The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-12-09
Ito nc continutd1
(ContInned from page twol


More than these boobies, however. is
the financial support which the po-
litical machine indirectly takes from
the pockets of people themselves.
County office, state offices, postoffice
appointees and the like are used in
two ways:
l. They constitute the backbone Of
party worker organization. Each in
cumbent big or little must be a tire
less agitator and gather around him
a political following in the time and
on the salary which the people pay
for
2. Public printing, read contracts.
the building of public buildings. care
of the poor, the dependent and the in
sane, education are all made to func-
tion for the machine with little re-
gard for public interest.
Obviously the League candidates
can not dip into the Doodle funds of
special privilege. Obviously, too,
they do not have the advantage" of
misuse of public Office. Privilege pays
for electing it's ticket because it is
worth while to do so. The farmer
must do the same.
When the fees collected by ordinary
workmen for protecting organization
are considered, not to mention the
dues of chambers of commerce. trade
organizations and commercial clubs,
the SO year needed by the Nonpart-
izan League looks small
A railroad conductor pays $50 or.
more year to protect his job. The
machinlst pays s24, with extra as
sessments as his organization may
need them. In fact nearly every or.
ganized worker pays more than 50
year, not counting what they pay for
insurance benefits. And the farmer
has not only his labor to protect but
an Investment in land. machinery and
personal property. Many a banker
who is telling the farmer not to con-
tribute money for organization, spends
from $50 to $500 a year for the same
purpose because he knows organiza-
tion PAYS Nearly every small city
commercial club employing a secre-
tary charges the merchants and others
S25 to 500 a year. and in addition
each of these belongs to several other
protective organizations.
The farmers livestock, dairy pro-
ducts. grain and vegetables are as
much property as the possessions Of
the great trusts. The distribution of
property between citizens is the re-
suit of law. The trusts know this,
and by their control of the law-mak-
ing and law-enforcfng bodies they
have contrived to transfer vast
amount of the property of farmers,
workingmen and small business men
to their own accounts. Almost every
one realizes that this IS great reason
why honest producers do not get
ahead faster, and all producers should
realize that this grossly unfair dis
tribution of the products of toll can
not be stopped, not to mention the
undoing Of the injustice already done,
unless they. rather than the trusts,
control the law-making and law-en-
forcing functions.
North Dakota has proved that this
great change can be made if the
farmers stick as well to the job as do
the trusts and their fiunkies. Those
who are robbed far outnumper the
robbers. The North Dakota farmer
has paid for his freedom from nob-
berry and he knows that it is worth a
hundred times the money and effort
expended.
ALI income and expenditures of the
League are carefully audited each
month. and it's accounts are open for
the inspection of accredited represen-
tatives of any group of farmer men,
bers. Statements are not published
because this would give the opposi-
tion information of what the League
was doing and planned to do.
CONTINUED next week)