The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-10-23

The above is the name by which q
species of salf immolation is known
in Japan, and if the existing logic OF
events continues among our farm
ers, that or an equivalent term will
soon be needed in our vocabulary.
Under certain more or less sharply
defined conditions the Japanese COM
mits Hari-Kari that is, disembowels
himself, and soon dies from exhaus-
tion.
American farmers, while holding
up their hands with holy horror at
this relic of barbarism and the more
shocking instances of physical sui
eide, daily reported in the newspa-
pers, utterly fail to note the fact that
they in monetary way commit Hari-
Kari every time they vote for parti-
san spectators, whether labelled Dem
ocrat or Republican.
In many parts of the country cur
rent municipal, county and State ex-
penses are twice as large when meas
ured by dollars as they were twelve
years ago when dollars were less
costly than they are now.
For instance, suppose an official OF
the State of New Jersey received for
sinecure position in 1866, thirty
thousand dollars per year. With
wheat at three dollars per bushel, that
is equivalent to ten thousand bushels
of wheat. For purpose of illustra-
ton suppose that the endowment
(for it is wrong to call it pay of that
functionary is in dollars advanced to
sixty thousand dollars u year.
To satisfy the claims of this useless
parasite, sixty thousand bushels of
wheat would be required at one dol
lar per bushel.
I'm other words, while doubling
his so-called compensation, requires
but double the number of dollars to
liquidate it, the recent corner in dol
lars and their consequent artificial
scarcity forces the farmer TO give
three times more produce for every
one of them than he did twelve years
ago, so that in reality his burden is
not merely doubled, but it is multi
piled by six.
The Mount Ayr, Iowa, Journal,
quantity and truthfully says:
"In 1870, one and one-half bushels
of corn would file a deed; last win
ter it took five. Then it took TWEEN
ty-five pounds of pork to begin a
suit against your neighbor, now II
takes sixty. If man then had one
thousand dollars property, it took
three hundred and thirty-three
pounds of pork to pay the tax now,
to pay the tax on that sum, 1t takes
fourteen hundred pounds-only a
difference of little over one thou
sand pounds to the hOg-raiser."
Personally we have asked perhaps
hundred farmers what per cent. on
fair valuation of their farms stock
and tools, without allowing anything
to themselves for labor and supervis-
ion, beyond necessary personal and
family expenses, could they for any
term of, say ten years, put aside ms
profits. Not one put the figure above
three per cent, and most were much
below that.
In New Jersey taxes run, in some
localities, as high as four per cent,
which is fully double the net revenue
of the farmers investment, and as a
consequence, many are giving chat
tel mortgages on their stock and i'm
plements to meet their present tax
bills and obtain brief furlough
from the inevitable ejectment from
their homes, which must rs sure as
fate accrue, If the exhausting, deyas-
tating causes be not removed.
And this deadly depletion as COM
pared with the more insidious, but
more crushing contrivances of the
gold, the bondholding and other pre-
datory ring contrivances, which con-
, troll the national government, are but
as dribbling leaks at the spigot, while
the vital power of the country is
running from the bung-hole Of our
upset productive industries. Wives,
mothers and daughters of farmers
hold the hands of your husbands,
your sons and your fathers, that they
may not farther consummate this
fearful Hari-Kari, this deliberate sui
eide, which has even now driven
many of your class from their homes
TO die as paupers in the poor house,
or as tramps on the highway. r.
1dUOcdte.