The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 15, 1917, Page 4

;-Z"\ e o o with the construction®of -an elevator too small for the purpose and without the power to make it a success. They thought that the gov- ernor might be able to use the power to investigate and prepare for establishing state industry on a sound basis. They were willing to leave it to the governor to-use the bill for good if it could be used, or to veto it if he found it bad. Their confidence was well placed. Taking thought of the matter the governor saw that the plan of the Old Guard was probably to set up a howl for the *‘fulfillment of the program’’ and for the speedy erection of an elevator that would not work and if the governor and his commission delayed to make what capital they could out of that. The bill was artfully drawn to discredit state ownership. * % ¥ WHAT WERE THEY SENT THERE FOR? The people of the state of North Dakota didn’t send their rep- resentatives and senators to Bismarck to get some sort of an excuse for a state elevator, something that could be called a ‘‘terminal ele- vator’’ and pointed out as a curiosity, an object of interest but useless as far as any effect on the grain market is concerned. No, they sent the farmer members to Bismarck to get something real, something which will help to knock off the fetters of monopoly control of the markets, something that will serve as a weapon to fight the beast of privilege and extortion. The state of North Dakota doesn’t want a toy tin sword to take into battle with the market combine. It doesn’t want a stage weapon, good for show but not for use. This is going to be a real fight. We must be sure of our weapons when we get them. Let’s start right. Let’s not let the enemy hand us the weapons we are to use. v This ‘‘terminal elevator’’ bill was the weapon the enemy turned out for us. It was designed, forged and finished in the workshops of privilege. Frazier took a look at it and then broke it in two and threw the fragments away. Good for Frazier! : * % &%~ ‘‘BEIGHTY-FOUR’’ NOT ONLY FRAUD Senate Bill 84 was not the only fraud masquerading as a peo- ple’s measure at Bismarck during the late lamented session of the North Dakota legislature. It was the fairest of a family of handsome hoaxes, all designed to sidetrack the people’s program, all designed on the theory of ‘‘giving them something to satisfy them,’’ something guaranteed to be distasteful and not to work. Every item of the League program was represented by some cheap and foolish pretense written and urged by some man who was actively fighting the League ¢ 3t every step of the way. Every time one of those cheats was launched the Old Gang press agency, operating through the Grand Forks Herald," the Fargo Forum and other publications, set up a great hurrah, giving the people to understand that here was a bill putting into effect the ‘“‘League program’’ and then when the bill was opposed by the farm- ers there was a wail of hypoeritical ‘‘surprise’’ that the League men didn’t appreciate what was being done for them. o It was a case of cheap and low-grade politics, played by a set of men too narrow-minded to have any conception of the scope and power of the movement they are opposing, gaining a brief notoriety by sticking momentarily in the channel of progress, damming up for a time a flood that will have all the greater power when it sweeps them away and rushes on to the fulfillment of its purpose. * % % GIVE CREDIT TO THE OLD GANG' But let’s not be hard on the Old Gang. Let’s tell the full truth about them and give them credit for everything they deserve. These Old Gang senators, and the men who voted with them in the house, were ‘“on guard to protect the interests of North Da- kota,’’ says one of the Gang papers. ' Let’s admit right here that more than half of that sentence is absolutely true. : The senators were-‘‘on guard’ all rigcht. They were ‘‘on guard’’ when the farmers’ representatives tried to put through House Bill 44. ‘What was the object of this bill? It was to PROPOSE a revised con- stitution TO THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA, a constitution which would PERMIT the state to engage in the industries embraced in the Nonpartisan League program. Naturally you would think NO ONE could object to SUBMITTING such a proposition to THE PEO- PLE. You would think that if there was a disagreement as to JUST ‘WHAT SORT OF NEW CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE SUBMITTED. the members of the senate would OFFER TO AMEND IT, so as to make it suit their ideas. They had that privilege. House Bill 44 was submitted EARLY IN THE SESSION, so that there would be PLEN- TY OF TIME TO WORK ON IT. ‘What did the majority of the senate decide to offer in the way . of amendments? Did they suggest a limitation of the debt limit?. Did they seek to £‘protect the school funds.”” Did they suggest remedies to any one of the many features of the bill which they have loudly -criticised and denounced all over the state? : Listen to this now: They didn’t amend, alter of suggest a single, solitary change. They were opposed to the bill ‘‘ON.