The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 27, 1917, Page 14

‘“We must get in and make the food act-a success. ‘No one would be so tickled over the failure of food control as members of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and others ofithéir ilk,»'—" Congressman George M. Young of North Dakota. THE PEOPLE SPEAK (Continued from page 5) tions and the names of the men who represented them, were: . National Nonpartisan league—A, C. Townley and Governor Lynn J. Frazier of North Dakota. American Society of Equity — J. Weller Long, Wausau, Wis. A, S. of E, wool department—Mag- nus Brown. Farmers’' Equity Union—A. Hoffman, vice president. Nebraska State Grange—J. D. Ream, master. Nebraska Farmers' Gustafson, president. Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator asso- ciation—George Graham. Farmers E. & C. U. of America—D. E. Shipley. Agricultural colleges—Dr. E. F. Ladd, president North Dakota A. C.. American Federation of Labor—E. G, Hall, president Minnesota federation; F. A. Canfield, president Iowa federa- tion; Henry Ohl, Wisconsin; William Coleman, Wisconsin; C. A. Mayo, Min- nesota; George B. Lischer, Illinois. Railroad brotherhoods—W. W. Roy- ster, chairman, locomotive engineers; C. E. Fitzgerald, conductors; T. E. Till- quist, firemen and engineers; P. J. Collins, railroad trainmen. Farmers’ Society of Equity — Ole Langhoff. Farmers National Congress—IL. D. Strayer. Minnesota State Grange—A. R. Ham- mergren. North Dakota State Grange—J. B. Hagelberger. FULL TEXT OF RESOLUTIONS GIVEN The full text of the resolutions adopted, is as follows: “We are involved in the most gigant- ic war of all history, a war for democ- racy and liberty against autocracy and slavery. Union—C. H. “There are two kinds of autoc- racy — political and industrial autocracy. There are two kinds of democracy — political and indus- trial. Political democracy has but one purpose, the establishment, the legalization and the brotection of industrial democracy, which means the free exercises of the right to life, " liberty and the pursuit of happiness; full and equal oppor- tunity to labor and to possess and enjoy the fruits of that labor to the full—equal rights to all, spe- cial privileges to none, both politic- ally and industrially. “Political autocracy means the de- yprivation of the right of a people to determine their own way of life and obedience. Industrial autocracy is the deprivation of the right of the citizen to labor in freedom and enjoy the fruit of that labor. “The moving cause of this world war was and is political autocracy used to perpetuate and extend industrial autocracy. It is the struggle of polit- ical overlords to extend and perpetuate their power to rob and exploit their fellowmen. robbed and exploited the fathers and mothers, now slaughter the children for the single purpose of further in- trenching themselves in their infamous . . position, and securing and legalizing their possession of the fruits of other’s. toil and thrusting the world under the : yoke of political autocracy, which is ever the shield and mask of industrial autocracy. LIVES AND FORTUNES - PLEDGED FOR RIGHT “Our war is to extend the political . democracy, which we, in the United States, enjoy, in order that political democracy may be safe in our own land, and that it may be used to ac- complish its historic purpose—indus- - trial democracy. ; “Because of the international form of modern commercial and industrial life, industrial democracy must be in- ternational to be complete and to be safe.- The new political democracy of Russia has faced this fact, and thrown its strength whole-heartedly into the struggle for world-wide political demo- cracy, to the end that industrial demo- cracy may also be world-wide. We join our allies in this struggle, and to the end that justice, liberty, equality and democracy, political and industrial, shall be the heritage of all mankind. ‘We pledge our lives, our fortunes and Autocratic rulers who have - our sacred honor to our country and our flag in this, OUR WAR. “Inspired by patriotic and loyal devotion to the principles of demo- cracy, true to the ideals of our fathers of upholding and defending human rights and human liberties; and single in our purpose to make the world safe for democracy, po- litical and industrial, we, the mem- bers and delegates of farmers’ or- ganizations, representing sixteen states, and the members and dele- gates of fourteen labor organiza- tions, representing eleven states, do hereby reaffirm our unalterable loyalty and allegiance to our fellow citizens and our government in this world struggle and in their every need. “War accentuates the financial and industrial problems which our govern- ment must at all time face, and adds new problems. Large numbers of men and women have been withdrawn from peace industries into the army and navy and into the industries necessary to clothe, feed, arm and equip our fighting forces. This also calls for immense amounts of material to be furnished without delay. GOVERNMENT FACES : SELFISH OPPOSITION “The food problem is intensified by the fact that we must feed our allies, while at the same time our own people must be fed, and national efficiency maintained. Vast