The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-05-28

plain duty in behalf of the farmers
of Minnesota.
For this reason the attention of
the people of Minnesota is called to
the unjustifiable and unconscionable
attacks being made against Governor
Theodore Christensen by the St. Paul
Dispatch and Pioneer Press since the
governor signed the rural credit bill
authorizing the issuing of additional
bonds for farm loans in Minnesota.
Shortly after the legislature con-
vened in January rumors were cur
rent about ST. Paul, and the state
capitol; crediting a certain editor
with making boast, or threat, that
che would get the rural credit sys.
tenn or break Christianson" Rum.
ors are usually unreliable and UNI
worthy of notice, but in this case sub
sequent events lend much credence to
the one above quoted.
Promptly an avalanche of hostile
newspaper propaganda was loosed
against the Rural Credit bureau; a
legislative investigation of the con-
duct of the bureau afforded oppor-
tunity for special reporters to play
up daily, in column after column,
every insinuation, rumor or asser-
ton of unfriendly witnesses; admit
ted mistakes were exaggerated and
distorted.
When the investigation ended and
a report filed which failed to bear out
the wild charges made, but recon-
mendlng changes in the law to correct
defects in administration of the
bureau, the House, by an almost UNI
animous vote, passed bill strength
enlng the law and authorizing the is
suance of additional bonds to extend
the service of the system to the farm
ers, it having been shown that the
bureau had rendered valuable and
needed service since it's establish
ment.
The Pioneer Press at once had an
editorial CONFUSION in which truth
was shamelessly outraged, the legisla-
tors libeled and the State of Mime
sofa slandered. The legislators were
accused of Throwing $4,000, 900
of the taxpayers good money after
S40,OOO,OOO of bad money" and the
statement made that millions have
already been lost which the taxpay-
ers will find in their tax statements"
In other words, the world was told
that Minnesota farm land is entirely
worthless and that all money loaned
on it is total loss.
These attacks continued in an eff
fort to brighten the Senate into
rejection of the rural credit bill, un-
til the body also voted almost unani-
mously for the bill including the ad-
ditional bonds.
Then the guns were leveled at the
governor and supreme editorial eff.
tort made to bullyrag and intimidate
the executive into a veto of the bill.
Failing in this, and with the auto
cratic editorial will of the Dispatch
and Pioneer Press thwarted in its re.
lentless purpose the motives for
which need not be considered), the
walls of its wrath have since been
poured out upon the head of the gov
ernor.
These are the reasons why the
Farm Bureau believes the governor
is entitled to have the facts brought
to the people.
The rural credit question is too
big to be dealt with fully in this ar
ticle, but it may be briefly summar-
lied by saying that the funds voted
to extend the service is not throwing
"good money after bad"; that it was
not "the taxpayers none "" that was
voted for farm loans but simply a
loan of the states credit for bonds,
the interest and principal of which
will be fully Gquidated by the rural
credit bureau; that all the bonds au-
thoriZed NAV not have to be issued