The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-04-07
THE FARMER AND THE TARIFF.
HY BILL NY r..


"What are the prospects of farmers
IN your stateT'
"WelI, they are pore Never WAS SO
pore, in fact, scuce I've ben there.
Folks wonder why boys leave the farm.
Ny boys left SO as TO get protected they
said, and SO they went into clothing
store, one OF EN-, and Que went into
hardware and one is talking protection
IN the legislature this winter. They said
that farmin' was gettin' to be like fish
in' and huntin', well enough for q man
that has means and leisure, but they
couldn't make livin' al il, they said.
Another buy is IN drug store, aud tie
mau that hires him SAYS he is royal
fslIer."
Kind OF castor royal frlicr,"
said with shrek of laughter.
He waited until | had laughed all |
wanted 10 and thpn h. said:
"I've always hollercd Tor high tariff
in order to hyst the public debt, but
now we've got the national debt cop
pcrcd | wish they'd take II little hack at
mine. I've put IN fifty years farinin'.
never drank Ticker in any form. I've
worked from ten 10 eighteen hours a
day, been economical in cluz and never
went TO show mOre'u a dozen times
in my life, raised family AID learned
upward ot 200 calves to drink out OF Il
tn pail without blowing all their vltiles
up my sleeve. by wife worked
alongside o me sewin' new seats on
the boys pants, skimmin' milk and
even heIpin' me load hay. For forty
years we tOiled along together and
hardly got time to look into each
others faces or dared TO stop aud get
acquainted with each other. Then her
health failed. Ketched cold in the
spring house, probly skiInmin' milk
and washim paus and scaldin' pals
and spankin' butter. Anyhow, she
took IN a long breath one day while the
doctor and me was watchin' her and
she says to me, Henry says she, I've
got chance to rest, and she put out one
tired, worn ont hand on top of the
other tired, worn out hand, and knew
she'd gone where they don't work all
day and do chores all night.
81 took time to kiss her then. I'd
been too busy for good while previ-
Gus to that. and then | called in the
boys. After the funeral it was too
much for them to stay around and eat
the cookin' we had to put up with, and
nobody spoke up around the house as
we used TO. The boys quit whistlin
around the barn and talked kind OF
low by themselves about goin' to town
and gettin' job.
"They'rs all gone now, and the snow
is four feet deep on mothers grave up
there in the old berryin' ground.
Then both of us looked out of the
car window quite a long while without
saying anything.
al don't blame the boys for going
into something else longs other things
pay better: but | say-and say wha
I kDOw--that the man who holds tho
prosperity of this country in his hands
the man that actually makes money fol
other people to spend, the man tina
eats three good simple, square meals ,
day and goes TO bed at 9 o'clock, 81
, that future generations with blood ant
, cool brains can 90 from his farm to TIN
, senate and congress and the whit
hOuse-he is the man that gets left a
last to run the farm, with nobody T.
l help I'm but hired man and a higl
protection tariff. The farms in on
l state is mortgaged for over 100000
| 900. Ten of our western states-l Sc
bv the papers-has got about thre
l billion aud halt mortgages on thei
4 farms, and that don't count the chatte
+ mortgages filed with the town clerks O
t tarm machinery, stock wagins and eve
= crops, by goshl that amt two inche
. high under the snow. That's what tn
v prospects is for farmers now. Th
f government is rich, but the men tbs
!. made it, the men that fought perari
y fires and perarie wolves an
, lnjins and potato bugs aud b!iz
xards, and has paid the war det
> and pensions and everything else al
It hollered for the union and the republ
o can party and high tariff and ever.
v thing else that they was told to, is lie
}, high and dry this cold winter with
e mortgage of seven billion and halt @
IS the farms they have earned and saved
Y thousand times Over.'
X Yes; but look at the glory of sem
u ing from the farm the future presiden
| the future senator and The future neu
It Der OF congress
d That looks well on paper, but VIII
d does il really amount tOf Soon rs
% farmer boy gifts in place like that
iorgets the soil that produced him al
holds his head as high rs Il hollyhoc
He bellers tor protection to everboC
but the farmer, aud while he sal
around in highly tightly room with
ID fire in it day and night, bis father (
Il the farm has to kindie his own fire
:, the morning with elm slivvers, and
lt has to wear his sons lawn tennis sr
T.. next to him or freeze TO death, and
al has to milk in All old gray shawl tn
Mt has held that member of congress VIII
v. he was baby, by gorry! and the o
ne lady has to sojourn through the wint
of in the f1annels that Silas wore at I
!, riggatter before he went to congress.
a. $50 say, aud think that congre
Sc agrees with me. D-n farmer, an
p how"
~ lie then went away.