The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-07-02
THE WEEK
The Minnesota Primary
France and lTkrainia
65 per cent for Farmers;
1856 for Trusts
Courts Upholds Grain Act
Soldier Editor Acquitted

Courts Upholds Grain Act
Soldier Editor Acquitted
Incomplete returns on the primary
election in Minnesota would indicate
the candidates put up by the farmer
labor alliance has failed to capture the
Republican nomination by from 5000
to 5000 votes. The ticket of the COM
mon people carried 81 of the sc coun-
ties in the state, but the maporities
piled up by the farmers were not suf-
ficient to overcome the machine vote
in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth.
Thousands of votes were probably
stolen by the 100 per cent Americans
in these cities and other places. Elec-
ton judges appear to have been in
structed throughout the state to throw
out watchers Of the count on the tech
meal ground that only the Republican
machine could appoint challengers.
Other factors against victory in the
cities were recent organization, direct
action propaganda and the lack Of
means for publicity to reach the city
man who does not 60 to meetings and
has only the kept press to read.
The farmers and workers have,
however, renominated their two con-
gressmen and gained one, perhaps
two, more, and they have nominated
three fourths of their candidates for
the legislature. They will have Il
farmer-labor ticket in the field in the
fall and the spirit with which they
have fought and will fight is well ex-
pressed by the statement Of Doctor
Shipstead, who has lost the nomina-
ton for governor:
II have conducted clean campaign
on principles and issues affecting Min
nesota and lay my defeat to the
handicap of lack OF newspape sup
port and lack of money for publicity
purposes. But | bow to the will Of
the people, firm in the belief that
truth will go marching on to eventual
victory.
PERSONALLY have no rancor. |
wish the people of Minnesota we'll.
This fight was struggle of workers
against the iron heel The iron heel
is on ton. | would rather 20 to de-
feat with the toilers of Minnesota
than march to victory with the kais-
ers of the steel trust
In book entitled "Our Undeclared
War" edited by several prominent
writers, including William Allen
White of Kansas and Rev. John A.
Ryan, we find great deal of new
information dealing with the Russian
question. Perhaps one of the most
interesting items is the order deliv-
cred by Genera Berthalot to the
Ukrainian government in 1919.
At that time Ukrainia was indie
pendent of the Soviet government and
was attempting to get aid from the
allies to maintain it's independence,
but in return for aid the allies Of
fered the following conditions:
/. Resignation Of prominent men,
bers of the Ukrainian directory.
2. Control Of railway lines by
French high authorities.
8. French control of finances for
their qualification"
!. In case of the fall of kiev the
Ukrainian government shall be I'M
mediately transferred to Odessa.
5. The supreme command OF the
Ukrainian armies shall be held by the
French.
6. An ironclad promise to wage
war aaginst the Bolsheviks.
The statements winds up with the
following piece of diplomatic Ian
guage: 1.-The request Of the Ukra,n'an
government to France shall be based
on confidence in the French, on their
magnanimity and their historic
glory"
We have been told that Bolshevik
propaganda has an unexplainable
rupting armies, but if the allies
Russia in the fashion noted above, il
would appear that Russia didn't need
more than the terms of her peace
council enemies to win the victories
she has.
In this particular case Ukrainians
mutinetl to receive the Soviet armies
and within two months the French
high command asked and got |:
hours armistice by grace OF thu
Odessa city Soviet to leave the town
Probably no one will accuse tn
Wall Street Journal of socialism o.
exaggeration of farm losses: hence
we might assume that the stool
spectators favorite paper is on tn
safe side Of the truth when it says
in its issue of June l6, that price
on farm products are today only 81
per cent more than in 1914, but on tn
goods which the farmer must bu!
from the city there has been an av
erage increase of 1856 per cent owe
the same period.
"The period of 1914 and 1920 show
that hogs advanced in price rs pc
cent; corn-fed beeves about as pc
cent; cows and heifers SO per cent
the best beef steers Sc per cent
while in the same time manufacturer
articles, such as shoes and clothing
jumped between 100 and 225 pc
cent"
The journal offers no explanation
for this condition, but the last fou
years it has been assuring its reader
that the Northwest farmers had NJ
grievances and were being misled b.
wild agitators, and that the only so
luton for business difficulties Was
more work on the farms and the de
struction of organized labor in tn
cities. 1t has always been cocksur