The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 26, 1917, Page 3

In the interest of a square deal for the farmers Tonpartisan Teader A magazins that dares to print the trath Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League \VOL. 4, NO. 17 “TEAMWORK"’ FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1917. WHOLE NUMBER 84 —Trom the Country Gentleman The Farmer and the Country’s Need ERE’S a picture that ought to suggest a lot that is of interest to the farmers of the state of North Dakota. It is taken from the last issue of The Country Gentleman. It recalls that glad occasion of last year when the farmer of North Dakota hitched up a new team to do his political plowing. Notice the enthusiasm and apparent eagerness of the donkey and the elephant; also the sincere manner in which the old farmer is urging them along. Notice also the thistles in the field of North Dalkota politics that tremble at the approach of the plowshare. This man Johnson, who draws this, seems to be almost as ‘‘radical’’ as our friend Baer. - 5 This was a new team the farmer was driving this time. The rail- roads and the chamber of commerce and some other interests had once in a while hitched these animals up together and had them do some work for these private interests, but never before had the farmers done the trick. It was a shocking thing. ; “‘They stole the machinery of the Republican party’’, mourned the speakers at the Old Guard convention at Grand Forks two weeks ago. So, if you take their word for it this team the farmer is doing such a good job with is at least fifty per_cent stolen property. It is that unless you take the ‘‘radical’’ and ‘‘anarchistie’’ view that the political machinery of the state belongs to the people of_the state. But _ if you are an Old Guard adherent you don’t admlt or even entertain that sort of revolutionary doctrine. * * * “TEAMWORK’—MEANING CO-OPERATION UT the artist had a title for this cartoon. He called it ‘‘Team- work’’. It is that feature of it that is really the most important and the best worth commenting on. You know the Old Gang leaders are so unjust as to accuse the farmers’ leaders of ‘‘stirring up dissension”’, of ‘‘setting class against class’”’. How far that is from _the truth may be judged from the fact that never before did the peo- ple of the state co-operate as wholeheartedly in a political way as they did in the elections last year. It was really a fine example of just what the artist ealls it, ‘‘teamwork’’, pulling together for the good of the state. Some of the elements of the combination may have been a little unwilling, but they did the work just the same. There has been altogether too much division of sentiment and opinion and voting in North Dakota as well as in other producing states. Artificial distinctions have been created, artificial dissensions” have been built up, so that the common interests of all the workers of the state, of all the people of the state, might not be recognized and so that interests that thrive on robbery of the producers might go on waxing fat. The efforts of the looters and their few helpers within the state —their blind, unseeing, unreasoning helpers—have been to keep the people apart; to keep them from taking united political action which would stop the abuses and the waste of the resources of the. state. STAND TOGETHER TO AID THE NATION HE need of standing together strikes home just now with greater force than ever before. The nation is at war. Its resources must all be employed to their utmost if we are to save the nation from disaster. Suddenly it is discovered that the food supply is far short. It is realized that there must be increased production or there will be hunger among the workers in the great factories and the very life of the nation itself may be threatened. In this emergency a great cry goes out to the farmer: ‘‘You must help us; you must grow more; you must come to the rescue of the nation with your best efforts or disaster may come to us’’, It is well that the farmer should heed this call. He will feel pride in heeding it and in doing his duty by his country. Though he has worked hard before, he will work harder yet and lonver hours, be- cause he wants to give all the faithful service he can give to his country and to humanity. Out on the farms they are not too busy to thmk of THREE o -~