The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 7, 1917, Page 6

LEAGUE OFFICIALS WHO ARE MAKING GOOD First of a series of cartoons by Baer on men elected to office by the North Dakota farmers. Here's a fine net full. There have been a good many bagfulls taken in Minot and in other towns of North Dakota of the same kind of game— but “Limelight Bill” got the big ones. There have been many administrations in North Dakota preceding that of Nonpartisan League officials, but they all winked the other eye and told the people there was nothing doing. Bill Langer merely turned on the light of the law, which was at the hands of every other attorney general who ever held office, and just see what it show- ed up! The Nonpartisan League delegates to the indorsing conference in Fargo in 1916 knew what Bill would do if elect- ed attorney general. That was why they chose him instead of one of the other 700 attorneys of North Dakota. That was why the voters backed up the judgment of the League conference by giving him the biggest vote they ever gave to any attorney general in North Dakota. ' Don’t look at Bill—look at the things his light is shining upon: all manner of beings struggling in horror and dis- may at the sudden turn in affairs un- der a farmers’ administration that has no fears of Big Biz and its ally, Big Crime. Blind piggers, opium sell- ers, gamblers, dive Kkeepers, liquor sellers, the whole tribe of law violators —but Bill got the big ones. That's why the parties behind him Z) Z are howling. They have always made a conspicuous display of virtue when the little fellows were caught. Now they are protesting and ridiculing and wailing. The law could go on catching the little ones forever (as it has for 30 years) and never stop the illegal business. But Bill got the big ones. And just see their newspaper organs howl. The howlers at Bill Langers successful and startling enforcement of the law are the same who fought the organized farmers from the drop of the hat. It shows the alliance between the different interests to which such organs cater. Incidentally this shatters another Old Gang hope— the hope that they could deceive the people into think- ) ing the Nonpartisan League was tied up.with the liquor forces. It's all about the raid made by At~ torney General Langer and his depu- ties on the dives of Minot early in May, when 80 warrants charging all manner of law violations were served in one day upon persons operating and found in these places. The net included some of the most prominent people of Minot. Subsequent raids found many more. Langer with armed deputies took charge of the telephone exchange for half an hour preventing warnings be- ing flashed, and the united forces of Big Business and the law violators are now busy trying to raise a dust about his. way of doing it—the only way it could have been done successfully. League Plans Supply of Farm Labor Agreement Between Organized Farmers and Organized Laborers is Proposed to Prevent Harvest Trouble ' Measures that promise to eliminate entirely this fall all disputes between the organized migratory farm laborers and the farmers, and at the same time supply North Dakota with abundant help in harvesting the all-important ' bumper crop next August end Septem- ber, were taken last week by the state convention of the North Dakota Farm- ers’ Nonpartisan League. The convention appointed three dele« gates to confer with the same number to be named by the Agricultural Work« ere’ union, with the idea of reaching an agreement that both the farm workers and the farmers can accept. .In the event of this joint committee reaching an agreement as to pay, hours of labor and a steady and ample supply of men, another convention of the Nonpartisan League delegates will be called to ap« prove the agreement, LABOR PROBLEM ' A SERIOUS ONE Realizing that the matter of getting an adequate and dependable supply of labor is the most serious problem fac-« ing the farmers this year, and that it must be solved if the nation is to have enough food, the 79 farmers present de- cided to accept an offer to arbitrate the matter of pay and hours made by the Agricultural Workers’ union. Prob- ably over three-quarters of the farm laborers who come to North Dakota every year to work during the harvest are members of this union. In the past disputes between this migratory help and the farmers over hours of work, pay, etc, have frequently caused seri- ous trouble, with the result that the harvest has been delayed and much loss caused. The League farmers be- lieved that this year of all years, with 80 much depending on & successful harvesting of the crop,. these disputes should be eliminated. In addition, an agreement, if finally consummated, means that North Dakota farmers can draw on an organization having from 20,000 to 30,000 members to get the much needed help, Besides the committee to confer with the Agricultural Workers’ union, the : convention adopted strong resolutions praying congress and the president not to call farm- ers’ sons and regularly employed farm help under the selective draft bill, They felt that to draft these classes of youths from the farms would make it necessary to fill their places with inexperienced la- borers, at a great economic loss to the nation that would not be made up by the service of farmers’ sons and regularly employed farm hands in the army. The committee appointed by Presi- dent A. C. Townley of the Nonpartisan League, with the authorization of the convention to confer with the A. W. U, consists-of John N, Hagan, North Dax kota commissioner of labor and asri~ culture; F. B. Wood of Deering and N, E. Whipple of Eckelson. Commission« er Hagan was one of the regularly elected delegates to the convention. He promised his full co-operation in work- ing out an agreement with the organ- ized farm laborers, and offered to use his office to help make any agreement reached successful. = UNION ORGANIZER IN EVERY LOCALITY The farmers’ convention authorized an agrement between the Nonpartisan League and the A. W. U, only in re- gard to hours of work and pay and con- ditions of employment. The labor question only was discussed. The dis- cussion brought out the fact that the organized migratory farm laborers, who move with the harvest from Texas to Canada every summer and fall, main« tain an' organizer in practically every town in the state. These organizers are in touch with the union’s head- quarters in St. Paul, where a card in- dex of 20,000 to 80,000 farm laborers, all members of the union, {s kept. It was pointed out that, working in co- operation with this organization in« stead of fighting it, would result in the union placing its organization at the pervice of the farmers in getting all the farm labor for North Dakota that will be needed. As one delegate pointed out, it would be “a case of the organiz- ed farmer making ah agreement with the organized farm laborer for the benefit of both.” WORKERS MEETING AT KANSAS CITY The committee of the A. W. 0. that Is to confer with the Nonpartisan League convention will likely be ap- pointed by the farm laborers soon, as that body has been holding a conven- tion at Kansas City. A letter was read to the League convention last week from the secretary-treasurer of the A. W. U. stating that the Kansas City convention would undoubtedly meét the North Dakota farmers half way and name its tommiftee at once, it the League desired it. : g No ggreement can be made binding on either side by the Nonparilsan . League committee until the Nonpart.. gan League convention is re-assembled to ratify it. President Townley. of the League was authorized to re-assemble the state convention of the League aft+ er the joint League and A. W, U. coma« mittee makes a report. o A 4 Asked and Answered Editor Nonpartisan Leader: Please explain in the next issue of the Leader whether or not the nine per cent interest law was passed or killed and if it was killed, why. BERYL A. FELVER. This bill was allowed to die near the end of the session, after having had much committee consideration, and having been amended. The ILeague representatives and segators intro= duced several bills to lower the ine terest rate, one of them proposing as low as six per cent, but the one that got most consideration was that in- troduced by Representative J, C. Miller of Souris. This bill was not pushed to a final vote in the rush hours because the small clique of hold-over senators had shown their determination to kill as much League relief legislation as possible. It was known the League could not pass it, and “that it would only delay the closing of the session without result. Nonpartisan ILeague men back of the bill decided to wait until next session, when the League Wwill be in undisputed control of the Schate as well as the house, and then pass an adequate interest reduction ;sw with the backing of penalties for