The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 10, 1918, Page 5

~ b - Lo i S K - i L& - i W AR 4 N - - > 0F o i * W o 6 ol -~ i$ L + & a oy # 3 . @ - o F e £ 4 [ 3 B bl i t < ! P e Jp: w § sl w A ;i 2 e % i B e 5o k2 f w » P (. £ -« . terest charge have been .if the banks - e~ * ference ‘between what the railroads want to pay, and used to pay, and what the Nonpartisan ‘offi- ‘cials insist they shall pay—is more than $800,000. Think ef it—$800,000 that the railroads would not have been compelled to pay into the treasury’ of the state of North Dakota if the farmers had not got busy two years before and formed the’ Nonpartisan league. Eight hundred thousand " dollars that the state lost year after year because there was no Nonpartisan league. Other big corporations were likewise getting away each year without paying thexr share of the taxes. HOW THE NATION’S FOOD WAS WON When the call was heard from Washington for American wheat farmers to raise a war-winning crop, Nerth Dakota, like other wheat-growing states, found itself without adequate seed and feed. Many of the farmers, particularly in the western part of the state, where they had had two almost total crop failures in succession, were without means to buy seed to put in a crop or feed to get their horses in shape to do the work. Lynn J. Frazier, the Nonpartisan governor, was raised on a farm and has worked on a farm all his life—except when he attended the state uni- versity and until the farmers of North Dakota called him from his farm to become their governor. . Governer Frazier knew what was needed. He called a special session of the North Dakota leg- islature, and despite opposition from the hold- over “old gang” members' in the senate, an ex- isting law, providing that .counties could bond themselves to provide seed and feed, was amended to meet the extraordinary demands of war con- ditions. The law, as it stood, allowed any one farmer to borrow from the county only enough seed for 160 acres. The average farm in North Dakota is much larger than that. The law was amended so that a farmer could borrow all the seed he meeded from a supply bought by his county from the sale of bonds. This was the vital amendment to the law. Ample safeguards were provided to insure payment, and other necessary changes were made. Acting under the amended law, a score of North Dakota ceunties immediately issued bonds. The total amount was approximately $4,000,000. And this in a state whose reactionary press had de- clared there was no need of special action by the legislature . to relieve the farmers or to assist them to assist the nation in its hour of need! When it came to the sale of the bonds, there was another instance of the value of having a Nonpartisan state administration—an adminis- tration WORKING IN ALL ITS PARTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE. This is what happened: The board of univer- sity and school lands, with public funds derived from sale and lease of school lands, stepped in and bid on the bonds when they weére offered for sale in many of the counties. By competition with the private bond-buying concerns, the board kept the interest rate down. In all the board bought $1,040,000 worth of these coumnty seed and feed bonds. Of this amount all has been paid over to the counties but $120,008, which may not be needed to fill the farmers’ needs. A SAVING BY EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT What was the saving to the people of the coun- ties where these bonds were issued? Not count- ing the saving in those counties where the board of university and school lands bought no bonds, but where the interest rate was kept down by the fact that the board was ready to bid on them, an actual saving of $55,200 per year was made as compared with the ordinary interest rate of 10 per cent. Most of the bonds run for five years. Each year the farmers of North Dakota, who pay all the taxes or provide the money to pay them, will be saving that amount—because back 1915 they got tired of the way . their state had been run for so many years, and organized the Nonpartisan league. In the ‘counties where the board bought bonds, the annual in- terest charge on those bonds is $18,- 400 less than it would have been if the bonds had been sold on the bids of banks -and loan companies, figur- . ing from the interest charge for coun- ties where the bonds actually - were bought by such concerns. But the greatest savmg, 'of course, is gilent ‘and invisible. It is expressed & in this gmestion: What would the in- and bond-buying companies had had for 14 years. Amencan kalser R no competition from the board of university and school lands—or if that board had not been composed of Non- partisans? Another 'example of the ‘handling of the A Farmer Againstla Lawyer This is James H. Sinclair of Kenmare, N. D., in- dorsed by the Nonpartisan league farmers of the third North Dakota congressional district for congress. Mr. Sinclair is an on-the-land farmer. He was never in politics till his fellow League members sent him to the legislative assembly in 1916 as their representative. He was one of the leaders in the farmers’ legislature, and made a splendid record. He is opposed for the Republican nomination for congress at the June primaries by P. D. Norton, at present representing the third district in congress. Norton is a lawyer and congress already is over half composed of lawyers, while there are only three or four farmers there. Norton is opposed to the