The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 20, 1918, Page 4

If Millers’ using the above mentioned mixture of wheat, following the milling division’s ruling, would have to sell 1,125 pounds of flour daily as feed. At wholesale price this amount of flour would be worth $53.77. For a 300-day run this would be 337,500 pounds, or 1,722 barrels of flour. Therefore, enough flour would have to be sold as feed in a mill of this size running full time TO SUPPORT 1,500 PEOPLE FOR ONE YEAR. If this mill made a milling yield of flour equal to that secured in Table II and it was sold at wholesale price and the value of the A Deed of Profits Had 1915 Crop _ | No. 1 Hard |No. 1 Northern|No. 2 Northern|No. 3 Northern|No. 4 Northern| Rejected Value of mill products from bushel................... 1.3690 1.3320 ! 1.3230 | 1.3110 l 1.2930 i, 1.2690 Cost of manufacture and allowable profit per bushel...... .2335 .2335 .233b - .233b .2336 .(2)335 =8 Possible price per bushel...........coc00eena.. St 1.1255. 1.0985 - 1.0895 1.0776 1.0595 1.0365 Market price per bushel.......ccoieieiininnernnennns, | 1.0342 | 1.0292 | .9857 | .9402 | .9027 I .8614 DY ereNCe. i L Nk i e | .0913 | .0693 | .1038 | .1397 | .1568 | .1741 —FROM LATEST BULLETIN OF DR. E. F. LADD The government food administration allows a cost of manufacture and profit on the milling of wheat of a little over 23 cents a bushel. This regulation is “for the duration of the war only,” we are told. Had this regulation existed in 1915 the fig- ures in the line marked “difference” in the above table would have been the savings to farmers per bushel on their wheat. In the case of each grade of wheat marketed in 1915, the table takes the value of mill products from a bushel. From this is subtracted the food administration’s present allowance for cost of manufacture and profit. This leaves the price per bushel the mills could have paid in 1915 and made as much profit as they do now. From this “possible price” per bushel, the actual market price of wheat for that year is subtracted. The result shows what the farmers lost in 1915 because millers’ profits were not limited as they are now. feed deducted, the excess profit for the 300- day run would be $10,845.” BENEFITS ALONG WITH THE EVIL In other words, the miller, under the present government regulations, can let a ‘large amount of flour go into the mill feed in order to produce a brand of flour better than the food administra- tion has seen fit to authorize during the war, or he can use all the wheat he can for flour, and as little as possible for mill feed, and make excess profits. Been Regulatéd in 1915 But don’t forget that the food department’s flour mill regulations are a great improvement over con- ditions as they have %een in times of peace, when regulation of the miling industry did not exist. The bulletin proves this also. Had the present government regulations existed and been enforced in 1915, for instance, the little mill proves, wheat producers would have received from 9 to 17 cents a bushel more for their wheat, according to what grade it happened to be. In 1915 they would have received over 9 cents more a (Continued on page 21) Darkness in Washington State League Manager Was Coated With Tar by Political Skulkers of Winlock | Who Felt Their Power to Graft Was Menaced BY ALFRED KNUTSON 2z INLOCK is in the southern part - | of Lewis county, in western Washington. I drove by auto- mobile to Winlock from Che- halis, arriving about 6 o’clock, the night of April 25. After having registered at the Hotel Winlock, I asked for the or- ganizer, W. R. Edwards. The hotelkeeper pointed to him in the lobby. Edwards told me that he had to go up the street to talk to a farmer who had signed up as a member of the League. After being gone for some little time, the hotelkeeper told me that Edwards wanted to Then one person asked if it were not true that North Dakota had not supported the Liberty loan, Red Cross, War Savings stamps, ete. I quoted fig- ures showing how North Dakota stood at the very top in the subscription of Liberty loans in the sec- ond campaign and how that state was also one of the first to go over the top in the third. I also pecinted out that the Minneapolis district, which -comprises the states where the League is strongest, stood at the very top in subscriptions. Some at- tempted to dispute my statements, but as they could not say very much to the contrary they were not able to get away with anything. The crowd apparently was satisfied and dispersed. About 7 o’clock Edwards and I had supper. Then leading farmers. We got back to the hotel about 10 o’clock. We went to our rooms and talked. The conversation upon which the mob later made their accusations was held in the room occupied by Ed- wards. It lasted for at least two hours. I did prac- tically all the talking. I discussed big business and its methods of getting results in a political and economic way. “Big business is always getting re- sults,” I said, “and I see no reason why we also could not get results by taking onto ourselves a few of their plans of operation. I think we are justified in doing that just-so long as the methods used are honorable.” 