The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-09-09
the proper and lasting remedy for So
cial md economic unrest,

cial and economic unrest.
In view of the present political stu
alton it is interesting to note that
among the writer's of the day who
sounded such warnings was the pres
ent executive secretary Of the indie
pendent Voters association, Theodore
G. Nelson. AS editor of the Equity
Farm Journal as early as 1910 he saw
the threatening cloud ON the horizon,
predicted a coming propaganda in
favor Of state ownership, warned the
public Of the dangers in it and advo-
Gated voluntary commercinl and indus
trial cooperation as the logical rem.
edy for social and economic unrest.
Discussing "life problems which are
seriously menacing. fraught with
grave danger to national efficiency
and prosperity" Equity Farm Jour
nal, Oct. IS, 1870. Mr.. Nelson. gave
utterance to what is now more than a
prophecy:
"1his menacing unrest will. in
less time perhaps than most of us
perceive. express itself in some
sweeping popular movement. In
cidents have occurred and are &C.
curing that somewhat Justify the
fear that the people in their de-
termination to have a change and
in their excitement may turn to
revolutionary remedies"
Most men at the time pOohpOOhed
the idea as Il chimerical dream of Il
frantic brain; or they admitted the
future possibility Of such calamity but
cOntented themselves with the philOs-
ophy of Louis NV of France: after
US the flood"
How accurate Mr.. Nelson was in his
estimate of what the future had in
store we know now. But he was still
more definite in suggesting how this
condition of affairs would be handled
by INSCRIPTIONS agitators, as, turning
again to the same issue Of the Equity
Farm Journal, we find:
seven worse, this spirit Of wide
SitSuu ulIlCSI Cil NC W
account by every delnagoguc, Gre
ating legislation and directing the
ms. chinery of government. In fact,
venal professional politicians
steadily and Systematically fan
this blaze into political activity"
And what irony is there not. in view
IF ,opnrf o,-onkc, In N,,t1 TNn1.nfo Or1
adjoining states, in the following di-
rect continuation:
'They (the professional politi-
cians) will propose fanatical rem
edies, not at all with hope Of bet
ter!ng present conditions in the
least-their occupation would be
gone did they do that-but as
a mean of toll and tribute for sell
fish ends"
This may be termed political proph-
ecy with a vengeance.
We need no profound student of pO-
litical history to tell lis that North
Dakota at the present time is being
gradually and rapidly strangled by the
most vicious political spoils system
since statehood. Even the looter of
Alaska in his palmiest days did not
dare such wholesale raids III the cOf-
fers and the taxable resources of the
state. And Mckenzie had at any rate
the decency not to carry out his polit-
ical schemes and financial transac-
tons under the guise Of political and
economic reforms.
In this respect there is only one
thing to be said in favor of Townley-
ism: The present king bee in the
political life Of the state and his chief
assistants have such contempt for the
average intelligence of the public TINT
they do not even try to cover up their
trail as did the old line political ex.