The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 8, 1921, Page 3

N\ - lie, had to -quit buying. - of the farmer bare and conduct- ~ the farmer’s foreign market. campaign to break the labor ‘city department stores to shame- IN ’I‘HE INTEREST OF A SQUARE ~ EAL FOR THE FARMERS Entered as_second-class matter at the postoffice at Minneapolis, Minn., under the act of March 3, 1879, Publication address, 427 Sixth avenue S., Minne eapolis, Minn, Address all remittances to. Thé Nonpartisan Leader, Box 2072, Minneapolis, Minn, VOL. 13, NO. 8 Nonnarfidn Tader Published at Mlnneapnlis Minn., Every Two Weeks ER S. MORRIS, Editor. A MAGAZINE THAT DARES TO PRINT THE TRUT! One year 81 50 Classlfled mm on clanslfled nlxe u S B kwn.h Snscl l s. Agency, adverunlng renrcsuntatlves New York, Chicago, 8t, Louis, Kansas City. WHOLE NUMBER 278 —_— e s - MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AUGUST 8, 1921 m‘——‘———w The Farmer Hasn’t Lost Courage Yet—He’ll Fight! HE Leader on page 5 of thls issue publishes an illuminating article on how the financial kings planned and carried out the after-the-war deflation. The scheme was to deflate the farmer first—to get his prices back to the pre-war level, or lower. Labor was to follow next. Wages were to be .put down to the 1914-15 basis. The deflation was not expected to go further, ex- cept perhaps by easy stages over a long period of time. i - But Mr. Lord, in the article referred to on page 5, shows how this plan went astray True, the farmer was deflated all right, ac- cording to schedule. God knows they did a good job Their Plot ©f that! Labor, too, suffered, but the workingmen’s Not Quite organizations were strong and the workingman was Quicseaatal full of fight. He is partially deflated, but fighting desperately and; on the whole, more or less syccess- fully. The prlntmg trades are an instance. To force carrymg out of the agreements they had with employers they are on strike. In.the Twin Cities, compositors who are still working in shops which have not sought to violate the agreements made two years ago with the unions, are being assessed by the union 15 per cent of their wages to pay benefits to strikers and carry on the fight, Pressmen still working are being assessed 25 per cent of their wages for the same purpose. THIN K of it! Besides their regular dues to the unions, which \ run from $25 to $60 and even more per year, the union men who still have jobs are donating from 15 to 25 per cent of ‘their wages to prevent happening to them what the big fellows put over so easily on the farmers! If the farmer could have fought like that, or would have done so where he could, he would -not now be stripped clean, the pitiful and helpless victim of one of the most diabolical and ruthless plots that big business and the money power ever conceived. g W Labor ~But while the farmer suffered first and worst arries On oy it was de- the Battle creed by our fi- nancial ov er- lords that it was time to “get back to normalcy,” the plans went partially astray. The de- flation of the farmer jand the partial deflation of labor has bredght on a business depres- sion and near panic. They over- estimated their ability to con- fine the effects of deflation to the producers, the farmers and workers. The low' prices for farm produce that they forced cut down this year’s purchasing power of every farm family, on the average, $1,500.. The farmer and the worker the two great divisions of the consuming pub- They are picking the bones ing a tremendous nation-wide orgamzatlons Meanwhile they are feeling in the business de- pression. some ' of the effects of their greed. But they suc- ceeded in increasing railroad rates instead of deflating them. They have increased rents-in_ the cities instead of deflating them. They are helping the big- lessly keep up prices, by advanc- ing them comparatively cheap. credit. Their protective tariff, now being discussed in congress, is further intended to protect business against the effects of deflation, though it will destroy R. LORD, in his illuminating article on page 5, says they can’t do the farmer much more dirt. They have taken about everything he has. If need be, he says, the farmer can keep warm next winter by burning his corn, and he won’t starve. You can’t starve on a farm. But they haven’t taken the farmer’s cour- age and fighting spirit away from him yet. That is, they haven’t QUITE taken it away. It is true there are farmers who are blue, who are in despair. They feel helpless, and it is going to be hard to get some of them back in the fighting ranks. But the Leader believes there is plenty of fight left in the farmer. Farmer Has We believe he can and will fight like organized la- Bie Fight bor is fighting, with every energy and every penny & DI T1g1 he can spare. And that is the hope of the farmer Left in Him gt this time. Farmers, now is the time to stick to the Non- partisan league! Now if ever agriculture needs a fearless, fighting organization. They have tried to lead you .into other organizations and other efforts. Anything suits the powers-that-be in America better than the only real fighting organization the farmers ever had—the League! But these other organizations, these other ico- operative and organization efforts, while they may help, have not solved the problem and can not solve it. They will make little if any dent in the big business and financlal combination bent on keeping the farmer down. HE Nonpartisan league was and is the only farmers’ organ- ization that ever very seriously menaced the business and political control of the little group that is running America and running it in the interests of themselves and their pocketbooks. The way they have fought the League, while at the same time warming up to other farmer or-so-called farmer organizations is pr. .f enough of that. That is the kind of organization needed most of all at this tlme——one that will throw fear into their hearts. The time has come to fight, : - d A LESSON IN NATURAL HISTORY Years g0 you had thes seared DARWIN DID NOT FIND THE MISSING LINK stiff with your Now Is Time 1N°npar1,513}fan 1 99 eague. ere to Put “Pep” o0 cramble Into League t; do some- thing for you. There were great promises. You were told that other organiza- tions, other kinds of co-operative effort, would win for you. But these other scattered efforts and promises have accomplished lit- tle. Most of you stuck to the League, and the League, still strong, will again put them on the run if you stick to.it. What is needed is more fighting spirit in the League. The Leader can help, and will help. But it is up to you. Whatever you do, don’t let your Leader subscrlptlon expire. But far better yet, don’t fail to renew in the League. It is up to you to put the old fight- ing spirit back in your fighting organization. Let’s get the ball started rolling in a great educational and organization campaign this fall and winter. Let’s get our friends and neighbors in. Let’s pave the way during the next few months for a political campaign next year that will win and get results. It isn’t a time to plead and petition and weep. over wrongs. It is a time to organize and fight. There never was a better cause. There never was'a riper time. Let’s go!