4 I showed that people’s movements in the past had fallen to pieces because of lack of organization. see me. noticed a crowd. Edwards told me “these people want to drive me out of town.” Then I explained the object of the League, pointing out that we were engaged in peaceable organization work and that there was no attempt to stir up any dissension in their community. “I realize,” I told them, “that the organization has been mis- represented to you by papers like the Oregonian of Portland and the Times and Post-Intelligencer of Seattle. In these papers you will find stories about the League which are not true and these are the ones that are stir- ring up dissension in your neighbor- hood.” FOUND THEM ILL-INFORMED Two men made the statement that this was not the time to build up an organization; that we ought to direct our energies toward a rapid prose- cution of the war. In answer, I told them that the Nonpartisan league started long before the war was ever thought of and that the bankers, the bricklayers, the printers, the carpen- ters, the lawyers, the doctors and so on were keeping up their organiza- tions even though we were at war. A banker who wanted to join the bank- ers’ association can do so even dur- ing war times. A carpenter, printer and lawyer can do the same thing. Why shouldn’t the farmer have the same privilege as these other men? I walked up the street and at the corner e e e S S e L R S S we went out in the country to visit a few of the i_ The Lies the Cowards Tell l A cowardly band of political gunmen have resorted to tarring in Lewis county, Wash. The sufferers in this case were Alfred Knutson, manager of the state Nonpartisan league of Washington, and W. R. Edwards, an organ- izer. At the request of the editor, the victims have written the accompanying account of the outrage. . To furnish a pretext for the mobbing, the lawless scoundrels of the town of Winlock declare that they placed a dictagraph in a room at the hotel and obtained their conversation. To defend their disgraceful acts, the mob mem- bers have gotten out a circular in which they pretend to quote things that Mr. Knutson said, none of which he did say. i The pretended dictagraph report is a fake and was merely intended to fur- nish an éxcuse for the acts committed by the hoodlums, among whom were some of the “leading” citizens of the town. Had Mr. Knutson said the things which they say he said, they did not have to resort to contemptible methods. All they would have had to do would have been to have Mr. Knutson arrested. The circular gotten out by the mob to justify itself for its acts, which it knows it can not defend before any honest citizén, itself shows how weak is the defense of these lawbreakers. For instance, the circular ends with an appeal, which, in simple language, is a plain threat that other workers and members of the League will be submitted to the same treatment, The Leader submits that this open threat by the anonymous cowards who mobbed Mr. Knutson is suit- able subject matter for investigation by the authorities of the state of Wash- ington, if there are any men in authority who desire to preserve the dignity of the state and prevent its disgrace through the recurrence of such incidents. Following are the concluding paragraphs of the mob’s defense: “We understand that an agreement was reached, after a little discussion emphasized by a taste of tar and feathers, whereby the state organizer was di- rected northward in his Ford to his ‘old Dakota home.’ The local organizer {:ook his leave by Ford likewise toward the south—to the land of sunshine and emons. ; ; : “While we do not -approve of these methods, yet we feel ‘that the citizens of Winlock have gone over the top and done their duty. “N. P. L. elsewhere please take notice. Other communities go thou and do likewise.” PAGE FOUR AT I discussed the Farmers’ alliance and the Populist movements. In connection with this I took up the Socialist party, showing it was not able to ‘get results as it was too visionary. The old socialist local wasn’t able to interest the farmer and other workers for the reason that the economic “problems near at hand were never taken up. “In order to get results,” I said, “it is necessary to talk to the farmer about the things about which he knows most, such as wheat, barley, rye, taxes, grain grading, etc.” I also made men- tion of the fact that we had six cars ready for organization work and also informed him that there would be a Pomona Grange meeting, May 2, at Chehalis and that F. P. Waters, deputy state Grange master and also - Idaho League speaker, would talk. SPIED ON IN HIS ROOM THIS WAS ABOUT ALL, THAT THE CONVERSATION CONSISTED OF. THE ADMINISTRATION AT WASHINGTON, D.C., WAS NOT DISCUSSED, AND NO MENTION WAS MADE WHATEVER OF THE WAR. o We went to bed shortly after mid- night. About 2:30 I was awakened by a noise in the hall and somebody hollering, “Knutson, get up.” : I was sound asleep and I did not know just what was up although I had a sus~ picion. I asked what was the matter. A voice from the hall said: = “Don't ask any questions; open up. the door