The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-01-02
AN IDEA

1A> DA1A r
But come to think about it isn't it funny that
they should lock up a man just because he ex-
pressed an idea? Everybody will admit that it
is not the man but the idea that is doing the
harm. Why then not let the man go and lock up
the idea? Besides, men do not make ideas. They
get them. And when an idea gets a fellow, it
gets him to hold and to keep.
Luckily there are not many ideas in this
world and in ordinary times most people are
immune to them, otherwise this country would
have to issue a billion dollar liberty loan every
week to support the people in jail.
I say again: 1t is all wrong to lock up the man
and let the idea go. The man may rot in prison,
but the idea goes merrily on it's way attacking
innocent people, making them slaves, proselytes
and martyrs. And the more people are locked
up on account Of that idea, the buster the idea
people will ask why? Then some one will tell
them about the idea and by and by most every
body will catch the idea like the 'flu" and then
they usually lock up the man who caught
the idea in the first place.-Oscar Ameringer.
Somehow our respect for law and order was
MT increased a bit when we learned the other
day that a young girl of Is was sentenced
to 20 years for the very doubtful offense of at
lacking our governments policy in Russia and
that one of the defendants with her had lost
his life under third degree methods. Then we
notice, too, how the cases brought against Lea
que leaders are, proving to be frame-ups, just
as the League declared from the first. On top
of this we notice still further that the govern
ment can not "find" any of the criminals guilty
of the atrocious Bisbee deportations or of other
mob violence against. farmers and organized
workers. Are we crazy, or is there something
rotten in America upstairs? -
According to the CAB of the special interests,
ovrx " 1irhfc IEo rr1 l. IF tho YnoiO1sifv rt,0-
lection of the law, free speech and free assem-
blage and liberty to organize, have become so
cialistic and consequently they are justified in
depriving people of these rights by hook or
crook, mostly crook. So many good things, in
fact Indispensable things, are declared social
site these days, that the word is getting respect
able among the common people. It's the thing
and not the lame that counts with those twho
have their eyes open.
To be considered prosperous the business man
has to meet all expenses, including salary for
himself and interest on the investment, and
have more or less left over which is known as
net profit. But the farmer is considered pros
porous without reason for kicking so long as he
can hold on to the old place. That is why the big
papers can find so much farm prosperity and
why the farmers can't find it. The farmers
have begun to ask for a little net profit such as
business, big and little, demands. 7
ae .=r#" 49, E@ #@& @Ag@&@##&#@@#E
How afraid many Of our prominent writer's
are of the "evils of prosperity" We are still
hearing about how a press agent once discover
ed a piano in a miser's shanty, and now they are
viewing with alarm the fact that some farmers
are using jitneys in their work. Who can say
but that this anxiety accounts for the profit
GERS and monopolists They wish to save the
people by taking all the evil on themselves.
Charlie Schwab of the Bethlehem Steel cor
p~oration, known among his associates as the
Star of Bethlehem" declared at a recent splute
convention at Atlantic City that he likedlabor
unions if they are run right. But what working
man or farmer would want an organization
that satisfied the plutes? They can get Just as
much as such an organization would offer with
no organization at all.
While we profess inability to pass upon such
q delicate question: as outlawing red Tags or red
petticoats even, We are absolutely certain that
it would be spssendid M speopale
abolish red-no6ed politicians.
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