organized farmers. During the 1916 campaign in North Dakota, when the farmers were fighting for victory against ter- rific odds, Norton came out against Lynn J. Frazier, the farmers’ man, and in favor of Burdick for governor. After the League got control of the state politically he did _not openly antagonize its members, but the farmers of the third district did net believe he was a safe man to indorse, and they are going to elect Sin- clair. They want a farmer in congress—a real live one, and one who stands four square on the principles of the organized farmers. Sinclair is going to have a hard fight for the Re- publican nomination, because the enemies of the League and friends of Norton have concentrated on this fight, believing it is their only chance to-put over anything on the farmers in the North Dakota elections this year. But Sinclair is safe if the farmers stick, as they have done for over three years, and there is no prospect of their weakening. NlX on the Amerlcan Kaiser Burley, Idaho. detor Nonpartlsan Leader' G I have been strong for Theodore Roosevelt for some 14 years, and my pocket knife has carried a picture of Roosevelt But since reading the article in the Leader— “Roosevelt and the Kaiser’—I have scraped Roosevelt off the ‘ knife ‘handle, - Can you tell me how to obtain a miniature picture of President Townley to take the place formerly occupied by the Nix on the American kaiser. GEORGE E. CARLSON school funds by this board so as to save the people money is seen in the fact that since the Nonpartisan state administration took office at Bismarck January 1, 1917, the board has lent $1,163,900 to the farmers of North Dakota on first mortgage security at—now, listen, for this is what counts—a rate of interest of 5 per cent! The average private bankers’ rate is 8 and 10 per cent. If the farmers who borrowed this money had been compelled to pay 10 per cent for it—and they have paid 12 per cent and more in the past —they would be out just $55,000 in interest more at the end of each year than they will be—be- cause they have a Nonpartisan state government. At the 'very least, counting that the banks and other loan agencies were moderate in their charges, they have saved from $25,000 to $35,000 a .year. And by using this school money—which be- longs to all the people of North Dakota, to be used for the benefit of their children—as it did use it, the board of university and school lands have placed the farmers of North Dakota in po- sition to plant a much larger acreage than they possibly could have planted otherwise. The Non- partisan board has helped the farmers to plant the seed to grow the crop to win the war. CO-OPERATION AMONG THE OFFICIALS The same intelligent co-operation is found throughout the present administration of affairs in North Dakota. GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE HAS BEEN TRANSPLANTED FROM THE GETTYSBURG %{’ggCH INTO ACTUAL FACT AND PRAC- State Auditor Kositzky, the state tax commis- sion and Attorney General Langer have worked in closest harmony and understanding to compel the big tax-dodging corporations to pay their taxes. Mr. Kositzky, for instance, discovered that ‘there were 269 more telephone lines in North Dakota than were ever assessed before. He has . collected taxes from all of them. The money thus collected will help run the state government. It will be just that much less that the farmers, the wealth-producers of the state, will have to pay. For taxes dodged are taxes shifted to some one else. The farmers of North Dakota had been that “some. one else” for years. Y These are just a few instances of Nonpartisan efficiency in North Dakota. Add to the record in state administration that of the first Non- partisan congressman, John M. Baer, who has brought the country’s attention to the needs of " the farmers of the West, and add the record of the state on all patriotic activities, the splendid benefits that have resulted from the work of the Nonpartisan legislature, both in special and reg- ular session, and even one totally unacquainted by personal-contact with affairs in North Dakota will see why the farmers of that state declare that they are going to elect the Nonpartisan ticket without exception by the greatest major- ities ever given in any state campaign. It will be as near unanimous as a state election has ever been. That is how the people of North Dakota will show the world what they think of Nonpartisan government—government of the people, Ly the people and for the people—after giving it a two years’ trial. Taking a Fall Out of the Editors The Leader’s letter box is gorged with letters from farmers who are protesting the dishonesty of the newspapers. W. H. Miller of Custer, Mont., sends some offensive clippings from the Kansas City Star. These attacks on the Leazue are very poorly written, probably because the editor does not believe what he writes, but only does it to hold his $5,000 a year job. A. J. White of Effingham, Kan., sends a cutting from the Kansas Farmer with some hot comment. C. J. Norstedt of Loup City, Neb., takes a fall out of the Sherman County Times, as does also. E. Roszo- zynialgki. The Missoulian is an object of suspicion to the farmers of Mon- tana, W. A. Cross of Ronan, Mont., writes. C. D. Spillman of Carter, over the cowardly tarring of a League organizer. - E. J.. McDonald sends a - letter endmg his subscriptionto the feebly vicious aneapohs Journal R e —— T R AN LS LT DT B A NI Mont., sends a newspaper which crows -