The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-10-24

period OF the war D..
BUSINESS MEN BENEFITED.
Business men who allow themselves to be in
huenced into opposing the Nonpartisan League
are extremely short-sighted-that is if they
are legitimate business men and not connected
with some illegitimate monopoly-for the pro-
gram which the ten constitutional Amend
ments will make possible and the Frazier admin
i%stration carry out, will benefit the legitimate
business interests of this state quite as much
as it will the farmer. A..
In the first place, this is and always will be
primarily an agricultural state. Every business
interest in the state is dependent upon the sue
cess of farming. The farmers themselves
spend the greater part of their money in this
state and would spend more if properly en-
farming more profitable will also increase the
prosperity of every business man who is depend
ent upon the farmer. This is as clear as that
two and two make four. -
It also is clear that the Nonpartisan program
will increase the prosperity of the farmer. This
ed by the last Legislature alone saves the farm
ers of this state $1,000, 900 a year and most of
this money is spent with local merchants. The
efforts Of DR.. Laid, who was kept on his job
solely because of the Frazier administration,
added at least $685. O0, 900 revenue to the farm
O1S VI IlllS SCdL0 ldSL year dlOu0 Oy OOCdlnlnQ a
fixed price of 1920 on wheat instead of $1.85,
as the government price-ixing commission Or
iginally planned.
! But this is only the beginning. Most of the
exploitation of the farmer comes through the
price-juggling and grain grading graft of the
Chicago packers. The farmers of this state are
literally robbed of millions Of dollars every
year by these corrupt special interests. Not
only the farmer loses this money, but so does
the business man of North Dakota. The con-
%struction and operation of state owned flour
mills, terminal elevators and packing plants
a practical plan as the experience of Australia
and other countries demonstrates-wil save
the farmers millions of dollars annually and
they will spend these additional millions with
their home merchants unless they are affronted
by an unreasoning hostility.
Here is another instance where the passage
of the Constitutional Amendments will save
money for both farmer and merchant. More
than 5000, OO0, 900 is now outstanding in the
form of farm mortgages against the land OF
this state. The farmers pay an average rate
of 9 per cent interest on this gigantic sum. This
means that farmers of North Dakota have an
annual interest bill alone of more than $27,OOO,-
900 a year. The establishment of a state rural
credits bank would result in the taking up of
these mortgages and the loaning of money to
farmers and workers-and merchandise a to
AZ per cent interest. This would mean a year
~ saving W IIlS IL GlAo oIo0N w,
500, 900 to SIS, 0 10000, and these millions which
low flow into the Golfers of out-of-the-state
mortgage companies would stay in North Da-
kota and be SPENT WITH THE HOME MER-
CHANT.
It is understandable why corporation attor-
neys, professional politicians, employees OF the
milling and packing combine, railroad agents
and a few bankers who themselves are mortgage
holders and land spectators, should oppose the
league program, for it threatens their selfish
and exhorbitant profits; but there is no logical
reason why a legitimate merchant or business
man should fight the farmers program This
program will make the farmers more prosper
Gus and every legitimate business interest IN
the state will share that increased prosperity.
A far-sighted merchant should assist the farm
er, for by SO doing he would be helping himself.
Legitimate business men who have been
duped by Big Business into fighting its battles
in the first line trenches are standing in their
own light and opposing their W prosperity.
The Advocate would like to infer. that The
Courant hasn't enough courage to say q word
in favor of Hagan, Stair or Martin. As we see
it Hagan, Stair and Martin have everything in
their favor, even the Advocate. AS for The
Courant coming to their "~rescue" as the Advo-
cate says, if it should ever happen that the
aforementioned organ had anything on these
gentleman, the Advocate man might want some
one to come to his rescue" Matt is indeed
very interested in starting something but finds
it impossible with nothing to start an argument
over.
keep the home fires burning by voting for