The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 12, 1917, Page 9

The picture shows the banquet of the Intermountain Farmers’ Equity at Pocatello, ldaho, February 10, 1917. This meeting was addressed by Ray McKaig of Mane dan, representing the National Nonpartisan League. After his speech the Equity men present passed a unanimous resolution asking the Nonpartisan League ta begin organizing ldaho not later than May 1. The puzzle, says Mr. McKaig in writing to the Leader, is to find Ray McKaig in the picture. group of farmers that have got more nerve, than I ever dared to confess that I had! There is a farmer there by the name of Maxwell, and just.as soon as he saw this thing coming- down the road; he went out and bought a car and turned it over to us. And there is another man by the name of Suther- land, will sign a note to pay for a car tomorrow, if I go up there! Every- body knows that now, don’t they? We have all been tcld about it in the Grand Forks Herald. But there is an automobile agent up there—anybody heard of Stary? I want to give Stary a little advertising here. He deserves it. (Laughter.) There he is over there. Stand up, Stary, and let them see you. (Applause.) Sit down now, Stary, and 1 will tell the rest of the story! You know it just took about a'day or two to get Stary trained; and so when- ever 1 wanted more cars after that, I hardly had to go up there. 1 would just scratch my name on a piece of paper—an order for a car—and Stary would go over and get Maxwell to sign a note. (Laughter.) I got so many to sign notes, that I got ashamed of my- self and so I quit going wup there! (Laughter.) Because 1 had no abso- lute assurance that this thing would go. But we didn’t tell anything but the story that we were building this or- ganization, and that these notes would be .paid back when the postdated checks were paid in full; we didn't make any other representations. AUTOMOBILE DEALER GOT ALL HIS PAY I don’t remember the names of all the farmers who signed notes for us. Mr. Stary sold us about $14,000 worth of cars the first summer; and a year ago last fall it was all paid up, inter- est and everything paid, wasn't it Stary? Mr. Stary: Yes Sir! -~ (Applause.) Now this last summer, the season ending last fall, we bought $40,000 worth of automobiles from Stary; and the same way—just sent him up a note and he would make it good. And we have made settlement for all those, haven’t we Stary? Mr. Stary: Yes sir! And the only trouble now, is that Ford won’'t make them fast enough. But we had other troubles last sum- mer. It was né€cessary to finance, to get some money, until the postdated checks fell due in the fall. There is no secret about that. An organizer says, “give me a check due next fall,” and he can't use those checks to buy automobiles or gasoline. So we had to borrow this last summer something like a hundred thousand dollars in dif- ferent places in the state. And we did it this way, by showing a farmer how it was necessary. At Valley City I got about 12 farmers to sign $2,500 notes apiece last summer. ‘While you boys were wondering The League is working now for the very. ob- jects contained in the first written program signed by the first member, in McHenry coun- ty back in 1915. House Bill 44 was written solely to achieve those objects. try to tell you that House Bill 44 was a “‘sur- prise”, that it is “‘Socialism” and the people don’t want it, though 87,000 people voted for this program and 40,000 farmers signed it. whether you had better pay your $6 or $9 check or not—and some of you by the way have not paid it yet—these men like Maxwell and Stair, and others all over the state, were signing notes for twenty-five hundred dollars to ad- vance the work of League. I borrowed over $60,000 at one bank at Valley City. That has all been paid back. I am telling you the story of the struggle that went on in building this thing. By reading some papers a per- son might get an idea that we had a barrel of money put away somewhere. Really you would get the impression from some of the things you see in the Nonpartisan And yet they these papers, that we had trouble find- ing barrels enough to put it in. There are plenty of people who would like to create that idea. But I want to tell you that every dollar you have paid into this organization has been ac- counted for. There has been a set of books kept in the office down at Fargo, with competent bookkeepers - under bond in charge, and every dollar paid in has been accounted for. MONEY WASTED ON EVERSON AND STENMO And there has been very little of it wasted. I grant you some has been wasted. We paid Stary too much for some automobiles. - But we had to have THE FARMERS' LOSSES EACH YEAR ~— UNDER THE PRESENT PRIVATE-OWNED SYSTEM. LOSS OF BY-PRODUCTS -- 1055 IN GrRaDING D-FEED. EXCESS INTEREST CHARGES ANNUAL EXTORTION /A N. DAK.$ 83 000 000 °© 2L, N V 55 000000 ©° | 6 000 00O ©° 1’2 000 000 S° e e HEY! QIN'T THERE @NY 'r% LIMIT TO: YOUR ROBBING B US FARMERS ¢ = What do you mean, “The sky’s the limit?” EIGHT A B . cars. He was taking a big chance at that time, and so was entitled to a good profit.. And he got it. That was not much of a waste. Anybody at that time could get the business if he wanted it, but nobody wanted it but Stary. He didn’t have any opposition. (Laughter.) However we wasted a little money. 1 think though that about the only money that was really wasted was the money spent by this organization in boosting for and electing men who after they got-to the legislative halls at Bismarck, forgot who sent them there and turned against us. ‘I believe about the only money we wasted was the money spent in electing men like Everson, and your senator from this county. (Applause.) That was wasted. If all the farmers selected and sent down there had turn- ed out like those men, certainly you would not have got very much for your money, would you? A voice: No, sir! = You got something out of the cars, but you didn’t get a confounded thing out of Everson! (Laughter.) AUDITOR READS HIS REPORT OF FINANCES Now for your information I am go- ing to have the auditor read that audit, The books of this organization are audited and a report made to this or- ganization as often as we want it. I can only know how the money is being spent by .the report of the auditors. The organization hires them and pays them by the year. We call them in any day we need them and they direct the bookkeeping end of the work. We have with us today the representative of the Equitable Audit Company of St. Paul and he will read the record.— Mr. Thatcher. (Applause.) (The auditor then made his re- port, and delivered a short address, showing that all moneys of the League had been properly and cor- rectly accounted for; and also how sma!l had been the compensation received by the president of the League, Mr. Townley, for his services.) WHAT IS THE LEAGUE WORTH TO ITS MEMBERS? Mr. Townley (continuing after speech of auditor): I was told by a man a few hours ago, that Senator Owen of Oklahoma avers that the lumber trust spent $400,000 to keep him—one sena- tor—from going back to the United States senate. :‘Now, at the rate of $400,000 apiece, how much would it cost you to elect state legislators? And if United States senators are worth $400,000 apiece to the Iumber trust, your senators ought to be worth a part of that to you, oughtn’t they? You know something of the accom- plishments of this organization. You