The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 23, 1918, Page 4

- - ’ ers for expenses and disbursements protects the Leazue com- pletely against misapplication of funds and against extrava- gant or unauthori: expenditures. Sixth-——The committee especially examined the personal sal- ary and expense account and all funds handled by A. C. Town- ley, president of the National Nonpartisan league. Both his saiary and his personal expenses are found to be normal only and are insignificant when compared with big business sal- aries for service and responsibility in any way comparable to the work performed by Mr. Townley in behalf of the League. The committee made every inquiry which could occur to the committee concerning the affairs of the League, its receipts, its- expenditures, salaries paid, and in connection therewith all necessary records were produced for our inspection, and « every inquiry was promptly and satisfactorily answered and every opportunity given for obtaining the fullest information on. every topic suggested by us. The Equitable Auditing company of Minneapolis and St. Paul made the audit and report on the accounts. This com- pany is regularly chartered under the laws of Minnesota and ” L3 makes a speciflty of ser'\'lrices for farmer organizations and for . a series of rs has done more work for farmers’ companies in the Northwest than all other chartered auditing concerns combined. - 3 2 The audit was conducted in person by the president of the company, M. W. Thatcher, who declared that he knew of no und i where the o tion of accounts and the ac- curacy and efficiency of the work was more earefully. done or more readily checked up as against errors or misconduct than is true of this League. He especially commended the work of Thomas N. Keys, the treasurer, and Fred Miller, cashier, who_are responsible for keeping the accounts and handling the funds of the League. Mr. Thatcher has regularly audited the League’s accounts from the beginning. He further stated that he knew of no system of accounting which would enable one more readily to learn the conditions of the whole organi: zation and of all! its departments down to each' individual . organizer or each individual member at all comparable with the method followed by the Lea: gue. The committee, thérefore, unanimously report that it is -fully- convinced, as the result of'a complete and careful in- 3 on, as stal above, that every is. accurately accounted for and honestly and efficiently used for the pur- pose. for - which these funds are ‘provided. = Respectfully submitted by A. WELP, Iowa; D.. PAQUIN, Minnesota ; GORSUCH, South Dakota ; zp‘—a » R Eaae | Fo. 27 g% 3 5 g L] Q o 5 E Z v g ] g g .. TRONAAS, Idaho; - FREEMAN, Washington ; COATES, nsas; , . J. ONSTAD, Wisconsin; . WHITAKER, Montana; REAM, Nebraska; Commiittee. HS—O =g [ 1-1n Rt = Resolutions Adopted by the Delegates Full Statement of the Fighting Program Dealing With National Issues‘as Drawn Up by League Conference—Expresses Common People Generally HE delegate convention of the Nonpartisan league at St. Paul, meeting in the week of Decem- ber 2, passed resolutions which crystallize the sentiment of the convention on matters of na- tional significance. These reso- lutions are, of course, inde- pendent of any individual state “program and in no way .conflict with anything any League state is working for. Like the resolutions adopted by the League on other occasions dealing with matters of national import, this latest expression probably voices the ideas not only of League members but of the great majority of the common ‘people of the United States. Unlike the League farmers, the unorgan- ized masses have no way of expressing themselves. The kept press and the politicians refuse to repre- sent them. Consequently they are speechless, and must remain without hope of relief from bad con- ditions until they have organized as the League farmers have done. . Wherever the common people have organized, however, we find their attitude on local and na- tional matters in substantial agreement with that of the League farmers. The California State Fed- eration of Labor, the New Jersey Federation of Labor, the Washington State Federation of Labor, the Chicago Trades and Labor assembly have re- cently announced similar programs.” So have Farm- ers’ unions and Granges throughout the nation. They all agree that special privilege must go, that the -common people must send men of their own kind to law-making bodies and state office, and that public ownership of the means of trans- portation and the basic national resources is in- dispensable to eliminating special privilege. It is significant - also that in every state where the League farmers are organizing they have met with a hearty response from organized labor. They find labor ‘anxious for the first real chance it has had to escape its bondage to the vested interests and the cat’s-paw politicians. . - RESOLUTIONS , ADOPTED BY LEAGUE ~ The following is the text of what the delegates entitled. “The Fighting Program of the Nonpar- tisan League” in full, including the preamble to the definite program: : . PREAMBLE . The soldiers and sailors in the world war just closing have paid with the offering of their lives for a lasting peace under a world democracy. Without their sacrifices the utter ruin of the properties, the industries and the civilization of i i the world must have been inevitable. ' For the de- fense and-preservation of these, they have paid the highest price; and hence, our claim for their full participation in the government, for equal in- dustrial and educational opportunities, for free access 'to. the natural resources, for protection against industrial oppression and monopolistic ex- f-' tortion, must be made a claim prior to every other | 'possible claim on the properties, on the industries, and on the civil powers of the nation. =+ The privations and the services of the women who took the places of the absent men in the shops ~— ‘and on the farms; the toilers either too young or too: old for the-tasks undertaken by them; the i1 families suffering for lack of income, the little chil- Y i} it . dren for lack of care; the lowered standards of liv- ing because of ruthless profiteering involving " higher costs for the means of life—all thesg show instances of heroism not excelled even by our