The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 21, 1919, Page 5

fight against the primary were altogether silent. The Nonpartisan league stepped into the breach. It started the circulation of referendum petitions. It was necessary to have these petitions circulated in 26 counties, and in each of these counties to se- cure the petitions of 15 per cent of the voters. As this is written, petitions have been circulated in not 26, but 35 counties, and in each of these counties prospects are that the League will secure, not 15 per cent, but closer to 80 per cent, of the voters. 2 The campaign has not been easy sledding. In a "number of counties, after signatures have been secured, county clerks have refused to accept them. They gave as their “reason” the excuse that these petitions ought to be submitted to the secretary of state first. It was necessary for the J.cague to make a personal appeal to Attorney General Ford. Last week Mr. Ford made a direct ruling that the county clerks must receive the petitions. # A week ago it. began to be seen that the Non- partisan league was likely to meet success in its fight to save the primary, and that the vote prob- ably would be put off from September 2, 1919, to November, 1920. Then a remarkable thing hap- pened. A new organization to “save the primary” suddenly sprang into existence. It included in its membership Doctor O. M. Lanstrum of Helena, Re- publican candidate for United States senator at the last election and publisher of the principal Re- publican paper of the state; former United States Senator Joseph M. Dixon; J. T. Carroll, clerk of the state supreme court; Congressman J. M. Evans, a number of members of the legislature who were strangely silent when the bill to kill the primary was passed, and other politicians. Some of these men, like Attorney General Ford, B. K. Wheeler and Wellington D. Rankin, have been friends of the primary in and out of season. But a suspi- ciously large number are 'fair weather friends, anxious .to jump on the bandwagon in a winning fight, willing to remain on the side lines until they see which way the fight is likely to go. Today it appears certain that the Montana pri- mary is saved. Even if the copper company poli- ticiang of Montana should be able to kill off the League petitions and force a special election Sep- tember 2, when the farmers are busy with their own work, a protest has been made through the state, strong enough, it would seem, to safeguard the people’s rights. : But the League desires to save the people of Montana the expense of a special election, if it is possible. With an almost complete crop failure, for the third successive year, Montana farmers can ill afford to spend $100,000 for a special election. Because the farmers of Montana see that the League is accomplishing something, the League spirit is at higher tide than ever before in that state. Fight to Regulate the Packers Opens Twin Bills Introduced in Congress Provide Licensing of All Big Stockyards - and Packing Plants in Country Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. EDERAL regulation of the pack- ers, which would effectually eliminate packer control over related industries, encourage community efforts to estab- lish food warehouses and retail distributing centers, and, take over the business of defiant food : monopolies in the interests of the public, is provided in identical bills introduced in the senate and house by Senator Kenyon of Iowa and Representative Anderson of Minnesota. ; A determined effort is being made to convert the legislation into laws during the present "session. Sentiment is favorable to them in both agricultural committees, and it is expected in both cases they will be recommended to the floor by midsummer. Following a conference with Senator Gronna, chairman of the senate agricultural committee, Senator Kenyon told the Leader correspondent that hearings on his bill may be expected to start by . the middle of July. The Anderson bill will come up for consideration in the house agricultural committee about that time, according te present pros- pects. The twin bills provide in brief: That if the moral bankruptcy of the packers is proven, as provided in the bill, a receiver may be appointed by the court “to take possession of the licensee’s property and assets and to conduct the licensee’s business” and to “make such other orders as may be necessary.” In other words, the peo- = . ple of the United *States, through their government, have an opportunity to take over an industry which has not rendered public service in a legiti- mate way. The food commissioner may require a licensee “to refrain” from conduct- ing any business not covered by the license. The bill provides that no person shall engage in carrying on the business of conducting or operating stockyards in - which livestock is handled in commerce without a federal license. Farmers and retailers engaged in the handling of