of the act was a mere blind, the repeal of the tax being the real purpose, and the real purpose had already been defeated by the holding up of the act. REPORT HINTS THAT IT “CAN'T BE DONE” Despite this the old rallroad com- missions hopped to it and had a fine junket to various cities of Canada and - the United States at the expense of the people. Their useless report, as filed, makes no definite recommendations but it hints in several places against the state undertaking a terminal ele- The report, admitted to be in- complete by the railroad commission, is, of course, useless. If it is neces- sary to make further “investigations” on the advisability of the terminal ele- vator, the work will have to be done all over by new men. The report illustrates as much as anything that has happened the utter irresponsibility of the old administra- tion, its lack of good judgment and its anxiety to spend money, especially where spending it also furnished a nice little traveling trip on Pullmans, with stops at good hotels between times. > Menahga, Minn. Editor Nonpartisan ILeader: I am a farmer and have been reading your paper for some time and I am a member of the League and am glad to know that there is one state in the union where farmers and laboring men have wakened to the fact that the big money powers have been robbing the people long enough. North Dakota has made the first stand for betterment of conditions for the people and I think that it will be a warning to other states in regard to what can be done if the people will stick together. I think that the next presidential election, in 1920, will see Minnesota and lots of states taking the same stand that North Da- kota took in 1915, As for me I am heart and hand In the movement. E. KIRBY. THIRTRIA two houses, so that real legislation in the interest of the people will be op- posed from within and from without. However, in these reports the record will be made up, fully, fairly and with pitiless plainess. . WHY HE'S IN IT Des Lacs, N. D. Editor Nonpartisan ILeader: I was the first one in Des Lacs to get on the list in the reorganization. I am in the ring for the next two years and think it the duty of every farmer in the state to do the same. It is plain to see the position of the producer in North Dakota, and what is good for the producer is good for the consumer. North Dakota is a farming state, and if conditions are such as drive out the farmer or keep him down, what will the rest of the people do? The implement' dealers look - to the farmer for support, so do the store- keepers, the blacksmiths and the bank- ers. In fact the whole state depends on the prosperity of the farmers. Why shouldn’'t we farmers organize to try to get a fair profit on our labor, and then we could buy two pairs of overalls a year instead of buying one pair and patching them. I say get into the ring and help to move the bandwagon forward and don’t let it slip. : W. WHITE THE FARMERS’ OPPORTUNITY (Editorial in the Leonard (N. D.) Journal.) The legislature of North Dakota has convened with the greatest represent- ative body of farmers that the state has ever known. People from all over the country have been watching the fight of the Nonpartisan League, which reached its climax last November when a great majority of its candidates were elected to legislative, judicial, and executive offices, and when Lynn J. Frazier went into the governor's chair with the greatest majority that has ever been known in North Dakota. These same people are watching now to see what the farmers will do when they assemble for husiness at Bis- marck. We believe the farmers will make good, and that we shall have the laws that have been promised us, and that we shall not be sorry for having placed the reins of our government in the hands of these tillers of the soil. Some of the important laws which are very likely to be passed are: ex- emption of farm improvements from taxation, compulsory state hail insur- ance, state terminal elevators, state flour mills, state packing plants, and several - political reform measures, Make good, farmers! Keep the faith! It’s your golden opportunity. Senator McBride 8enator McBride is the author of and introduced a bill for the calling of an election to ascertain whether the peo- ple wanted a constitutional convention or not. He was elected in Stark coun- ty, defeating the farmers’ candidate, who ran as an independent, and his bill is opposed to the plan of the League senators and representatives. McBride’s bill provides for three elec- tions and two sessions of the legisla- ture before the League program could become law and is just the kind of de- lay those opposed to the farmers want. I