sons and brothers in the trenches of Europe. - = ~The soldiers and sailors’ fought»inr political and - industrial {emd’c;'acy, away from“home, and their v families toiled and sacrificed for the same cause at home, not that they ‘themselves might possess its benefits to the exclusion of any others; but in order that equality of rights and opportunities, be- tween the nations and within the nations, might be established. - Personal oppression, monopolistic extortion, spe- cial privileges granted to one and special disad- - vantages énforced upon others, are the fruitful causes of disorders within the nations and of war between the nations. P 2 The only excuse for secret diplomacy is the pur- pose to establish or to maintain in secret that which would not be permitted were it known. The framing of resolutions such as those given on this page, which were adopted by the recent League confer- ence, is most.important. These reso- lutions set up a standard which all the world can see and to which those of like minds can rally. Just as the Leaguers follow the formal expres- sions of organized labor here and abroad; so these others are following gzg;ely what the League is doing. The y they follow it is not through the perverted reports of the kept press but through its organized expression. The other organized farmers and workers in this country, in Canada, in Austra-. lia, in England and the rest of Europe. will read these resolutions and find hope in them that the better day. for toilers in field and factory is drawing nigh. They are fundamental. They are on the right track. And therefore they will give hope and cheer. League members should realize that to those who are looking for r}} reform in all countries, their Leagup is the great - hopeful sign in America. They see it -.a8 our entering wedge against the rule -of plutocrats which expleits our own . _-people and casts a shadow over the hopes of democrats everywhere. It is not a light thing to the world to have such power as that of the United States -directed by gpecial privilege. Secret diplofimy has been the means by which - international wrongs have been perpetrated and international wars made inevitable. N THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE NA- TIONAL NONPARTISAN LEAGUE, IN AN- NUAL MEETING ASSEMBLED,. THEREFORE PLEDGE THEIR SUPPORT TO LOWING: 3 1. A péace program must be adopted: whichvwill make an end of war by creating a world democ- racy, not by substituting one despotism for an- other. A United States of the World; by consent and not by conquest: - . 2. A reconstruction program must be Qdopted : _ which will provide employment for all, reduce th cost of living, maintain-earnings of lahor and of primary ‘producers, make an end of monopoly ex- tortion, and redeem the state and national govern- : ments from the autoeratic: control of monopolies, and in this way make -this' nation, safe for de- i - WAR PAID FOR 2 ~BY INCOMES AND ESTATES » “be repealed. = THE FOL- . ocracy. SN TS SR S % 3 Thq termination of the present national con- by some manufacturers for repair parts trol ‘of railways, and all other public utilities and industries as war measures, not by returnming the properties to private monopolies, but by NA- TIONAL OWNERSHIP, which shall be,extended to include all means of -transportation and com- . munication and all other -undertakings which - in their nature must be either great private monop- olies or public enterprises. 4. Employment for the unemployed in co-oper- ation with organized labor through government works in such enterprises as road building; for- estry and timber and fuel production; flood protec- tion, and land reclamation. The national improve- ment, with buildings, stock and machinery, of re- claimed or purchased lands, to be sold as going concerns, on long-time amortized payménts, to re- turning soldiers and to others able to make small initial payments. All such undertakings to be pro- vided with free schools for vocational training. 5. The complete enfranchisement ef women, with equal opportunities with men, and equal pay for equal services. L o / 6. The national government should make loans to the state governments on state bonds, secured by first mortgages upon real estate in order that farmers .can get loans from the state at cost, and also upon the real and personal property of state- owned utilities, enterprises or industries, in amounts not to exceed one-half of their real value. 7. The immediate reduction of freight and pas-. senger rates, especially on food and fuel. 8. The “immediate abandonment of -all inter- ference with the political rights of employes in the public service, or the exercise of any further postoffice censorship- ' { \ 9.\ The national debt created by the war should be liquidated and to that end there should be an income and inheritance tax, graduated upward from $5,000 until all incomes above $100,000 per "annum, and all inheritances ‘=bove that amount, shall be appropriated for\that purpose until the debt is paid, and all incomes not accounted for, and all income-producing properties, securities and inheritances not listed for this purpose shall be forfeited to the government. ; / 10. ' The rights of labor surrendered for patri- otic reasons must be restored, and laws Kmiting civil rights of the people as war measures must - 11 The use of the mails, tele , tele- phones, express companies and banks shall be-de- ~-nied for making sales of goods, préperties, invest- ments or securities, except for direct delivery by -the owner or his authorized agent, and then of the specific goods, properties, investments or se- curities involved, in order to eliminate gambling and speculation in ‘necessities of life. g 3 ‘Blanchard, N. D. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: 3 Jn_a recent article in the Nonpartisan Leader, entitled “Nation Must Pool Farm Implements,” it was stated that profiteering in pig iron and steel is the chief excuse for doubling and trebling the ~ eost of farm implements; that the cost of pig iron had increased from $12 or $14 to gbout $30 per ton. - ~That” undoubtedly s the excuse, which that. " writer seems 'to think valid, but it reason. . ~'Whether: the price. of new farm machmqry is : " too high,’I am not now considering; but it is open to any man to see that the prices ‘now charged Exposes Pg’bfite"ering e ‘_