The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-06-12

man who has read history, or will use
common sense, must know that an or
ganization, or movement, which toll
crates grafters and traitors in any of
it's departments can not survive, but
must sooner or later pay the penal
ty Of death. In it's issue Of March
9th, 1918, the Independent says in
reply to Senator Wallin:
History teaches US, for instance,
that most of our great and illustrious
men were born and raised on the
farm-"great mne and tall men," who
will live in history for all time to
come and stand before the world as
the most conclusive proof that the
producers have not only contributed
to our material welfare, but to the
moral and intellectual uplift of man
kind as well. And for that reason
we believe that the producers deserve
more Of this worldly goods and more
comfort and enjoyment than they
now receive in return for their con-
tribution to society. The Independent
is not q calamity bowler by any
means; we have yet the same strong
faith in the ultimate triumph of the
American people. But it cannot be
denied that the producers have for
years been carrying too heavy bur-
den; that the upper stories of the
social structure have been overloaded
with people who, through unjust leg
islation have been able to live on the
products of those below, who in turn
have had to struggle too hard and
have even been compelled to deny
themselves and their families some of
the necessaries of life in order to pro-
vide for the more favored classes
above.
"While the farmers have been busy
from morning till night to break up
more acres and raise more wheat and
corn by which to meet interest on
land loans and machine notes and to
keep the wolf from thed DOR in gener-
al, the manufacturers have elected
their own servants to go to Washing
ton and make laws for us. And, thru
the operations Of these laws the men
higher up have been enabled to bleed
the producers in placing high tax
on all machinery, tools and clothing
that the producers have had to buy.
The manufacturer has placed the bur-
den on the jobher, the jobber has
shifted it down onto the wholesaler,
the wholesaler to the retailer and the
retailer to the producer. Being at the
bottom of the ladder the struggling
producer had no one to shift the heavy
burden on to, but had to carry it all
alone.
"And while the farmers have been
busy hauling their crops to market
so as to raise the coin by which to
meet interest on the mortgage before
it was turned over to the attorney,
the big financiers in the east have had
their wires out and picked out their
most faithful representatives to go to
Washington to see to it that our COM
plicated and Ubiquitous financial ,sys-
tenn would be continued and to pre-
vent the people from getting their
own medium of exchange-farm cred
it's, or whatever the term may be-
direct from the government, by which
burden of hundreds of millions of
dollars could be removed from the
shoulders of the American producers.
Breaking up more acres and rails
ing more and more grain will hardly
bring relief; because we can no more
set aside the law Of supply and de-
mand than we can repeal the law of
farming, if that means larger yield
on given number Of acres and a re-
duction in the cost Of production, but
we don't believe in running a race
with foreign grain producing coun-
tries and trying to raise more and
more millions of bushels and thus
glut the market. Cultivating fewer
acres on a scientific plan would mean
less labor, less expense and more
profit and, above all, would leave
little time for the producers to use
their brains as well as their hands.
"Mr. Wallin refers to two different
standards of righteousness-one for
the producer and another for the bus
mess world; but the Independent
never did and never will recognize
more than one standard-the one bas-
ed on ethics. We know that many
wrongs have been perpetrated and de-
Tended under so-called business rules;
but wrong is wrong and right is right
in spite of all the rules the business
world may adopt. And we know
likewise that many wrongs have been
committed and defended by laws
made by the upper classes; but all the
laws in the world could not make
wrong doing morally right.