The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 4, 1921, Page 3

IN THE INTEREST OF A SQUARE _-DEAL FOR THE FARMERS d Entered as_second-class matter at the postoffice at Minneapolis, Minn,, under the act-of March 3, 1879. 'ublication address, 427 th avenue 8., Minneapolis, Address all remittances to The Nonpartisan nn, Leader, Box 2075, Minneapolis, Minn. VOL. 12, NO. 7 Nonparfisén feader OLIVER S. MORRIS, Editor. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, APRIL 4, 1921 A MAGAZINE THAT DARES TO PRINT THE TRUTH i One year, $1.50. Classified rates on classified page; other advertising rates on application. Member Audit B of Circulations. . C. Beckwith Speclal Agency, advertising representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City. WHOLE NUMBER 269 ' The Latest Shame of Kansas—Other Current To})ics APERS throughout the United States are condemning the mob of 200 men that assaulted, tarred and deported two League officials in' Barton county, ¥an., the other day. It must be agreed that the action of the members of the mob. was cowardly. But we do not blame them nearly as much as we blame another individual, who was not in Barton county at all when ‘Th’e Guilt the mobbing took place. = of Henr We refer to Governor Henry J. Allen of Kansas. J A]leny When there was a previous mob outrage in Barton county, in June, 1920, in which Leaguers were as- saulted, rotten-egged and deported, with the sheriff taking a leading hand in proceedings, Governor Allen was asked to remove or discipline the sheriff. He did nothing. Instead of taking action to rebuke the mob, Governor Allen en- couraged further mobbing. When one or two isolated posts of the American Legion announced that they.intended to resort to action against the Nonpartisan league, they were rebuked by the national commander of the Legion. But in the face of this action, Governor Allen issued a statement which in ef- 2 > fect told the Legion boys to go ahead. Allen used the office of governor to spread a propaganda of hate. He used the columns of his newspapers to print, under his own signature, statements that leaders and mem- bers of the League had been traitor- - . ous and disloyal. These statements were so false that they would not have been made by the bitterest op- ponents of the League in North Da- kota. Allen’s attention was called, time after time, to the falsity of these statements. Included-among those who sought to set him right was the governor of North Dakota. Despite the efforts of the- national offices of the American Legion to prevent mob action, Governor Allen .encouraged it by spreading these monstrous falsehoods. " By refusing to take action against the leaders of the 1920 mob in Barton county, he encouraged the organization of a new mob, which would not content itself with rotten- egging, but would proceed to tarring and assault. His propaganda urged this-new mob to severer action. * And now Governor Allen is go- ing to “investigate” the Barton county mob and the county officials responsible for it. One of the very county officials who should have acted to prevent the mobbing is going to make the investigation! Lack of action in the case of the 1920 mobbing led to the recent mobbing, a larger and more serious affair. Lack of action in the case.of the recent mobbing may lead to a more serious one in the near future. If there is another mobbing in Kansas, and blood is shed, that blood will be upon the head of the governor of Kansas. : INCE the Kansas investigating committee reported conditions in North Dakota anti-League papers have been trying to dis- credit the report by attacking former Senator Burton, a mem- ber of the investigating committee. As a member of the senate, 16 years ago, it appears that Senator Burton was charged with repre- E 5 senting, as attorney, a private corporation Our “Invisible ~ Which was having trouble with the postoffice de- ) partment, and that following his conviction on .Govermqent this charge he resigned from the senate. at Washington * Senator Burton has no connection with the : Nonpartisan league. He was chosen by a mass- meeting of citizens of Saline county, Kan., as one of a committee to investigate the League. Burton and three other members of the committee agreed upon a unanimous report. Posgibly the reason - THE SPRING DRIVE —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris. Senator Burton was chosen was because he was known as a bitter foe of socialism. The anti-League element probably thought that since the League had been painted as socialistic, Burton’s report would condemn it, regardless of the facts. Since Burton failed to perform as had been expected, he is to be pilloried by the very peo- ple who had condoned his offense of 15 years ago. The Nonpartisan league holds no brief for former Senator Bur- ton. We do not believe any man can serve two masters. But at the same time Senator Burton was representing a comparatively insig- nificant company. as its attorney, other members of the United States senate were representing the Standard Oil company and other giant corporations. They went unpunished. Maybe Burton was pun- ished because he did not serve a sufficiently important corporation. Furthermore, there are men in the United States senate TO- DAY who are well known, by their fellow senators and official Wash- ington generally, as the recognized spokesmen of the packers, the munition makers, the steel interests and the like. On another page of this issue the head of a farmers’ organiza- : Rl tion at Washington tells the influ- ence that our invisible government exercises through its lobbyists. How much more influence is exerted through the corporate representa- cial circles can only be imagined. Which is of more importance— Washington conditions 15 years ago or Washington conditions NOW ? ARMERS, disappointed many § times, have been hoping for some relief from the adminis- tration of President Harding. It is early yet to tell how things will pan out, but there are indications. When Henry C. Wallace was ap- pointed secretary of agriculture the * Leader said he What Can We had thed tillflltelli- 3 gence an e op- Expect From portunity to make Mr. Harding? that department y : serve the farmers better than it did during the Wilson administration. The first statement issued by Mr. Wallace after taking office, printed on page 8 of this issue; makes it plain that he sees plainly some of the big problems of the farmers. Words alone, of course, will never help the farmers. If Mr. Wal- lace’s words are translated into deeds his department will be of real service. Other appointments thus far made by President Harding have not been happy ones. The number ; of “lame ducks” appointed to the cabinet was the first discouraging feature. Denby and Weeks- had both been rejected by their constituents, and Ohio even refused to trust Daugherty as a delegate to the Republican national convention. But in appointing John J. Esch a member of the interstate commerce commission Mr. Harding seems deliberately to have chosen the lamest duck in the country. Esch was one of the authors of the infamous Esch-Cummins law. Because of his record he was defeated last year by the voters of his Wisconsin district, who nom- inated and elected a Leaguer in his place. Now the entire nation acknowledges that the Esch-Cummins law was a failure. It not only turned millions of dollars of government funds over to the railroads but it allowed them to graft additional millions in freight rates from farmers and other shippers. Increased freight rates, deducted from farm prices, furnish one of the big reasons why farmers are offered less than the cost of production for their crops today. And with all this graft on the government and the public, the railroads have been so laxly and corruptly managed since their return to private ownership that they are at the public crib again, begging another subsidy. ‘With their faithful friend Esch in a position of authority, they expect to get it. : “ 7 Pk | ,/// Pk PAGE THREE i el tives who are in high position in offi- ’