The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 22, 1917, Page 4

T % | I — 2 R N4 e — e The Herald Seeks Greener Pastures HE Grand TForks (North Dakota) Herald, organ of reactionary- ism and speeial privilege, having become utterly discredited in its own state is seeking new fields in Minnesota, The Herald has sent out a circular appeal to people in Minnesota asking thiem to send $1 per head and learn some real hot facts about the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. . Because the farmers of North Dakota know all about the Non- partisan League, such stuff does not go down west of the Red river. But the Herald hopes to find fertile fields in which to- stir up prejudice east of the Red. The Herald knows that the North Daketa farmers are joining the League for another two years at the rate of nearly 1000 a week, which shows how much impression this enemy of the farmers and the farmers’ organization is.making in North Dakota. * * % That the Herald does not hope to line up farmers against the League in Minnesota is shown by its appeal, which is addressed to busi- ness men primarily. The circular letter says: “It is imperative that every BUSINESS MAN acquaint himself with this movement before you experience the gtief North Dakota is now laboring under.”’ ’ 7 & The Herald failed to line up North Dakota business men against the farmers’ movement, exeept in a very few cases, and now it is try- ing its hand at setting the business class against the farmers in Minne- sota. It has become a desperate matter with the Herald. Discredited in North Dakota, with its eirculation dropping off at an alarming rate, the Herald has h;;d to reach out into new fields for support and thinks the Minnesota business men will be an easy mark. LR " The Herald’s move in Minnesota is interesting in another particular. It has pretended in North Dakota not to be opposed to the farmers’ movement but only to its leaders and its eandidates. It hoped to disrupt and disorganize tlic League in North Dakota by making the members suspicious of cach other and their leaders and candidates. In the Minnesota appeal, however, the IHerald makes no attempt to conceal its real motives. It says that Minnesota business men should acquaint themselves with the farmers’ MOVEMENT, which it declares has brought grief to North Dakota. Nothing in the Minnesota appeal about leaders and candidates—it is the MOVEMENT itself, the farm- ers’ organization working for better political and economie conditions, that the Herald attacks in Minnesota. ~ The Herald’s appeal for subscribers in Minnesota has its humor- ous side also. It says: ““The Herald is printing letters from Nonpartisan leaguers who state they were misled in the objects of the League.”’ The Leader last week exposed the Herald’s plan to get letters opposing the League. We reproduced photographically a copy. of a letter sent by the Herald begging the person addressed to please write a letter against the League; or, if the person addressed could not, or would not, would he please have some other ‘‘good, sound eonserva- tive citizen’’ write a letter to the Herald denouncing the League? The Herald is out beating the bushes of the highways and by- ways of North Dakota looking for some reactionaries or a few traitors to the farmers’ cause to write letters to be printed in the Herald. And the Herald, with all its desperate letter writing to ‘‘good, sound con- servatives,’’ has produced two or three lonesome letters. And now it wants Minnesota business mei to read these letters at $1 for the three, or was it only two? But the Herald can hardly be blamed for thinking so much of these few letters, it cost the Herald so much effort to get them! The Leader knows that the Herald has received thousands of letters from indignant farmers of North Dakota, members of ‘the League and not members of the League, taking exception to the Herald’s false attacks. WHY DOESN’T THE HERALD PRINT SOME OF THESE? Minnesota business men would be glad to read them. The Ierald sent a reporter to Conway recently to interview some of the Nonpartisan League members there. The Herald wanted to know if any of these farmers has signed notes for the League. The Herald itself prints the interview its reporter had with one of the men it interviewed. Here it is: ““William Maxwell was in and was interviewed. The reporter asked him if he had signed any such notes and if he were taking any steps to see that the League paid promptly in order to protect himseli? The response was that it was none of the business of the —— —— Herald, and an extended tirade which cannot be sent through the mails.”’ ® ¥ 0 Mr. Maxwell is to be pardoned if he really did utter unprintable things. Almost any North Dakota farmer would do the same thing, for they know what the Herald is and what it stands for and many of them see red when the Herald is mentioned and they consider it an in- sult to be questioned by the Herald. The Leader predicts that the Herald’s eampaign in Minnesota will meet the same fate that its campaign against the farmers in North Dakota has—it will succeed only in discrediting the Herald. The farmers will not stand being bulldozed, scandalized and insulted sim- ply because they decide to organize, and only a few business men in any community will ever sympathize with efforts to bulldoze, scandal- ize and insult them. Think up something new, Jerry. ’ The Corporations’ “Nonpartisan League” ; Part; Politics Cut No Ice With Big Interests—Othgr Notes From Montana’s Legislature By Special Correspondent ELENA, Mont.,, Feb. 17.