The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-09-07
Mr.. RANDALL PROTESTS

issue or August "a you refer to me as
tne District Organizer of the Farmers
NonpartlSan League ana attempt to
give the farmers who read your paper
some ADVICE ana caution them against
the rantIngS OF the agltator VINO comes
from some other state ana attempts TO
array one class OF citizens against an
other class.
Your long line of automatic truths
as you are pleased to cali the preface
TO the article is certainly gOou SUN
and L endorse every WOru or 1T but
some statements you made that are
not true and l do not believe you In
tend to state untruthS and it is for the
purpose OF correcting some of those
wrong statements that this article is
offered you with the hope that you will
kindly find it of sufficient worth to the
readers of the Herald that are already
members of the Nonpartlsan League to
publish it.
: In the first place there is absolutely
no connection between the American
Society OF Equity and the Nonpartlsan
League, any more than church mem
Der joining the Masons or the knights
of Columbus would unite the Chufcn
and these different orders.
Secondly we have not got LOB auto
mobiles in our whole organization and
if any organizer was TO operate
car at the cost you estimate he Woulo
loose his job pretty quick.
Now then as to the purpose or the
Nonpartisan League L can, IL you care
to know, inform you and II you are
really sincere in your desire to coop
crate with the business man and the
farmer here is your chance tor real
constructive cooperation
Quoting from your editorial you say:
when men try to organize any class
of business men against any olner
class. of business men it is not CO. oper.
alton but segregation and the KIND OF
segregation that has wrought untolo
havoc in the business world. one
Snch a SOUND ana
undisputed admission from paper
that has hitherto been silent on THESE
great questions of organization ano
cooperation, but you quoted a great
truth lust the same for upon just such
a system of segregation as you are
pleased to call it has the present sys
tenn of business been established ana
God knows it has, and is, Workils ua
told havoc in the bushes world. AS
an evidence of this fact l only can cite
you a little item Of your own business
by asking you: why is 1t that you are
paying more for paper, INK ana nearly
everything that enters into the produc-
ton of newspaper today than you
did a year ago." Why, if you will per-
NIT me to answer, L will say that one
. class of business men has organized
against another class of business men
and the Paper Trust is certainly caus-
ing havoc aong the printers OF TINS
country to such an alarming extent
that the Government has Instituted IN
Quiry in the matter.
has instituted inquiry in the matter
1t may be alright for the Bankers
to organize, the Lawyers, the Mer-
chants. the Doctors and 1 notice that
Nyou are a member Of the Minnesota
Editorial Association, but it is all
wrong from your standpoint for farm
ers to organize. If it is profitable for
every line Of business to have its or
ganization (and you would not have
an organization if it was not profit
able) why object to the farmer trying
to profit by organization?
You agree that cooperation is ben
eficial 1 am glad of that but before
] praise you too highly L would ike
to know what line of cooperation you
especially endorse. l will attempt TO
-enumerate three kinds Of cooperation
and let you select the kind You are
willing to endorse and support and If
the kind that appeals to you is the real
cooperation you are slated for the
biggest increase i'll business you nave
ever known.
One kind of cooperation is when L
cooperate with you for your benent.
Another is where you cooperate win
me for my benefit "a "A th nrr Is SnM wne
benefit. This is the gospel L preach
Mutual Cooperation.
For a long time the business men of
our towns and cities have been appeal
ing to the farmers to cooperate with
them This has been decidedly one
sided cooperation. 1t is an appeal TOT
the farmers to spend their money Win
them, to consult with them on all
matters of business and politics. All
cooperative enterprises that have been
started by business men is an invitation
to the farmer to cooperate our way
spend your money with US.
y To very large extent the farmer
has responded to the call and to a
large extent he paid the bills while the
business men plucked the jrofits.
Now the farmers of this state have
started a movement that Will penent
ALL the people Of the state 1t Will
make Minnesota more prosperous by
leaving a larger share Of the wealth
that is produced in the hands Of the
producer instead of paid out to few
that have a monopoly of the lnstltu-
order to convert the raw product of
food into the finished product. So long
as those institutions remain the inst1-
buttons of the few; then the few will
a few paper mills control the prices of
the paper you must buy to conduct
your business. If a few who own the
utilities that the mass must use can
dictate conditions and prices, would it
injure the masses if the masses owned
those utilities?
Business men complain that the farm
er sends his money away to the cata-
log houses, thus spending his money
outside of their town. Do you think
do if he had more money? If the farmer
could retain measure Of the money
that now goes to the few who own the
Flour Mills, Cold Storage Plants, Ell
evators, Stock Yards and Packing
Houses, do you think he would sit up
half the night pouring over a Sears
Roebuck Catalog to see where he
could save ten cents on a pair of blue
\overalls?
Mr.. Editor and Mr. Business Man of
Sank Centre, let me ask you question.
Do the Railroads who rob the farmer
on freight rates spend any money with
you? Do the great Milling combines
that rob the farmers of millions every
year spend any money with you? Does
the Minneapolis Chamber Of Commerce.
which speculates on the product of the
farmer spend any money with you?
Not very much, and yet with few ex-
ceptions you business men line Up with
these very interests that extort tribute
from the farmer. You do it because
you listen to the politicians whose
ramifications extend from Minneapolis