sums of money must be quickly raised to meet the enormously increased expenditure. Our allies have faced these same prob- lems, and their experience has pointed the way for us in their solution. “Our government is adopting the methods our allies have found most effective—price fixing, taxing of war profits and government control and has set a price on the farmers’ wheat by which at least eight per cent on the ; average and in some cases one hundred ‘" per cent of his profits have been taken from him, NOW THEREFORE “BE IT RESOLVED that in the face of national necessity, and particularly in contemplation of the sufferings of the poor in our cities who must have bread at a price within their reach, we cheerfully acquiesce in this sacrifice, but we respectfully urge and will continue to insist that those who produce and sell other products necessary for the people’s use and for carry- ing on the war be dealt with upon a like basis and that the govern- ment take the same drastic action toward those who are making ex- tortionate profits out of the neces- sities of the people in time of war; and be it further “RESOLVED, that we will support the government to the best of our ability in all its efforts to deal fairly with all factors in production and will do our utmost to build up a public sen- timent which will make possible even justice in price fixing, so that the rich speculator and the powerful trust may be compelled to bow to the same level rule as the toiling farmer and wage worker. Be it further “RESOLVED, that we do most earn- estly endorse and approve the gallant fight made by those few senators and representatives who have endeavored to protect the rights of our people from the greed and rapacity of the war prof- iteers. CONSUMER SHOULD GET THE SAVING ON WHEAT “WHEREAS, a substantial reduction in the price of wheat, brought about by order of the government, has not yet shown its effect in a corresponding re- duction in the prices of flour and of bread and of the other products made from wheat, and “WHEREAS, a large proportion of the excessive profits in breadstuffs heretofore reaped in times of war and also in times of peace are still being gathered without hindrance or govern- mental order to the contrary, now therefore be it - “RESOLVED, that we urge upon our government, and especially - ‘““Farmers of Nebraska can join with the farmers of the North- west in a program to go right down the line and fix prices on all commodities—the things the farmer buys as well as the things he sells.”’—C. H. Gustafson, president Nebraska Farmers’ Union. operation of industries. But in adopt- ing these methods, the government has met with the strenuous opposition of those who fear to see their profits cur- tailed. “The profiteers have maintained large and powerful lobbies at Washington, and hampered the ad- ministration in its purpose to use the most-effective methods to wage this war to a speedy and success- ful conclusion, They have deavored to control price-fixing to protect profits; they have opposed every attempt to conscript wealth or to tax profits to the extent our allies have found necessary. They have sought to thwart every at- tempt of the government to con-. trol industry for the successful prosecution of the war, and for the protection of the interests of the American people. They have raised the cry of traitor and treason, when any man has dared to criti- cize them, and have done their ut- most to' make any criticism of them .or any attempt to help the govern- .ment to adopt the measures found necessary by our allies and so strenuously opposed by them, seem _a criticism of the government. “Therefore, realizing the tremendous : problems which our government faces, and that it is the duty of every citizen to come to the aid of the government, in this crisis, and protect it from both the enemy abroad; “We, farmers and workers in con- vention assembled, do pledge our sup- port to the government in the solution of these problems, and do respectfully submit the following as the conclusion of the deliberations of this convention, to the end that our mnation may be enabled to exert its full strength in this war, and in so doing, save millions of lives by bringing it to a more speedy and successful termination, and insure to our people at the close the largest ‘measure of opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: DEAL WITH ALL AS WITH THE FARMERS “WHEREAS, the food administra- ton of the United States government through its price fixing commission, en- - within and the enemy upon the food administration, that it take speedy steps to pass on to the consumer all of the saving rep- resented by the reduction on the price of the farmers’ wheat, and in addition such saving as can be gained by compelling manufactur- ers and dealers in flour, bread and other flour products to forego ex- tortionate profits which they have reaped even in times of peace, and be it further “RESOLVED, that if this can not be fully achieved by price fix- ing or by other regulation we urge the food administration to exercise its power at once to seize and oper- ate storage elevators, flour mills, bakeries and cereal and bread- stuffs factories for the benefit of the people of