The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-02-14
FOUNDATIONS Of A RUBEl
THOUGHTS OF A RUBE!

ACCOIU1uS 70 0eCTet8Ty OI LaOOE
Wilson, the largest copper mine in
the Michigan district was organized
in 1870 with q capitalization Of ST.
100000, only half Of which was ever
paid in. Since that time the com-
pany has paid dividends amounting
to $121,OO0,0 900 and has made rein
vestments out of its earnings Of $751;
100000. Nearly $2OO,OO0,OOO Of the
net profits in forty two years on an
investment Of $1,25O,O00! Now if on
" someone could bring forth a plan
that would enable the farmer to make
in proportion on the amount invested
the farmers would SOC grow veal
thy.
Recently q challenge for a debate
on House Bill "A was issued in the
Courant, by one Of Bottineau county's
real progress school teachers, to Gar
den, the Souris pen-pusher. The
next week in the editorial column Of
the Souris Messenger there appeared
an editorial to the effect that the
owner Of the Messenger regarded his
critics as feas. Wasn't that a states
manly reply to a g~entlemanly pres
ented challenge? And the charge that
his critics are aeas coming from one
only . few short years ago is report
ed as saying that he was sorry he
didn't have opposition, makes the
matter all the more interesting.
HE%+GFEEE laoso~o @9.G@v
Abraham Lincoln, the greatest Of
all American ex-presidents, proved
that he was a true believer in DEM
ocracy when he stated in his first reg
ular message n December 1861: Lab
or is prior to and in independent OF
capital. Capital is only the fruit OF
labor and could never have existed It
labor had not first existed. Labor
is the superior Of capital, and deserv-
es much the higher consideration"
That statement is the very root OF
industrial democracy.
It is not so many months ago that
one Jerry Bacon's Grand Forks Her
aid was worrying q great deal over
the fact that some Of the leagues
head organizers were men from out
Of this state, and said Herald was
strong in it's denunciation Of these
men as carpet baggers, ETC., at the
same time stating that these men
should stay at home. And now Jer-
~ Bacon is busy injecting himself
into Minnesota politics. Consistency
where are thou?
Senator Lewis, Of Illinois, is said
to be preparing a bill for outright
government ownership of the rail-
roads.
Cooperation has been advancing by
leaps and bounds in every line for
several years past and now that the
farmers are cooperating in politics
through the Nonpartisan league, the
old gang in the various states might
as well pack up and leave for they
are done.
Considerable of the space in the OPP
position press is used in declaring
that the Nonpartisan league is op-
posed to the business men. Ihe
league is not opposed to business mel
who are progressive and who are(not
fighting the farmer. The league Is
fighting the Big Biz bunch who are
and have been, doing everything they
possibly can to rake in more millions
Of dollars in profits from the people
who have been already over-taxed by
this CLIQUE. The only attempt to ar
ray class against class that has been
made by the league is that OF show
ing the majority class Of common peo-
ple that they are being crushed more
and more by the minority Big Biz
class. IL any Of the small business
men see fit to join in with the big
Biz CLIQUE that is for them to decide
and they must be prepared to stano
the consequences.
The attempt Of Roosevelt n his
Big Biz militarist class to discredl,
the administration has fallen flat and
I'VE with the rest Of liberty loving
American citizens rejoice. Teddy
will have to behave in q better man
ner that he has been doing OF late
If he expects to make any showing
q the presidential race in 1920. What
Roosevelt and his Big Biz clique wish
TO force upon us after this var Is
militarism. The present war IS be
ING fought that militarism shall be g
relic Of the past and that democracy
NAV live. Democracy and militarlsm
are absolutely opposite Of each other
We are back Of President Wilson, tne
agent Of democracy and are not, most
emphatically not, back Of I. H., the
agent Of Big Biz and aristocracy.
One Of the greatest steals OF MS
tory happened while Roosevelt-oui
much-acclaimed foremost citizen ano
patriot was president. It was 2 NJ
ting companion to his famous Alton
Steal bill, signed by him as governor
of New York. In November, l9OI'
the steal trust had but one rival, the