The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-12-27
A Scorcher. .

10 ne EQltOr OF the pioneer.
Your contemporary, the Free Lance last
Saturday submits 70 the farmers whether q
. nswspapsr it has not done more for the
farmers interests than the PIONEER (pre.
snmsbly since II anne under the present
management, and with a hypocrisy tina,
would bring tears to the eyes Of tho labelled
crocksdile, asks il true worth does not
count in the end?
Well, Let 10 see-in the same issue under
the head Of legslised robbery he tells .
dolsful story how the other day . poor far
msr's COW and en- u were seized by . heart
less creditor under . chattsl mortgage and
sold on the street at . forced sale, which
amer paying the expenses Of said seizure
and sale only realised $ll TO b. applied on
the debt. And nov for the encouragement
Of the farmers he states he is glad the alli-
anss 10 giving such questions an honest con-
sidsration and Is the alliance has control Of
the legislature, that body will pass a law
that win prevent . repetition Of such . dis
ssterly act. Let every farmer now solve
this q~uestion-how such legslized robbery
10 possible, which 10 not . hard matter.
It was simply. this way: in 1887 the farmers
alliance brought in . bill to the house Of
representatives which would have made
such an act unlawful and in q very slender
way, provided some protection to the poor
farmer against his property being slaugh-
tered - above. Al the alliance had con-
Irol Of the honse the bill was promptly
; but when the bill went I, the
council for approval where the Dakota
bankers association had control, it wal
killed n the spot, and it is only by the
IIliance having control Of both houses Of the
egislatnse this session that such . bill has
my chance Of becoming law.
It is au easy matter then TO see that the
are responsible for SUCH robbsry
being legal, and surely there il not : far
but will say that the man who will vote
49,
Tor any .~>sssqature that will willingly allow
.uch robbery is An enemy to the farmer.
and 10 the country. Now, therefore, the
sditor Of the Free Lance last summer de-
clared himself to be . farmer and in full
sympathy. with all the efforts Of the farmers
alliance and by virtue Of such statement he
to the following declaration a.
found on page 40 Of rules Of 1887:
WREREAs, The only hope Of relief from
the evils complained Of 1.-THE usury and chat
tel mortgage laws) is by securing members
to the next legislature who are in full sym.
patty with the farmers % against usurists
and m~onopolists = and that all
members vote for only such.
Yet the said editor last election turned
to his declared principles and used
all his intellect and Whatever influence his
paper had to elect two pronounced mem
bers Of the bankers association. after having
been notified by President Loucks tina. they
we're usurers and the kind of men the alli-
ance was fighting; and again who is respon-
sible for such robbery? Certainly the editor
Of the Lance Is jointly responsible because
il the bankers had been elected the alliance
would have been in the minority and the
laws could not be repealed. 4
And now having sacrificed al his honor
and principle, If hs ever had auy),like the
PhArisss Of old, he thanks God he is justcr
than his nsighbors. especially the PIoxsEs,
whose shoe strings he 10 unworthy to UNI
loose, - we farmers we'll know that the
PIoxEEs has served US without party afiil-
iations and never once turnedtraitor. A. I
may have 70 say something On this question
again I will finish.
lam respectfully.
" x An ALLIANCE M8MBEA.