The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 24, 1917, Page 10

SN RO [TOR lNonpartizan Teader " Ofticial Magazine of the National Nonbartisa.n Lea.gue—Evéry ‘Week - Entered as second-class matter September 3, 1915, at the postoffice at Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. OLIVER 8. MORRIS, EDITOR -_— Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one.year, in advance, $2.50; gix months, 31.50. Communications should be addressed to the Nonpartisan Leader, Box 941, Fargo, North Dakota. ‘ MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS THE S. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City. Quack, fradulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising columns. MR. REYNOLDS AGAIN ECENTLY we spoke in these columns about a so-called ‘‘in- R vestigation’’ of the Nonpartisan league, made by one J. C. H. Reynolds, manager of the Employers’ Association of the Inland Empire, with headquarters at Spokane, Wash. We attempted to show - how such an ‘‘investigation,’’ conducted by an organization of busi- ness men who have been fighting organized labor for years in the state of Washington, could not be anything but unfavorable to the organized farmers. This body of business men hates organization of the farmers just as it hates organization of working men in cities, because organi- ~ zation enables both farmers and working men to get a fair deal politically and economically. Sinece we pointed these things out, we have received complete proof, in documentary form, that the ‘‘investi gation’’ of Mr. Reynolds was, as we said it would be, absolutely worth less, so far as being a guide for unprejudiced persons who want t( make up their mind about the League. Mr. Reynolds finds nothing good in the League. But before he made his flying trip to Chicag¢ and St. Paul to ‘‘investigate’’ it, he and the organization he represents HAD "ALREADY TAKEN SIDES in the matter-and had ISSUED PRINTED STATEMENTS RIDICULING AND ATTACKING THE FARMERS’ ORGANIZATION.” How could Mr. Reynolds, who had already made up his mind and sent out written statements against the League, conduct a fair investigation of the farmers’ organizatiqn? Of course he could not. , ‘We have the documents to show that, several weeks prior to Mr. Reynolds’ ‘‘investigation’’ of the League, which it was announced would be a FAIR and IMPARTIAL investigation, Mr. Reynolds and his association, in letters to business men and others, said: The program of the I\ionpartisan league Iaské its members to engage in politics at a time when the whole nation is turning away from political agitation. The Nonpartisan league asks its members to back an exclu- sive political party at a time when the highest type of men from all walks of life are unselfishly serving their country as a patriotic duty. In the above words Mr. Reynolds and his organization sought to damn the Nonpartisan league, on the ground that it was unpatriotic, BEFORE HE MADE HIS SO-CALLED IMPARTIAL INVESTIGA- TION. While he and his organization WANTED to say something nasty about the League, they couldn’t find anything to say at that | time, so they circulated the above inane, hypocritical statement. The Nonpartisan league is not a political party. It is strictly nonpartisan. IT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE 5 IVE North Dakota elevator men recently were yanked on the F carpet and told that in future they must not under-grade farmers’ grain if they want to continue as elevator men in North Dakota. Charges of grading No. 1 Dark Northern wheat as plain No. 1 Northern, at a loss of four cents a bushel to the farmers, were made against the five elevator men by North Dakota Grain In- spector J. A. McGovern. They were given a hearing before the North Dakota state railroad commission. ] Did you ever hear of elevator men jerked up by the wholesale AL SECT “before for cheating farmers? You have heard complaints of cheating —sure! You have heard of ‘‘investigations’’ and other red tape pro- ceedings, but did you ever hear of the state placing its hand kindly but firmly—very firmly—on guilty elevator men and telling them where to head in? Well, how does it happen in North Ddkota? Just this way: : ‘ > : The first legislature North Dakota ever had that had a majority of its members elected with the definite understanding that they were there TO DO BUSINESS FOR THE PEOPLE, met at Bismarck last winter. They were elected by the Nonpartisan league. They had a hostile majority of a few votes against them in_the. senate, but the house majority forced through, despite this and despite ridicule by the gang press, A LAW PROVIDING FOR A NORTH DAKOTA GRAIN DEPARTMENT AND NORTH DAKOTA INSPECTOGRS AND NORTH DAKOTA GRADING RULES. The pevple of the state also elected a governor, who appointed men to'enforce this law who knew the grain business, and WHO WERE NOT TIED UP WITH THE ELEVATORS AND MILLS AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. These men were Dr. Ladd of the North Dakota Agricultural college and J. A. McGovern. And now the people are seeing what it means to be A LITTLE MORE CAREFUL in electing their legislatures and their state offi- cials. Grain buyers who cheat the farmers are actually yanked up now, and they don’t wink among themselves about it eithér,-as they did when the farmers used to complain. It’s serious now! The railroad commission found these elevator men GUILTY OF UNFAIR PRACTICES against the farmers. There were grounds for prohibiting them from acting as grain buyers any more in:the state, Rut perhaps it was just as well to reprimand them THIS TIME, as a warning to them and other eclevator men that there is a'grain law in North Dakota and MEN IN OFFICE WHO ARE GOING TO EN- FORCE IT. Be assured that elevator men are going to think twice in the future before they rig up any more cheats like this. : "Has YOUR STATE got a people’s legislature and a people’s state administration? It isn’t too late to get one, you know. : THE NEW WAR LOAN : ~HE United States government’s plan. for raising two billion '1 dollars through the sale of ‘‘thrift stamps’’ and ¢‘war-saving certificates’” is by far the soundest . finanecial measure yet adopted by congress to meet the expense of the war. It does not make up for the refusal of congress o pass an adequate war profits tax, such as has been adopted in Great Britain, but it is an improvement on the plan of floating vast bond issues, which flood the market with securie ties and which enable bond and stock traders to hammer down the Price of all securities, including even the government’s own war bond issues. ; The saving certificates are the alternative of bond issues. Great bond issues should be the last resort of a nation at war. Every cent of revente possible should first be taken from excess war profits, swollen individual and corporate incomes and" the big accumulations of private and corporate wealth. Then some plan like the present war« saving certificate plan should be adopted, and lastly—if more money, is needed—should come the issuance of bonds. : The Leader gives its heartiest approval to the stamp and war save ing certificate plan. Undoubtedly many readers of the Leader will want to invest in these government securities, and certainly all who can possibly do so should invest in them. Therefore we are explain« ing the plan. j All postoffices and many other agencies that the government has appointed are now selling thrift stamps. These stamps sell at 25 cents each. They can be purchased one or more at a time. When 16 of them have been purchased at an outlay of $4, the purchaser may use them to exchange for a war-saving certificate. The war-saving certi- ficates can also be purchased directly by cash, without first buying and accumulating 16 thrift stamps, ; S The war savings certificates are being sold by the gq"z_;q;';mént for $4.12 during this month and next month; during February they will cost a cent more, and during each following month an additional cent more, 8o that they will sell during December, 1918, if they are not all so.ld before then, at $4.23 each. Now, these war-éa{fing certificates will be redeex_ned by the government on January 1, 1923, at $5 each. In other words, the war-saving certificate you buy now for $4.12, o that you pay $4.13 for during February, or, say, $4.19 for during August, 1918, will be worth an even $5 on January 1, 1923. This is SR T ST S S ST S e e