The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 3, 1919, Page 6

oy, Yy, % 7 Vi onpartisin Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week —_—_—— Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 8, 1879. OLIVER S. MORRIS, Editor E. B. Fussell and A. B. Gilbert, Associate Editors B. O. Foss, Art Editor Advertising rates on application. Subseription, one year, in advance, $2.50; six months, $1.50. Please do not make checks, drafts nor money orders payable to indi- i . Address all letters and make all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, Box 575, St. Paul, Minn. MEMBER OF AUDIT BUIEEAU OF CIRCULATIONS THE S. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising coiumns. I strikes are the order of the day. Russia, Germany and the lands formerly under the heel of Austria-Hungary are set- ting up or have set up revolutionary governments, occasioning more or less anarchy and bloodshed. Ireland has openly rebelled against Great Britain, convened a parliament of its own in defiance -of the British parliament and declared itself a free nation. A spark at any time may create civil war. So far Great Britain has ignored the Irish rebellion, which to date has been peaceful. England is in ~ the throes of strikes that are shaking the foundations of the coun- ‘. try. A great general strike has just been going on at Seattle, Wash., completely tying up industry. The East has several big strikes on its hands. Troops are being' rushed in. REFORM VERSUS REVOLUTION HROUGHOUT: the world revolution, rebellion, violence and Amid all these more or less violent attempts to enforce political or industrial reform in America and in Europe, the legislature of : - Siberia also to be recalled? North Dakota is in peaceful and orderly session, carrying out a program of political and economic reforms won by the people by the ballot, the method provided by laws and constitution. Yet, if the peaceful, law-abiding citizens of North Dakota had adopted even more extreme measures than the Russian Bolsheviki i" or the German Socialists, if they had risen in open rebellion like i -~ the people of Ireland, if they struck in a body, refusing-to produce food or work in jndustries as a means of enforcing their program, and accompanied their strike with excesses—if they had done all these things, could they be pictured in a worse light than they are now being pictured by the forces of reaction and special privilege ; and their press? We think not. iig Are peaceful and orderly reforms in America to be throttled i1 by a conspiracy. such as is on foot to slander and misrepresent North Dakota? Are we to let it be known that reform can not be tolerated, even through the ballot box, as provided by laws and . constitutions? Are we to make it impossible in America to get : 1= reforms except as the Bolsheviki in Russia are getting them, or ¢ agthe I. W. W. here would get them if they could? s Think it over. Consider what is being done in North Daketa by the Nonpartisan league to remedy political abuses and economic evils, and remember that there is no bloodshed, violence or rebel- lion there, in striking contrast to what is going on in the rest of the world and right here in America. North Dakota is removing the causes of discontent, rebellion and revolution by a lawful and - orderly process. Think it over. 8 THE PEACE CONFERENCE AND RUSSIA HE Leader at various times in these columns has. insisted that-it was the duty of the associated powers to recognize the absolute right of the Russian people to direct their own ¢ i affairs; that they should recognize the revolution without reser- ¢ i~ vation and under no circumstances countenance any attempt at counter Russian revolution; that they should not assist or favor any one of the groups in Russia contending for leadership. In other -have merely insisted that Russia be granted the right f g Soge A Ak e e e e et //5//(///,“ 7 7 % % % ",////”/2 Kz éflll// /////M of self-determination, one of the aims we announced to the world we were fighting for. Cai Keep in mind these things we have insisted upon, and then read the following statement, which is the opening paragrap_hs. of a formal official announcement of the peace conference now s_lttmg at Versailles: s They (the associated powers) recognize the absolute_right of_ the Russian people to direct their own affairs without dictation or direc- tion-of any kind from outside. They do not wish to exploit or make use of Russia in any way. ! They recognize the revolution without reservation and will in no way and in no circumstances aid or give countenance to any attempt at a counter revolution. - . It is not their wish or purpose to favor or assist any one of the or- ganized groups now contending for the leadership and guidance of PERCE CONFERENCE, PROMISE OF {2 DETERMINATION FOR RUSSIA. Russia as against the others. what they can to bring Russia peace and an opportunity to find her way out of her present troubles. Their sole and sincere purpose is to do We have been called Bolsheviki for making these demands which the peace conference now adopts as its official program. But there is this difference between what we have said and what the peace conference has said: If we had the power we would CARRY INTO EFFECT IMMEDIATELY this program, BY WITHDRAW- ING ALL FOREIGN TROOPS FROM RUSSIA, which troops are preventing Russia from exercising self-determination and which are giving did and comfort to counter revolutionary forces. While the peace conference agrees with everything we have said, the fair words and promises made in the above statement have not been carried out. The powers are still interfering in Russian affairs by violent invasion of that country. What the peace con- ference said is good, but acts are better than words. It would have been unnecessary for the powers to have made the above statement had they acted by withdrawing all troops from Russia. Since the above was written President Wilson has anneunced that American and British troops will be withdrawn from the Archangel region of Russia as soon as spring opens the ice-bound bay and permits free movement of troops. The president announces that some regiments of American engineers will be sent imme- diately to Russia to help get our troops out. Are our troops in BANKERS WAKING UP OR years the bankers, as well as most other commercial Fagencies dealing with farmers, would not hear of any study or discussion of marketing or other economic problems vitally affecting farmers. Their entire effort was to agitate for more pro- duction and more scientific farming methods. Any move to remedy marketing abuses, adjust farm financing or curb middlemen’s mo- - nopolies preying on farmers was branded as “firebrandism,” or _ “socialism,” or worse. e PAGE SIX £ 5 e. Bankers joiried forces with business men of other lines and with corporation press editors to prevent agri- cultural colleges, experiment stations and county farm agents and bureaus from making an adequate study of financial and other eco- nomic farm problems. Investigations along that line, as the fed- - eral trade commission has proved, were liable to disclose great evils and abuses from which a large part of the business world was Penefiting. The whole cry of every one who said they wanted to “help” the farmer was for greater production, more scientific pro- duction—away with any effort to give the farmer a fairer deal on what“l;}ela alre}:;tdslr\I produced ! "o en the Nonpartisan league entered the field it emphasized " for the first time in a national way the financial and econonlx)ic pro(i:3 : lems of the farmers. The League did not oppose better farming meéthods, more production. But it laid emphasis on an entirely dif- ferent thing—justice for the farmers in marketing and farm financ- ing. Whatever happens to the League in the end (and it has many, - many years of power and usefulne 88 yet before it), it has done one i R 3 £ i S Sind 3 !‘ - W. s i J i L4 3 i r r :b‘, ( 3