Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-03-14
A. L. Putnam Tells
About Principles Of
Nonpartisan League

.a
Mr.. A. l.. Putnam, OF the No 1parti-
san League, addressed a meeting at
Goss hall Monday afternoon. There
was an attendance of about serenity
five or over, the impossible condition
of the roads having kept many away.
Mir. Putnam is a convincing speaker.
lie dealt wita the problems confront
ing the American people in an orig
inal way. He declared, among other
things, that the chief obstacle in the
path of progress in the preparations
for the gigantic struggle in which AM
erica is now involved is not the farm
er, not the laborer, not the average
citizen, but rather the profiteers.
These profiteers, he said, are but
few, comparatively speaking. Roughly
speaking, but without assuming to
give accurate figures, there are, say,
fifty million producers in the country
and forty-five million consumers, al
though, broadly speaking, many of
the producers are also consumers, and
vice versa, and about, say, five million
distributors.
While the Nonpartisan League does
not aim TO disturb the legitimate deal
er, neither the wholesaler nor the re-
taller, one of its definite aims is to
eliminate, SO far as possible, the need
less and useless go-between, and espe-
cially the profiteer. In so doing, it is
bound TO bring the producer and the
consumer into close relationship and
into a better mutual understanding.
One-half of the troubles to which
humanity is heir, so far as differences
of opinion are concerned, arise from
misunderstanding, said the speaker.
Many of the most sharp disputes be-
tween neighbors, and even within fam
lily circles, might have been avoided
If the parties directly concerned had
only better understood the situation.
Much of the animosites that seem
ingly keep cities and rural communi-
Tvs aPdlI may NC IiatCd W liIlo SttIU.t
cause-this lack of full and complete
understanding. When the merchants
find, as they wi. find in the course of
time and as they are now finding in
many localities. that the Nonpartisan
League hos no controversy with them,
has no intention of putting into oper
| otip, oru c,yc{o,,, wI;aL will l;ur, 80 - =
tention from the legitimate business of
the legitimate merchant, or the legit-
innate manufacturer, much of the
seeming friction between town and
country will have vanished, and the
merchant and the farmer will 90 hand
in nand for the improvement the up
building, the material and spiritual
and educational progress of botl. city
and surrounding community.
1t is to the mutual advantage Of al.
legitimate enterprises, he declared,
that the profiteer be eliminated. The
go-between for which or for wheni
there is no need ought to be eliminat-
ed in all trades and callings, for he
is but a satellite, a leech, a useless
appendage, and the sooner he is got
ten rid Of the better it will be for
both the producer and the consumer.
Mr.. Putnam entered upon a discus
sion of the principles for which the
association stands and pointed out the
necessity of unity of action II salts
factory results are to be obtained.
Organization has been effected in al
most all brances and callings and yo
cations. The farmer has been stand.
ing aloof and alone. Az long as he
vas going alone, no one thought Of
characterizing him as 9 disloyal citi
zen, but the moment that the farmers
: begin to evince decided inclinations
to organize for mutual protection
/. against market gamblers and rapa
3 cious profiteers, it has pleased som,
self-styled patriots to hurl the charg,
]. of disloyalty against them.
The speaker closed by deciarin
that President Wilson is facing
I. greater task than has been assigned i
any other living American since Pres
dent Lincoln and that he is entitle
to the aggressive support OF all loyi
Americans. It is strange, said h
4 that in all this discussion regardin
loyalty, OF lack Of loyalty, not a wol
s has come from the chief magistra1
Of the land, nor Of any Of his clos
Z friends or advisors, that can possib
be construed as criticism q the cour'
which the farmers are taking. On Il
3 CONTRARY. men high In authority al
close TO the president have public
stated that they regard the northwes
Z ern farInhers among the most 10y
class of citizens IA America today.