The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-04-25
Agricultural.
o. M. TINKHAM, Editor,
North Pomfret, VT,
TO whom all communications for the Agricultural and
the Household departments should be addressed
A Few Quotations.

A Few quotations.
The Rural Vermonter, in its issue of
the 18th instant, devoted about three
quarters of column to us in an arti
Gle entitled "The Almighty Tinkham
Again." in which that paper moderates
its tune materially. We think it will
entertain our readers to see sentences
from articles printed in the Rural at
different times brought together. We
think they make rather interesting Gf
not quite CONSISTENCY reading. Here
are a few of them: "Mr. Tinkham
knows we have never attacked him or
alluded to him unkindly in any way"
"Mr. Tinkham has wilfully, persist
emily and deliberately falsified facts"
4" As he can not maintain so unjust
cause fairly, he is perforce compelled
to do it unfairly and by falsehood, as in
the case in hand" Perhaps Mr. Ropes
considers the calling one wilful, per-
sistent and deliberate falsifier delicate
compliment rather than an unkind
allusion. People do not throng out
of a state like Vermont, as they have
done for thirty years, without some
good reason. This emigration has gone
on until now, if it is stayed at all, it is
because farm property in the state is
in many places practically unstable
at any price. When a people want to
go badly, and yet can't go because they
can not sell, they are really getting in
sight of a sort of bondage not many de-
grees removed from the serfage of
middle ages" " We have not charged,
and do not charge, all of this state of
things to the railroads. We do not
think the managers of the roads in
tended any of it." "Their unques-
toned purpose is to reduce the farmers
of the state to practical serfage." owe
merely charged the railroads with a
course which would in time, unless re-
sisted, practically reduce them to serf-
age" So you do not non charge that it
is their unquestioned purpose to reduce
the farmers of the state to practical
serfage-only with innocently following
course which might possibly lead
to practical serfage? Quite change.
We have testified freely to
the excellent management of all the
roads" eve have used plain, descrip-
tive language in writing of the plain
evils in corporate management" L" We
have stated facts in reference to I'M
fair and excessive charges by rail-
roads. \ Shall we pay an I'M
righteous toll to any man or company"
Unfair and excessive charges, it APP
pears, you consider " excellent man
agement." "Thus the farmers are
being reduced to a state of helpless pow
erty. Is it not a barefaced
and high-handed robbery of the peo-
pie? Must the farmers of the
state be kept under the heels of the
corporations?' "There has been moth
ing violent or revolutionary in our
language" We have felt in duty
bound to demonstrate with the general
editor of the Rural for his sensational,
extravagant and reckless writing, and
have done so on occasion. From the
above he can see in what a foolish
light it places him, and we willingly
give him the benefit of our list of sub
scribers for his utterances, as we
always do when we have anything in
his paper to condemn. But he is not
quite cured yet, for in his last issue he
asserts that we charge the citizens
whose views in regard to the manage
ment of Vermont railroads are repre-
sented" in his columns " with being
guilty of the crimes for which the
Chicago anarchists were justly hanged"
We believe they were hanged for MUIR
der. Will he kindly indicate when we
have charged any person with murder,
whether their views were reflected in
his columns or not? We feel obliged
to again caution the editor of the Rural
against writing such nonsense. 1t is
not in good taste and will put him in a
ridiculous light with sensible, candid
people.