The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 11, 1917, Page 7

by the Kaiser in Germany ; industrial, as represented by the money ‘power in the United States, or imperialistic, as represented by those forces here and in other countries that seck to defeat the legitimate ob- - §ect of this war and make it a means for conquest or to establish econo- mic superiority over rival nations. Sympathy for the German people who desire political democracy, and for the fearless German radicals who are risking life and liberty in that fight. Government loans to farmers in drouth stricken sections. . Government purchase of wheat direct from the farmers, without commission or profits' to brokets, exchanges or other intermediaries. Publiec ownership of public utilities throughout the country. The taking over by the government of mines or other industries furnishing war supplies, where these industries under private owner- ship fail or refuse to give labor a square deal and where strikes and labor troubles result, hindering the efficiency of the nation in war. Maintenance, during the war of the standard of labor conditions prevailing before: the war. The Nonpartisan Leader will exert every effort in promoting these principles, that democracy and justice shall prevail, not only in the United States, but throughout the world. o206 THE LIBERTY BONDS HE first round in the fight for conscription of wealth has been I‘ * Iost by the people. The bill for the taxation of war profits will ‘be inadequate. Great headway, however, has been made toward conseription of wealth to pay the cost of the war. War profits will be taxed more than they would if the fight had not been made. The fight is not over. There will be other tax bills in congress in due time and the friends of the people will make another fight. In the mean- time the Nonpartisan Leader will continue its campaign for taking the war profits and for conscription of wealth. Since the failure of congress to take all or the greater part of the five or six billions of war profits being made annually now in the United States, it becomes necessary to get money for the war by the sale of more bonds. Hence the government is now floating the second Liberty Loan, amounting to three billion dollars. The Leader express- ed the hope that it would not be necessary to float these bonds—that money for the war would be taken from swollen incomes and from war profits. It advised the government not to float any more bonds until all the money possible had been obtained from these other sources. This country, however, is a political democracy. The representa- tives of the people, duly elected by a majority vote of the people, have decided against conscription of wealth and to float this second issue of bonds. This act of our representatives, elected by us, must be sup- ported and these bonds must be sold in order that the war can be suec- cessfully prosecuted. The Leader therefore wants to see this new issue of bonds sold promptly, and it believes that every loyal citizen believes likewise. : : The Liberty bonds now being sold are a good investment, bearing four per cent interest. They are secured by the credit of all the people ‘and all the wealth of the United States. They are a safe investment for the savings of the people. What is more important, these bonds must be sold if the war is to be successfully prosecuted. We must help our government sell these bonds, even if we did make a fight for another way of financing the war. - We must bow to the acts of our elected representatives, who went against us, just as we would expect the opponents of conscription of wealth to bow to a law for consecript- ing wealth, if congress had passed such a law. The Leader advises every reader of this paper who can do so to invest in these bonds. We do not mean that if farmers have not the money they should borrow it to invest in the bonds. We do not mean that farmers should put money into bonds which they need to sow a greater acreage next year, for a big crop is just as important in win- ning the war as the sale of these bonds. 'We know that many farmers are hard up financially. But there are many farmers who will have money they can put into the bonds without jeopardizing their ability to increase production. These should invest in the bonds. Let us show the government—OUR government, remember that—that we are broad minded and patriotic; that we do not withdraw our support of the president or of the government because we lost out in our fight for what we believe to be a fairer plan of financing the war. < The government has requested the Nonpartisan Leader to publish, free of charge, advertisements of the Liberty Bonds. The Leader has responded to this appeal. We are going to print Liberty Loan adver- tisements FREE OF CHARGE for the government. Let us subscribe this loan—in full and more—but continue our fight for taking the profit out of war through a more just war profits tax and through conseription of wealth. WHO ARE THE PATRIOTS? ECENTLY President A. C. Townley of the National Nonpartie R san league was called before the public safety commission of Minnesota. The public safety commission is given great power under the Minnesota laws. The commission questioned Mr, Townley closely in regard to the plans and policies of the League, about its membership, how many members there were and where they were located. This was information which might prove of great use to Governor Burnquist or Attorney General Smith, members of the commission, if they become candidates for re-election, as they probably will. This in- formation might prove of great use to members of the commission, should they decide to oppose League candidates at the next election. The commission even has authority to take the names of all members of the Leagué, and use this list to distribute literature opposing the farmers’ program. Or opponents of the League, with this list in their possession, could bring individual influence to bear upon League mem- bers, through the agency of bankers holding their notes, or otherwise. Mr. Townley, however, respected the authority of the commission. He answered fully every question asked him. When the commission asked him to co-operate with them in reducing the price of flour, Mr. Townley sent for Thomas Sanderson, miller of the North Dakota Agri- cultural college, who has spent years in investigations and has accu- rate first-hand knowledge. The League is always glad to co-operate with any other agency that is genuinely interested in helping either the - producer or consumer. The next day after conferring with Mr. Townley the public safety commission called upon three of the big millers of the Twin Cities— _ T. G. Atkinson, Washburn-Crosby company ; John Pillsbury, Pillsbury Flour Mills, and A. H. Spehr, superintendent, St. Paul Milling com- pany. The public safety commission requested information from these gentlemen of their expenses of operation, with a view toward finding whether present prices of flour were justified. MESSRS. ATKINSON, PILLSBURY AND SPEHR REFUSED POINT BLANK TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS OF THE COMMISSION. THEY SAID THESE MATTERS WERE ‘“TRADE SECRETS.” The public safety commission, in spite of the great power that it is given under the laws of Minnesota, did not attempt to force answers to their questions. The commission announced that the hearing would be taken up again a week later. ‘Who are the men who are trying to help the government, state and national, the farmers or the millers? THE CONTROLLED PRESS HE Fargo Forum and other small-town imitators of the Twin City Big Business press, which have been engaged lately in slinging mud at the great farmers’ movement, copied the fol- lowing item of ‘‘news’’ from the Twin City papers recently: The farmers of North Dakota are responsible for the federal grading law. They objected to the Minnesota laws and the rules of the Minne- apolis Chamber of Commerce and appealed to congress. They got what they wanted enacted into law, but the department of agriculture hasn’t administered the 13w as they expected. : This is a deliberate falséhood, intended to show up the farmers of North Dakota as ‘‘boobs’’—as people who do not know what they want, and who, when they get what they ask, kick anyway. The facts, known to everybody, are that the farmers of North Dakota last winter, through Dr. E. F. Ladd and the farmers elected to office by the Non- partisan league, and through the Nonpartisan Leader, exerted every ounce of strength in combating the new federal grades, BEFORRE THEY WERE ADOPTED. 'The game of trying to discredit the farmers by such poisoned - ‘“news’’ as that quoted above which appeared in the Twin City papers and the Fargo Forum, goes merrily on. The Leader will continue to expose it from time to time, and with publicity it can not succeed. PAGR BEVEN T N MO