The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 3, 1918, Page 15

Pioneer Press shocked the sensi- tiveness of really - patriotic per- sons. These papers 'commission- ed one of their reporters to car- ry a banner in this parade. And what do you suppose was on that banner? Some noble and inspiring sentiment? No. Some appeal to sup- port the government? No. The ban- ner contained these words: “ITASCA COUNTY PRODUCES IRON FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND PAPER FOR THE ST. PAUL DISPATCH AND PIONEER PRESS.” This patriotic occasion seemed to mean only an opportunity for self- advertisement to these chauvinistic organs. Theirs was the only jarring note in the procession; they were the only ones who misused the purpose of the day to exploit their own busi- ness. This was the noble conception of patriotism which the Dispatch ad- vertised to the world. And this was by-newspapers that incessantly shriek about the possible disloyalty upon the part of the farmers of the Northwest. FIGHTING THE CITY’S BANK One of the most glaring exam- " ples of the subservience of the Pioneer Press and Dispatch to big business is indicated by the attempts made a little more than two years ago to start a “run” on the municipal bank at the behest of financial interests of St. Paul. We will tell the story as it was told to the people of St. Paul at the time in the columns of the St: Paul Daily News. The fol- lowing’ article appeared on the front page of the Daily News, April 4, 1916, and was instrumental in blocking the campaign of misrepresentation which the Dispatch and Pioneer Press were waging: “MUCH TRUTH ABOUT MANY LIES “St. Paul is being treated to a campaign of mis- representation and absolute lies on the part of the Pioneer Press and Dispatch that will set a high black mark in history. These Siamese twin news- papers are attacking the city bond certificates and. working a shameful hardship upon hundreds of citizens while defaming the fair name and credit of St. Paul and all for a mean purpose, as will be shown: : “The city of St. Paul in June, 1913, found itself helpless in financing itself. The bond market of the country was in a state of collapse. The ecity needed money to refund tax levy warrants. Public improvements were at a standstill. Unable to sell bonds through the regular bond market, the then city officials, Mayor Keller; Treasurer Farnsworth and Comptroller Handy sought to sell the bonds to the people at home. But the average citizen is not able to’save money in blocks of $1,000. “It was then decided to sell city bonds to the public in smaller amounts—in multiples of $10. Such sales were evidenced by certificates issued through®the office of the city treasurer. The bonds themselves, which the certificates represented and rested upon, were held in the city vaults as security. PRIVATE BANKS HAD TO RAISE THE INTEREST “This plan saved the city’s credit, made possible the summer’s improvements and furnished employ- ment for hundreds of men who needed work. - “It did not cost the city anything—it was self- supporting and even earned $60,000 surplus. Peo- ple received 4 per.cent interest. IT MADE ST. PAUL-BANKS RAISE THEIR RATE OF INTER- . EST FROM 3% TO 4 PER CENT AND EARNED ; ENEMIES THAT WAY. When the charter amend- . . = ment*was applied for to incorporate this city bond ““plan into the ¢ity government, attorneéys and others appeared against it. Fred Fellows of the Capital Trust & Savings® company-was one of the chief opponents. - The charter committee refused to sub- mit the proposed amendment, whereupon more than 2,000 citizens signed a : petition demanding the amendment. 3 “A ruthless campaign was then-started to defeat this plan, and Fred Fellows, a member of the grand ' jury at that time, was appointed to make a report. “The criticism was weak and inconclusive and only. commanded the votes of 12 of the 20 jury- ‘men. And now. the conspiracy was ready to come out in the open, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and " ‘the St. Paul Dispatch being the mediums of pub- licity and falsehood. A s - “If for no other reason, a bond of gratitude " exists - between these newspapers and the " Capital Trust & Savinga bank, bécause’ when ‘‘not long ago it became necessary for the Pio- - eer Press and Dispatch to borrow $300,000 " is to secure the defeat of Com- . mayor, denounces the_ plot. 1S THE PRESS A CONSPIRACY? ‘of Usurers. “The press,” he ‘deputies are for. ! ]' SEEN AND HEARD IN THE LOBBIES | —Drawn especially for the Leader by J. M. Baer Mr. Packer: “The government is getting awfully strict now.” Mr. Miller: “Yes, I’ve got to keep one set of hooks.” Mr. Packer: “Did you ever keep two sets?” Mr. Miller: “Yes, I kept one to figure my excess profits and another for the income tax collector.” the CAPITAL TRUST & SAVINGS COM- PANY LOANED THE MONEY. “The Pioneer Press-Dispatch campaign has been founded on lies. It has been waged for days, frightening bond owners and precipitating a ‘run.’ That ‘run’ is still on and nobody has lost a cent. This proves to what these papers will go to create a panic. - Monday, the Dispatch headlines said, ‘Hundreds draw $284,000 from city hall bank.’ The $234,000 was arrived -at by ADDING THE WITH- DRAWALS OF SATURDAY TO THOSE UP TO NOON ON MONDAY. ' As a matter of fact, $105,- 000 was withdrawn on Monday up to noon. hour. The Dispatch on Monday said there were ‘no sales of certificates up to noon on Monday.’ As a matter of fact, certificates WERE sold Monday both be- fore and after noon. “The Dispatch told Monday of a depositor with $90,000 in city certificates. That is a common or garden lie. The Pioneer Fress gave Monday’s withdrawals as $364,000—secured these figures by adding Saturday’s and Monday’s withdrawals to- ther. ge Ae o ~ “The-Pioneer Press on Tuesday in its big head- lines said: ‘Handy refuses his signature to cer- tificates." That was a lie. ~Comptroller Handy DID NOT REFUSE;—instead, rather than inter- rupt an interview he was giving to a Pioneer Press- Dispatch reporter, he asked his chief deputy, Mr. Eggert, to sign that certificate and other papers. THIS WAS EXACT- LY IN THE REGULAR COURSE OF BUSINESS and is a custom followed by every public official. That is what “These are only a few exam- ples of downright lies and the purpose of the whole thing is to feed the revenge of a few bankers. The second purpose missioners’ Farnsworth, Keller and Goss, and to punish Major Handy . at the next election. V. R. Irvin, ‘candidate for “The effort to tar all candi- datés with financial political - mud is. resented by V.'R, Ir- vin, who says he will not per- mit such tactics in his contest with Major Handy. He also goes on record as'a friend of the bond certificates.” that. : & me in office. With this. clear-cut state- ment by the Daily News, pub- lic confidence was restored and greater than the withdrawals. Never was the truth about forth more clearly than by C. [ K. Chesterton in his “Utopia- . .’em stay writes, “is a conspiracy of a very few millionaires, all suf- . PAGE FIFTEEN IF THEY TOLD THE TRUTH - The Gang Politician I should be in jail. You BUT I'm clever. peddle a few cheap cigars and th’ poor rummies keep P Yep, right up B in that big ol’ soft chair. Give | fylall my friends good jobs. Sure M LSlfarmers have a right in poli- &8 deposits in the bank soon were Eeitics. Darn ’em, it’s costing F& Mime a bunch of money trying ‘[%dto keep ’em out. the average mnewspaper set s getting too strong. and I are working together, § gharder than ever, to make ¥ ficiently similar in type to agree on the limits of what this great nation may know about itself and its friends and enemies. The ring is not quite complete; there are old-fashioned and honest papers; but is sufficiently near to completion to produce to the ordi- nary purchaser of news the practical effects of a corner and a monopoly.” Lindbergh Got His - Start With a Musket 5] EER shooting at the age of nine is the first known accomplishment acecred- ited to C. A. Lindbergh, candidate for governor of Minnesota. There were no conveniently located butcher shops in the wild parts of Minnesota in those days, so it was a case of shoot or starve. The musket and powder horn played an important part in starting the candidate on his way in life. As he tells it, it happened like this: “When still quite young, on my father’s farm, I was engaged in shooting pheasants and muskrats. I sold them at 125 cents apiece to a man in the village. 3 “One day, after completing a successful hunt in which I bagged about a dozen pheasants, I was walking along the road with the birds hanging - over my shoulders when I encountered a man driv- ing toward me in a buggy. He stopped and ques- tioned me about the birds. I told him I sold them in the village for 121% cents a bird. He handed me his card which bore a Chicago address and asked me to ship a barrel of pheasants to him as soon as I could, remarking that I would be sur- prised when I learned how much he would pay me. “In a few days the barrel of game was ready, taken to the freight office and shipped. -About 10 days after that I received my check from the Chicago stranger. He had paid me at the rate of 50 cents per bird. “Well, of course, I dropped the muskrat hunting and started in with aill my energy to shoot pheas- ants. I engaged all the young fellows in the neighborhood to shoot them for me for which I paid them the usual 121 cents. . “The demand for pheasants grew quicker than I could supply them since I always had to wait for the check from one shipment to come back be- fore I could pay my hunters for supplying me with ; another. Accordingly I went to the village banker who lent me $200 on an indorsed note. “With this additional capital I was able to keep things mov- ing all the time. In six months from the time I started I had hunters and had $850 to spare. Then. the legislature passed a law prohibiting the killing of pheasants to be shipped out of the state. “With the money I thus earned I went to college at Ann Arbor and financed my law course.” FIGHTING MAD : Edltor Nonpartisan Leadett ‘Have just réad with horror atrocity committed on law- abiding and patriotic citizens of Mineola, Texas. Such deeds Just are a disgrace and a dishonor free institutions. ' The federal government ought to take such matters in its hands. The facts about the Mineola outrage ought to be printed in pamphlet form and scattered as autumn leaves throughout the length and the breadth of the land. 5 ; The Nonpartisan league is They're K& kaiserites. : paid back the loan, paid my . Rathdrum, Idaho. the account of .the barbarous:. : to our nation, a menace to our ~certainly revealing the hiding places of the autocrats and the - CHARLES §. GREEN. SRR EEE SRS S S S R A DUNA S ST T ST, O SR o SR T 13 T~