- PRIN- CIPLE.” o ‘What do you know about that? THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THE ‘‘PRINCIPLE’’ OF LETTING THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE. ‘. THEY KILLED THE WHOLE THING SO AS‘ NOT TO LET FOUR i i : T T S S A O W Y THE PEOPLE HAVE A CHANCE AT IT. They said to the people of North Dakota: ““We, the sehators elected by the old political machines, are the authority which is to decide what shall be the form and the conditions of government in the state of North Dakota. This is OUR BUSINESS, not the people’s business. WE DON’T TRUST THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA TO DECIDE THESE FUNDAMENTAL QUES- TIONS FOR THEMSELVES.” *® % % THE MOTTO OF THE OLD GANG / Get that now and fix it in your minds. The Old Gang senators and their associates in the house and senate DO NOT TRUST THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA. THEY DO NOT TRUST THE PEOPLE. : , DON’T LET THERE BE ANY MISTAKE ABOUT THIS. THE OLD GANG HAS ESTABLISHED FOR THEMSHELVES A MOTTO AND A PRINCIPLE, REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED ON BILL AFTER BILL BEFORE THE NORTH DAKOTA FIFTEENTH ASSEMBLY ; REPEATEDLY VOICED ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE BY THEIR LEADERS. IT OUGHT TO BE FRAMED AND HUNG UP IN EVERY POSTOFFICE AND STORE IN THE STATE; IT OUGHT TO BE’ PASTED ON THE WALL OF EVERY HOME; IT OUGHT TO BE FLASHED ON THE SCREEN IN EVERY MOVING PICTURE HOUSE. The motto of the Old Gang, their guiding principle, duly authen- ticated, signed, sealed .and delivered—here it is: ‘‘WE DON'T TRUST THE PEOPLE’’ —THE OLD GANG. 5 As we said before, they were on guard all right, Sure, they were. Now we will explain what we meant when we said that sentence was ‘‘more than half true.’” Remember what the sentence was? It was this: ‘‘The Old Gang was on guard to protect the interests of North Dakota.”’ : ‘We move to amend by striking out the last three words. Then the sentence will be entirely correct. Now read it and repeat it: The Old Gang was on guard to protect THE INTERESTS. You might add a few more words and make it stilt more illumin- ating. The Old Gang was on Guard to protect the interests ‘‘FROM?? THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA—not ‘‘OF’’ the people of North Dakota. They were on guard to protect THE INTERESTS from any action BY THE PEOPLE which would be INJURIOUS TO THE INTERESTS. That’s the truth and the last word in the matter. P —————————————————————————————————————————— A LETTER FROM MAINE : \ . Limestone, Maine., March 1, 1917. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: ] Please extend my subscription to the Nonpartisan Leader for one year for which you will find check inclosed. I greatly appreciate the splen- did work you are doing in the Northwest and extending through the nation. The Nonpartisan League must become a national organization with a strong progressive platform ‘demanding that such natural monopolies of _ the nation as copper, coal, iron ore, oil and water power, the railroad, tele- phone and telegraph lines, express companies should be taken over by the government and paying those now holding title to them only what they have actually put into the properties, no matter what their present capi- talizations are. 2 Positive action should be taken both to prevent the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few, and as part of the remedy we should demand the enactment of such inheritance tax laws and income tax laws with rapidly progressive rates upon large fortunes and incomes and forcing all unused land into use by making tax on non-productive land just the same as on productive land and exempting all improvement. ‘Whereas the courts have declared many laws that were in the in- terest of the people unconstitutional, it is only reasonable and right that they be denied the right to do so. It must make such men as Senator LaFollette, Bryan and Johnson feel good to know that people are awakening. Let us help them and sus- tain them and cheer them in their work. CHESTER R. GALLAGHER. Stair Turns It Down How one of the prominent League members of the state legislature treated a letter from the circulation manager of one daily in North Dakota . is shown in the following letter: Mr. C. W. Crum, ~ Circlulation Mgr., Grand Forks Herald. Dear Sir:— 7 . I am in receipt of your lettg{ in which you ask me to subscribe for the Grand Forks Herald. Without any order from me or Payment on my part, you have been sending me the Herald for the past few weeks. Who is paying you to send it, you know best. N But I will not subscribe for it and do not desire it to come to fiue in the futuré. Your paper is not reliable, as its many. misrepresentations of . happenings in the legislature have proved. And as I am in a position to know that the Herald has made many misrepresentations of condjtions at Bismarck, I have wondered just what kind of an animal you think I am . when'you ask me to subscribe and pay for your paper. : I do not blame your representative here for not telling the truth for I am satisfied you would not havé him on the job if he did tell the’ truth when dealing with League members of the legislature, I read in the Grand Forks Herald of Feb. 17, an account of a purported meeting of farmers at Conway and they signing notes to the amount of $101,660 to buy autos for the League, but declined to pay for a private auto for Townley. But today I read in the Fargo Forum of Feb. 24 the sworn affidavit of these same farmers at Conway where they say that no such meeting was held and no notes for autos were signed. . They also say John Cooley, city editor of the Herald was at Conway that day and knew the truth of what transpired there and yet sent you the lying report. I surely admire your nerve in asking me to subscribe for the Herald. Stop it quick. -~ L. L. STAIR 4 Bismarck, N. D., Feb. 25, 1917.