—Here is H the outstanding fact of Montana politics, as voiced by a2 member of the senate who is now sitting in that body for the fourth time: “There is no Republican party; there is no Democratic party, either; there is only a compact party when the inter- ests of the corporations are to be legis- lated upén, and that party is made up of men who masquerade in the guise of partyism. It is a misnomer to call it a bi-partisan party, because the use of that term presumes that the mem- bers BELONG to one of the two poli- tical parties. This crowd BELONGS to the corporate interests which it is always read to serve. It is really a nonpartisan league. “The only way to meet this corpora- tion nonpartisan league is by another equally nonpartisan league, such as the farmers of North Dakata have organiz- ed. The sooner the people of Montana set about it the better for the state.” This significant statement was made at a conference of a dozen house and senale members who have been leading the fight against the tactics of the In- visible Government forces, and it was indorsed by every single one of those present. Moreover, it was seriously and favorably discussed that a public statement to the same effect be given to the press at the conclusion of the session as the sense of all the members who took part in the conference. The yeast is in the dough. leaven is working. GOVERNOR APPOINTS lature to fill a vacancy caused by the death of a member of the Silver Bow county delegation. And, what was equally unheard of, the appointee was given his seat. This restored ‘the house Democratic majority of four, with which the ses- sion opened. But it took the votes of some alleged Republicans to put the raw deal over, as three farmer - mem- Helped Kill It. The - four majority was not at all at stake. ~ What was at stake was that the big bers on'the Democratic side refused to stay put and voted “no” on the mo- tion. But there was more than Democra- tic politics in the scheme. Whether the Democrats had three majority or clear to the men and women in Mon- tana who live on the farms and ranches just why the corporations can afford to own and operate big political non- partisan . machines; why they can “keep” strings of newspapers and em- ploy high-priced lawyers to swarm about the legislative sessions every two copper company, which always controls years. the Silver Bow delegation, thought it needed the vote. And it needed the vote because the taxation question was about to became acute. The big copper company was not alone in wanting that vote, either. The tax-dodging power company, the ex- press, telegraph and telephone com- panies also wanted it, for identically the same reason. They have all been tarred by the same stick. Just the “why” of this badly needed vote by combined Big. Biz in Montana is revealed by figures the other day submitted to the senate by a select committee named to investigate the matter of who really pays the taxes in this state. Stated in percentages that report showed: : Perhaps' this will make it clear to farmers just what it means to BE THRE GOVERNMENT in these days. But this ‘select committee presented some other figures that should startle the farmers. For instance: Gross proceeds mines $141,500,000 Gross proceeds railroads 60,199,996 Total :for: 1916, "ot $201,699,996 Gross proceeds farms...$81,154,190 Gross proceeds_ livestock.. 54,187,960 ...... $135,342,150 LAND PRODUCED LESS BUT PAID HIGHEST Total for 1916 Mining industry . s 0879 Thus it appears that while the lands Farming industry ...........32.14 produced less wealth in 1916 by '$65,- Livestock industry .........10.73 000,000 than did the mines and the rail- Railroad industry ..... ..17.99 roads, the owners of the former paid Banking industry .... 1238 nearly twice the percentage of the Telephone companies . .279 total taxes. Telegraph companies .. 197 Will then the farmer who reads these Express companies ..... a2 4033 figures any longer wonder why the Water power companies..... 2.078 cerporations annually pay out such huge sums for their nonpartisan poli- tical control? Will he any longer doubt that it PAYS TO BE THE GOV-" ERNMENT? And is it to be #ondered at that LIVE STOCK AND FARMING BIGGEST Stated in other terms these figures MAN TO LEGISLATURE ‘What may be written into the poli- tical history of the country as one of the boldest pieces of usurpation of executive authority has Jjust been pulled by Governor Stewart. He went to the unheard-of length of actually ap- pointing a man a member of the legis- 32k Senator A. S. Gibbons of North Da- kota, enemy of the farmers’ cause, who voted against House Bill 44, show that the six largest industries in the state, including mining, rail- rcads, telegraph, telephone, express and water power companies, pay an aggregate of 29.3 per cent of all the taxes gathered in the state, while the farming and live stock industries com- bined pay 42.87 per cent., Perhaps this statement will make it FOUR strong men in the state and house of the Montana legislature have at last ceme to realize, as did the senator quoted at the beginning of this corre- spondence, that the only way to meet ° corporation nonpartisan leagues amply financed is by the people!s nonpartisan leagues, also financed by regular dues- paying members?