The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-01-21
For the Free Trader


part. we consider it nothing more than
right for the injured party to use some
means of selfprotection.
For instance, when we take a view of
country and city, we behold the one a pro-
ducer earning his bread by the sweat of
his brow, and living in a frugal, rustic
manner: whilst the other is n consumer,
sports his fine horses and carriage, dresses
in the most costly style lives at an extra
VACANT rate, smokes his five and ten cent
recaiias, takes few glasses of ale or beer,
almost daily, to say nothing of extra dish
e. oysters, thus living at three or four
times the expense of the farmer or me-
chanic. And who pays for all this extra
vacance? The farmer and mechanic,
most assurediy. For instance. could not
the merchant the grocer, the lumberman,
ball deduct large percentage from their
present prices, and the grain buyer add the
per cent to the prices for which IL huys
at, if they dressed and lived as economical
as the farmer or mechanic, and work only
half as hard as they do, aud still make as
much net profit as at present.
Then the position is plain that the farm
er and mechanic are taxed TO support
those superfluities practiced in our cities.
towns and villages; yet in view of all
THESE Idcts, TIE DFoduCcT anu Tie IIltCid-
mic bow their neeks to the yoke, and toll
the harder, that after supporting the city
in all its extravaganza, they may have a
small pittance left to procure for them
selves and families some of the comforts of
life.
Now we would suppose after the farmer
submits to all this, the city of Ottawa, after
first passing ordinances for her own bene-
fit would do something towards protecting
the farmer while within the city limits, and
thereby induce them to come from g.
greater distance to pay their tithes to the
city. Now, for the proof of these asser-
tions, we will refer you to time when
there was a superabundance of the canine
breed in the city. They started the report
of mad dog" and forthwith. offering a
reward for all dogs killed within the limits
of the corporation, furnished a profitable
business for some of the city officials and
boys about town. who were armed in dead
. " array, and went in quick pursuit of poor
Tray. The farmer comes In with his
team brings his Watchdog Ga thing indis-
peEsable nowadays in Ottawa,) and not
knowing of the late ordinance, the first he
is aware of his dog is shot or has been
poisoned. when perhaps twenty-five dollars
would not have bought him. But it's a
corporation law, and the man is compelled
to submit to the outrage, although the
faithful animal was watching his master S
wagon or sled, and harming nobody
But his faithful dog is killed. and what
next? They permit hungry, starving set
of cows to infest the streets, and no sooner
! does team stop than half a dozen COWS
are rearing upon the wagon or sled, eating
corn, hay, or straw, pulling out on the
| ground robes and blankets and eating up
whip lashes, &c., &c, sometimes splitting
the wagon box, and at Others making the
horses break loose If a person has corn
in his wagon to feed his team, or hay OF
straw to ride upon or keep his feet from
freezing, or to prevent some crockery from
being broken, the first thing he is aware
of it is all devoured by those street scaren
gers, Yet, in the eyes of the city fathers
it's all right, if the farmer does get sore
bones from a rough ride, or frozen feet, OF
broken ware, or his team do without theil
feed &c, &c, it affofds cheap fodder fol
the city cows So the farmer has to feed
the city cows, as well as to support its ex
| travasances 1t is not the value that zee
| complain Of but the discomfort and some
| times loss that sometimes happens on go
| ing home, in the way of frozen feet and
broken ware.
| Now. unless the city authorities see to
this nuisance, the farmers must take it in
to their own hands For be it known
that hay saturated with alkali, (and man
has right to put on his hay what he
chooses, if he keeps it in his own wagon,
if eaten by brutes, will act to the same
purpose that strichnine does with the
faithful watch dog. We do not like the
plan. but the city kills our watch dog with
impunity, which we would not exchang'
for the best COW within the corporation.
Now we would advise the city fathers
for the credit of the city and the comfor
of the farmers, to put stop to this mi
sance at once. A FARMER.
y. =, a,