The Washington herald., 1917-07-05

| by that organization. The radical
leader in North Dakota is very skill
full in organization and especially in
| financial organization. He so per
fected his plans as to make it pos
sible to secure from every farmer who
became a member of the organization
(and almost all of them did a liberal
membership fee. He esta blished a
small army, so to speak, of solicitors.
These men were drilled as though
they were actually carrying on a
campaign In the field, as. in fact,
| they were. They went out In light
/ automobiles, securing the country SO
that they could come in contact with
every farmer. They were able to
secure sard catalogues in which were
described the name and habitation OF
every farmer in their district. Hav-
ing successfully pleaded with the
farmer to join the organization, they
| persuaded him to go with them upon
campaign for membership among
all the other farmers. They were
wise enough to make first choice of
the most prominent farmer in each
district.
! These solicitors have another object
than the welfare of the community
when they are seeking members, for
they are paid by the organization
81 for every member they secure. and
not few of the solicitors have found
1t possible to make greater earnings
in this way than they were ever be-
fore able to secure. Notwithstanding
this payment of 81 for each member
secured, nevertheless the initial fee is
SO large that the league has been
1 al to k@,,fII L.
These it employees with real skill. It
pays well for able services. It has
established newspapers, and recently
it broke ground for its own packing
plant at Fargo. This is only one of
several elaborate and ambitious
schemes which the league has in
view.
Now this influence is speading, and
1t Is feared may secure a foothold in
northern Minnesota and may sweep
through South Dakota. 1t is an in
fiuence which many of the citizens of
those States are now preparing to
reach and overcome. but the political
campaign in these States this fall
with probably have as its sole issue
the question, "Will this league
dominate other States as 1t has
dominated North Dakota, or will 1t be
confined to North Dakota, there to
demonstrate whether 1t Is doomed to
| failure or whether its success Is So
| great that other agricultural COM
munities may be prevailed upon t.
accept it?'
This organization and the serious
situation which has been created by
the labor agitators in some parts OF
the West, do cause some anxiety.
Nevertheless, the farmers of the
| Northwest are doing wonders this
year In the way Of production. (Busi-
ness men in the Ninth Federal re-
serve district and bankers united in
the early spring before II was known
that there would be an offer of a M
erty loan Of 5000 600 900 in an effort
to persuade the farmers greatly to
increase their acreage. The farmers
responded cordially to these appeals,
and were able to do that because the
banks Of the Northwest gave liberal
support to them. One million acres
of crops which are awaiting harvest
In North Dakota would not have been
planted had 1t not been for the urgent
appeal Of bankers and business men
and for the assistance Of the banks.
The aggregate of the loans to the
farmers In North Dakota was prob
ably as much as 100000.
Throughout the entire agricultural
country. some of it very rich in soil,
between Minneapolis and the Rocky
Mountains, the farmers responded to
an apeal of this kind as they did in
North Dakota. The banks encouraged
great production. and were willing to
take more of a chance than in any
previous planting season. They did
this because they realized that the
Northwestern wheat crop this year is
to be an extremely important factor
| In the worlds situation.
By mid-autumn, or before the hard
frosts come, these farmers should be
receiving hundreds OF millions of dol
lars for their harvests. provided cli-
matte conditions are favorable, and
/ 1t il the belief that II the farmers do
as well with their harvest as is ex-
pected, they will more literally sub
scribe to the new loan than they did
to the liberty loan. Furthermore.
many of them are just beginning to
comprehend what the liberty loan
meant and how greatly the country
a. q whole supported it.
HOLLAND.