The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-11-19
Plain Talk.
Illinois State Grange News.

A few years ago and the drummers, as
they are called, became a factor in the
mercantile interests of the country, and
when l ask myself the question who are
they? | am forced to reply that they are
the mot energetic, robust, intelligent,
cheeky young men generally that are to
be found IN the country. Their name is
legion. You can not spend day in any
of the small towns or villages without en-
countering quite a number OF them.
Thousands upon thousands of them are
continually roaming over the different
States. They do not add one cent to the
wealth of the world. They neither mine,
spin, use the spade, axe. hammer, saw, or
pillow; in that aspect the humbles' laborer
on our railroads are UNNECESSARILY their
superior. Many of them are experts al
billiards, and not a few of them can get
outside a liberal supply of lager beer
They cost the country as much, II not
more, than MANY of the trained armies OF
Europe; and who foots the bill. fellow
toilers? You and |, and every other per
son in the land who purchase any OF the
necessities of life; we are taxed to pay this
enormous and useless expense. Look at
the extravagant salaries they get; look at
the wav they travel, dress and live; why
some OF them are so loaded with jewelry
| that it must be a burden to them; and in
the cars they are seldom satisfied with less
| than one whole seat. even if others have
| to stand. unless gently reminded of the
| fact by those in authority. Do not fool
yourselves with the idea that the whole
sale merchants or dealers paw them their
wages; they simply disburse your funds
| A more useless appendage to the business
| of the country, when we take into consld
Grafton its vast expense, was never dreamt
| of. Think of it, an able bodied laborer
| will toll on the farm = whole year for two
| hundred and forty dollars and board. ma
| king himself generally useful, and all the
/ time adding to the worlds wealth. Offer
double that sum to one of these gents, and
| what do you suppose he would say?
| If we could only utilize them in cases OF
| emergency there might be some excuse.
| Say, for instance. in these Indian troubles.
| If we could just arm them at such times
and let them just go for the Indians, what
| a relief Il would be to our over-worked
! soldiers; and what splendid material they
| would make for fighting on the frontiers:
| OF course their pay would go on: we have
! to paw them anyhow, and it would be a
| nice frolc for them; and they would then
be earning their salt and making them
selves useful.
Some of the States think so much OF
| them, that they have undertaken TO raise
some revenue by taxing them. That is
simply adding a little more per cent. to
the goods, and the people have the bill to
foot. They had better go to work and IL
struct the people how to get along without
them If they would just give their re-
| tail merchants to understand that they
would not deal with them if thew patron
lied these gentry, and act accordingly, the
system would die out in short time.
Let the wholesale houses send out their
| spring, summer and fall samples if they
want to, and let agencies like our own be
established at the business centres all over
the country. if it is thought best, and the
expense would then be brought down tC
the minimum.
There is no sense in keeping this vast
army on the move. l venture the asser-
ton that Bro. Chambers could fill the bills
of two hundred of them, and save to the
people, mark you, the expense of the Other
one hundred and ninety nine. And yet
we are such sinpletons that we do not
look after our interests in this matter.
A few wears ago and a few thousand
| tramPs were marching over the country
seeking employment. and some WORTHLESS;
scamps embraced the opportunity to com
NIT depredations, and a hue and CRY wen
up all over the land, and every individual
seeking employment became an object q
suspicion Ask yourselves the question
my readers, do you think there were As
many homes made desolate by the poor
despiSed tramps as there are by these
sleek tongued gentry? Doyou think they
gambled as much? Do YOU think they
patronized the saloons and billiard hall;
as much? Now, be candid, and look thi,
matter squarely in the face, and see if you
can not devise some plan to remedy this
monstrous evil for evil it surely is. MARI
you, it is the system | am fighting, not the
individual members thereof, for many o
them, no doubt, honestly think their call
ing one of the noblest in the land, anC
take a great pride in saying, Il represen
such and such a house" So with tn
selling of whiskey, many honestly thinl
that they are doing right, and one frienC
of mine remarked that he would not live
in State that enacted prohibitory law
and he meant what he said.
IF these few rambling thoughts of mine
should happen to waken up some of oui
| thinkers, | shall De we'll repaid.
E. A GILLER.
Whitehall. H., Nov. Il.
Everv SonIhern State Granpe