The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 8, 1919, Page 6

I e S S B R ST e S g s i e e Vi S AL e o en - with nei ' Were necess Tonpartissin Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week Enteged as second-class matter September 38, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor E. B, Fussell, A. B, Gilbert and C. W. Vonier, Associate. Editors. B. 0. Foss, Art Editor, Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $2.50: six months, $1.50. Please do not e checks, drafts nor money orders payable to indi- viduals. Address all letters' and make 'all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, Box 576, St. Paul, Minn. 2 MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS THE 8. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City. .. ; e ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— Quack, fraudulent and-irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will ke 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. E - ! CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH VHOSE who hold Liberty bonds, except- the first 314 per cent unconverted issue and the last Victory loan issue, when compelléd to sell must accept a loss of $6 to $7 on every $100. In other words, Liberty bonds are selling at a big discount. This situation would be bad enough in connection with any con- servative security, but in the case of a government security it is worse. Hundreds of thousands of poor people or people in mod- erate circumstances, largely farmers, must suffer losses they can ill bear. This loss might be excused, on the ground that it is'a pa- triotic offering, were it not for the fact that the government will not benefit by the discount on the bonds. Private individuals of wealth and great financial syndicates and corporations will be the - Sole beneficiaries. In a recent issue the Wall Street Journal said: We will gradually witness a.more thorough concentration of the outstanding bonds in the hands: of stronger financial institutions and. individuals, for these bonds will ‘certainly never again be as widely scattered as they were when originally ‘subscribed . for. This is another way of saying that hundreds. of thousands of: Liberi;y bond purchasers, who bought for patriotic reasons, will HERE'S o5 / FOR YOUR 1002 BOND: TODAY ~~ ==+ LATER. »2_04 £ac i Lonsss them at par,.in the meantime collecting the interest regularly. - - e increasing concentration of wealth in America was a se- rious menace before the war. By our ill-advised plan of financing the war we have given impetus to this tendency. Yet those who pointed out the evils of great bond issues during the war; as against- conscription of wealth, were branded as: “pro-Germa’ns’-" and : “traitors.” THE WORD “RADICAL” URN to almost any newspaper that you please today é.nd.you, : will find the front page, editorial page and almost every other page devoted to attacks:upon :“radicals.” ‘should be stood up against a wall and shot, in the opinion of most: of these editors. Some editors take a different view; they seem to think that boiling in oil would be a better method. =~ = = at are “radicals” “One who advocates sweeping changes in laws and methods of government with the least delay, especially changes deemed to tend to equalize or to remedy evils arising from: social conditions.” In other 'words, radicals are those who want changes made for the now, instead of 100 years from now. . = ; i ~To find how the use of the word originated one has to early English political history, There grew up i nd at time a- ré%rty- called the Independents. - The ‘Inde ither the Whigs | ies, declared that g benefit of the common people, and who want these changes made declared 7 -“radicals” by the orators and press that are opposed to any change “single taxers, the initiative and referendum advocates or the Non- - every time the word “radical” is used, whether it means a eriminal ‘are at that point now. Great nations have crumpled as a result of _ - uncompromising - factionism, : s : — : Whuews weakening of respect of law and order through rioting and unpun- be forced to sell, as they will need the money. ‘When they sell,. _individuals or syndicates with money will buy, at the heavy “dis-- . counts, and will hold ‘the bonds- until the government redeems of’ confidence in .government, anarchy and 1 :nevertheless the trend is that way. Unless; as Americans, we can . -fully or wrongfully are making sweeping .demands. Strikes with Radicals™ ¥ and why are they so dreadful? Turn to the dictionary and you find that the word “radical” is derived from the old Latin word “radix,” meaning a root. 'The meaning of the word “radical”’ nowadays, according to the dictionary, is 1T 7 ‘We are ignoring the issues and ‘whose activities and strength ~remote resemblance to the facts C roots up,” that is, from the lowest classes of human society to the -~ highest.- The other parties, ‘going to the Latin to find a word of -~ contempt and contumely, called these reformers “radicals,” about . the same as calling them “rooters' in present-day language. . The. - name was taken up proudly by the Independents; ' It represented what they stood for—changes from the root of things, and grad- ually it came to be adopted as their party name. -~ Changes much more sweeping than those advocated by the Independents in England have been made in the last century. The program that they had and which earned them the name of “radi- cals,” would seem very reactionary today. But in the centuries since the term “radical” was first coined a few groups, like the an- archists and nihilists have sprung up from timeé to time who have believed that the present scheme of things is so bad that it can & T4 / o2 /é,‘,,% not be changed by peaceful means and these groups have resorted to lawlessness and violence. In the effort to discredit the real radicals—the men who believe in changing the - existing system by lawful and orderly methods—these groups have been® called in the existing order. Today the papers are full of the terms “radical” and “radicalism.” Sometimes these words mean anarch- ists and terrorists; sometimes they mean reformers like the partisan league farmers, who believe in securing changes by legal, orderly methods. SR : SO WD Newspapers with any common honesty would discontinue the sweeping use of the words “radical” or “radicalism” to denote any one who has a plan to which they are opposed. If they mean to speak -of cutthroats, dynamiters and anarchists they should call them cutthroats, dynamiters and anarchists, and not radicals. But it is almost too much to expect common honesty from: the kept press of today. The reader must use his-own mind, and decide, AAAAA or a reformer. B COME, LET US REASON TOGETHER ~ e WE ARE in the midst of a wave of unprecedented unrest 4 and hysteria. If ever we faced conditions that demanded clear heads, sane discussion and well-considered action, we intolerance of cpposing - interests, ished attempts of groups to take the law into their own hands, loss government. through suppressions and proserip- We today have not reached a point where subversion of civil . war -are' immediate dangers, but tions. calm discussion who can say what the result willbe? = ° : > _First of all, we are confronted with a serious labor situation. X Millions of workers; dissatisfied with autocracy in-industry, right- &7 face and solve the existing problems with coel ‘heads, candor and accompanying waste and suffering are the result. Instead of study- ing this situation,-weighing the claims of both sides of the con- L RETS SAW WooD AND- RUIT MRMIE COLLING troversy and making an honest effort to resto and normal production, what ‘are we doing?- L &% ® are ignoriny are engaged in a wild and pursuit ‘'of a scattered handful of anarchists and rev have been magnified ‘ecting millions of workers clamoring f e press is occupied with the hounding ¢redited direct-actionists, numbering a 1