The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 15, 1917, Page 6

- T T = ASSEE S SSE N\ e N e of the act is shown in section 6§ which provides that the department is to co- operate with the United States depart- ment of agriculture and with similar departments of other states—IN EX- CHANGING INFORMATION. This exchange of information 1is for the speculators in farm produce. No one else can make use of it. Everyone who knows anything about the way the bu- reau of markets gathers its informa- tion and sends it out, knows that it is the tail to the dealers’ kite. In fact one of the chief functions of the market commissioner is ‘“to diffuse useful in- formation”—relative to the prices and movement of farm produce. WILLING TO ACCEPT ANY OLD U. 8. GRADES This then, is what the South Dakota legislature palmed off on the farmers as a grain grading and inspection mea- sure. There is nothing in it about grain inspection, and its insincerity as an attempt to establish a swaie grading system, is proven completely by a pro- vision that 60 days after the United States government establishes grades for farm products, South Dakota’s market commissioner shall promulgate those as the grades of South Dakota. This was obviously intended to side- step the whole issue and let the federal grain grades (which are highly satis- factory to the milling combine as tenta- tively set forth) be declared the law in South Dakota. The proposed feders al grades have already been discredited by. the methods used in Minneapolis and Fargo in taking farmers’ testi- mony regarding them, but the South Dakota legislature that intended to “back the Nonpartisan League off the map,” has provided that these federal grades shall be accepted, no matter how bad they may be, when finally ap- proved. © In a nutshell, thev outcome of the great hearings by the joint com- mittee of the South Dakota legis- fi?@é‘rf‘ lature on grain grading and related matters, is summed up in a bill that prescribes rules applicable to ap- ple boxes, or cabbage crates, and a provision that the United States department of agriculture shall prescribe the grain standards of South Dakota grain. Another sample of the deceit prac- ticed by the legislature upon ‘the people was the passage of Senate Joint Reso- lution No. 15, which pretended to pro- A Reminder of a Famous Tragedy v R T TR ST The South Dakota State Capitol at Pierre. vide( through a constitutional amend- ment) for the purchase and operation of state owned elevators and ware- houses, but contained this joker: “There shall be no limitations upon the legislature as to the amount of taxes that may be assessed and levied in or- der to carry into effect the provisions of Section 1.” With a no-limit pro- Vision as to taxes, the old gang poli- ticians confidently expected the people would defeat this amendment at the polls, Facsimile of the certificate issued by the post surgedn at old Fort Abraham Lincoln, indentifying the bodies of offi- cers slain at the Custer massacre. ORTY years ago on a bright July day a train of gun car- riages was ferried over the muddy Missouri river from old Fort Abraham Lincoln on the bluffs opposite Bismarck. Draped in flags, and with a small band playing a funeral march, the cavalry escort, and the big crude wheels stirred up the gritty dust of the ‘“slope,” and slowly trundled up to the primitive wooden railway station of the town. On the gur carriages lay the bodies of five officers of the Seventh cavalry, - slain in the famous Custer massacre, in Montana. It had been 13 months since these men had stood up in a wild battle with the red natives, and fought their last fight with no survivor to record it, out on the picturesque plains of the West. A few weeks ago, a man who saw that cavalcade, sent to the Historical society in the state capitol, a pen-scrawled document that explained it. The document was a let- ter from Dr.-R. G. Redd, post surgeon at Fort Abraham Lincoln, identifying the bodies of the dead, so they could be taken east by Northern Pacific Ex- press. ¢ : The surgeon’s letter was as follows: “I do hereby certify that these burial caskets contain )J"‘ remains of Col Thomas Custer, Captain Yates, Lieu- tenant Calhoun, Lieutenant Smith, Lieutenant McIntosh, all officers of the Seventh U. S. cavalry, killed in the battle of the Little Big Horn River, June 25, 1876. % R. G. REDD, Post Surgeon.” Fort Abraham Lincoln, July 26, 1877. This letter was sent to the Historical society by Frank M. Painter who was the express messenger in charge of the five caskets when they were sent east from Bismarck. Concerning the inci- dent, he writes: ’ “The /law at that time required a certificate of death to be sent with the remains when shipped by:express. “I remember quite well when the re- mains were