, 1889-02-07
WHY is 1T, FAKMERs9

Spokane Falls markets are filled
with provisions shipped to this city
from elsewhere. Train loads are re-
ceived every month and sold out at
prices that would make the farmers OF
this region rich il they we're furnish
ing the goods. Chickens from Dako-
tn and Misnefota; butter from Cali
fornia aud from beyond the Mississip-
pi; eggs from Iowa and Illinois; hams,
bacon and lard from Chicago and
Kansas City; and cargoes containing
many other articles of farm produce
which it would seem our own farmers
ought to be able to supply.
Why is it, farmers, that these arti-
cles are not produced here? Why
should the business men of your me-
tropolis be compelled to pay freight
on butter from Illinois when we have
as good grass, as good hay, as good
grain and as good water as they have
10 any other part Of the world? Won't
your COWS come up without they are
gone after, or what is the trouble?
Is the water too clear and crystalline
to afford the necessary coloring mat
ter to make the butter look rich? Or
is the butter you make so good that
you eat it all yourselves?
And how about your chickens, tur-
Keys and ducks2 Are they too pretty
10 kill? What has really become OF
the yellow legged roosters for which
the travelling preacher had such pro-
verbal icndness9 Are you saving
them all for the next camp meeting or
Methodist conference? 1t must be
that the preachers are too numerous
in the country, or the chickens too
scarce, as few OF the latter ever stray
into the corporate limits of Spokane
Falls; and as for our own town
preachers they have, like Cassius, "a
lean and hungry look" which seems
TO cry out, in the language OF Tom
Paine, the great adversary: "These
are times that try mems souls"
There was q time, indeed, which now
seems far back in those halcyOn days
when the morning stars sang together,
when even an editor might once a year
feast on chicken--yea, even a turkey |!
This reads like romance now bnt it
it was really true. But alas! chickens
roost too high in this country now for
editors. Should one of these old-fash.
ioned birds stray along in his presence
on one of these degenerate, modern
days it would doubtless be amusing to
read the edit or's description OF it in
mis- next paper, as he would doubtless
break forth in tie words of The An
cient Mariner, calling it "a strange,
bright bird on golden wings" or guess
it off as bird Of paradise or some
thing Of that sort.
And as for eggs there is said to have
been time, far back, perhaps, about
The era of Tubal Cain, Gin the days
when the earth was young" when the
children at Easter time even had eggs
10 play with; and IL they chanced to
break one their mothers wouldn't cry.
Children in Spokane Falls may go and
oil 800 gold pieces down hill, but their
nammas would not think OF trusting
hem with a sure-epough egg.
None are so far from market as
hose who have nothing 70 sell. No
ountry eau continue 70 be prosper
,us that buys more than it sells. Spo-
Iane Falls will always afford one OF
he best markets for farm products, as
twill supply large mining districts
nth provisions and will always con-
ain many artisans, laborers, manufac-
urers and business people in general.
% supply this great demand each
armer in Eastern Washington should
@ getting TO the front with his pro-
uce. 1t is not right that we should
ontinue to send money out of the
ountry and pay heavy freight charges
eggs, poultyr, butter, bacon and
ther farm produce shipped here from
,:.s, Orfl0 -, ;laa n ~,a,,