The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 17, 1918, Page 7

~ American prisoners of war in Germany. - munities’ where public opinion tolerates the evil, - possible position ‘before the people of Germany. . policy by the government that would not only fix . “fighting the government.” yin fidence in the govemment dlscouragmg enhstmeuts and giving aid’ d comfort to B : rtly aft nishes Germany with American atrocltxes to, hold -up before the German people and steel their resistance to us on the battle field. When the duly arrested and confessed instigatogs and participants in mob violenee are freed without the slightest punishment and with the approval of a certain kind of senseless zealot (among whom were those who applauded the recent Illinois acquittal in the courtroom), it furnishes German junkers with the chance to tell the German people that mob murder has the approval of American courts and authorities. Worse than all this, it furnishes Germany with an excuse to adm1mster cruel treatment to It makes no difference whatever whether the victim of the Illinois mob was guilty or not guilty of disloyalty, although there seems to be a gen- eral belief now that he was innocent. Drastic laws to punish peace officers who do not do everything in their power to prevent mob violence, and a law assessing heavy fines on com- will help. Representative L. C. Dyer of Missouri has introduced in congress a bill providing for this sort of punishment. It ought to be passed, but of course it won’t. We haven’t enough honest and fearless men in congress yet to give a bill of this kind a chance. THE DUTY OF THE PRESS ECENTLY the Leader called the attention of the editor of a big eastern newspaper to the fact that his news columns had carried some so-called news about the Nonpartisan league which was greatly in error. The eastern editor made no offer to correct these misstatements, }n;té he wrote to the Leader asking permission to print in full our etter. merely offered to print the Leader’s protest that the matter prmted was erroneous. That, he said, would be giving the League fair play. He said he wanted to be falr, and the Leader could have the " opportunity of stating its side in a letter which he would print. The Leader rejected this offer. We may occasionally point out to editors errors which they let get into their news columns about the League. BUT WE WILL LOOK TO THESE EDITORS TO - CORRECT THE MISTAKES THEMSELVES IN THEIR NEWS COLUMNS, AND WILL NOT LET THEM PASS IT OFF WITH A PRETENSE OF FAIRNESS BY ALLOWING US TO WRITE A LETTER OF PROTEST FOR THEM TO PRINT. That is an old trick of the press. They manufacture a story which is a bare- faced misrepresentation posing as news. They publish it as facts they have obtained after an investigation. Then the person that ‘calls' their attention to the real facts is allowed a letter in an out- of-the-way corner of the paper, “explaining” or “protesting.” ‘That is not fair play. If a newspaper has published a lie for a fact, it should itself correct it, not claim to be giving fair play by allow-» ing somebody’s letter protestmg about it to be printed, at the same time-letting the lie stand unretracted. The duty of the American press is to quote both 51des of every ° controversy on important public matters. They can not lay any claim to fairness by publishing only one side and then allow indig- nant readers to write a letter which they will print in some remote corner, putting the man who brings forth the truth in the po- sition-of an “explainer” or “pro- tester.” It won’t do. That sort of “fair play” is bunk, and the edltors know it. LEADING PUBLIC OPINION ARLY in the war when the Nonpartisan Leader urg : ed that either the presi- - dent or congress:make a state- ment of war aims disclaiming ~ any purpose of annexation-or other imperialistic design, we - were freely called “pro-German.” . It was said by the hired press that to ask-for war aims was to weaken the fighting morale of the country and was in fact an . gltatlon in thls country which the kaiser ‘was promoting. A few months later the president'did make a statement of war aims, one that has thrilled the world ‘and placed America in the strongest Thereupon the hired press dropped its assertlons that to ask for ‘war alms was - “pro-German.” Last fall the Nonpartxsan Leader ms:sted on a pnce-fixmg a price on what the farmer sold, as had been done in the case of wheat, but would - fix a price on what ‘the farmer had to buy. It was said by the hired press that we were “protesting the price of wheat" -and This, it was said, was destroying con-- terwards the president gave his He did not offer to correct his own misstatements. = He. message to congress in which he said that the farmers complained with justice that profiteering in the things that the farmers must buy, to make a crop and to live, was running rampant. The presi- dent asked for regulation of the price of things the farmer buys. Since then the president has placed the farm implement dealers under license and taken other steps to give the farmer justice in the matter of prices on materials and supplies. The argument that the Leader is “fighting the government” on account of the stand this paper has taken in this matter has been dropped. The president is with us. As long as a year ago the Nonpartisan Leader began to insist on higher excess war profit taxes, and higher taxes on swollen incomes and idle wealth—all steps in the conscription of wealth _.to fight the war. For this we were called “dis- loyal.” It was said that to assume wealth was not bearing its just share was to assume that this was a “rich man’s war,” and that we in fact be- lieved it was a “rich man’s war,” and that our in- sistence on higher taxes and fewer bonds to fur- nish money for the war was plainly “disloyal” and “inspired by Berlin.” On another page in this issue we publish the president’s recent message to congress. The president heartily agrees with the plan for heavier excess profit taxes and higher income taxes. It no longer will be insisted that the Leader is “disloyal” because of our stand on these matters. We are afraid that the hired press of the blg interests will get little comfort out of these facts. But we should worry. A SIGNIFICANT FACT HE men and newspapers that have“been the most vicious - and unscrupulous in their attacks on President Wilson and his administration of the government have been the ones that have made the most bitter attacks on President Townley and -the organized farmers. We recently pointed out a speech in con- gress by Senator Sherman, in which he flayed Mr. Wilson and Mr. Townley, holding both of them up to ridicule and contempt, and for the same reasons. " A similar condition exists in the case of Theodore Roosevelt, candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 1920. The colonel a week or so ago said President Wllson and his admin- istration “tend to give aid and comfort to Germany and to im- pair the morale of our own peo- ple.”” At the same time the colonel wrote an editorial in which -he coupled President Townley of the League with “Bill” Haywood, president of “the I. W. W. He said: “Utter ruin will befall this country if it falls into the hands of Haywoods and Townleys and :}fl the pohtxclans who truckle to em.’ ‘Senator Sherman and Colo- nel Roosevelt are only two of .the politicians who are contin- ually denouncing the orgamzed farmers and the president in the same breath. Most of the news- papers fighting President Wilson also are bitterly opposed to the Nonpartisan league. We could name a score of big city dailies in this class. An example is the St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch. The fact that the same interests which fight the organized . farmers also fight Premdent Wilson is significant. . WILLIAM BOUCK!/ LSEWHERE in ‘this issue the Leader publishes the annual address of fhe master of the state Grange of Washington. William Bouck, when he recently became the leader of the ‘Grange in the state of Washmgton, stepped into a big place that had been filled by a big ran. ‘B. Kegley, who died last year, *was for a score of years the loved and faithful head of the Wash- ington Grange. He was a veteran fighter for farmers’ rights whose ‘worth was proved by the never-ending attacks on him by the hired ‘press of the big interests in his state. fill. Kegley guided the Grange through many a crisis, and built i_t from almost nothing to a powerful and efficient weapon of the armers. hole left by Kegley. Mr. Bouck’s first annual address, reported in this issue, is evidence that he is a worthy successor to the grand old man of the Washington Grange. Mr. Bouck thmks clearly and speaks fearlessly on farmers’ problems. to believe the Grange We congratulajg the Washmgton Grange » When Kegley died he left a place that strong men might well have doubted their ability to. William Bouck was called by the farmers to fill the big There is every reason will continue to prosper and increase its « :fiefulness ‘to the farmers of Washington under thls new leader- . g Y Rt TG