Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-29

The United Stores Company Scheme.
No wonder such a program appeals
to the imagination of It's sponsors:
These stores are all the property sof
the Consumers, United Stores COM
pany, a corporation organized by the
league leaders. It has a capital stock
OF only $4,000. and can only pay
$1,000 in dividends each year. It is
Y BY three directors Whe have en-
The corporation does not sell capt.
tal stock; 1t oIls sens maAaberships]
for whicheit charges 500 apiece. The
members have no control yer the
corporation Or the stores. The only |
thing they get for their 500 is a
promise tina. for 10 years they may
buy goods from the company at
wholesale prices, plus freight and al
margin Of not more than 10 per cent.
Is said that no less than 200 such
memberships must be secured. That
means 4 donation Of $685. 900, but the
contract under which these stores
have been established provides that
only $4,000 shall be put in the store:
the balance, some $4,000 or more,
It the membership exceeds 200, as it
the company for use in any way 1t
may. see fit. It is specially authorized
to use it for propaganda work.
II this program is carried. ont the
FARMERS Of North Dakota will donate
to this Corporation 100000 900 or
more, half of, which will be available
o propaganda work, or for the ee-
adjustment OF other enterprises. It
is intended that these stores shall run
on a strictly cash basis. without ay-
ing n profit to anyone. Leaving out
OF consideration the manifest injustice
to established business that this policy
will lnf1ict, a it be justified as of
practical advantage to the farmers?
Its avowed and manifest purpose is to
prevent any profit in the sale Of goods,
but the league seeks not only to force
to acquire mills. elevators, packing
plants, factories, banks and Other
business enterprisess all Of which are
to be carried On without profit. They
already control, in addition to the
stoFes,sa NUMBER Of banks, newspa-|
pers and other business enterprise
Seeking the Doom of Small Towns.
No n could compete with a bust
ness whose capital had been donated,
and upon which no profit must be
made. No town could exist that had
to be run on any such a policy. Not a
dollar would seek investment there.
There could be no schools, churches,
streets, sewers. or other public i'm
provements. The grass would grow in
the streets. and people would ,shun the
place until there vas the same chance
to get a return for money invested in
property in the town Is there. IS for
money invested. m. q, farm. : &
$rslf this .poHcy was carried outagenSs
orally, how long would it take before
the same doctrine would be applied to
the farmers? If a person in a. city or
village is not entitled to. earn any,
thing on his property, then by the
same logic, the fapmers are not en-
titled to earn anything on their farms.
Their is a method IS easy and more
certain than this to take from the
farmers such earnings, to which I will
cau attention later on-the single tax.
Is not the object sought ~ these
leaders socialism? The scheme they
are working in North Dakota, in eff
fect .confiscates the property OF the,
people in the cities: Ir~persisted in and
successful In the country generally,
it will force the people in the cities
farms are less SIT than har p s. ltSe PODS 'popae
lation In nearly every state, including
Minnesota, and less than one-third
of the population in the United States,
they may find themselves greatly at
a disadvantage. ~ = -
IL tne farmers wish to acquire
stores, mills. elevators or any other
return on capital and labor invested,
no n will object. If they desire to
organize to enable the members to
sell their own products to better ad-
vantage, they nay do so. Such organ
tzations do not monopolizea the trade,
nor. do>they>tax the rest Of the people
for their special Benefit. If the money
I n a. f0 V,oo nvc hoxy4 naSl - 49, 1~--..-
had been paid t63the' societtssp4SE quiG
ty, which is operating on this plan,
they could have had we'll equipped
terminal elevators, mills and packing
plants. and have had them under their
own exclusive control. No new legisla-
ton is needed for that purpose. :
What Cities Do For Country Values.
The pet argument of the league
leaders, that the cities are leeches on
the country, is so shortsighted as to
be amusing. Without the cities, what
would the farmers do with their
crops? If the city population should
double, would they get half as much.
or twice as much for their ctops?
sfatioS TO- sHe ne m lzaf F'1 knows say 't leen1 the
enormous growth of city .p6pniationI,
not only in this country, but all over
the world in the last 20 or 30 years,
has boosted the farm prices. and val
ues. When farmers predorninated,
wheat sold at so to 60 cents per BUSH
ell. and other crops were practically
worthless. The clamor for cheap food
IN the cities is the mainstay Of social
ism there. If anyone should propose
a scheme that would work such in
justice to the farmers as the leagues
scheme will to the cities, and villages,
does anyone imagine that they would
mince words in denouncing It?
{ There is at6ther phase to the So
Fcialistic activities Of the league lead
ers. They realize that there IL a limit
to. the. amount Of money. thak,can-be
secured by voluntary subscription, and
as their ambition IL for still greater
exploitation, they must get money in
some other way, hence their political
activities. They want power to tax all,
the people, including the elevator, the
mill, the store, tho bank. the shop,
and other business establishments in
the villages and cities, 80 AZ to get
money with which to establish state
owned competitors. at least, that ID
what many OF them demand. Others
are more conservative and demand
ADVERTISEMENT.