The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 6, 1918, Page 6

. money. with other publications " ry | %/- 4 Mfl 'Z// (%fl 7 / 9 / ///?/é U o by A % %’I//// K %/Illl // Are You Fighting for a Free Press? HE Nonpartisan Leader, unlike any other widely circulated magazine, does not depend on advertising to exist. The Leader would go right along publishing an issue every week whether we had a line of advertising or not. What makes this possible is the fact that we are supported by our readers. The subscription price we receive will pay for getting out a magazine each week—perhaps not 4s good a magazine as we are getting out now, but some kind of a magazine, one that will make the voice of the farmers and common people of America heard. Because we rely on our readers and not advertisers for support, we are unham- pered and unembarrassed in carrying out our policy of EDITING AND PUBLISHING THE LEADER IN THE INTERESTS OF ITS READ- ERS, AND NOT IN THE INTERESTS OF ANY- BODY OR ANYTHING THAT CONFLICTS WITH THE INTERESTS OF OUR READERS. But—and we want you to get this point—we do publish advertisements of business houses that patronize -us on the understanding that the ac- ceptance of their patronage in no way binds us or influences our editorial policy. For that reason, you are sure that every business house that adver- tises in the Leader IS A BUSINESS HOUSE WHICH DOES NOT SEEK TO CONTROL THE PRESS. Hence these advertisers deserve your hearty support. The firms that use our advertis- ing columns do not seek to spend their advertising appropriation to influence editors or mould public g opinion in political and economic matters. In these days of the controlled press, certainly the men who patronize the Leader’s ad columns on this principle deserve a badge of honor and the support of our readers. They could very easily spend their circulating among farmers, and along with advertising space receive editorial comment favoring : their political and economic beliefs, whether or not these beliefs were opposed to the interest of the readers of the publications. ND so the Leader today is, in a way, an experiment in a free . bress, and the amount of advertising the Leader carries is an index of the headway the idea of a free press has made among the business interests, big and little, in America. And there is another point we want to call your attention to. The more legitimate advertising we get, THE BETTER PAPER WE CAN GIVE YOU. The organized farmers are entitled to the best there is in the way of a national magazine. The Leader, run without profit in the interests of the farmers of America, ought to - be” the biggest and best magazine printed, typographically, in the way of illustrations, in the character of talent it can employ and in ' many other ways, AS WELL AS BEING RIGHT IN POLICY. ' ly last winter, Because Leader advertising revenue began to increase material- : the Leader moved to St. Paul and commenced the publication of a bigger, : : and more illustrations and print- ed on better paper and by an im- proved process which made it typographically superior to what it had been. Our increase in ad- vertising revenue was immedi- ately reflected in the betterment of the paper you were getting. Just as soon as our advertising revenue increases to a sufficient amount again, there will be another enlargement- of the Leader and additional features making the paper more valuable to you and your cause. And when we at last are getting out the best and biggest paper that it is possible to publish, addi- tional advertising revenue will * be reflected in a lowering of the subscription price. The business department of the Leader, in the advertising columns, has already talked to you about this matter of advertising. The business department has asked you to co-operate in calling the value of the Leader as an advertising medium to the attention of advertisers, both by patronizing those who advertise in the Leader and urging business houses who advertise in other papers, but not in the: Leader, to give your paper—the Leader—a- share of their . business. The advertising department reports that you have re- sponded nobly to this appeal in the interests of improving the size better magazine, containing more pages ° ~and prove to the German people and quality of the only real farmers’ magazine of nation-wide circu- lation in the United States. Hundreds of our readers have been writing to advertisers who do not patronize the Leader and these advertisers have had to sit up and take notice. They are inquiring about the Leader—asking us and other people about it, as a result of your helping by the letters the business department urged you to write. : This is your magazine and your fight. The enemies of the Leader-—and they are MANY AND POWERFUL, because the Leader could not protect your interests and be friends with graft- ers, exploiters, political crooks and monopolists— the enemies of the Leader and your enemies are busy trying to keep business houses from giving us advertising. To do this they tell advertisers that the Leader is “pro-German,” “socialistic,” “an I. W. W.,” “disloyal” and “anti-government.” You read the Leader and you know how base these charges are. AND YOU CAN CORRECT THESE LIES ABOUT THE LEADER AND MAKE THIS DIRTY, UN-AMERICAN FIGHT ON A FREE AND FEARLESS FARMERS' MAGAZINE UN- EFFECTIVE. You can do it by writing to ad- vertisers. Write them polite letters—courteous letters—explaining things to them. Tell them what the Leader means to farmers. Tell them what this fight means to farmers. Tell them that you do not seek to influence their ideas, but call their attention to the fact that an independent and ' fearless farmers’ magazine is entitled to a share of their advertising patronage AND THAT YOU AND OTHER FARMERS TRUST AND BELIEVE IN BUSINESS HOUSES THAT ADVERTISE IN THE LEADER. Tell them frankly that you want the Leader to get their advertising because it will help to make the Leader a bigger and better paper, AND THAT YOU THINK A PAPER THAT HAS THE FARMERS’ CONFIDENCE, AND NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL BETRAY IT, OUGHT TO BE THE BIGGEST AND BEST PUBLICATION IN THIS GLORIOUS COUNTRY OF OQOURS. This is the Leader’s fight. BUT IT IS YOURS, TOO. A big- ger, better Leader means a better chance to win—a better chance for the common people of America—a better chance for democracy and justice. : Sit down today and write to an advertiser who does not use the Leader as a medium, and tell him why he should. A LESSON IN LOGIC OME, let us reason together. Let us discuss calmly some of the issues of the war. Let us advance proof as to the truth of certain questions arising out of the war. We must see clearly in order to fight well. First, we have only righteous motives in the war. Let us prove it to all the world by riding a woman on a rail, Second, Germany has gross- ly mistreated Belgium, commit- ting revolting brutalities there. To prove this, let us put on masks, call ourselves “Knights of Liberty,” capture a man with a German name and, after forc- ing him to kiss the flag, hang him to a tree till he is dead. - Third, everybody ought to buy Liberty bonds. Let us demonstrate the truth of that that we have no base motives, by rounding up a few persons, stripping them; hanging them up by their thumbs and flaying them with rawhides till they are almost dead. Fourth, we are fighting for world democracy and justice. Let us prove that by treatment, milder but none the less convincing. Let us organize a posse of leading citizens, surround a defenseless man in the streets, knock him down and jump on his prostrate form. Fifth, the kaiser is seeking world domination. Let us adopt a method of proof for this with a humorous touch. Let us seize an aged man, one with a long white beard and flowing white hair. Let us bind him hand and foot and with a pair of sheep shears trim his _beard and hair close. Then, as a finishing. touch, let us wrap his. V i ,._...,.m...._‘.‘..:;.‘.~A.’;;,;w«;.”..s.'-;‘wmé:m-mwnnms«zza.;.i:flmwwwfiam“.