The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-04-10

Bismarck, April 8, 1925.

Bismarck. April ., 1928.
Editor Tribune:
And now comes the LaMoure
Chronicle criticizing the Richland
County Farmer for having said that
little or nothing has yet been done
by way of relief legislation for the
farmer. Publisher Taylor even per-
mits himself to feign indignation at
such repeated prcposterous state
ments that the farmer could be BEN
Gifted by legislation and calls 1t
"bunk." >.
Now, have often wondered how
otherwise sane and reasonable men
can allow themselves to. fall for such
patent counterfeit-coined phrases as
"you can't legislate prosperity Up
on closer analysis fear this DE.
serves no better term than bunk
The fact of the matter is that legls-
lation has more to do with prosperity
than any single thing in the world. :,
Z Do we not boast in press and
speech, from platform and pulpit Of
enjoying the best government and
the best laws in the universe right
here in U. S. A., and that this coupled
with the vast natural resources we
have makes US the superior nation
of all nations? L read, in a maya
zine some years ago, an article on
Venezuela, which / think illustrates
the point wish to make. The writ
CIR told Of an estate comprising one
million acres of land in a rich,
broad valley. This estate had be-
longed to an Englishman, deceased,
and was then advertised for sale by
the heirs at SOC the acre because the
on it such exhorbitant taxes that
they could not make it pay; The ar
ticle pointed out that although be-
ing situated in a most splendid cof-
fee raising section the toll exacted
by the government was confiscatory,
and the planters lost cons iderablc
money on every sack of coffee pro-
duced-exactly as did the wheat
farmers of this country the last sew
eral years. The journalist doubted
whether the English heirs would ever
find buyers even at the ridiculously
low price mentioned so long rs the
country was handicapped by foolish
rulers and dnwise legislation.
Just SO. Had not the government
of this country placed an embargo
on wheat during the war, the wheat
farmers of this northwest would
have prospered as much more as the
price would have increased. Has not
ndustry prospered in this country
principally because of the high pro-
tective tariff legislation thanks to
the Republican party to which Mr..
Taylor is proud to belong? Is it not
a fact that we can legislate any in
dustry to death and that we can in
like manner create new enterprises?
The Volstead act destroyed the Amer
lean saloon. but it made prosperous
the business Of soda fountains and
soft drink parlors.
It was legislation that gave the N.
P. Railroad Co., and other trans
continental lines their great land
grants, thus making possible the
spanning of this vast continent coast
to coast for trasportation; and if |
mistake not the Chronicle has joined
oftimes in the popular refrain that
this was wise legislation, to which
again, is due the great general pros
perity of the whole country as we'll
as of the railways.
Most assuredly we can legislate
PROSPERITY, as we'll as poverty. but
mark you, more especially is this
true in regard to certain industries
or classes than as whole. For
what is ones gain is often the others
loss as per examples cited.
shall further prove this by re-
ferring to the very attitude of the
press which fought the farmers pro-
gram. Did thew not brand our pro-
gram as class legislation because of
certain advantages it proposed to
give TO the farmers? And that same
program was considered bad for
banks and business men, which of
course it was not.
Anyway, it is had rule that works
not both WAYS. If you, cannot legis-
late prosperity neither Can you legis-
late adversely. Still this latter is
what the opposition to the League
wehemently claimed was being done,
and they are just as emphatic in as
sorting that prosperity is now here,
purely because of their redemption