The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-06
ANSWERING MR.. VADJ


The Tribune enjoys receiving and publishing
such scholarly communications as that from Mr.
Joseph Vadj which appeared on the editorial page
Monday The Tribune agrees with Nh Vadj's
general conclusions as to progress and reform
The Tribune has advocated and will continue to
advocate true progress which has as it's goal that
glorious utopia in which there will be no favored
classes, when all humanity will enjoy equality OF
opportunity, and when will sound the doom OF
the professional reformer, who as truly exploits
His fellow beings and even more shamelessly, as
does the maefactor of great wealth.
:: The Tribune has never opposed the league as
an organization. It never has opposed the Equity,
nor the Farmers union nor the Grange. It has
not opposed organized labor nor has it opposed
legitimate organized capital. The Tribune recog-
nizes the strength which lies in organization, and
it knows that the farmer, especially, because of
his Quasiisolation, due to the fact that he does
not. herd together with his fellows to the extent
common with the city man. stands in need of or
ganization. E,~....
. The Tribune does question, and it does so in all
sincerity, the good which can come to any organ
ization through autocratic, absolute domination
Of this nature that almost wrecked the republi-
can party some years ago. It was, autocracy of
this type that plunged Mexico into the maelstrom
Of blood in which it is still struggling. 1t is this
very, form of one-man control that we are fight
ing today in Germany. ..@ \.
No man is wise enough and good enough and
big enough to do the thinking for 10000 Of his
fellows. When man who is neither wise nor
good nor big assumes such a task we have a con-
dition similar to that which cast on the rocks the
Western Federation of Miners, once seemingly
invulnerable labor organizations; we have such a
situation as prevails in the Industrial Workers
Of the World; which has become one Of democ-
racys greatest menaces in America.
We believe in the practice of democracy to that
extent where any nation or organization Of people
shall govern itself, shall do it's own thinking and
shall not concentrate in the hands of one man or
any group of men unlimited power. We believe
that any organization which is automatically
ruled by such a man as Townley or Haywood or
Meyer, no matter how sane and honest it's men,
bershp may be, cannot achieve any great and last
ing good.
The Tribune is suspicious of professional re-
formers. 1t doubts the sincerity of the man who
retalls economic salvation at a fixed price. We
agree that any organization to be effective must
be financed. We believe, however, that the men
who produce the money should have some con-
troll over it's expenditure, or should at least know
how it is spent.
We hope that Mr.. Vadj will not set up A. C.
Townley, or A. E. Bowen, or 0. M. Thomson or
Job W. Brinton as fit representatives of the hon.
est, God-fearing, North Dakota farmer We would
regret very much to feel that North Dakota would
have to look for redemption to men of their well
known type We believe that the farmers of
North Dakota could produce from their own
ranks thousand or ten thousand or ten times
ten thousand men more able and more represen-
tative than this weird quartette And yet, when
ToWnleyism or Brintonism or Bowenism or Thorn
asonism is attacked, there are always dupes to
echo the feeble charge that an assault is being
made on the farmer. It is situation which
would cause the gods to laugh did it not contain
so many elements Of tragedy
Have the millions which the farmers of North
Dakota have turned over to MIR. Townley and his
s0cialistic associates evolved one terminal eleya-
tor, one -four mill where the farmer might sell
his grain to better advantage? Have all these mill
ions done single thing to tighten the burden
which the farmer bears or to simplify his financial
problems! Has all this 1argess ame1iorated in
the slightest degree any Of the abuses against
which the farmer has right to organize?