The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-07-22
HOW THE DEMOCRATIC STATE AD-
MINISTRAnION 0PPRESSES
FARMERS.

It is sublime spectacle, and one to
which the attention Of the people OF
Wisconsin should be especially direct
ed. The Democratic State Government
seeking to levy tribute in the form OF
peddler's license upon farmers who are
engaged in selling produce. The Demo
cratic Governor, Hon. William Il.
Taylor, by his authorized agent, MIR.
John W. Haggerty, first playing the spy
upon a farmer who had come to the city
to sell load of sheep; then endeavoring
to extort 50 from him, and when he re-
fused to submit to the eXtortion, selzing
his horses bits, pushing him violently
from his wagon, and driving it off. The
victim of this shameful proceeding made
complaint against the man Haggerty for
assault and battery, and the case was
Tuesday last. The Judge very proper
ly charged the jury that the law concern
ing peddlers and hawkers does not APP
ply to farmers dealing in produce, and
the defendant was found guilty and fin
ed So and costs.
It viii be quite useless for Gov. Tay-
lor and the Democratic State administra-
ton to seek to escape the responsibility
for this outrage upon law abiding and
respectable farmer. Ebert, the State
Treasury agent, and Haggerty, the
special State Treasury agent, derive
their authority from commission over
the signature of His Excellency. More
over, this man Haggerty was once be-
fore arrested for similar proceeding,
and was found guilty of the offense. If
Gov. Taylor did not approve of his con-
duct, it was in his power to remove
him; but he did not remove him, and
Haggerty very naturally felt that he WAS
sustained by his superiors, and accord
ingly repeated the outrage.
Let it be clearly understood, then,
what Coz. Taylor's position is on this
subject. A farmer takes a load of sheep,
or potatoes, or any other produce of his
farm, to the nearest market and sells
them. Gov Taylor holds that he is to
be considered a @peddler, like one who
travels about the country selling matches,
lightning rods, or any other commodity;
that spy is to be put upon his track
that license fee is to be demanded of
him, and that if he refuses, he is to be
assaulted and his team seized to enforce
submission to the extortion. To pro-
vide against any farmers escaping this
experience, Gov. Taylor has appointed
for this duty two men who are nicely
fitted for just that kind of work, and
whose efficiency is stimulated by receiv-
ing third of all the money that they sue
coed in extorting. The license fee for a
peddler using a vehicle drawn by two
horses is $40, and it is this sum that
Gov. Taylor is endeavoring to levy up
on every farmer in the State who carries
to market the products of his own toll.
It may be claimed that the law under
which these outrages are practiced is the
work of a Republican Legislature. This
is true only this far: that the present
law concerning hawkers and peddlers
was passed by the Legislature of 1872,
both branches of which were Repub-
Ecan. But the law itself is very pro
per one, designed to collect a license fee
from peddlers who come into the State
to compete with our merchants, and
who, for the most part, escape taxation
in any other form. The law is confined
to this class, that is, to those who are
peddlers by avocation, by very explicit
provisions, and it's operation was limited
to them under Republican administra-
tons. It remained for Gov. Taylor and
the Democratic State administration to
pervert the law so as to make it the in
strument of such monstrous wrongs up
on farmers.