The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 31, 1921, Page 4

yde A Manufacturer’s Thedry;flebarding North Dakota E ARE much indebted to an article in the Outlook (a New York City weekly) by William C.-Gregg, for some new.and very profound -theories about North Dakota —_—tlr_leor_les which “explain” the farmers’ battle for justice and the organization of the Nonpartisan league. : > The whole thing is perfectly simple to Brother Gregg. He finds, first, that the state’s “soil and climate will not keep alive a large population,” and that hence “some of the people He Easily are leaving the state and will finally settle where con- “Explains” fchtlons are more favorable.” What more natural than the Facts hat there should be discontent, resulting in the or- ganization of the League, under such conditions? . But where are the people of North Dakota mov- ing to? Mr. Gregg gives us an intimation. They go where condi- tions are better. How better? In states outside of North Dakota, he says, “the selfish farmers and selfish business men get along together without serious trouble.” (Of course they don’t in N. D.). He says that in other states “farmers and financiers call each other by their first names and keep out of the papers.” (We hope, Wil- liam, out of the Outlook, too). He says that, in these ideal “other” states, “a farmer’s son marries a banker’s daughter, then goes into the oil business.” Alas! Nothing like that happens in North Da- kota. Sad to state, it is undoubtedly to paradises, such as the one emigrating! UT to return to Mr. Gregg’s delightful explanation of the farmers’ unrest and the reasons for the organization of ‘the League. He has told us that, in the first place, the state will not support a contented population on account of its soil and climate. Secondly, the farmers are idle, stubborn and ignorant. - Sad, but true, according to Mr. Gregg! They are ignorant because they depend too-much on one crop, wheat; stubborn because they _will not listen to advice to diversify their farming, and Farmers 1azy because “they work four months of the year and “Idle and rest most of the remaining eight months.” "Yes, on ss -the Bible we swear it, he puts it down in just those Ignorant” gyoted words in the Outlook! Now, consider this “idleness” of the North Da- kota farmers, this eight months in which he has nothing to do. Only one result could be expected. “An idle mind is the devil’s work- shop.”- Mr. Gregg says that the farmer, during the eight months out of every year that he does not work, “broods over his troubles.” There you have it! He’s a “brooder.” Instead of moving to some other state, where he can get the banker’s son to marry his daughter and have the privilege of calling the banker by his first name, a lot of farmers stay in the state and “brood over their trou- bles.” This causes them to demand silly and impossible reforms. Hence the Nonpartisan league. It is all profoundly and seriously set forth by Mr. Gregg (or shall we adopt the familiarity he com- mends, and call him “William” ?). - Now, instead of taking this course—instead of loafing and “brooding” and organizing a League, what should the farmers have done? Again, perfectly simple! -Ask William something hard! They should have Kept out of politics and helped themselves—those of them who did not move away. They should have used their heads. Mr. Gregg gives the following conclusive incident: = A man (a North Dakota farmer) recently sent a carload of cows™ to Chicago, and when he got the check in settlement he received only $3 apiece for his animals. An outrage? No, a foolish farmer. He did not bargain in advance; he shipped to some broker who sold for what he could get that day. Very likely someone took advantage of him. _It has been the human way. since the time of Cain. ! Now, the Leader would like to have farmers remember and profit by this incident;.so aptly and clearly explained by Mr. Gregg. If you are skinned on the market, it is your fault.- You would not have been skinned if you had used your head and “dickered a little” with the buyer before selling. Anyway, my good man, you should remember that it is human nature for one human being to skin another, and has been since the time of Cain, you know. This will here described by Mr. Gregg, that the North Dakota people are = LCApWe: caitbaign. Hnabor Every reader of the Leader should know when his subs out when yours expires at once by the following method: Read the address label on the front cover. You will find three numbers there. These numbers giveyou the date when your subscrip- tion expires. For instance, if the numbers “11 14 21" appear on the label, the sub S November 14, 1921. The “11” stands for the eleventh month, November; the “14” stands for the _ fourteenth day of that month, and the “21” stands for the year 1921. : —find out when his paper will cease going to him unless he renews, scription expires by reading the:label at once, and then read the advertiseme 9 of this issue. Also read about our propos ‘ comfort you, my good fellow, if, even when you DO dicker a little, you get skinned anyway. William says so. : - E CAN not leave M. Gregg’s beautiful writeup without mention of one more of his telling points. . He has discov- ered that the North Dakota farmer is jealous and envious, and this has had no little part in bringing about the demand for reforms and the organization of the League. The North Dakota farmers, says Mr. Gregg, “begrudge every cent any one else gets out of their business.” Whether he means the farmer begrudges what the banker makes out of banking, or what the Farmers Panker makes out of farming, or what the middleman “Envious” makes out of farming, and he is not clear on the point, of g‘a::;ss it nevertheless proves the North Dakota farmer to be mean-minded, doesn’t it? Mr. Gregg thinks that it is wrong for the farmer to object to other interests making more out of farming than the farmer does, or else he thinks thefarmer is meanly jealous because other businesses pay and farm- ing doesn’t. In either event what he says reflects on the farmer. . As you will immediately surmise, this Outlook article by Mr. Gregg will be “good stuff” in North Dakota. The League will use it, and it will help the League. Mr. Gregg’s frank revealment of the state of mind of those who oppose the farmers is valuable He has given the real thoughts of these superior people who oppose the farmers’ movement and look upon the farmer as a poor, ignorant, lazy boob, preyed upon by “Socialists” and other schemers.” And so the League opposition is naturally worried about Mr. Gregg’s article. Vit 2 ' The St. Paul Pioneer Press, than which none is more bitter and prejudiced against-the League and all it stands for, hastened into JDrint, on the appearance of Mr. Gregg’s article;-with an apology. In a lengthy editorial this-enemy of the League and of the North akota farmers, which camouflages its real thoughts better than Mr. Gregg, has tried “to take the cuss off” the Outlook’s slip in publishing such damaging (to the League opposition) material. - NCIDENTALLY, the P. P. divulges Mr. Gregg’s identity, as you will see in the quotation from the P. P. editorial which fol- lows. His identity is a matter-of some interest. The Outlook itself gave us no information on the subject. Says the Pioneer Press: William C. Gregg, a car and railway equipmeht manufacturer of Hackensack, N. J., has contributed to the Outlook an article on the history and present situation in that state, but which™ What the is utterly spoiled-by some unnecessary and incorrect of North Dakota people. * s Says of It ... Mr. Gregg says North Dakota’s “soil and climate will not keep alive a large population. L Ite Some of the people are leaving the state and will finally settle where a marvelous growth in the 31 years of its existence as a state. It was - the forty-second state in size, with apopulation of 190,983 in 1890. It place in 1919, with 577,066; to thirty-sixth in 1920, with 646,872.. Mr. Gregg says it now contains “about 700,000” people. This gain of six years does not look like any great numbers were moving away, * % * There is 3.1 per cent of illiteracy in North Dakota, compared with fact shows that North Dakota has had good schools and that the people _- understand their value. 3 offset, as far as possible, Mr. Gregg’s “showing” that the North Dakota-farmer js a lazy and ignorant individual. ~Coming from a Outlook for a while. Shame on a magazine that publishes such an untrue, ignorant false and misleading that the bitterest of the enemies of the North Dakota farmers in this part of the country have considered it wise “Political Storm in North Dakota,” an excellent review of the political Pioneer Press statements with regard to living cfitions and habits conditions are more favorable.” The truth is, North Dakota has made moved up to fortieth position in 1900, with 319,146; to thirty-seventh places in rank and to nearly four times its 1890 population in “30 3 per cent in Minnesota and 7.7 per cent in the country at large. This- The Pioneer Press undoubtedly added that Iast paragraph to ‘League enemy like the P. P. it ought to “hold” Mr. Gregg and the and contemptible article about a great state and its_-people—so to try to make amends for it, cription‘ is to expire.‘ It is easy to tell; “Find ' scription expires Thus any subscriber can Find out when your sub- ) 2 read tk nt on page ition to subscription agents in'th_is issue.