The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-07-31
GANG EDITORS.
BOYCOTT L. :

VOASA LA GN01ON OE TtANMG0SO
COOPERATIVE PAPERS is.
IMPERATIVE
ion has arisen in North Da-
kot4 "a makes it imperative that
every {6unty in the state be covered
immediately with a farmer owned pa
per. The opposition papers are openly
announcing that they will shut off all
news Of the su. cess Of the North Da-
kota public ownership laws. A scheme
to boYH all the news of the success
of the3new laws is to be worked out
at the annual meeting Of the North
Dakota Press association in Mandan
August 8 and 9. The association is a
political machine composed of editors
Of the gang newspapers of the state.
The gang-owned press is brazenly
boasting that it will not publish any
news Of the success Of the new laws
unless it is paid advertising rates. This
policy combined with its old practice
Of deliberately misrepresenting the
program of the farmers mean that
thousands of voters throughout the
state will be cut off from the facts
regarding the operation Of the new
laws, their minds will be deliberately
poissned and entirely false Impress
ions viii be implanted with the hope
that they can be misled into electing
msn who will repeal these laws md
throw the state back into the hands Of
tho he business interests at the first
Oppoxtmity. s~y
HoW ~ the opposition will 60 in
the Woi1k of destruction was openly
ca1Ansed . few days ago by . gang
daily which stated editorially that the
present passaGn Of League laws only
made that many more laws for the
independent voters" to undo when
they got hack into power. There is
not the slightest doubt but tAak the
election Of an opposition legislathre
would result In the wholesale de-
struction Of the great public enter
prises built up with the painful effort
Of years by the organised farmers,
that these utilities would be sold to
the highest bidder no matter how
great Had been their success from the
viewpoint Of the people, and that the
Minneapolis Chamber Of Commerce
would again have this state by the
throat. ~ ISL. NM,
This means that the Opposition WIN
resort to the full use Of its most pow
erful weapon, it's press, III q supreme
effort to destroy the new democracy
Of North Dakota. It means that the
farmers will have to counter with
their mightiest weapon, their press,
and that they will have to increase
the power Of this press to the fullest
extent to hold the ground they have
won and advance to the full compile
tion Of their program.
Besides string Of daily papers, the
opposition in this state has more than
$50 weekly papers. This is an average
Of at least three to county. These
uaper, 70 into every village and ham
III 81 The state and reach an over
whelming majority Of the voters
They reach thousands Of voters who
never hear the farmers side OF the
great issues and whose prejudices are
moulded wholly by the opposition. Il
is those thousands Of citizens who hear
only one side of the question that the
opposition press counts on cutting Oh
from I'll news Of the success Of the
new laWs and upon giving an entire
" false impression Of their workings
The only remedy for this condition
Il 70 establish papers comparatively
owned and run by farmers IN each
county d the state. This plan Is being
pushed to completion as rapidly a.
possible. The full cooperation OF every
person IN the state interested IA the
free press owned and controlled BY
the people Is needed not only to put
papers IN the remaining counties, but
% assist IN extending their circulation
IS tho Thousands Of North Dakota cit.
ixens w1lo are now able to hear only
one sids. 6 pnblic questions.
Not only must the farmers press
offset tAe pernicious influence Of hos.
GaI4 CO00JY W00RuO9 UAAO 0AsV NsassS -
he daily paSers of the opposition from
this, state and from big centers hke
1ffSneepolis outside the state, which
IS HI The homes Of Thousands Of VIC
timise4 iaixens. So thoroughly do tn
biz rul interests understand ths
irnportanSa g newspapers to perpet'
uate thedr IN at they have pracic'
slly covered Svery home in Amsrics
With their pro1tiitptpd dope sheetl
tAa$ sxist solely ~ hold people u sub
juga&ion.
There ars $500 daily papers Of thi'
kind. They have co1nbned circula'
! don d 10000, 900. n addition there
- fhs ianumerable wes1dy peper'
shat reach practically every mily'
These cqinbned publicatichs - IN r.
essential basis ee ~ imdustzial INTO
e1acy 81 Asns ich rules ~ con
trolling 4 y pclii 4 opinions 9 t
mass. thy tiitute pOwer IN
euntrolling ppions vast gressll