The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 27, 1918, Page 14

INTER FARMER JONES, TO GET HIS MAIL, AND BANK- ER SMITH, ON LIKE MIS- SION. FARMER JONES TAKES. COPY OF NONPAR- TISAN LEADER FROM HIS MAIL BOX. BANKER SMITH—So you take that damnable anti-govern- ment paper, do you, Jones? FARMER JONES—Sure, and 'm a member of the Nonpartisan league, too. BANKER SMITH—Well, I never expected that of you, Jones. I always respected you as a decent citizen. Why, the League is a pro-German, dis- loyal, anti-government organization. FARMER JONES—That’s what you have read in the papers controlled by the politicians and in- terests which fear the League’s political and eco- nomic program, and dare not discuss the issues. They call names instead. Have you ever read the Nonpartisan Leader or any of the literature pub- lished by the League? . BANKER SMITH—I should say I haven’t. You'll never see me reading such treason- able truck. The whole bunch of editors and organizers ought to be backed up against the wall and shot or strung up. FARMER JONES—If you haven’t read both sides of the question you don’t know any- thing about it. This movement has 200,000 farmer members and millions of sympathizers. It has a written program. Every member subscribes to that program. If it is dis- loyal, then this great number of farmers is disloyal. Why don’t you read the other side? BANKER SMITH — Don’t need to—I know all about it anyway. You couldn’t change my mind no matter what you gave me to read or what evi- How many farmers have had to argue with their banker over the League? It’s easy to settle the ignorant argu- ments—just as Farmer Jones did. dence you produced. Why, besides being disloyal and pro-German, this movement is socialistic. You folks want to tear down all businesses and experi- ment with government ownership. FARMER JONES—Well, we as a nation have already taken the first step toward government ownership of railroads, by establishing complete government control. ~ ‘ BANKER' SMITH—Yes, and look at the result. The railroads are being run into the ground by government meddling. These damned socialistic experimenters have seized the railroads with the result that the railroads are congested. A ship- ment I have coming has been held up for a month. The equipment is getting run down, the passenger service curtailed and all the railroads are going to the dogs, just on account of the very ideas you are spreading in this League. I tell you it’s Bolshevik- ism, I. W. W.ism and —— socialism. If you— FARMER JONES—Stop right there, Mr. Smith. Government control of railroads is a war measure. The transportation situation became so bad the president had to take the rail- roads in defense of the na- tion to win the war, and— BANKER SMITH—But— FARMER JONES — Don’t try to interrupt me, Smith. I won’t stand for you handing out pro-German, anti-govern- ment talk, damning the gov- ernment and the president as socialists. I won’t stand for spreading propaganda to inter- fere with the successful oper- ation of the railroads as a war measure. I’ll report you to the department of justice, even if you are a banker, if I hear you show your lack of patriotism and your disloyalty by talking against a war measure and holding up to contempt and ridicule the president and his advisers who have had to take over the railroads to win the war! You are— BANKER SMITH—But— FARMER JONES—But me no buts, Smith. You call me down for being a pro-German and a dis- loyalist, when you know I borrowed money of you at 10 per cent to sow an extra 100 acres of wheat, when other crops would pay me better. You know I'm a citizen of this country and that I'm a darn sight- more loyal to it than you. I don’ see you cutting’ down your interest rate or loaning money without interest to farmers with which they can buy Liberty bonds. You call me a traitor, and then you go around preaching the worst kind of treason—undermining government control of rail- roads, a necessary war measure! You're a hypo- crite, Smith, and I'm going to tell you what I think of you, even if you do foreclose that mortgage on. me, and I'm here to say— BANKER SMITH—Oh, forget it, you— FARMER JONES—No, Smith, I won't forget it! We farmers are going to put over a farmer-labor ticket and platform in this state and we’ll show a lot of you cheap, bunk patriots who the real loy- alists of this country are. We'll take some of your swollen war profits to help fight for democracy, and we’ll throw the fear of God into you folks who spread lies and misrepresentations about us and make a dirty, un-American fight on us to kill our". organization. . And, Smith, we’ll do it