The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-01-07
ADDRESS TO THELAWMEN'
CALLS FOR CARRYING OUT
PLATFORM PLEDGES
Agricultural Interests Must Be
Considered; Good Roads
Pr. Program
[Continued From Page One

.
Preus delivered his address immedi-
ately after he had taken the oath of
office. Excerpts from his address
follow: That the laws relating to
primary elections are defective is
universally conceded. Any law
which permits party candidate who
is defeated at the primary election of
his party to become candidate OF
another party for the same office at
the ensuing general election is not
only absurd and politically dishonest,
but it makes a mockery of the oaths
of party allegiance voluntarily taken
by all candidates who file at the pri-
mary.
THE republican platform of March
Goth and May Sth, 1920, each speci-
cslly declares in favor of legislation,
providing for the nomination of party
candidates by the convention system
and prohibiting the misuse OF the
party name. Legislation covering
these points should be promptly
passed. The convention system can
be easily safeguarded at its source
by requiring delegates to be elected
by the primary method, and by hav-
ing the returns of the election of the
delegates officially 'canvassed and
declared, contests can be eliminated
and honest conventions fully repre-
senting the people assured.
Legislators Without Party Designation
Under our law members of the
legislature are elected without party
designation. This is a paradox. Poll
2 teal parties are a necessity in rep
resentative government, and will ex
list whether recognized by law or not.
To illustrate, an organization exists
in Minnesota the foundation of which
is political. Not only has it avoided
recognition as a political party, thus
evading the legal obligation of every
political organization to give due
publicity to its expenditures, but it
has deliberately disregarded and ig-
nored the will Of the majority of a
great political party as expressed at
the primary election. At the last
primary election, it undertook to
, mate its candidates on the re.
publican ticket and failing to do so
caused its candidates names to be
printed upon the election ballot as
nominated by petition.
Il call attention to this fact to
show whether the law provides for
the recognition OF political parties or
not, they will exist just the same.
The overshadowing issue in the re-
cent political contest was the econo-
mic problem relating to the market
ing of farm products. The disparity
between the sums paid the farmer
for his raw products and the prices
paid by The consumer for the finished
article is too great.
State Republican Platform.
"The republican party, to which l
owe allegiance, placed in its platform
the following plank:
1--WE believe that the practical So
luton OF all farm production and
marketing problems is along the line
Of continued development of coop
Grafton, and we are unalterably op-
posed to the socialist scheme of dis
carding CO. operation and substituting
the DANGEROUS plan of state owner
ship Which of these plans should
be followed in order, to aid the farm
er and the consumer was the princi
pal issue in the recent campaign. BY
a very substantial majority the CO.
operative plan was endorsed.
Agricultural development is mark
ed by three periods: Production.
Distribution, Manufacture. Minneso-
second stage. They desire, not only
to remain producers. but to become
themselves a part OF the marketing
machinery. The American Farm
Bureau Federation embraces a mem
bership OF. approximately one and a
half million farmers while the Min
nesota Farm Bureau Federation has
at present an approximate farmer
membership of forty five thousand
nafnrn fhncn frrn afinnc fhora
are three proposals intended to ena-
BILE the farmers to definitely enter the
second period and become distribut-
ors of their own products:
First: That the farmers,
through a system of collective
sale of their produce, establish
their own distributing exchanges
and thereby bring their produce
directly to tine manufacturer.
Second: That the farmer or
ganize stock corporations. stock
to be held by the farmers them
selves or by their own local CO.
operative units, the distribution
of profits to be made upon the
basis of stock held by an individ-
ual or a local CO. operative unit;
the cooperative unit however to
distribute its profits upon a pat
ronage basis IL desired, such
the exchanges of the terminal
markets.
Third: That the farmers or
ganize purely cooperative or
mutual selling agencies to have
memberships in the terminal ex-
changes, such agencies to make
their distribution of profits ac-
cording to the patronage of the
farmer member of such a coop
erative selling agency.
1.-THE first two plans need no legis-
.lation. / believe that the second plan
is a practical one and that you will
redeem the pledges made in the re-
cent campaign if you will instruct
the State Department Of agriculture
to assist the farmers in organizing
local and terminal CO. operative
selling agencies. and in addition
thereto equip the department with
means and experts to make such as
distance efficient and effective.
1.-THE department Of agriculture in
conjunction with farmers CO. opera
tive organizations might develop a
grain selling exchange Minnesota
has approximately four hundred CO.
operative elevators. II group Of