Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-12-06
DIR. d

the editor OF that paper, q statement
OF his views on public questions and
what he expects to accomplish in
the senate. The text Of that state
Herald. It will be of interest to North
Dakota renders as indicating the
attitude of the man whom they have
just elected to the United states SEN
ate on a number Of issues Of consid-
cradle importance. (. NJ
The first and Introductory part of
DR.. Ladd'S statement may be dismiss
ed with the comment that it is based
! on the familiar and false conception
! of a population divided into two an
tagonistic groups-the, farmers, who,
in a spirit of seli-sacrificing devotion,
persist in their effort to feed the
world; and all other persons, these
latter. INSTEAD Of experiencing the
gratitude which they ought to feel
toward their benefactors, are band
ed together in an unholy conspiracy
to degrade and enslavc those who
supply them with the bread which
they eat. 1t is no news that DIR.
Ladd is fully committed TO this doc
, trine.
In the latter part of his article the
senator-elece furnishes a bill of par
ticulars, enumerat.ng, item by item,
the issues which he conceiyes to be
supremacy important, and the sort Of
treatment which he thinks would be
given to each. For tho convenience
! of the reader reference is made to
these items by the numbers which DIR.
Ladd a given them in his article.
No. hight to cooperate. The
right of farmers, or of anybody; else,
to cooperate, Is not questioned any
where. Agricultural cooperation has
been in successful operation in this
country since long before DIR. Ladd be-
came a public man. We have illus
trations of this in cooperative cream
cries, elevators, f~ruit-growers' asso-
Citations and many others; and the
law imposes no limits On the extent Of
their operations. IN what concrete
case has legislation to facilitate the
work of cooperative. bodies been de-
MED or opposed?
i No. 2-Labeling.s The truthful
labelling of commodities is an excellent
thing. DIR. Ladd has to hisscredit a
good deal Of useful work in this
direction: He has detracted from the
value of his own work by extreme
and flnicky' demands, in some cases
illegal, and in others merely cumber-
some and annoying.
No. 3-Farm Loans. The govern
ment can loan nc money to anyone
without first collecting that money
from its people. The funds which it
collects Tor its W use must be so
deposited that they will be available
without question and on short notice.
Outside Of this the government can
act as q money loaner only by oper
ating as the agent between the owner
and the borrower. To the owner It
1853 SAASA 'SoNAA 81 N WAA1 w
attractive or the money will not be
forthcoming. From the borrower 4.
must collect as much interest as 1t
pays, plus necessary operating costs.
1t must require ample security, and
must take into account, as every
banker must the elements which cause
loans to differ from each other>~in
character. If DR.. Ladd has in mind
a loan plan which violates these ole
mentary principles he will probably
be unable to achieve it; and if he
should achieve it it would fail.
No. 4, 5-Farm tenancy and home
owning. These paragraphs present
merely platitudes except for the UNI
fortunate reference to the North Da-
kota home building law. which has
been a screaming farce.
Nos. 6, 7-Pro1teering, gambling,
etc. DR.. Ladd adopts the easy plan
here Of generalizing without specify
ing.
No, s-Land Banks. This is a repe
tition of Paragraph 8.
No. s-Protecting Labor. A vague
and harmless platitude.
10. 10-League of Nations. DIR
Laid declares himself in favor of the
right kind of League Of. Nations
Most people believe in that. But We
have no light on what is considered
the right sort of League.
No. 11-Free Press, etc. Does DR.
Ladd consider resistance to the auth.
GRITTY of the government in time of wa,
to be a political offense or a plain
crime? Does he consider incitemen'
to violence included in the right o,
free speech?
No. 12.-Personal Responsibility
If DR.. Ladd has any specific sugges.
lions to make On this topic they will
be welcomed by the p%ublic.~-If HI
has observed the course Of events at
tentively he has noted hat officer,
and directors OF corporations are ofte,
indicted, arrested and placed on tria
on charges of criminal conduct. Thi
shows that the law does not hole
such persons amenable, in a yer,
large number Of cases, just as it hold
individuals not connected with cor
porations. Sometimes these accuse.
persons have been convicted, sentenc
ed and imprisoned. Tin other cases
through no defect In the law, BIZ
J through what may be the perversit.
OF juries, they. have been declare,
= not guilty. would%Dr Tadd s,,hstft,,+
something else for the jury system