The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-02-05

NSS Va La ACkVNS
l am the Captain of my Soul
WHY so MEDDLESOME?
What business is it of the Mime
apolis Chamber of Commerce what
disposition North Dakota farmers
make of their wheat or livestock? Is
it not as legitimate for farmers to
distribute the products of their farms
al to raise them?
The fact that Twin City interests
are concerned about the farmers or
ganization is apparent.
The farmers purpose is to put a
stop to the graft that has annually
mulched them out of millions of dol
lars, and which will enable them to
enjoy the equivalent of that graft for
better living, for making farm i'm
provements, etc.
Moreover, the business men of the
state should be as deeply concerned
in the success Of the farmers organ
ization as the farmers themselves,
and for the reason, that the less
graft the farmer is subjected to, the
mor money he will have to spend with
local business firms. It is an anomal-
Gus condition therefore that the ur-
ban population Of the state should
oppose their own best interests by op-
posing the farmers only remedy
against being robbed of their light
mate share of the wealth they pro-
duce. Especially so, when the farmers
surplus money, the money thus saved
is spent in the town where he does
his trading. p
If business men could prosper, in
dependent Of the farmers it would be
different, But they cannot. They are
absolutely dependent on the farmers
trade, and instead of supporting the
foreign interests that depress the
market for agricultural products IN
til farmers have but little money to
spend, they should support the farm
ers' cause that they themselves may
enjoy greater prosperity. In short the
town people stand in their own light
and jeopardize their own prosperity
when they give their support to the
politicians and monopolistic interests
that would reduce the farmers of the
state to the condition Of peasants.
It is time, therefore, that those who
are dependent on. the farmers for
their prosperity, cease their hostility
to the farmers defensive measures.
For that is all that the so called Lea
que program contains, defense against
the commissions exacted by unneces-
sary middlemen and grain and live
stock neutrality-suspicious. that
leave the farmers only about thirty
five cents of the consumers dollar.
They absorb the balance.
All the kept press rantings about
Townleyisrn, bolshevism, and a social
ism is beside the question. Those cpl
thets are simply applied in lieu of a
dignified discussion of the laws enact
ed by the Legislative Assembly under
mandate of the majority Of the voters
of the state. In other words, politics
and not economic principles absorb the
attention of the I. v. A. press, and the
town people fall for it. Would it be
very Inconsistent, under the circum-
stances, if farmers were to dispense
as far IS possible with the services of
such as oppose their interests?
Are town people so important that
they can compel the patronage of
farmers while applying to them vile
epithets as well as aiding and abetting
the politicians who r working over
time in the interests of the vampires
that would suck the wealth out Of the
state? Think it over, Mr.. Merchant!
Every dollar taken from the producer
on account of unfair market conditions
loses you the prospective profit on
that dollar. On the other hand the
more money farmers realize for their
products the more money they will
have to spend with you.
And SO far as you Mr.. Merchant,
lay claim to unfairness on account of
being taxed to support state controlled
industries, please remember that your
taxes are added to the price of your
EoSSE1 AZ tl1LS 1ySCA CooLOlAAIIo. ISCAiy
pay your taxes along with your other
overhead expenses. You have, there
fore, mighty little to complain of in
the matter Of taxes while the farmers.
who support you, have a real griev-
ance against every enc of your kind
who uses his vote and influence to,
hep the INSCRIPTIONS corporations to-
continue their strange hold upon the
farmers of the state. For every dollar
the farmer earns, but does not get the
speculative gran and livestock oligar-
schy gets a dollar it does not earn.
Would it not he more sensible, there
fore to turn a deaf ear to the mouth
ing Of professional politicians and al
work together for the general vel
fare-for the largest degree Of pros
perity Tor farmers and towns people
sAlske-rscognizing the material rights
of MI ard infringing upon the legiti
naate rights ono one whether he H.