The Organized Farmer

LOCAL DAILY HAS OPPOSED FARMER

About a month ago, the city council of Red Wing in session was discussing the advisability of entering into an agreement with the State Highway Commission of this state, in reference to the damages by flood waters to adjoining property that might be caused by reason of a change in grade.

Men who were present at that meeting now state that the representative of the Highway Commission made no rash statements. It was true that there was a difference of opinion between the city attorney of Red Wing and the state representative.

However, councilmen state, the pros and cons of the liability the city were presented in a gentlemanly way.

The Eagle reporter, however, took occasion to follow the state representative out of the council rooms, where perhaps some remarks were made privately; unknown to members of the council which the Eagle published as council proceedings in order to besmirch the members of that body.

It might be interesting to know why the Red Wing Daily Eagle has such an intense aversion to the actions of the council of this city; the proceedings of which it has distorted to suit its own selfish ends.

The Eagle has been strenuously opposed to any action by the council, to curb the interests of the power trust and inasmuch as the present personnel of that body is in favor of protecting the people of this city, from unreasonable charges, for electric light and power, the Eagle will resort to any means within its power to discredit the actions of that body.

Ten years ago, the Red Wing Daily Eagle was one of the foremost advocates of municipal light and power plants in this state and enjoyed the confidence of a large majority of the people in this city in that respect.

Large advertisements by the trust have appeared in the columns of the Eagle during the past few years and a member of the editor's family is now employed in the office of the company that furnishes light and power for this city.

The reader may form his own opinion as to the effect of these circumstances, but suffice it to say, that the columns of that publication have been used of late to belittle the actions of the council, even to the extent of appropriating a few hundred dollars to make an investigation that from the best of information, will result in saving thousands of dollars to the citizens of Red Wing.

The Eagle has for the past few years strenuously opposed any movement made locally or in the state or nation that might make the farm a better place to live. It has treated with more or less scorn and contempt any move made by the laborers of this city to maintain a decent wage and steady employment. It strenuously opposed a division of the gas tax in this state so that our farm-to-market roads could be maintained. It ridiculed diverting a portion of this tax to our country roads but apparently believed these funds should be spent solely and alone by the State Highway Commission which is now spending money in this state like a 'drunken sailor.'

The Eagle through its columns, opposed the action of a number of farmers, who assembled in Hay Creek Township held for the purpose of protesting against their property being assessed 30 per cent higher than its selling value contrary to the laws of this state.

The editor of that publication evidently believed that the farmers should bear this burden in silence and enjoyed seeing them staggering under the load, while many of the big corporations of this state and utility companies were getting reductions running into millions of dollars.

The unsympathetic policy of the Eagle as far as the farmers were concerned, resulted in a communication being addressed to that publication signed by about fifty farmers in which these farmers protested against the policy of the Eagle and branded the editor as ignorant in matters pertaining to the farm.

The vacillating policy of the Eagle from dry to wet, from municipal ownership to private ownership and coloring of news is not a credit to any publication.