The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 4, 1918, Page 9

T PR y 2 : : ki - ,. -y , T - - g > ..__,” e ’__,. Lo, _‘._—_ _‘_, SV S ___.,.,__.‘ o RN e i ) —if congress is going to let this profiteering continue—then it will be necessary to raise-substantially the price of wheat. But why not make the monopolists who are plundering the country with high prices and excess profits give up THEIR' graft? Then there will be no need of a higher price of wheat! If these conscienceless profiteers are so strong tl;at congress dare not tackle them, then it is in order to raise the price of wheat. . , . Something must be done about it at once. Either we must confess that the war profiteers are too big and too strong to feel the heavy hand of government price-fixing, as the farmers have felt it, or we must take action against them. But remember, gentlemen, the farmer is not now a war profiteer and does not desire to be one. Do not put him in that position! Put the other fellows on the same price basis as the farmer— that is all he asks. TEDDY TRIES SOFT SOAP - admitted privately that he was misinformed when he made his ‘‘famous’’ St. Paul speech in which he branded the farm- % ers of the Northivest and their organization, the Nonpartisan e, as unpatriotic. The Colonel is said to have admitted that he not have made these charges against the farmers of the North- i west if he had known as much when he made his St. Paul speech as he knows now. g Instead of making manly public acknowledgment of his mistake in branding the farmers as disloyal, the Colonel is trying salve. He is trying to soft-soap the farmers. He first attempted {0 ‘‘horn in’’ behind Congressman Baér’s bill. for relief for drouth. stricken settlers. This was during his recent visit to the capital to-direct the fight against President Wilson and Secretary of War Baker. President A. C. Town- ley of the Nonpartisan league promptly spiked his scheme by de- claring that the League would not be drawn, in any such manner, into the Colonel’s personal dttack on the administration. - i y 7 . ; But you ean’t stop the Colonel. He has come back in an editorial, telling the farmers that they are thoroughly patriotic, that they are the backbone of the nation, that they must feed the world, ete., -ete., ringing in all the old stock stuff that has been peddled to the farmers in campaign time ever since Hector was a very young dog. Yes, and the Colonel goes farther. He admits, rather grudgingly, that the farmer should have government aid -to plant, his crops, but not until after the bankers have been given every chance first, Says the editorial: ; : ; ‘‘The aid can be given to groups of farmers who underwrite on'ef another, so to. speak, and OF COURSE, IF IT CAN BE.GIVEN BY PRIVATE MEANS, SO MUCH THE BETTER. IF THAT IS IM- POSSIBLE, THEN THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ACT.”’ The Colonel has a little to-learn if he thinks this brand of soft soap can get him into the good graces of the farmer again. This recent - interest of the Colonel in the farmers is all right in its way, even if the Colonel does want all the bankers to get their bit first. It is all ", right in its way, but it would weigh moré with the farmers if, during his seven years as president, the Colonel had lifted his hand once to secure government money for the farmers without bankers® inter- vention. ; L —— HOW THE LIBERAL PRESS HELPED ;i B ) RESIDENT WILSON, in more ways than one, has lived up to the Pexpeetatiofis of the liberals-and progressives in this country and . abroad. The Leader can remember, just a few short months ago, when this publication was urging that the president make a . clear, concrete statement of America’s war aims, in order that the charge that we were in this war for plunder or personal gain could be set at rest. We were freely charged with being seditions for asking ~ for this statement of war aims. The 1 mildest thing said about us was - that we were ‘pro-German.’’ But it was absolutely necessary sive and liberal journals of America should build up a sentiment that would back the president in stating our war aims and thus assuring the’ world, including the German peo- ple, that we were not fighting. for - territory or indemnity or commer- cial advantage or any other un- worthy motive. Tt was necessary make a clear statement of war aims; ; - Sinister” interests in this country were trying to prevent-such a statement being made. And now the president has made that statement. Every liberal and progressive in E ARE informed upon good authority that the Colonel has. that the Leader and other progres- to build up this sentiment in order- to make it easy for the president to - PAGE NINE _the country ean get back of it and support it, because it states our ' righteous war aims in a way that everyone ean understand and be- cause it furnishes a basis for a righteous peace. There were interests in this country that did not want a elear statement of our war aims, and so they said that the Leader, and other papers which were urging a statement, were ‘‘pro-German.’’ The presi- . dent waited until liberal sentiment was solidified, and when he made his statement he knew he had the people back of him—they were back of him because there were enough fearless and honest journals in America to erystalize opinion-for just such a statement, in spite of the Tory press and the big interests, which would have used the war for their own purposes and the purposes of imperialists and war profiteers. Those who opposed a statement of America’s war aims and de- nounced others who favored such a statement of course get little com- fort from the president’s pronouncements. But they have to swallow them. Liberals and progressives, on the other hand, have won -a great victory. President Wilson was with them all the time, but waited until the liberals had built up enough support for a statement—and then he made it. The Leader is glad that it did its share in consolidating public opinion and making it receptive. Without the help of the liberal press it is doubtful if the president, much as he desired, could have flown in the face of the imperialistic war party, backed as it was by the great ISnajority of the big daily papers and the money power of the United tates. ) LABOR AND SHIPS h . : HE Literary Digest, a well known national review, recently con- - ducted a poll of publications to get their opinion in regard to . A conditions in the shipbuilding yards. following telegram: Nonpartisan Leader, St. Paul, Minn. Should labor in war industries accept government arbitration in- stead of striking, or what plan would you suggest? Please wire us, giving Yyour opinioa. THE LITERARY DIGEST. In response to this telegram, the Nonpartisan Leader sent the follow- ing telegram: The Leader received the New York. St. Paul. Literary Digest, New York. As a solution for strikes in war industries, the government should immediately commandeer all industries where strikes occur. The primary cause of strikes is the greed of government contrac- tors, who are making huge profits and who are unwilling to share a fair proportion of these profits with labor. As a matter of principle, guns, shells and munitions of all kinds should be manufactured by the government so that no private in- - terest shall make profits, out of ; § the ° government’s necessities. Ships and shipbuilding also should be taken over by the government, in- asmuch as ships are a national public utility. Labor is patriotic. It has sacrificed and is willing to make more sacri- fices, but labor can not help feeling resentful when it gees private firms and individuals capitalizing the nation’'s needs in war. Under government ownership the cause for this resentment would be removed. Not only a betier spirit, but increased efficiency should result. Labor in western shipyards already has offered to build ships for the, government without profit to anybody, if the government will furnish the tools and materials. This shows labor's fight is not with the government but is with profiteering contractors. < - . s . THE NONPARTISAN LEADER. d We had intended writing an editorial on this subject anyway and 80 will let our reply to the Literary Digest be the editorial. Ny, SOME SHORT ONES i The railroads are practicing ‘‘sabotage’’ to discredit government; operation, ’tis said. This is a class of ‘‘sabotage’’-that makes the ocea-, pional throwing of a monkey wrench in the machinery by “‘dircet-action’’ workmen look rather small and mean by comparison. [ * * #* The Hog Island shipyard is well named, Judging from the way the profiteers have been hogging big profits there from. government, contraets. ; : * * %, ¢ . Roosevelt, on his visit to St. Paul, said Governor Burnquist of Min- nesota was ‘‘a fine type of loyal American citizen.”” Now the laboy, unions of St. Paul accuse the governor and his so-called “‘safety’’ com:| mission of allowing aid and comfort to be given Germany, through per- mitting the Twin City Traction company to.recruit strikebreakers among: farmer boys—boys needed on tl:e fa‘l:m to grow big crops to win the war, Railroads and their friends have been packing political convention.fi; and legislatures and indirectly financing political parties for lo! these 50 years. And we are told that government ownership of transportation) ““will put the railroads in politics”‘;as,if they were evér out of it! j In states where the Nonpartisan league is organized, politicians) are of two classes: those who think the -League.will fail and who are _therefore fighting it, and those who think it will win and are there- fore getting on the bandwagon. AT . ] i R