The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 20, 1917, Page 5

l TJ’:\C-\i PR . Lditor Nofipartisan Leader : T——————ll A U TR 9 WE'LL SHOW OUR PATRIOTISMI(D) AND LOYALTY BELOW MARKET AND GET IN G0OD L| PRICE AND SHOW WITH THE PEOPLE || THOSE NONPARTISAN AGAIN ¢ RUBES THAT GOV. CONTROL 1S A& FAILURE WE'LL PUT THE WHEAT powN This is a cartoon by John M. Baer, congressman. and forcefully, Baer believes, but at the same time with the understanding surrounding himself with representatives of Big Business, Big Business is going right on fooling and gouging the publlc. COME RIGHT IN AND GET HOOVERIZED — IT'S GREAT TO BE FPEFORMED-HA' HA' 3 YOU WiLL HAVE SUCH A FUNNY i FEELING (FOR FINE sr:como R THAT YOU WON'T WANT To CHARGE ANY PROEITS ! HA!HAW. | WASHINGTON REFORM SCHOOL ‘COME IN AND GET THE 'WASHINGTON | . SPIRIT ~ ALSO AN APPOINTMENT " .1t was drawn by Baer in a friendly spirit toward Food Administrator Hoover, to show Mr. Hoover the error he has fallen into in trying to “patriotically co-operate” with Big Business, instead of making Big Business toe the mark. These things have to be pictured vividly that they are suggestions made in good faith, Hoover started out with the policy of to act as his advisors and to hold important positions in the food administration. He did this in the honest belief that it was better to get the help of these interests and get them to co-operate, worked, Mr. Hoover. You have been given bad advice by Julius Barnes, Board of Trade spe pointad the head of the sugar trust to a responsible position in the food administration, to get the public justice in sugar. hon: st and your plan looked good, but it is working out just as Baer has pictured it, rather than have to fight them and force them to be good. But it hasn’t culator, head of your big government grain corporation. You have ap- But it won't do, Mr. Hoover. You were Big Business is taking advantage of you—getting whitewashed by you—but Fair Question by a Farmer Some Correspondence With Food Administrator Hoover HE Leader prints herewith some very interesting correspondence which has been sent us by ' W. W. Cadle of Hope Ranc¢h, Wil- lard, Mont. Mr. Cadle, on behalf of himself and a body of farmers, wrote the food administration at Washington, D. C., asking an explanation of the reason why the farmers’ price for wheat was to be arbitrarily fixed by .a committee on which farmers did not have a majority, and in fact were greatly outnumbered, while the food administration announced it would fix millers’ profit by ‘‘patriotic co-operation’’—that is, by calling in the millers themselves and agree- ing with them what the priece of flour should be. 2 Sinee Mr. Cadle wrote and asked an explanation of this, there is some doubt as to whether there will be any flour price fixing of any kind, as Mr. Hoover has said that it was not the intention of the food administration to fix flour prices at all—that they would be fixed by ‘‘competitive operations.”” But when Mr. Cadle wrote, the under- standing was that prices of flour were to be regulated through ‘‘pa- triotic co-operation’’ between Mr. Hoover and the millers—not by an arbitrary price commission as the farmer’s price of wheat was fixed. Mr. Cadle got a reply, not from Mr. Hoover, to whom he addressed his letter, but from Gifford Pinchot of the livestock division of the food administration. This reply did not answer Mr. Cadle or explain what he wanted. It avoided the issue. It referred to a conference of live- stock breeders. But the government has said it will not attempt to fix livestock prices to the farmers and therefore Mr. Pinchot’s letter had no reference to Mr. Cadle’s question. Mr. Cadle wanted to Know WHY THE PRICE OF WHEAT WAS TO BE FIXED BY ARBITRARY AC- TION, by a committee not composed of a majority of farmers, WHILE THE PRICE OF FLOUR AND PACKING HOUSE PRODUCTS, as then understood, WERE TO BE FIXED BY ‘‘CO-OPERATION’’ OF THE MILLERS AND PACKERS and the food administration and not by a neutral price-fixing body. Mr. Cadle replied to the evasive answer of Mr. Pinchot but as yet has received no reply. Here is'the correspondence: - Willard, Montana, September 8. 1917, I enclose herewith some correspondence which you may perhaps find of interest for publication. The letters signed by myself are copies - of those sent to the office of food administration at Washington. If I receive any reply from Mr. Pinchot I will forward it or a copy of it to you. : 7 Yours very truly, W. W. CADLE. MR. CADLE TO MR. HOOVER Willard, Montana, August 25, 1917, Herbert C. Hoover, Esq. o - United States’ Food’ Administrator, : Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: : : o S As members of a national farm loan association, all of us actunal ' farmers, and believing ourselves good citizens of the United States, we . desire to know if the patriotism of the American farmers (the major b those who have always been forced to accept what they could gg’gyf'w their produce) i§ at-a discount; while the patriotism of the millers and packers of the country (the minor body, those who have always gouged the consumers and producers) is at a premium, in your office? Your publicly printed statements wherein you state that your of- fice will fix the priee for our produets, without having ealled the farm- ing interests into consultation (we do not object to this provided that other interests are treated likewise) and that the millers and packers will be asked to patriotically co-operate to fix the prices of their goods, lend color to this belief. Do you not think that this distinetion flavors of favoritism of spe- cial interests, and of autocratic rather than demoecratic government? Might we be favored with an explanation ? Yours very truly, The Medicine Rocks National Farm Loan Association, Per W. W. CADLE, Secy.-Treas. MR. PINCHOT TO MR. CADLE : Washington, D. C., August 31, 1917. Mr. W. W. Cadle, Willard, Mont. My dear Sir: B 5 AR - Your letter of August 25 to Mr. Hoover has heen handed to me for reply. You will be glad to know, I am sure, that a representative com- mittee consisting of stockmen and farmers from all over the United States, with full representation from the West, will meet in Washing- ton on September 5 and 6, so that the point of view of the very men your letter deals with will be very fully represented. I can assure you that there is every desire on the part of the food administration to get the farmers’ point of view fully before taking action. Sincerely yours, GIFFORD PINCHOT. MR. CADLE TO MR. PINCHOT Willard, Montana, Septemher 8, 1917, Gifford Pinchot, Esq., Livestock Industries, Food Administration, Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: > Your letter of August 31 to hand, and T have been waiting to see what the meeting to which you refer as assembling in Washington on September 5 and 6 could have to do with the matter of which I wrote to Mr. Hoover. And find that it has absolutely nothing. The matter complained of was the fact that the office of food. administration completely ignored the farmers in fixing the price of wheat, and yet called the packers and millers into ‘‘patriotic co-opera- tion’’ to fix the price of their products. Whereas, the meeting of September 5 and 6 merely relates to the livestock situation. I dislike to think that your office purposely evades the issue, but I think you would have to admit that it has that appearance. I would therefore, ask once again: ‘“Might we be favored with an explanation?’’ : Might I add that the price fixed by the government is causing many farmers in this locality contemplating reducing their wheat acreage for next year. And general dissatisfaction is being expressed. It is, however, solidifying the farmers into the Nonpartisan league, through which they hope to finally obtain their rights. ) Yours very truly, 'W. W. CADLE, © PAGE FIVR