dairy products, poultry and poultry products in commerce are protected by the provision that only those whose business exceeds $500,000 per year are obliged to secure a license. FOOD COMMISSIONER -CREATED BY ACT A commissioner of foodstuffs is cre- ated by the bill, the commissioner to be appointed by the president, by and with the advice of the senate, at an an- nual salary of $10,000, to.hold office for five years. The commissioner has charge, under the supervision and di-- rection of the secretary of agriculture, of administering. and enforcing the provisions of the law. Every licensee is required to refrain North Dakota has discovere: ing her for 30 years in organization. from unfair and discriminatory practices in com- merce, from selling or otherwise transferring to or for any other licensee, or buying or otherwise re- ceiving from or for any other licensee, livestock or livestock products so as to apportion the supply for the purpose of unreasonably affecting prices. The licensee is also prohibited from participating directly or indirectly in the business of purchas- ing, manufacturing, storing or selling any food- stuffs other than livestock products where the ef- fect may be to substantially lessen competition, or to create a monopoly in any line of foodstuffs. ‘Whenever the commissioner of foodstuffs believes that any licensee is violating any provision of this act, he is to serve notice requiring him to at- tend a hearing before the secretary of agriculture, who, if after such hearing finds that the licensee has violated the provisions of the law, may sus- pend or revoke the license. : Every railroad is obliged to provide refrigerator ] * THE DOCTOR | You ARE SUFFERING From OLDGANGITIS NEIGHBOR , VE HAD IT ~THKE THIS ,AND You WL NEVER BF DowN AGAIN ample of the efficiency of the prescription. PAGE _FIVE Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris, d the only -care for the ills that have been bother- For the greater part of this time the: state was under the care of political quacks, who promised cures for the in- dustrial and economic ills, but who failed to fulfill these promises. Then when the farmers decided to cure themselves by organization, they got on their feet in no time, and they now stand as a living ex- cars and specially equipped cars in such numbers as are needed and to furnish them promptly, and is prohibited from employing in commerce any such refrigerator cars, or specially equipped cars for transportation of fresh meats and perishable foods or foodstuffs, not owned or controlled by the car- rier, after six months from the date the act goes into effect. The bill carries a $300,000 appropriation. COLVER-PRAISES BILL AS REASONABLE REMEDY The following statement on the Kenyon-Andérson bill has been made for the Nonpartisan Leader by Commissioner William B. Colver of the federal” trade commission, who feels that all interested in the principles of the Nonpartisan league will rally stoutly to its support in the crucial fight which is certain to come on the floors of both houses. Mr. Colver says: “The bill seems to me to offer a sane and rea- sonable remedy to meet the packer problem, one in which all legal rights are conserved and which avoids many objections made to other - proposed bills. “The theory of ‘moral bankruptecy’ and the appointment by a federal court, after hearing, of .a receiver therefor, is ingenious and has the merit of following established law and -court procedure. : “The proposal to limit the great meat packers to the packing business —the greatest single industry in the country—will be welcomed alike by the consuming public, who see a food trust in the making, and by those es- tablished and legitimate merchants and manufacturers, who see their in- evitable destruction if a monopoly shall be effected. “I think this bill merits careful and deliberate study by the people of the country and their representatives. It strikes straight at one of the nation’s . most serious problems.” 5 The Kenyon-Anderson bill has also been indorsed by the Farmers’ Na- tional council, and by William Kent of the United States tariff commission, who regards it as the best measure for packer control yet brought before congress. Regarding the Kenyon-An- derson bill the Farmers’ National council says: i “The ‘Big Five’ have now a capitali- zation of about $500,000,000, and their sales last year amounted to nearly $4,000,000,000. The Kenyon-Anderson bill creates the necessary machinery to enable the government to control the packing plant octopus and all its related industries. The farmers will not rest until such a bill becomes a law.” Other packer control bills have re- cently been introduced in senate and house by Senator Kendrick and Rep- resentative Lever. 'The two agricul- tural committees will carefully con- yon-Anderson measure. - sider all this pending legislation, but ' there is little in the Kendrick and Lever bills not embodied in the Ken- ‘