The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-06-03
COUNTY CORRESPONDENTS
Lake Crystal.


Lake Crystal.
At the risk of being called u "scala-
wag" 10y the pecksniilian editor of
the Rcrie,c, allow me little space in
your valuable paper to express II few
ideas which have occurred to me
since reading his attack in the last
issue of his "blue box" sheet on
the foolish thing which the mem
hers of Pleasant Mound Grange and
Others" have done by recommending
farmers to refuse to assist the as
SCISSORS in carrying out the fraud
known rs the "crop statement. |
will state right here, in order that he
advice given by the " foolish menu
bers of Pleasant Mound Grange has
been accepted and carried out by
hundreds of benighted " farmers of
this county, rs the assessors returns
will show. Though the farmers of
this county may be guilty in many
instances in committing many fool
ish acts, yet they are to be con-
graduated in one thing; they know
enough not to follow the sage advice
given by the editor of that paper, TO
hoe wheat" 1t is evident tn the
ordinary mind that the subject of
farming has been too much for him.
The extra thought and mental strain
has been So great us to lead to the
gradual softcning of the brain. My
advice would be for him to drop such
intricate subjects as the hoeinS of
wheat" and commence in Il smaller
way at first. and experiment Oh Il few
hills of beans. by so doing with
good surroundings he might he able
to dig 4 hill of potatoes by next fall,
after which he might add another
branch and learn how to pick them
up. He must learn that all great
things have small beginnings, and if
he would reach the goal To which his
ambition leads him, of becoming
famous as an agricultural writer, he
must observe the laws of progression.
But to the original subject. The
Rerietr admits that the crop report
has nothing to do with influencing
the prices of farm products. If that
be the case, then what benefit is it TO
the farmer who is taxed for that OBJ
ject! If land spectators and rail
road companies want farm statistics,
why not let M0m get them and pay
the expense from their pockets
The farmers of Blue Earth or any
other county never were benefited a
nickcl's worth from I'LL the crop state
ments ever taken, but on the other
hand, they have been Systematically
robbed by wheat rings, railroad cor
porations and other shysters till we
have only one of those inalienablc
rights " left which our iorefathcrs
asserted were ours. We have tgt,
but liberty and the pursuit IF happi"css
have long since been appropriated by
the grasping monopolies which rule
the land, whose cause the editor of
the Reeiep ever stands ready to cham.
pion.
The expense of taking Il crop state
ment is no small matter, and when
summed up for the whole State would
make Il fortune for Il man and $500 or
5000 of this the fool " farmers of
| this county are required to travel
thousands of miles in the aggregate
in order TO pay it into the county
treasury.
IL seems our county auditor has Ill
ready made a crop report for 1881,
| which the ReCie0 indorscS as correct.
| Why not let him do the whole bust.
ness and relieve the asscssors! no.
ticc that the auditor has planted about
| 500 acres more of corn for 1881
than were planted last year. If
those figures are seriously made and
are sample of his knowledge of the
progress Of agricultural affairs of the
county, he is entitled To the sympa-
thy of every man, woman and child
in the State, and Us for myself, feel
sorry for him. And these are the
crop reports-hc iJormotion which
the Recien, Us "a good Christian would
send to the mnsuspecting people in the
East To induce them To come West
and be victims to land sharks. Min
nesOta can show for herself and the
systematic lying INDUCED in to en-.
trap the unwary is all uncalled for
and ought to be made Il crime. This
county has nothing especially to be
ashamed of, excepting the hypocrisy
persisted in by one of her papers,
high taxes and big salaries for county
officers. SCALAwAG.'
=. S.-Don't let johnnie c."
worry himself about "former grand
juries adjOurning over for the extra
pay" Better send for Mrs. Camp.
$.