Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-10-18
A LETTER FROM sTAR6Uck
Starbuck, Mimi, Oct. IL, 1872

A LETTER FROM sTARBUck 3
s<. Starbuck, MINI, Oct. Il, 1922.
Editor Willmar Tribune: 81
I am sending you this article as a
reply to an article Senator Gandrud
had in your paper this spring, if you
will he kind enough to give space in
your paper for it. I will try to be
very brief. To begin with Mr.. Gand-
rud stated that he was not writing his
article> from the standpoint of a can
d1date as he was not candidate for
reelection. I was wondering at the
time if Mr.. Gandrud did not have an
axe to grind and have found out sin
&c that I was right in my conclusions
as have found out now that he is
again candidate. In the first part
of his article I fully agree with Mr.
Gandrud's statement. He describes
absolutely correctly the deplorable
condition of the farmers He says that
when agriculture is prosperous most
every other business or industry is
prosperous" He pictures in his ar
ticle SO we'll the deplorable condition
that the producers are working under
the present time. Yes, he gives the
ailments that we are suffering with,
but he fails entirely in my opinion to
prescribe remedy. He says 'sWe OBJ
serve that great many farmers to-
day are hopelessly in debt. bankrupt.
Prices on farm equipment, implements
and other things the farmers have to
buy did not come down in price any
where near what the farm products
did. So called big Business must
come down to a decent basis. Give the
people fair deal. Big business has as
a rule recklessly ignored and lacked
proper consideration for the agricul-
tural industry. This and whole lot
Of other things that Mr.. Gandrud says
about big Biz" is the absolute truth,
and is just what we said all the time.
Up to this point Mr.. Gandrud and I
we agree also: He says, "It will not
do for a moment to forget that senti-
ment which for instance Mr.. Townley
organized and exploited was in exist
ence long before he was ever heard
of and will remain after he has left
the stage unless the conditions that
created it are removed. The spirit OF
protest on the farm is no new thing. -
And then he names different Organiza
tons that have sprung up at different
times, namely the Grange movement
the Populist party and others which
ali worked for the same cause, name
: ly for the betterment of the common
people. These were all defeated. not
because they did not work for good
cause, but because OF the power the
big trusts have got thru the wealth
they have robbed the common people
or From here on Mr.. Gandrud and
] disagree. He says IF we retrace
the steps, say for instance, three OF
four decades, we will find that the
trouble is less with the attitude OF
Government towards agriculture than
with business toward agriculture. 1t is
not SO much government vi which
lots OF farmers have become suspi
cious, but business. big Biz" as be
has been taught to call it, Can it be
Mr.. Gandrud, that you do not know
after having been in politics as Ions
as you have, that Big Biz (that is diff
ferent big trusts) control our govern
ment and therefore practically is GU
government. You ought to know tina
both the Republican and the Demo
cratic parties have outgrown their use
fulness, as far as being a benefacto
of the common people and tn lat the,
are now in the hands of combina
ton of grafters who are sucking tn
life blood out of this nation, as yo1
admit yourself when you say that GU
farmers Of the northwest "are hope
lessly in debt, virtually bankrupt.
You want to pose as friend of tn
farmers and you accuse Big Biz of be
ing unfair to the farmers, when il
fact you know that it is our govern
ment under the control of Big Bi
Mr.. Gandrud says: 'For some year
we know that men of affairs of thi
northwest have been raising thei
hands in holy horror at the specter G
state socialism. In this they have bee
right. indeed there is nothing in stat
socialism for the farmers" Anothe
misleading statement trying to lin
the league and socialism together
Trying to scare farmers away fro1
the League by shouting socialism.
Mr.. Gandrud puts great stress O
that it is alright for farmers to belon
to different cooperative organization
but for goodness sake keep out of po
itics. l will have accomplished m
aim if by this article have been abl
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This;s The @ s