Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-07-06
..TICKITNG THE FARMERS

Gus. VI late years, the class leglsla-
ton at Washington has been corrupt
as we'll as mischievous. Nothing could
illustrate this better than the passage
in the House of the bill creating De-
partment of Agriculture, and making
its head Cabinet officer. The pro-
motors of this scheme say it will
''tickle the farmers" They must
think the farmers of this country are
precious fools.
The bill is simply a pretext for tax
ing more money from the Treasury.
The ingenuity of the politicians cannot
rest while there remains surplus in
the peoples strong box, and this is
but one of whole swarm of schemes
to get it out. Nearly 5000 bills, in
volving the expenditure of about
$650,000, 900, have thus far been in
troduced in the House. This Agri-
cultural bill is not one of these 5000.
but it is in fact worse than all of
them. They are simple steals, which
would end when satisfied from the
Treasury. But this is perpetual
steal. never-ending burden upon the
tax payers, an unShakable fixture up
on the peoples pay.rolls.
1t proposes to create new Cabinet
officer, called the Secretary of Agri-
culture, and establish under him full
fedged Department, with scperate
bureaus and divisions, each sporting a
chief, dozen deputy chiefs, and an
army of underlings, and each sucking
its hundreds of thousands from the
Treasury. To talk about this being a
benefit to the farmers is to utter nom
sense. This is the fairest and finest
farming section of the East. We ask
our readers on the farms whether any
one Of them ever had any real benefit
from the Agricultural Bureau at
Washington. We are not afraid that
any of them will answer eyes" They
either do not know the Agricultural
Bureau, or knowing it, regard it as a
tax-consuming fraud.
But conceding that the new Depart
ment would be of some service to GER
tain Of our farmers-is that an argu-
ment in it's favor? Our farmers do not
ask for bounties from the Treasury.
They do not need advice or gifts from
the Administration. They do not re-
quire support or supervision from the
Government, any more than do the
blacksmiths or the carpenters or the
miners, or any other craft. It is a
mistake to suppose that such propo-
SlIIOn 0GIChleS Cueu' IL ID al IuSuIG
to suppose that their votes can be
commanded by such thin device.
No, the farmers do not ask for class
legislation on their account or in their
name. Only the politicians who want
more offices at Washington, and itch
for new cracks through which to
plunge their hands into the Treasury,
ask for an Agricultural Department.
But the farmers do ask relief from the
crushing load of taxation put on their
shoulders by class legislation for 9TH
ers.
To protect few hundred thousand
manufacturers ord tradesmen, our ten
millions Of farmers are taxed upon the
most desperate scale human selfshn ess
ever invented. The farmer buys
nothing which is not taxed. Pc
understand this question let us
start with the fact that the
State tax is less than one per cent
.OO65. The farmer pays a tax of 81
per cent, on the ready-made clothing
he buys for himself, and tax of 70
per cent, OH his wife's dress goods; he
pays tax of 80 per cent on his car
pets, 81 per cent on his blankets, 100
per cent on his flannel, 63 per cent on
his hats, As per cent on his cotton
cloth. IA per cent on the thread to
make it up with, Al per cent on his
table crockery, So per cent CD his log
chains, SO per cent on the nails in his
horses shoes, 70 per cent on the wire
in his fence, so per cent on his jack
knife, 35 per cent on all his farm i'm
plements and machinery, 80 per cent
on his salt. 80 per cent on the furni-
ture in his house, GA per cent on his
sugar, Al per cent on his soap, ia
per cent on his starch and rice, "a
per cent on his rope, 40 per cent on
his daughters chip hat, 35 per cent
on his combs, wall paper and clocks,
and 10 per cent on his slate his child
takes to the little red school-hous
When he dies there will be a tax of