Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-06-09

shali American Farmers Pay n Tart3
TaxfoF Ghe EBene1G of Another CIas@s

| From Puck
There are more than seventeen million
working people. Of all classes, in the
| United States. Among those there are
over seven and half millions who in
one way or another, are engaged Ia agri-
cultural occupations. What are the other
nine and a half millions-Knights OF
Laborf Not all of them According to
the census reports we must deduct four
million people who are doing profession
al work, or the like-lawyers, doctors,
cleIgymen, clerks. inventors, commercial
travellers. musicians, teachers, and capital
lists generally. Trade, transportation,
mining, manufactures and mechanics
employ the other five and half millions.
No census report can tell us how many
Of the whole number belong to Organ
lied labor" but last year the two princi-
pal organizations gave II out that they
had ], 100 900 between them. We will
let il go at that.
These few statistics, which the reader
may easily verify for himself, are set
down here merely as an illustration in
simple proportion. II requires no pro-
found study 70 learn from them that the
farmers-that is, the people engaged In
agricultural employment of all sorts, are.
numerically, the greatest body of work
enormous plurality over any one other
class of laboTers. They do not make SO
much noise as. let ms say, one certain
other class; but they can make Presidents
and Congressman, and through their
representatives make laws. These facts
we sometimes forget; and 10 the people in
the large cities bowling master work
man on a street corner is a much greater
figure than a silent farmer on the far
horizon. Yet the master-workman has
one million behind him, while there are
seven and half million persons doing
work on the farm lands of the United
States.
These things are undeniably true-yst
il is equally true that there is no large
class of men in the country whose inter
ests receive less intelligent and sincere
attention from either State or National
legislators; and the reason is not myster-
ious. The farmers have not the means
OF ready REORGANIZATION, the facili-
ties for frequent meeting and for the
discussion of public matters which towns
folk enjoy. They are hard working men;
their acquaintance with any but their
own narrow world is slight; they have
little time or opportunity to read the
newspapers-and those that they do read
are not the sort to give them broad views
OF human affairs and of the worlds pro-
gress. They grow, naturally. in such
life. conservative, ''hide-bound," lin the
good old country phrase and intensely
partisan
Thus il comes that their Representatives
In Congress or in the State Legislature
are often peculiarly unIepresentaiive Of
the very men who elect them TO Office
The country member is nine times out
OF ten, the smart man of a village or a
country town. He gains his position in
politics by his influence with the towns
people on the one hand and with the
party managers on the other Thus he
is put forward as the candidate of his
party. and when election.day comes the |
farmers Of his district drive in. from miles |
around and vote for him. because he is |
the candidate Of the party. He can RELY |
on their vote, If he is a partisan in good |
standing; and he need do no more to keep |
IN favor with them than 10 canYass his |
district in the orthodox fashion and make /
few empty promises. II, when he Is /
elected. he has offices to dispose OF, they |
go TO the townspeople who worked for /
him; If he gets an appropriation for his
''dees,rick' lit goes TO the local con-
tractor for dredging some ten-foot.wide
creek between a cheese-factory and rail-
road station As for the farmers-why.
he will give them a brand.new speech
when he comes up for reelection.
Truly, he appears sometimes as the
champion OF bill 10 suppress the manu-.
facture of oleomargarine, or some such
measure. But II is doubtful if he il
moved TO this course as much by the
prayers of the farmer as by desire TO
make the oleomargarine men buy him off.
And II he carries through bill for the
establishment of a State Board of Agri.
culture, il is safe 10 say that two or three
of his political workers will find employ
ment on that board. II is much the same
way II be be member of the National
Legislature. You may hear HIM talk, in
the House of Representatives of the
needs OF the wool-growers and the sugar
planters; but you may be sure that the
wooden manufacturers and the sugar re.
hners have made their special needs more
clear 10 him.
This may explain why, for a quarter
Ell a century, the American farmer has
bad to pay burdensome tax levied for (
The protection-that is, for the pecuniary
oeneft-of the American manufacturer.
Il is tax Of which the farmers get no
manner of good. The only rational excuse {
Tor asking him to pay it is TO be found in
he assertion that il benefits the country
It large, This might be good excuse IL :
{ were true. That it is not true the
'armer may now find out; for such a {
has been started on the subject G
hat even in the furthest of the back !
man can have small excuse for 7
ignorant Of what has been said .
or and against high protective tariff. .
lie has never before had this opportunity. .
10 stoutly, so ingeniously have the o
Importers Of this system maintained the o
allacies on which it rests, that only the
courage of one man ayailed II
o bring the matter into court, and put
he question before the people IL has
low been fairly put. II is no longer :,
lasphemy TO discuss il. The farmer can .
ear and read what retormers of the tariff
ave TO say for themselves-and for him. Y
When he finds out what the tax really :.
J, and that Il is for him TO say whether a
r no Il SD u be LEVIED hereafter, we I,
elieve he will find il cheaper to do his y