The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1918-06-13
I. w. w. in the Nonpartisan League.
( n Milaca, May 30, 1918.

i. w. w. in the NOnpartisan League.
Milaca, May 80, 1918.
To the Editor Of The Union: s " 81
In order to understand the attempts
Of the I. w. w. and their assistants,
who are now leaders in the Nonpar-s
tisan league, to force the farmers Of
North Dakota into paying wages at
the rate Of So for eight hours work, it
is necessary to take some other things
into consideration, such as the normal
cost Of wheat production and the diff
ference between cost and value in that
particular year of 1913. gs
In Minnesota for the six years, 1902
to 1907 inclusive, the average cost per
acre was $7.81. In 1909 it was $40.
In the same year the average cost for
North Dakota was $500. If we al
low for the period Of 1909 to 1913 an
advance equal to the difference be-
tween $7.81 and $40, it would make
the average cost per acre $12.19 in
Minnesota and $11.31 in North Dakota.
In the year 1913 the season was I'M
favorable and the wheat yield very
poor, being about 65,000,00O bushels
less than that of 1912, though the
average was about the same. Accord
ing to official statistics the average
acre value Of wheat in North Dakota
was in 1912 $12.42 and in 1914 it was
$11.31, but in the year 1913 it was
only $766. The cost estimate Of $11.31
may be too low, but at that the farmer
was faced with a deficit of 1882 per
acre, or 1852 for each hundred acres
of wheat crop.
AS if this of itself were not enough
of misfortune at one time for the far
mers, the I. w. w. and their assistants,
at Minot, now leaders in the Nonpar-
tisan league, conspired to hold them up
by threats, sabotage and violence to
pay the above wages, not including
bed and board. Whether their assis-
tants were all actually members of
the I. w. w. organization or not does
not matter. So long as they had the
I. w. w. character and worked for
I. W. w. ends, they were practically
I. W. W. and, for the purpose of this
argument, will be so considered.
In their new role Of leaders in the
league it has been necessary to as
sumo an attitude of professed friend
ship for the farmer. But the affinity
that exists between these leaders and
the I. w. w. commands a friendship
of deeper character. When, therefore,
the interests Of the farmer have con-
ficted with the demands of the I. w.
w. the influence of these leaders
has been in favor of the I. w. w..
The following paragraph is quoted
from an article in the Country Gen
tleman Of May rs, 1918:
"Townley and other league leaders
advised the farmers that labor would
be scarce for the harvest last year,
and proposed to agree upon a wage
scale and make a contract with the
I. w. w. AS a result contract was
proposed which would guarantee the
harvest worker at least 81 for a ten
hour day and forty cents an hour for
overtime. Above this price sliding
scale based on the price of wheat was
to govern. If wheat brought $1.75 a
bushel I. w. w. workers were to get
$3.50 day; if wheat brought So they
were to get SIS day; wheat at 1925
meant pay at $3.50 day. Thus, for
twelve hours, if wheat sold for $2.25
the I. w. w. harvest hand would draw
$3.50 a day."
To secure an acceptance of this
agreement by farmers the same article
states: "Six meetings were held by
league leaders, but referendum vote
of farmers revealed a divided senti-
ment, so the matter was dropped"
Fear Of the I. w. w. probably in
fuenced most of the voters "to ac-
cept," but the result Of all the voters
was failure to accept the demands
of the I. w. w. But the sinister thing
about this is that the league leaders
came to the farmers with set of de-
mands from the I. W. w. and they
used their influence and effort to in
duce the farmers to accept them.
When they failed the authorities Of
the I. w. W. issued a call for and pre-
cipitated the general strike Of $4,000
of their members in the wheat fields
of the northwest, and j. R.. Parker,
secretary of the Fargo branch Of the
I. w. w., said: eve have tied up the
labor situation in South Dakota, and
we will do the same thing in North
). Dakota. We have thrown picket
around South Dakota, and the far
F: mers must pay our demands or lose
: their crops"
This drive on the farmers, like the
one in 1913, was made by the l. w. w
in a wear of Door crops. It appears tC