this nation, so that workmen may be fairly treated and ‘consumers may have their bread at a price which bears a fair and ‘just relation to the cost, AID FOR BANKRUPT FARMERS IS ASKED “WHEREAS, there are thousands of farmers in Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska and other western states who, through crop failure and high costs, "are bankrupt-and have not the means to live upon their farms and to’ produce another crop and will be un- able to secure further credit except at extortionate cost, be it “RESOLVED, that for the wel- fare of the nation and to make it possible to raise a food crop equal to the needs of our country and its aliles, we do respectfully urge our government, and especially do we urge upon the president, the con- gress and the department of agri- culture, to provide at once for lend- -ing to these farmers at a low rate -of interest such sums as they need in order that they may remain upon the' battle 'line of production for the nation’s war necessities. : PAGE FIFTEEN AKITTINSE B 7 ‘Tt is unpatriotie for labor to strike without due cause, but it is equally unpatriotic for capital to take advantage of labor—to ask labor to bear all the sacrifice because we are at war.’’—Con- gresswoman dJeanette Rankin of Montana. ‘“WHEREAS, members of the boards of trade and chambers of commerce are proposing to collect for acting as the purchasing agents of the government a fee higher than that -‘exacted in previous years, although by reason of a fixed price and a sure market they render practically no useful service, now therefore, be it “RESOLVED, that we respect- fully urge the food administration to cease operating through and paying toll to useless middlemen and that it engage its own employ- es to buy grain direct from the pro- ducers or possessors of it, and be it further “RESOLVED, that in case the food administration deems it im- possible to make this change at once, we urge that the commissions paid to private purchasing agents be reduced to a sum commensurate with the service rendered, and we respectfully point out that we do not recognize any necessity for the government to maintain in idleness the staffs employed by the grain commission men and merchants in the processes of grain buying and speculating as ordinarily conducted in times of peace. ZONE SYSTEM ASKED IN FIXING PRICES “WHEREAS, it is apparent that gross discriminations against both the farmer and the consumer are resulting and will result from the present food administration plan of basing all prices upon an imaginary concentration of all wheat and a distribution of all its products from one central market point, causing heavy and unnecessary.sacri- fice to both farmers and consumers, since the reduction in the price of wheat is not reflected in a correspond- ing reduction to the consumer, now therefore, be it “RESOLVED, that we recom- mend the establishment by the government of price fixing zones, as has been done by France, with a uniform price to the farmer at the point of delivery from the farmer’s wagon. Be it further re- solved that the practice of co- operative buying and peddling from railway cars and public markets be aided and encouraged by our gov- ‘ernment and the food administra- tion. “WHEREAS, the federal grain grad- ing system takes no account of the milling value of grain and results in discriminations in price, therefore be it “RESOLVED, that.the milling value of grain be made the basic test of dif- ferences in price and grade. DEMAND CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH OF PROFITEERS “WHEREAS, the expenses of the war for the first year alone, authorized . and projected, amount. to twenty bil- lions (twenty thousand’ millions) of dollars and are mounting at a terrific rate, so that if the war continues only two years the interest on the sum ex- pended on the war operations alone, without costs of ‘pensions and recon- struction of industry, will amount to nearly twice the ordinary annual ex- penditures of the government for all purposes, and “WHEREAS, unless new and ex- traordinary means for providing cur- rent revenue are found and applied, means which will go far beyond the timid and wholly inadequate war tax- ation provisions planned by the present congress, the crushing burden of debt will endanger the very foundations of our government and imperil the credit and honor of the American people, be- sides condemning its toilers to years of heartbreaking struggle and misery to meet the obligations held by a creditor class, thus sowing the seeds of' discontent and even rebellion, and “WHEREAS, there exists the fund from which all or.nearly all of the war expenses can be paid and liquidated while the war is in progress, this fund being the huge surplus created by war profits ‘wrung by extortionate prices from. the sweat and ' suffering of the American people and coined from the blood and the agony of the crucified millions of Europe, who are nobly toss- ing their lives into the caldron of war in order to preserve human liberties, now therefore, be it “RESOLVED, that this nation take the profits of war and the surplus of production as it comes to the surface in the form of swoll- en dividends and incomes to pay (Continued on page 17)