The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 12, 1919, Page 6

i recting affairs. |\ of bureau chiefs, with power enough to nullify the work of the one . changes. :: know the facts. :| tration and the people of the country. ;. exposed, the better it will be for President Wilson and the people i+ of the United States. G e SRR ) r/y 1///¢6 v “ % ///I/// %/[ v A Z Tonpartisén Teader Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 8, 1879, ¢ VER 8. MORRIS, Editor ors > OLI ; E. B. Fussell and A. B. Gilbert, Associate Edit B. 0. Foss, Art Editor Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $2.50; six months, $1.50. Please do not make checks, drafts nor money orders payable to indi- " viduals. Address all letters and make all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, \ Box 575, St. Paul, Minn. MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU 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 columns. AN - INVESTIGATION NEEDED HE Leader has been printing lately a number of articles, prepared by our Washington correspondent, on the United States department of agriculture. These articles are print- ed for a purpose. : A new congress will convene soon-in special session. The Leader believes that one of its first actions should be to investigate the department of agriculture. : The Leader has no desire to embarrass President Wilson and his administration. We have no sympathy with the controlling element of the new congress, which no doubt will want to start a series of investigations, as soon as the session is convened, intended to discredit President Wilson, all progressives and near-progressives appointed by him, and the principle of public ownership and public operation of utilities. Such investigations are political affairs, un- dertaken with dishonest motives and intended to divert public at- tention from the pressing issues of the day. Moreover, the com- mittees which will undertake investigations of the war department, the railroad administration, government ship building and like activities, are composed of reactionaries, headed by men particu- larly notable as enemies of any progressive movement in public affairs. - : But there is one committee in the new congress that may safely be trusted to make a fair and impartial investigation. This is the committee on expenditures in the agricultural department. If the . seniority rule holds good when congress convenes, this committee will be headed by Representative John M. Baer, elected by the farmers of North Dakota. This committee includes in its membership a number of re- actionary members of congress, but we are willing to trust to the - power of good judgment of its chairman to see that a fair investi- gation is made of the agricultural department. Such an investigation should be undertaken immediately when congress convenes. The Leader, in its recent issues, has cited enough facts about the department of agriculture to point out in which direction the investigation should go. We have shown the Rockefeller influence that has constantly surrounded Secretary . Houston through his career, both before and since becoming head of the department. We have shown the influence of the meat pack- ers, the hands of Joe Cannon and other discredited politicians di- We have shown the existence of an “inside ring” real progressive, Carl Vrooman, who found a place in the depart- ment for a short time. . Congress appropriates $127,000,000 a year for-the department of agriculture. The people have a right to know whether they are getting $127,000,000 worth of good out of this money. The facts so far adduced indicate that they are not. The facts indicate that some of this money is actually spent to fight the farmers, instead of to help them. - We refer to the work of Doctor James-E. Boyle. When the Leader correspondent asked what the department was doing or had done in North Dakota, Doctor Boyle’s work was cited. Doctor Boyle, during his residence in North. Dakota, utilized his time and efforts to fight the farmers and defend the grain ex- His connection with the department has now been sev- ered and Doctor Boyle, more openly than ever before, is continuing to employ his talents as a'special pleader for the food gamblers, showing unmistakably the trend of his character. Again we want to point out that the Leader has no desire to discredit President Wilson. But we believe President Wilson should One of his appointees has betrayed the adminis- The sooner he is thoroughly i "@//m/; vé////// ////M : OUR “FOREIGNERS” i HAT will we do with our “foreigners”? Two “national \)s/ movements” (as they are described by their backers and promoters) are at work on this “problem.” One “move- ment,” with headquarters at Seattle, wants to prohibit all general immigration and deport “foreigners” wholesale on the ground that they are “anarchists,” “slackers” and “dangerous elements.” The other “movement,” with headquarters at New York, wants them forced to stay in the United States. : : Educators, editors and public men throughout the United States have received literature from both organizations. Both seem to be well supplied with money. Both are backed by men whose connection with big business is undeniable. ' ! 5 Why should big business in Seattle be crying “Deport ’em,” and big business in New York be crying “Make ’em stay”? Let us " examine the situation and see. The Seattle “literature,” signed by D. B. Trefenthen, W. M. Whitney and R. L. Proctor, says in part: America can provide work for her fighting sons and citizens, but we should help purge our nation of the undesirables—the anarchistic foreign element and the alien slackers who have been and are now holding fat jobs at the expense of our men. * * * We have the right to order our internal affairs as we see fit. * * * Let’s prove it. The facts are that Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have been the scene of sharp labor troubles. In many cases the strikers have been led by men with foreign names. Seattle employers probably would like to deport every one, of American or foreign birth, con- nected in any way with the labor movement, as the copper barons did at Bisbee, Ariz. Failing in that they would like to deport the “foreigners” and put in their places men now out of work. Pos- sibly having felt the pinch bf starvation, these men would be more (_:oinplaisant to the will of the boss than the men now holding the jobs. 2 i ; Now let us examine the New York literature. This is put out by an association which has started what it calls the “Stay-in- America” movement, with A. O. Eberhart, former governor of Min- nesota, as president, and with R. S. Monger, Edward T. Moore and C. F. Nolan as the other officers. These gentlemen, being at New York (1113 Broadway is their headquarters), have been watching shiploads of foreigners return- ing to Europe, driven thence by the hatred engendered against for- eigners by such hangover hysteria as that expressed by the Seattle men in their “literature.” : The New York “literature” says, “Promises of free land, great- er opportunities, greater liberties and other promises are held out as an allurement to cause these men to leave America.” Common sense would answer, “Why not provide free land, - greater opportunities and greater liberties in this country ?” How- ever, to go on with the New York “literature”: It is obvious that the object back of this well organized movement is to have the foreign-born laborer take his funds and savings to his native land. It is estimated that the result of the withdrawal of sav- ings and bank accounts, the disposal of Liberty bonds and other se- curities, held by our foreign-born population, will cause depression and necessitate immediate readjustnient of our economic conditions. Our industries and commercial institutions will suffer to a degree far beyond our contemplation. It has been estimated that over five billion dollars will be taken from our country. But at the same time the shortage of labor would result in greater disaster. So it sizes up into an argument of “we need their money and we need cheap labor.” We would like to see a debate staged between the Seattle gentlemen and the New York gentlemen. The decision probably would be that the Seattle gentlemen are highly patriotic, especially when their patriotism is likely to bring its own reward, and that the New York gentlemen are equally patriotic, but don’t believe’ in letting patriotism interfere with profits: Meanwhile, what are we going to do with our “foreigners”? - Why not treat them as human beings? ! That is the Leader’s suggestion. - Ger our or MYy COY : ! wAs st roorne! PLEASE come BAck il i L