Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1878-11-27
BENWOoD.
Where a Marshall County Gran
ger Found the Cause OF the
Hard Times.
BENwooD, November Is.

d
A' BESwooD, November 26.
One day last week gray-haired farm
err was standing in one OF our Stores try
ing to sell apples, when a poorly-clad
woman entered with a pass-book and
asked for quarters worth of mackerel-
The storekeeper responded by hand
ing her three mackerel out OF half
barrel and the woman made her exit.
"How much will them three mackerel
weight" said the farmer.
About two pounds and a hall, "
said the storekeeper.
1.-TWO and half" murmured the
granger, ''into twenty-five ten times
that is ten cents a pound. There is the
whole cause of our financial troubles"
The granger grew warm and con-
tinued, saving: 1T is this internal pol
lev OF our government in keeping the
few rolling in luxury ut the expense OF
the many, that has brought this misfor-
tune on our country"
"You don't call eating salt mackerel a
luxury?" said the storekeeper.
Il do" said the granger, in an angry
tone, "when the people OF this country
have to pay forty cents in tax for every
single pound of mackerel that that
woman 8 family eats and ten cents she
paws herself, that is fifty cents pound;
and from her appearance, il she lived
within her means she would subsist on
bread and water, and very saving on
that
Storekeeper.-'I cannot see how the
people Of this country pay a tax OF 40
cents on every pound of maekerel we
eat.
Granger-'Great many things you
cannot see, but guess my head is level
and | can prove it. Jim Blaine, OF
Maine is no mean authority, and he de
clared on the floor of the Senate before
the highest representatives Of this nation
that we had 10 pay five millions and a
hall in gold as tribute to England for
the right OF catching quarter OF mil
lions worth OF fish annually for four
wears. And at your rate of selling II
that don't amount to 40cents per pound
am no calculator.
Storekeeper-"Bu does not the lead
ing newspapers saythat the cause Of the
hard times was over production?
Granger-"Yes, and College Profes-
sor before the Congressional Labor Com
mittce, said that the cause was the OPP
pressing of the siege canal twenty
wears ago, and in the great increase
in our inventive genius which is SO
fast developing rapid transit and open
ing up new channels of commerce.
Well, the latter theory cannot accept,
because ii makes our good God the au-
thor of poverty, giving people knowl-
edge to starve his little innocent chill
,rcn in land where there is more than
enough for all, and in regard to the
over production theory, my opinion Is
that there is no such thing except OF
professors and chromos.
Storekecpcr-SinCc you have found
the true cause of the hard times, could
you not apply Il remedy?
Granger-Ic could. live must continue
paving such price to England for the
right to catch mackerel, and such people
as that woman persist in eating them,
] would gather all such people and put
them on Il reservation along side with
the Indians and feed them on Texan
beef at a cost of one dollar per pound.
Storekeepcr- docs Texan beef cost
that price, "Well, no. But every net
pound the Indian eats Of government
beef costs us in tax 30 cents, and it
costs us the other 80 to keep the lndi-
ans on the reservation eating it. And
if YOU are business man You see we
would keep this five and half million
Of gold we must pay to England now
and then. at home to enrich our own
people, and We might need it in the
future to help resumption"
LArLA RoOKH.