Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1889-06-13
DANGEROUS RLArHER.

Sioux Falls Press There is class of
newspapers in this country which parade
themselves as the special friend of the
farmer. the particular champion OF labor,
etc. In so far as they deal in earnest
candid, truthful presentation Of wrongs or
abuses, that far their mission is creditable
and may be made fruitful of good; but
some of them indulge In such sweeping
and unfounded assertions that they be-
come curse TO the country in general,
aud 10 the farmers and laborers In partic-
ular. They distort facts. suggest clap
trap remedies, and not only accomplish
no good whatever, but do tremendous
amount of evil by magnifyIng ills ana dis
stimulating dissatisfaction and heart burn
ings and jealousies between classes.
II it true that there are farmers who are
burdened by debt. and they always have
been farmers burdened by debt; but the
burden is not to be charged essentially
against the "oligarchic plutocnts" nor the
'plutocntic eligarchs" which
these clap-trap newspapers handy indis-
crimnatelv as IL they amounted to argu-
ment. Right among these unfortunate
farmers will be found those not burdened
with debt, whose circumstances and
opportunities have been the same az their
own. This fact demonstrates that those
who are burdened must lay at least part
OF the blame upon themselves. In this
county. or in any county In all the region
roundabout, will be found neighbors who
commenced with precisely the same
chances, but one VI them will be found
prosperous, and the other in hard lines
one Of them has been wise and industrious
and business like, and the other has beer
foolish and negligent and slip -shod,
The fact is. as has been recently point
cd odt by the Orange Jndd Farmer, tn,
Northwestern Agriculturalist, and other
respectable journals devoted particularly I,
the interest OF the farmers and the labor
ing classes. that the agficultdrisis of thi
country have nine chances Tor success :,
one chance enjoyed BY those engaged il
in any other business. The farmer wh,
will apply In his occupation the sam
business sense. the same providence, th,
same energy, the same calculation that !
necessary to succeed in merchandising O
manufacturing pursuits, is many time
more certain OF success, and is likwis
sure Of escaping unreasonable evils an
unpIeasantnesses which affect these othe
classes for instance ms unpleasant
rivalries, and unpleasant contentious {
J various sorts. And he will not have
work anywise uear SO many hours in
year es the average merchant or manu-
facturer or professional man.
These blathering papers to which refe
J ence has been made, which seek 10 In
fame the farmers heart with the Id.
that he is being crushed under Il
: grinding heel Of oppression" are but litt
) better than the anarchist sheets th,
$ preach an everturning Of Law and ord,
: and a conhscation Of the property OF tho
0 who have accumulated It. They shift Il
4 responsibility Of failure from the re
causes that have produced it, and lei
] their readers to fret and feel rebslioas u
. der the idea that somebody is mistreatir
o thsm-when In the enormous majority
9 cases the chief iifficulty is to be trac
q to the discontented ones themselves.