From: Shields, North Dakota
22 February 1917

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

Apart from much sadness that the long, cold winter brings with its terrible blizzards, now and then some funny stories come about.

A family in our neighborhood went to bed without any worries one evening. The next morning the parents waited for the children to light a fire, but none of the children got out of bed. Finally the husband said to his dear wife to go and wake the children so that they could start the fire. The wife went ahead, and when she entered the children’s room she realized that the children’s bed was under snow. She hurried back to her husband and chased him out of the feathers, with instructions to dig out the children. That’s what happens when you don’t weatherproof your home well enough for a bad winter.

The subscription for my newspaper has not as yet expired. Nonetheless, I will forward herewith the subscription fees for another year, in order to receive the Hausfreund (Home-Companion) Calendar.

Michael Nagel

From: Raleigh, North Dakota
1 March 1917

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger:

First I would like to mention that in my last report it was not supposed to read that an elevator burned down in Carson, but in Raleigh instead.

I have read a lot about the Farmers Union (Co-op) in the newspaper. I myself am a member of this union, and so far I do not regret that I have become a member. At least now you can see what the farmers are accomplishing in the legislature.

Earlier it was always said that if we had farmers as representatives in the legislature, then it would be a lot better. Then we would not have such high taxes and not as many coercive laws. Now we have the proof. Before, I paid $25.00 taxes for a quarter of land, and now, since the farmers are in the legislature, I pay $37.00 for 260 acres of land. That is a fairly large difference. Furthermore, I believe that the longer they lead in the legislature, the lower taxes will become. But I also believe that Mr. Townley was not as much concerned with the farmers than with his own pocket.

In closing, I send a greeting to my friend Georg Jochim. I dearly wish to find something from him in the newspaper more often.

Respectfully,
M. P. Erker