The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 25, 1919, Page 8

. tural college. 1 | : ¢ ° . : . ° A ° North Dakota’s Chief of Immigration Doctor John H. Worst, Appointed Commissioner of Bureau, Long in Service of Farmers of State—Former Farm College Head Bismarck Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. HE news that Doctor John H. Worst has gone to work as com- missioner of immigration for the state of North Dakota brings back into the public eye a pioneer figure who has always been close to the hearts of the farmers of the state. He is a man, too, who is widely known as a scientist and educator. For 20 years Doctor Worst was president of the North Dakota Agricul- Before that he had served two terms in the state senate and had been elected lieutenant governor under Governor Allen, in 1895 and 1896. “In those days there were no issues,” he says, “siml’)ly whether Democrats or Republicans should rule.” In the days immediately preceding the formation | of the Nonpartisan league, Doctor Worst, through his investigations, had aroused a great storm of opposition because of his investigation into the wastes of marketing farm products. He got away from the norrow position which is occupied by most teachers oi agricultural science, that of harping on productior as the solution of all farm evils. In- . stead, this North Dakota farm scientist probed into the question of why the farmer got so much less for his produ:ts than the consumer paid. That hit the marketing mnionopoly. As a result of his activity Doctor Worst was . forced -vt of the agricultural college by the po- ¢ litical gang that controlled North Dakota. It was . aboat this time that the Nonpartisan league arose. ! At the last session of the legislature Doctor Worst e SV et SRS i % { e e e, was made president emozritus of the college from wiich the reactionaries had fired him. This is an honorary position, bu: now, as immigration com- missioner, he is back in the harness, working for the people of the state. ) One could never guess that this tall, big-framed, straight-shouldered man is 69 years of age. It’s rather surprising to learn that he has been for two years working on his son’s farm in western Mon- tana. There, in the cutover land of Clark’s Fork valley, he has been toiling away day in and day out, blowing up stumps, helping carve fertile fields out of the pine country. Coming fresh from the soil, Doctor Worst will be admirably fitted for understanding the needs of the people. He has been through the mill himself. It will be the work of the department of immigra- tion not only to attract set- tlers and city workers to North Dakota, but to seé that they are fitted in the best place to make a success. Doctor Worst is too wise to venture into any “back to the land” movement which would put city people out on farms which they would not know how to operate. “The purpose of the new de- NEBRASKA LEAGUE FARMERS SAVE BY FRED CAREY | HE attempt of reactionary poli- __| ticians and corporation inter- ests in Nebraska to emasculate the direct primary law and provide for the nomination of state officers below governor by state conventions has been thwarted by the Nonpartisan : league. League farmers num- bering nearly 800 left their farm work at the very busiest time of the year and obtained more than 20,000 signatures to referendum. petitions provid- ing that the primary-killing law be referred to a vote of the people at the next regular election in November, 1920. A total of 24,004 signatures to the petitions were secured, labor leaders co-operating with the farm- ers in preventing the reactionary and special in- terests from crippling the primary. It was the first time in the history of Nebraska politics that farmers carried out practically single- handed so successful a fight against the enemies of popular ‘'government. Yo ! purchased its first flour mill at Drake. immediately. The Leader in a subsequent issue will have an article deal- ing with the purchase of the mill and the plan for its operation and that of other mills to be purchased or built later. —Photo by Holmboe Studio, Bismarck, N. D. DOCTOR JOHN H. WORST & partment is not only to bring people to the state, but to make it possible for them to stick here,” he said. “We intend to encourage those renting land here to become landowners while the land is reasonably cheap. “There are now 70,000 farms in the state. Only Developments in the North Dakota industrial program are coming quickly. Close on the heels of the naming of Doctor Worst as commissioner of im- migration comes another announcement from Bismarck that the state has One League farmer secured more than 300 sign- ers in his county, another secured 220 and another 210, mostly from farmers whose signatures were taken in town and along the road. The League financed and directed the fight to . save the direct primary and the victory, first state- .wide triumph of the League, has shown not only the farmers but the politicians what organization can do. Nearly all petition circulators were League mem- bers. Some were farmers who were in sympathy with the League and with the fight to save the pri- mary. A few progressive business men, some la- bor leaders and a very few politicians aided the League. In the cities the work of circulating petitions fell largely upon the workingmen, who also proved themselves willing to give their time freely. Only that part of the new law which touched upon nomination of minor state officers by state conventions was referred. The remainder of the law provides that:..delegates to all political county conventions shall be chosen by precinets, the names PAGE BIGHT The mill will be put into operation half the arable land is in use. The farms average 400 acres each. Without reducing the size of farms at all, there is room for 100,000 more farmers. Their coming will not injure the men already here. Never until the entire state is under cultivation will we have all that nature intended for us. “Thousands living under unfavorable conditions can find the opportunity to better their lot. Many men who are renting high-priced land in other states can become owners here at terms cheaper than rent. This is through the home building act and the cheap farm loans made by the state bank. “North Dakota is to me the land of freedom—of economic freedom. This is the thing men and their masters are struggling over everywhere but in our state. The nation will become stronger as content- ment can be made general. Domestic peace depends on the comfort found in living. . When profiteering and exploitation prevail, the people should take their constitutional privileges and make a change in their government. This is what we have done in North Dakota. “I am proud of what the people have achieved here. As long as they do it by constitutional means they can not go far wrong, for if a mistake is made it can be quickly corrected by the ballot. “The hope of the state rests with the farmers. In every part of our nation they are the solid back- bone of the community. North Dakota has taken every means to encourage farming. To make it an enjoyable occupation it must be made profitable: Practicing approved methods of tillage and seed selection will largely eliminate the element of chance in agriculture. Then with the markets freed from monopoly control, and the rate of interest cut down, new opportunities will be opened. “The department of immigration will co-operate with all the existing agencies, the experiment sta- tions, the county agents, and every state and co- operative effort that will help the people. We in- "tend to advertise our advantages in the eastern magazines and the newspapers throughout the country. “The hope of the state rests with the farmers, but the people of the cities must also be considered. If we bring in 100,000 farmers, there probably will come at least the same number of city workers. Do not misunderstand me. We already have enough middlemen. We want no more men on our backs. In. the city of Fargo, for instance, there are 27 groceries, where half a dozen could handle the trade more efficiently and cheaper. We want more factories to turn out products into finished material. When the state plants get started they will take quite an army of workers. Sev- enty billion tons of coal and our extensive china clay de- posits will call other thou- sands. Diversified farming will increase the number of co-op- erative creameries, and all at once North Dakota will surge forward as an all-around, self- sustaining commonwealth.” PRIMARY of the candidates to appear upon the primary bal- lots. One man and one woman must be chosen from each precinct. These delegates shall comprise the county convention, which will thus be composed, one-half of men and one-ha}f of women. From this convention delegates to the state con- vention must be selected. This portion of the law is mow in effect, the League believing the new system a great improve- ment over the old plan of choosing delegates by precinct caucuses, which usually were packed by the machine leaders. The successful result of the primary referendum "campaign has put a new spirit into the League members. They have discovered what they can do through organized effort and they are very en- thusiastic and ready to tackle new political tasks with vim and courage. : The big feature of the fight was the eagerness of the League members to put the campaign over. They worked evenings, after their day’s work was done. They gave up their Sundays to driving over the country getting signers. : They started the fight, they “stuck” and they won. . / 4 B a2 + 8 r