lawfully and ~ orderly—by the ballot, the means provided for get- ting reforms in this land of the free—this great political democracy that we love and serve. BANKER SMITH—You're hopeless, Jones. Just like all your crazy League outfit. No hard feelings ? FARMER JONES—Not at all, Smith. We're only sorry for you. We won’t tar and feather you, suppress your meetings and threaten you with fir- ing squads and lynchings. No sir! But by gad, » we’ll just naturally VOTE YOU DOWN at the polls, for thank God the majority rules in America. By the way, when you get back to the bank please send $10 to my boy John at Camp Monroe and charge to my account. He goes to France in a few days and I want him to have some spending money while “over there.” N BANKER SMITH—AI right. Good day, Jones. FARMER JONES—Good day, Smith. Government Considers Low Fares for the Harvest Season Transportation at Half Price Would Attract Plenty of Farm Labor, Louis C. Post Advises McAdoo—Possible Under National Control of Railways Cheap transportation for farm labor will do a great deal toward relieving the shortage of labor for the harvest fields this fall. The Nonpartisan Leader has taken the stand that in view of all the serious circumstances, free transportation to bona fide farm labor would be most advisable. The accompanying article shows how the department of labor is now working on a transportation plan. Its plan is in the right direction but, as Secretary . Post admits, is not nearly so good as the Canadian plan. - Mr. Post is will- ing to take chances with our all im- portant food supplies; whereas the Leader believes that in spite of all we can do our foéd supplies will be short next winter. We should have a plan not only as good as the Canadian but better. Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader ET Uncle Sam haul farm help at half price this summer and to that extent add to the mobility of farm labor. That 4s ‘the proposal put up to Director General McAdoo of the United States railroad administration by Louis F. Post, assistant secretary of labor. Post makes the point that there is no man- power to spare in this country today, and that the heaviest crops in our history must be handled. This means that every man who can do farm work in- telligently must be employed to the best advantage. If he is to be sent from one harvest region to an- other, he should be encouraged to go by the quick- est route, and at the least pos- . sible expense. High cost of travel may discourage thou- sands of men from doing the extra few days’ work that will make the difference between low and high. efficiency. Of course, until the govern- ment had control of the rail- roads any such co-operation with the farm workers would have been impossible. With the roads in possession of the government; the question of high or low fares, or:free fares to farm labor, is one simply of policy, and the whole trans- portation system of the coun- try is at the command of those who are producing the food supply. TO GET THE MOST LABOR- POSSIBLE ““The problem of food supply depends in the last analysis,” writes Post to McAdoo, “upon an adequate supply of farm labor. Tentative figures indi- cate a shortage of farm labor. This in the face of the heaviest demand for food the world has ever seen—a demand that is beyond money value in im- portance._ PAGE FOUBW Old style employment agencies once handled the farm labor problem. This ' i8 one of the functions Uncle % Sam is taking over. “The employment officers of the department of labor, after careful study, assert that they can sup- ply the labor needed for farming if cheap. trans- portation can be had for it. But unless such cheap transportation is assured, they do not believe the : maximum amount of labor can be obtained. “There is heavy demand for such labor in factories, mines, and mills, at wages much higher than farmers are ae- customed to paying; but farm wages have increased within the last year from an average of $22 to about $40 per month, besides board. Many thou- sands of former farm hands who have been attracted from the country by rumors of high™ wages, now are seeking oppor- tunity to return to the land, but are deterred by railway fares. The farmers, who are accustomed to dealing indi- vidually with the men whom they hire, will not pay or se- cure advance railway fares in sufficient numbers to serve the situation, 3 7 AN INVESTMENT WITH HEAVY PROFIT “They are not willing to risk the loss of fare involved in sending tickets for men who may possibly fail to report. Besides, experience shows that men usually work but a few . days for each farmer in har- (Continued on page 21)