Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-05-20
EDITOR REBuKES
LEAGUE ENEMIES
Reveals Motives of Traducers
Of Nonpartisan Movement
and Praises Farmers
{James M. Pierce in The Iowa
HomeStead.)

Mot only during the war, but ever
since the armistice was signed, a most
amazing campaign of suspicion and
hatred has been carried on in this
country through the newspapers. So
long as this sort of propaganda could,
during the war, be attributed to hys-
terical fear or misguided patriotism, it
could be and was in a large measure
excused and condoned by thousands of
thinking people, who from the first re-
garded it as wholly un-American and
entirely uncalled for. But now that
the war is over, what excuse or honest
reason can be offered for the present
Incorporate rawlings concerning a
falsely charged '%disloyalty'' of the
farmers in different sections Of the
country, and especially of the farmers
of the Northwest? To my mind, one
of the meanest and lowest pieces of
work that the profteering interests
have ever tried to put over (not ex-
cepting the theft of millions of dollars
of the peoples money during the wary,
has been their planned and studied
propaganda to blacken the character
of the farmers of the Northwest in the
eyes of the rest of the nation.
There is Il well-considered purpose
in this propaganda, which is not read
lily apparent to thousands of readers.
who daily accept as truth the doctored
news with which the newspapers
are supplied by the foes of the organ
lied farmers. Really intelligent people
well know why the legislative pro-
grams Of the farmers of North Dakota
and other western states are so bit
terly opposed. They know that the
carrying out of these programs means
the death of the grain-dealing privi-
leges. the mining thefts, the lumber
and coal CRAFTS. the political ring, and
q dozen other organized. thefts. bv
means Of which the protiteers have for
years and years been robbing the farm
ers of the northwest to the tune of
hundreds of millions of dollars annu.
ally. One need not be an advocate
of the particular legislative measures
that the farmers Of the northwest are
putting through, in order to be able
to see through and understand the
wicked animus and tiendish dishon-
esty OF the big-interest propaganda.
that is being put forth through a cor
rupted press against the farmers of
that section.
A Question of Right.
The farmers of other sections of
the country may not believe in state
owned public facilities and public utili-
ties of any kind. for the protection
of the farmers and the consuming Dub
lie from wholesale robberies; tn ey
may not believe in state-owned ter
minal elevators, stockyards and mar
ket places Gas they now have them in
North Dakota), through which the
farmers can handle and market their
grain and livestock, free from the ex-
tortions of the spectators and the
profiteers; they may not believe in a
state-owned mill (such IS North Da-
kota now has), where che farmers can
have their grain ground into flour at
cost, free from the extortions and
OlOdlS III bhS SLCdt 1b1il1u6 SOHlDllS,
that has for a long time existed and
fiourished in the twin cities; they may
not believe in a state-owned bank
(such as North Dakota now has), from
which the farmers can secure loans of
money at less than z per cent interest
per annum, as against the 8, 10 and in
some cases IL per cent which they for
H. . - ~ -, - ---E4tL
a state should take possession of and
operate coal mines for the benefit and
protection Of the people, as WAS done
by Governor Frazier, of North Dakota,
during the recent conl strike; they may
not believe in II liberal compensation
law for the soldier boys In the liite war