The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-01-23
ANTI-LEACUE WRITER
IGNORANT OF FACTS
NEW YORK TIMES PRINTS FOOL
ISH STORY AGAINST ORGA-
MED FARMERS.

st. Paul.-An article entitle
Fraud and Terrorism of the Nonpar
tisan League" appearing in the Jan
uary 4 issue of the New York Times
and since widely copied by other pa
Nonpartisan league headquarters here
League leaders point out that tn
article, which is by Charles A. Sci
den, said to be former Paris cores
pondent Of the Times, is so filled witt
gross errors Of fact that it can do thu
League no harm. Mr.. Selden claims
to have been to North Dakota befor
he wrote the article, but this is doubt
ed because of the following outrigh
Measurements, a few of the many h,
makes:
He speaks of a Irregular 1918 ses.
sion" of the North Dakota legislature
There was no such session. The leg
islature meets in regular session ev'
cry other year only.
ONLY FARMERS IN LEAGUE
He says the League has enrolled
100000 laborers" in Minnesota, I'M
der plan of taking in industrial
workers both union and nonunion.
The League admits to membership
none but farmers and has not enrolled
10000 or any other number of labor
ers in Minnesota.
He claims that practically all but
League papers" have been driven out
of North Dakota. Of nine daily pa
pers in the state the League or it's
members own or control two, one 9TH
er is friendly 10 the League pro-
gram and four are aggressively hos
tile to the farmers organization and
program, fighting it from every angle.
The other two dailies attempt to be
neutral, but are more often against
League measures and policies than
otherwise.
He claims not zone iota" of the
League program has been carried out
in North Dakota, despite the fact that
the Bank Of North Dakota has been
operating for seven months; the fact
that the League program hail insur-
ance law was in operation last year,
saving farmers $5,000,000; the fact
that the state has been operating
flour mill for seven months; the fact
that the League program grain law
has been in operation two years. This
is not mentioning number of other
League program laws in actual oper-
alton.
IGNORANT ON COURT
He says a majority of the judges
of the supreme court fare appointees
of Governor Frazier" Governor Fra
zier has appointed no supreme court
Judge. All were elected by the peo-
pie.
He says North Dakota taxes have
increased fourfold. This is false He
pretends to give the 1913 levy" and
the 1919 levy" in six North Dakota
but the figures he gives are
on which the tax levy
is figured and of course absolutely
worthless so far as they throw light
on the 1918 and 1919 taxes, because
The TAX LEVIES against these valu-
atoms for those years are not given.
North Dakota has adopted the plan
IF valuing property for taxation at
LOO in place Of Is to IS per cent Of
true value as formerly. This, of
course, has increased VALUATIONS,
3ut the Increased valuations will pro-
luce the same revenue with a LOWER
TAX LEVY, so that unless both valu-
atoms and tax levy are stated the
igures are useless. Also Mr.. Selden
abels the valuation as 'levies," thus
Ireating the impression that the huge
stated were raised by taxa
ion, instead Of their being merely the
value and not the tax reve-
ilte.