The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 14, 1918, Page 7

-~ o | (& 39 ?‘ 3 ! o) R k| B Nj > %) B ¥ 1] “g s o - ("W ¢4 - Pi:| L 3 ) O - A’ A [ = el s Y. L - P Ae B4 L Afl - s » 1 ¢ ‘e o« " ¥ w ] @ ?‘ 3 e | = vie it} % L T ;}y} P 3 4 ~ AN ADMISSION BY R. R. HEADS dispatch. It stated how heads of the great railroads expected the present government control' of railroads to result. These railroad officials said they believed that the railroads of the United 3 RECENTLY the newspapers carried a' Washington (D. C.) news ‘States would never be given back for private control and operation— -that even after the war they would remain as a great publicly operated and controlled and nationalized utility. They gave a reason for their belief. It was that unification of the railroad systems and the efficiency that would result under-government management would sportation go back into private hands again. 3 It has long been known that the transportation kings of America realized the inefficiency and wastefulness of the transportation system. They have realized that if the various systems could be combined and operated as one great corporation, the savings and consequent redue- tion in rates would be' astounding. Our anti-trust laws, however; have prevented the nationalization of the railroads. Public opinion would not permit a unification UNDER PRIVATE CONTROL. Monopoly of public utilities under public ownership and econtrol is good. Under private ownership and control it is bad. The railroad heads would never admit, however, that the combination of the railroads under public ownership could sueceed as well as such a combination under private ownership. v ; And so their recent admission is significant. They admit now that under government control combination of the railroad systems will at least be SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT over the old conditions that the government and the peeple WILL NOT-PERMIT A RETURN TO THE OLD CONDITIONS, even after the war is over. - 'Tis well. 7 - convince the people that it would be foolish to let the country’s tran- IN THE SAME BOAT NION labor in the United States is being made the victim of the l ’ same vile campaign of slander that is attempting to besmirch 7~ the farmers. It is the.game of the Big Interests and the press and politicians subservient to them 1o make the farmers and the labor unions appear unpatriotic. An instance is an insulting editorial in the January issue of World’s Work. The title of it in itself is an. insult to every member of organized labor. Its Promises?’’ .- The object of the editorial is to'make it appear that labor’s pledge of loyalty at the Buffalo national convention is more or less a blind ; that there is a large element, if not almost a majoriiy, in union labor ranks that is ‘‘pro-German’’ and ‘‘disloyal,”’ because they -oppose Gompers. The World’s Work makes the insulting and hysterieal statement that this anti-Gompers element is financed by. German money. It goes on to say that the Gompers candidate for treasurer of the Amierican Feder- ation was defeated for re-election at the convention, and that a man who is “‘luke-warm’’ in his patriotism elected in his place; that there would have been an open attack on Gompers himself, followed prob- ably by his defeat for re-election, except that the anti-war unionists lacked the courage to make an open fight on Gompers in the conven- tion. They took out their spite, however, by defeating the Gompers candidate for treasurer, according to the World’s Work, 3 The Leader has no. opinion in regard to the desirability, from a labor union standpoint, of having Gompers remain the head of organ- ized labor in this country. That is a matter solely up to union labor, and it is the business of no one else. Union labor has a right to elect what men it sees fit to the highest offices in its gift, and we do not question union labor’s judgment. We have always understood Mr. The title is: ‘‘Will Labor Keep -Gompers to be an honest, patriotic citizen, with the best interests of organized labor at heart. But it is ridiculous to assert that any union man who opposes Gompers is “disloyal’’ and ‘‘pro-German.”” Tt is . fanatical to say that his opponents are financed by German money. | The gameé of trying to diseredit union labor and the organized- farmers by questioning their patriotism goes merrily on. Any union _ that asks for better wages or working conditions is disloyal and: financed by Germany. “Any farmer who asks that the government fix . prices on what he has to buy as well as on what he has to sell, is un- patriotic and in sympathy with the Kgiser. - However, Teddy the Terri- ble, who is going up and dowa the country maligning President Wilson and giving comfort to Berlin by his vicious attacks on the conduet of the war, is a gentleman and patriot. It is to laugh. SENDING OUT 'fHE POISON GROUP of several peliticians in North Dakota decided recently to break up the Nonpartisan league in that state. Quite a job, to say the least! They advertised for weeks that a big ‘‘state con- vention’’ would be held and that all farmers, whether League members or not, were invited. THIRTY-ONE people attended the convention. Thirteen of these were the POLITICIANS who called the meeting. The other eighteen were League members, The THIRTEEN, in secret con- ference, framed a set of resolutions, denouncing the League and the bills introduced in the 1917 North Dakota legislature to carry out the farmers’ program. These resolutions were READ to the meeting. A vote was asked of all those present who FAVORED the resolution. There were thirteen _Votes in favor of them—just the thirteen politicians who had proposed the meeting—all old-League opponents. Then the chairman of the meeting refused to ask for a count of those OPPOSED to the resolutions. “If he had, there would have been eighteen votes against them—the votes of the League members who attended the convention. But the resolu- tions were declared adopted WITHOUT OBTAINING A COUNT OF THOSE OPPOSED TO THE RESOLUTIONS. s These are the facts. The stories the anti-farmer newspapers built on these facts were something wonderful to behold! Great headlines declared that the whole membership of the League in northwestern North Dakota had revolted and joined the movement against the League started by these politicians. The papers said 300 attended the conven. tion! The faets are understood in North Dakota. Nobody in North Da- kota was fooled. The attempt to start a movement counter to the - League and thus BREAK UP THE SOLIDARITY of the farmers was a flat failure. The farmers of North Dakota, almost every one of whom belongs to the League, will not permit themselves to be divided against themselves. They permitted that for forty years. For the last two years, however, they have not been permitting it. And they have found IT PAYS BETTER not to be divided against themselves. So the North Dakota farmers understood this ‘‘convention’’ and laughed. But the North Dakota gang, although it failed to start anything at - this meeting, accomplished one of its purposes. to FURNISH PUBLICITY AGAINST THE LEAGUE. It didn’t matter what the North Dakota papers said, because it happened too close at home to be misunderstood. But they knew the fake stories about the ‘““‘convention’’ would be heralded abroad in other states. The Twin City papers were furnished exaggerated, lying reports, and so the story that the League is ‘‘bustin’ up’’ in North Dakota has been carried to every nook and corner of the 13 states where the League is organizing. Country papers hostile to the organized farmers repeat it and pass it along. ; The thirteen politicians who attended the *‘convention’’ and didn’t let the eighteen League members who were present vote are tickled over the result of the publicity in other states, where wide circulation has been given to the fake: ‘But they have failed to get a North Dakota league member to join their movement, which is intended to break up the-solidarity of the united farmers. : ? ~ THE RIGHT WAY. r I'\ HERE must be a more intelligent understanding of this matter ; of greater farm production. There are ways to increase the pro- =~ duction of food stuffs. But they are not the ways that were tried for years before the war broke out ; nor are they the ways that are being urged now by most editors and persons in high places, who ought to know better, = < - : : : To get a greater produetion of farm products, farming must be made a safer and more profitable business for those now in it, and it must attract new people to the land. The establishment of a fair marketing . - system for farm produicts will be a starter. The taxation problem must be solved—solved in a way to prevent producers being overburdened, and to stop land speculators, who are not producers, from getting off easy. cost from our publicly owned deposits, ete.; ete: Its purpose partly was - s - “Even then we have only started. There are the matters of cheaper - powder to blow stumps on logged-off land; cheaper.fertilizer, made at = ' It will talge l_nofe-&_’than, :