The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 28, 1918, Page 7

-giving plenty of precedent for what Baer is asking of congress. * _the Nonpartisan Leader. . and “articles, which he thought would -lend weight to the charge of + ' “‘pro-Germanism’’ he wished to make. £ edltorlals or artxcles vyould .not have served his purpose. form to judge. “His resignation and the filling of his office with an in- telligent man will help win the war, because it will lead to more con- ‘fidence in the administration among radicals and progressives. The people of Texas will take care of Mr. Burleson’s political future, if he “makes good on his reported threat to run for the senate. HOW YOU CAN HELP - league asks its readers to assist Congressman Baer. He and others are working at Washington to obtain a congressional appropriation, to loan money to-farmers in need to buy seed or feed ‘in drouth-stricken sections. National League headquarters at Si. Paul asks that every farmer, who needs a loan himself, or who ON ANOTHER page of this issue of the Leader the Nonpartisan knows of farmers who need loans in order to put in a big crop to help win the war, fill in the blank printed, or hand it to others, and forward it to the League offices at St. Paul. The blank which farmers are asked to fill out is NOT AN AP- PLICATION FOR A LOAN. It is merely a report of conditions on the farm and in- the neighborhood of the -farmer who fills it out. The names of farmers who report will be held in confidence, if desired. Congressman Baer, elected by the Nonpartisan league. members of North Dakota, must convince a lot of people and congressmen at ‘Washington that this aid is needed. Those working for this loan. to farmers have a mass of facts al- ready. But they need reports of specific instances and conditions, which members of the League can heip in gdthermg The Leader urges that its readers assist in this work. questions asked and {fill out the blank. Read the Then put it in an envelope and sond it to the National Nonpartisan league, Box 294, St. Paul. The figures-and facts sent in by Leader readers in this connection will be (ommled and sent to Mr. Baer and the others who favor the passage of this bill in congress. The more definite, concrete information of the need for this loan that Baer can place before congress; the better chanece his bill has of passing. The Leader calls attention also to an article in this issue by A. B. Gilbert, in regard to the drouth-stricken areas in the United States, Don’t miss the Gilbert article, or fail to fill out the blank. MR. SEIBOLD AND HIS ARTICLES OUIS SEIBOLD, a New York newspaper writer, was sent West I by the New York World to ‘‘investigate’’ the Nonpartisan league and write a series of articles about it. Mr. Seibold came to St. Paul and later went to Fargo. In North Dakota he in- terviewed all the politicians and newspaper editors who have been fighting the organized farmers for these three years. In fairness, of course, he should have seen these _people and got in detail their stories and arguments against the League. The League could have no ob- .~ jection to that. A fair investigator must get both sides. But Seibold was not a fair investigator. While in North Dakota he failed to call at the national Leader office, which was then at Fargo, and he failed friendly to the League. He did not see Governor Frazier, the farmers’ == governor, or other League state _‘ i m“ T officials and members of the legis- “ h laturc. Therefore he got a distort- 1..‘ ' ed, one-sided story from North Da- lll‘ Hlll kota. - & At St. Paul Mr. Seibold spent about a half-hour talking to Presi- dent Townley of the League. So far as can be ascertained, that half- ~hour was all the “mvestwatmg of the League he dld The rest of his ‘‘investigation’’ consisted in the days he spent with League enemles—polmelans sentatives of the Big Interests the League is fighting. - Mr. Seibold was evidently 1nstruoted by his emplovels to flnd_ something that would prove the League ‘‘pro-German’’ and ‘“‘disloyal.’” ‘But Mr. Seibold found considerable difficulty in finding such faects. To make his point; he finally had to rely on” what he found printed in So he quoted PARTS of Leader editorials Quotation of the ENTIRE & So he un- statemgnt that ‘he thought made 1so]ated a few -to interview newspaper editors editors and repre- . anything convincing. For instance, he quoted a Leader editorial as follows: Critlcs of the German government in Germany-—Max Harden, for instance—have been allowed greater leeway than critics of the United States government in the United States under certain rulings of our post office department denying the mails to alleged seditious publica- tions. This would be a bad thing for the Russian revolutionary govern- ment to find