The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 31, 1920, Page 3

IN THE INTEREST OF A SQUARE DEAL FOR THE FARMERS . or 2 " : A MAGAZINE THAT DARES TO Eatered as second-class matter at the postoffice at One Minneapolis, nn., under the act of March 3, 1879. g d 1 a, tes Publication address, 427 Sixth avenue 8., Minneapolis, Minn, Address all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, Box 2075, Minneapolis, Minn, year, in adyance, $2.50; six months, $1.50. Clas- rates on classified page; other ad: al sifiel vertising ri Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week on Enpllcauon. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor. . C. Beckwith Special Agency, advertising represen- tatives, New York, Chlcn;zo‘ St. Louls, Kgnsng City. VOL. 10, NO. 20 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, MAY 31, 1920 WHOLE NUMBER 243 Private Railroad Operation Is a Failure YEAR ago the kept press of the country was calling for the A return of the railroads to their stockholders—first, because under government operation service was poor; second, be- cause rates had been increased; third, because in spite of increased rates a big deficit had been accumulated. At that time the Leader predicted that if the roads were turned back there would be the same complaints as to service, “rates will be just as high, if not a little higher; the deficit will be just as great, or perhaps a little greater.” : Now every prediction we made has been more than verified. Deliveries of freight can not be counted upon at all; shippers from one end of the country to the other are calling for cars and failing to get them. The roads are demanding that the interstate com- merce commission allow them to increase their rates 25 to 40 per cent and declare that if they are not given these increases congress ZIVI}iI }1tave to appropriate millions, if not billions, to make up their eficits. We stated, when we made our prediction, that “if the return of the roads to full private operation (they never have been under complete government operation) accomplishes all the miracles that Wall street claims (as to bettered service, reduced rates, etc.) the .Nqng;arfiisan Leader offers to withdraw its fight for public owner- ship. v Well, we’re still in the fight. Private railroad operation is a pl:?lvle)d failure. The sooner the public realizes this the better it will be. Let’s Have Honest Government! ern Pacific land grant (an 80-mile strip, 40 miles on each side of the railroad track from Lake Superior to Puget sound) have been made the victims of one of the most barefaced grafts in the history of our country. More than one year ago, in April, 1919, the supreme court of the United States decided that homesteaders should pay only $1.25 an acre for such land, though $2.50 had-been charged and collected by the department of the interior. In December, 1919, eight months later, the general land office sent out a notice to local land offices announcing this new policy, but saying nothing about a refund to those who had paid $2.50 an acre. : But in the meantime “shark” lawyers, who knew that a re- fund was due the homesteaders and could be collected by the mere filing of a claim, were busy signing up the farmers to “collect” their claims with a 50 per cent fee. H OMESTEADERS on odd-numbered sections in the North- In April, 1920, a year after the original decision of the supreme court, and after nearly all homesteaders had assigned their claims to the sharks, the Bismarck (N. D.) land office has announced publicly that homesteaders are entitled to a refund of $1.25 per acre, or $200 per quarter section, that no legal action is necessary and that all that is needed is to fill out blanks that will be furnished by local land offices. Alexander T. L. Vogelsang, first assistant secretary of the interior, called upon to explain why this graft on the homesteaders was permitted, handed out this lame excuse: 2 It is impossible to send a special notice to each person interested because the department does not know names and addresses. Where, then, did the shark lawyers get the names and ad- dresses? Where else but from the department’s own files? The North Dakota Leader, first paper in the United States to expose this monumental graft, offers this advice to homesteaders affected: If you haven’t already as- signed your claim, don’t assign it but make application direct to your local land office for refund. f you have signed a con- tract assigning your claim, re- voke it and make direct appli- cation for refund. SHARK LAWVYER 4 "for days with his predictions. But there is one more important bit of advice that we would like to add. This is: PUT HONEST MEN IN STATE AND NATIONAL OFFICES %(())gSI-IIgI?ENO FUTURE GRAFT OF THIS KIND EVER WILL BE FREEDOM OF SPEECH HILE lovers of liberty in all lands have urged the necessity of freedom of speech, none put the case more pointedly than Voltaire when he said: “I wholly disapprove of what you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it.” MR. PALMER’S MAY DAY “REVOLUTION” IOTING and the blowing up of public men with bombs, if not R actual revolution and the setting up of a Soviet regime, were due in the United States May 1, international Labor Day. This great event was scheduled by Mr. Palmer, United States attorney general. Newspapers throughout the country were filled He claimed to have a list of public men who would be blown up by anarchists. He said he had wind of several big “red radical” plots. He ordered a lot of “agitators” jailed; he warned public functionaries to have troops and home guards under arms in readiness. y : May 1 came and went. We confess to getting up early Sunday morning to read in the papers what the casualties were. The first paper we got didn’t have a word about the “revolution” happening, or failing to happen. Perhaps the revolutionists had cut down all the telegraph wires! We anxiously bought another paper. Noth- ing on the front page. Nothing anywhere in the paper—no, here it is, a little item on page 16: “May Day marked by quiet and orderly demonstrations by labor.” ; But what does Palmer say about it? Anxiously we read. Here it is;. “Attorney General Pal- mer in a statement said that the vigilance of his department, to- gether with the full warning he gave to the public and federal and state peace officers, prevent- ed any outbreaks.” : Well, well! -What will his next “red radical” fake be? PAGE THREE