brought over from Fort -Abraham Lincoln to Bismarck on gun carriages with military escort, and placed in the express car for 'trans- portation east. I was running mes- senger at that time and had charge of the car. Daily service (except Sunday) had just been put in effect on the Da- kota. division. : “The car ran through to Duluth. The caskets were transferred to a St. Paul train at Northern Pacific junction (24 miles east of Duluth) and taken to St Paul, and again transferred and takerm out. FRANK M. PAINTER.” GRIMM ALFALFA SEED The growers of Grimm alfalfa seed in- North Dakota are co-operating in marketing their seed. The seed is now being sent to Fargo where it is being cleaned and scarified. No seed is taken that contains seeds of noxious weeds. One member has 50 bushels of seed but when tested at the seed laboratory at the Agricultural college it was found to contain mus- tard so it had to be rejected. The re- sult is that this member will have to sell his seed for about half what it would sell for through the association. B. Byron Bobb, president and W. R. Porter, secretary of the Grimm Alfalfa . Producers’ association of North Dakota have worked out a system for having the Grimm alfalfa fields registered ‘a good deal the same as is done for pure- bred livestock and they are further in- sisting that no seed will be sold by the association that has any noxious weed seed in it 3 This assoclation is being watched with a good deal of interest in the ex- pectation that it will work out meth- ods and show the possibilities of co-op- eration for the growers of other crops. SIX WHY FARMERS FAILED Elkton, S. D Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I am 64 years old and have had quite a little experience as a farmer—been raised on a farm and am there yet. Now, as to this new move the farmers are making, I would like to tell some of my experiences away back in the early seventies when the Grange first started. I was one of the first to join. Every= thing was pictured out to us farmers like diamonds and everything went well for two or three years: Then came the crash. The proxy farmer and the middle man worked their way into the Grange and played the trump card fine @nd got hold of everything we had, and the bosses had a game of euchre, and the one that beat got all and at that time we were paying 24 per cent inter= est on money. Now I hope as a member that we farmers will take warning in time and not let them repeat this. ¢ ‘We farmers knew something was wrong—paying 24 per cent for bor- rowed money, so we started the Popu= list party. We thought that was a cure-all for us downtrodden farmers. Of course I joined and was one of them. That went well for a few years and then the same evil got in as in the Grange, and a little money besides. That was the outcome of a few bosses getting in the legislature and in con- gress; and we farmers got what the boy shot at. Then came the farmers’ alliance. We knew the farmers had no more right in this world than the Russian thistle, for the political wind was blowing us every way. That went well for a little while until some got a seat in the legislature, and came home and built elaborate houses, and our poor alliance died a matural death and we were worse off than ever. A while ago a League organizer came here to solicit me. We had a merry time, and it took him nearly all day to get me, but he got me just the same, not for my sake, but for my sons’ sake. Now if the farmers will look back and think of how we have been treated by bosses who were trying to get everything into the hands of the few, we may win, but we will have to be very careful what they do, for they have a job on hand. We know we are robbed, but how to catch the thief? D. N. BOWREY. MINNESOTA LEAGUERS APPLAUD Menahga, Mifn., Feb. 15, 1917, Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I have attended one of Mr. Gilbert’s meetings of the Nonpartisan League here at Menahga which was attended by about three hundred people, of whom two hundred were members of the League. Mr. Gilbert handled the subject 6h principles of how the League is formed in a very able man-. ner which met with the approval of the farmers present as could clearly be seen by their applause. The farmers of Minnesota are beginning to see where they are at. R. R. HAMILTON, INCREASING BUTTER In 1910 the cows averaged 132 pounds of butter fat and in 1916 42714 pounds. This increase in production was secured by a member of the breed- ing circuit at New Salem. It was done through breeding up the cattle and through feeding. The average produc- tion per cow for each year was 1910, 132 Ibs.; 1911, 140 3-4; 1912; 189154 1913, 211%%; 1914, 28215; 1915, 292; 1916, 427%.- In 1916 each cow produced more than three times as much butter fat as in 1910, ¢