Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-11
HOW 1T is.
The Position of Western Farmers in
Regard to the Irvine Trust.
How the Farmers Voted One Way and are
Now Kicking the Other Way-Eat-
ing the Fruits of Protection.
Farmers Voice.

ARCADIA, May IS 1t would afford g
| good deal of amusement were not of such
serious character the position of the
Western farmers at the present time in
regard to the Irvine trust.
Every paper is filed with the accounts
of the Indignation meetings of these ex-
asperated farmers, and the whereases
and resolutions adopted at these meetings
| are nnumerable.
What do these tariff cursed farmers
expect to accomplish by these means?
Do they think that the putty hearted
members of the Irvine trust will knock
off or 6 cents pound on binding Irvine
on account of these resolutions?
Not much; the screws Will be frightened
up for all they can bear; there is not a
particle of hope in this direction, they
are not doing business in that way, they
have got a good thing through the in
strumentality of the votes of these same
woodenheaded farmers, and they are a
going to work it for all the thing is
worth.
ted to the people last fall and voted on.
These sBme farmers that are teddy fill
ing the land with their cries and lamen-
tations of injustice had the whole matter
fairly and candidly placed before them
and were shown by hundreds of articles
on the subject that it was protection
alone that rendered the formation and
sustaining of these trusts possible.
Now, what are they kicking about?
They had every reason to believe that
they would receive just what they have
got. There Is a protection tax on sisal
grass of which binding Irvine is made of
10 per cent, also a protection tax on the
foreign manufactured Irvine of 80 per
cent. The Mills bill placed this grass on
the free list, as there is not pound
raised in the. United States, and reduced
the tax on foreign Irvine from 80 per
cent. to %.
The senate bill that the Western farm
ers voted to sustain, raised the tax on
sisal grass from SIS to $50 ton, and the
protection of the Irvine manufacturers
from 50 per cent. to 40. This was piled
on for the probable reason that protec-
ton being good thing ''you know - it
was impossible to get too much of it, aud
the leather headed farmers swallowed
the whole thing and voted for an in
creased protection.
Now they have just what they voted
for and still they are not satisfied. Was
consistency ever before placed in such
predicament Kick, you steers, the
yoke you bear upon your necks and the
burden and disadvantages you are labor
ing under, have been placed upon you
by the willing act of your own idiotic
selection.
You have shown the whole world that
you were utterly incapable of managing
your own business, and are contented to
be hewers of wood and drawers of water.
That you are willing your wives and
daughters should be dressed IN patched
calico, yourself work sixteen hours a day
and wear patched clothing for the sole
benefit of the manufacturers, whose
wives and daughters can wear velvet and
satin, and even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed nor had one-half the
good time that these manufacturers do
at your own expense.
Kick, you idiotio tariff loving farmers,
you have got just what you voted for,
the full benefits of protection; now enjoy
it. There is not another nation under
the sun that, if they could have had the
opportunity you had last fall of free
vote on such a grave subject but what
would have availed themselves of such
an opportunity to redress their wrongs,
in place of binding themselves with yet
stronger bonds.
Even the serfs of Russia with all their
ignorance, had they only had your OPP
portunity of last November, would have
caused the present Emperor Alexander
to pawn his crown and look for a new job
in some other direction.
But you Western farmers swallowed all
the protection lies with the greatest avid
ity; you were not capable after living
under the highest protective tariff known
in the world for twenty-five years, that
has always operated against you, that has
placed your farm under mortgage and
your family in want, you were not capa-
bic of judging after all this bitter expe-
rience of the difference or advantages to
yourself and families of free trade or
protection.
Free trade, you know, is to be brought |
about through the influence of s'Britisb |
gold. - Do you see any "British gold -
about this Irvine trust?
JOHN d. LEWIS.
The South VIII Do It