Bismarck weekly tribune., 1886-07-23

tonu0ncy Oh In0 part OIGle leaQerS In the
movement notably in the Grand Forks
region to do just what they are accusing
the politicians Of doing, viz: Take all
the offices and disregard the rights Of
others. A farmer is just as good man
as any other citizen, who pays taxes and
bears his share of the public responsible
ity, but no better. A man may be good
citizen and good merchant, but still be
wholly unfit for Office So may a farmer
be an excellent and an honest man, but
wholly inexperienced in the business
world and totally unfit to hold any of the
numerous Offices necessary to the gov
eminent OF city, county and state. Let
the farmers therefore exercise the greatest
care in the application of their power be
rational and oonsiderate in their delibera-
tions and conclusions and they will be
a mighty engine in the upbuilding and per-
petuation Of good government. In some
respects the platform of the Farmers AL
lance, which appears below, is a good
thing, but intelligence is certainly antag-
onistic to many of the provisions. For
instance, the attorney has just ais much
right to live and make money as the
farmer. Why, then, should he not have
a reasonable fee for services rendered his
client, occasioned, maybe, by the nonful-
fillment of a contract or promise of
farmer who has borrowed money? In re-
gard to the exemption laws, there is no
good argument in favor of such liberal
statutes as those of Dakota. The law is
working positive injury to all classes.
The honest farmer who deserves credit
cannot get it because of the dishonesty
Of his unworthy neighbor. The western
merchants credit with the eastern jobber
is also impaired because of the enormous
exemption. A liberal exemption is all
right, but to go beyond that degree works
positive injury to the deserving. The
resolution against the acceptance of rail
road passes is too silly for serious con-
sideration. It is an insult to the average
intelligence of Dakota citizens to thus
intimate that a legislo otor, elected by their
votes, can be influenced by railroad
pass. 1t is to be hoped that no member
will ever be elected who would be so
weak as to allow free ride on railroad
to influence him in wrong doing. A man
SO easily influenced is not a fit man to
represent any constituency. It can gen.
orally be set down that legislator is as
good as the people who send him to the
legislature. The passage of an anti-pass
resolution is therefore an admission of
the weakness of the people themselves.
The platform of the Farmers Alliance
is as follows: .-
Resolved, AS the sense of this conven-
ton, that every member of the Alliance
and all practical, operative farmers. me-
chanlcs g IA and laboring men should consider
II their duty to attend the primaries in
thelr districts. and use all their influence
10 put IN nomination men who represent
our views, and, also, to pledge every nomi-
nee upon the following points:
l: 10 favor railroad commission elected
by the people,
2. To favor giving to the railroad commits
sloners full power to fix maximum rates of
fare and freights; provided, that such rates
be not reduced below a point to yield reason
aole dividend on actual investment in such
roads, when rates are equitably divided
over the full length of said road.
s.. 10 favor taxing all corporate property
in this territory at the rate that farm prop-
erty is taxed
T.: 70 favor taxing all mortgages recorded
IN this territory, and exempting so much of
tne mortgaged property from taxation as