The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-01-22
PIE LEAGUE PRINCIPLES

Tho reader of the address, of Preef-
dent TownIey, not having been present
at tho meeting may miss the spirit in
which certain statements were made
and take literal certain passages
obviously Intended 10 provoke a
laugh. This would be understood by
those who were there but super
fetal readers might assume as
literally true what in the speech was
clearly meant to indicate merely the
fact that the farmers are among pri-
mary producers, distinguished
from secondary producers: for in
stance the statement in effect that the
people of the country had been sup
porting the people of the towns That
the farmers could live without the
towns and that the town people could
not live without the farmers is true.
but nobody would live well without
the division of labor which necessari-
ly results in the building of towns and
trade centers is also true, and
this fact is fully recognized, at least
by the inference, in other parts of the
address. There is an element of so
phistry in the statement that the mer-
chant buys at wholesale and sells at
retail, while the farmer buys at re-
tail. sells at wholesale. The merchant
buys at wholesale the goods which he
distributes but he does not buy goods
from other branches of trade at
wholesale for his private use. OF
course. this does not mean that there
should not be improvements in meth
DDS of distribution. The platform of
the party was but lightly touched on.
1rYHn Mo nh CT, 4
packing plants. terminals. elevators
and flour mills; state owned ware
houses and storage plants for fruit
potatoes. etc; exemption of farm i'm
provements from taxation; rural cred
it banks operated at cost and state
ownership and distribution of water
power.
This platform has been discussed
at length on several occasions in The
TIMES, as well the peculiar desig-
nation of the organization itself The
state owned warehouses, elevators and
similar buildings Will probably re-
suit from the war as a war measure,
league or no league; the state council
of defense has endorsed a similar
plan. Once adopted, this measure is
one which Will not be abandoned I'M
provements in rural credits are bound
to come and the activity of the league
will bring their advent more speedily
Farm improvements viii eventually be
exempt from taxation as they are in
much of Canada, but they will not be
and should not be until similar ex-
emptions are granted in the cities The
trend of things tend toward the Sc
curing of publicly owned railroad ter
minaIs before the league has time to
elect many to office. Should govern
ment operation of roads prove sue
cessful, government ownership of
roads will follow as matter of
course and carry with it the owner
ship of the terminals. So far as the
water power which will be turned over
to the state shortly is concerned, The
TIMES believes that it should be de-
veloped by the state and power sold
to private business, rather than turn
ed over to such business for use or
exploitation Care should be taken to
discriminate between lines of activity
which are naturally monOpOlies, like
railroads, and those partly so as a
result of their intimate connection
with roads, like warehouses and eIe-
vators for shippers, and enterprises
that. are purely Industrial and man
ufacturing in their nature, and which
become competitive when the basis
for monopoly is removed The fact
that governments are run by men with
human weaknesses and limitations
should make us careful not to "bite
off more than we can chew at once.
The platform of the league deserves
study, which is the reason to give so
much space to Mr.. Townley's speech.
With the personal character OF Mr.
ownley himself we are not concerned
Whether his apparent anticipation of
charges against him was based on
previous experiences he may have had
with similar charges in the past or
not, makes no difference to us. We