out. It might discount what Root of the American com- mission to Russia is telling the revolutionists there of our adherence to . liberty and democracy. Then Mr. Seibold quotes the following from the Leader, a part of the resolutions pledging support to the government passed at a League meeting : y The only justification for war is to establish and maintain human rights and interests the world over. For this reason we are opposed to waging war for annexation; either on our part or that of our allies, or demanding indemnity as terms of peace. Bitter experience has proved that any exactions, whether of land or revenue, serve only to deepen re- sentments and hatreds, which inevitably incite to future war. This quotation might be from President Wilson, rather than from resolutions passed -at a League meeting. It closely parallels the presi- dent’s statements as to our war aims. Is it ‘‘pro-German’’? Mr. Seibold also quotes the following from one of President Town- ley’s speeches, to further ‘‘substantiate’’ the charge of ‘‘pro-Ger- If the war can 'not be financed in any other way it is your patriotic duty to buy these (Liberty) bonds. But if you think there is a better way, are we to be prevented from proposing it? The National Nonparti- san league proposes what we believe to be a better way, that is, to use the same method of raising money as is used in raising men, that is, to conscript money, the same as human life is conscripted for war duty. -It will be seen from these quotations, which Mr. Seibold singled out to make his point, how slender was the ‘‘evidence’” on which he hung his charge that the farmers of the Northwest are pro-German. Mr. Townley, the Leader and members of the League will continue to make the statements Mr. Seibold has quoted, and others like them. If they are treason, Mr. Qelbo]d and the New York World must make the most of it. But they will have a hard time convincing the people ‘that these statements are seditious. If-they. are seditious, the Leader would be suppressed and Mr. Townley would be in jail. The fact that the Leader still has the freedom of the mails and will continue to have it, and the fact that Mr. Townley is still at Iarge, is sufficient evidence to prove Mr. Seibold a liar—a man who is a discredit to his profession and a_man whose services can be hired to besmirch the reputations and" characters of men who are leading the fight in the United States for a wider democracy and a fuller measure of justice. INVESTIGATING THE PACKERS T IS amusing to read the attempts being made in the organs of the I packing industry to discredit the government investigation now > being conducted on behalf of the Federal Trade commission by Francis J. Heney, into the workings of the packing trust. We are told that such investigations ‘‘stir up the people’’ and make them dis- contented, thus destroying the unity of feeling and action needed to win the war. Nothing is said by these spokesmen of the packers of the real reason for divulging the facts concerning the abuses existing in the packing trade. Nothing is said to show that the exposure of these abuses is the first step to- wards correcting them, and that when they are corrected we will have a fuller measure of efficiency in the manufacture and distribu- tion of food—which would be one of the greatest helps possible in winning the war. " We are told that the United States supreme court and the Unit- ed States department of justice are holding up during the war cases involving prosecutions under the anti-trust law. Therefore, the or- gans of the Packing Trust ask, why start any investigations, when no action will be taken on them by the department of justice or the eourt:? Mr. Heney has replied to this line of argument. He says that the investigations are not necessarily being made as a basis for prosecutions under the anti-trust law. He says they are being made to disclose facts in the interest of A MORE THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT ORGANIZATION IN THE MANU- FACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD STUFFS DURING THE ‘WAR. Such organization is necessary to win the war, and the in- vestigation being conducted is necessary in order that the facts can be disclosed fully to the food administration and the national council . of defense. & ‘We are also told that Mr. Heney is trying to get in the lime light personally, and that he is directing the investigation along lines that . will furnish publicity for himself. This hardly needs any answer from It is the “argument” which is directed = Mr. Heney or anybody else. against every investigator who gets too close to the facts'to suit the interests under investigation. Tt is the “argument” used when every- hing else fluls and the best answer to 1t is’ to glve 1t the laugh