The great West., 1889-12-20

Mr.. Robinson Returns Compliment.
Harry P. Robinson, editor OF the
Northwestern Railroader, in his issue
of Dec. 5th, not only republishes most
of our criticism on his pamphlet, but
makes some additional remarks
thus:
''HOW FARMERS ARE EDUCATED.
We publish on another page an ex-
tract from a critisism by a farmers
organ of thepamphlet Our Railroads,
which was published in St. Paul near
ly a year ago, and which attracted
some attention in connection with
legislative matters in the various
Northwestern States. The criticism
is interesting only as showing what
kind Of food it is that the politician
OF the Farmers Alliance is fattened
on.
There are always demagogues
enough to thrust this kind of stuff
upon the farmer audiences, while, ex-
cept in occasional instances, as in the
pamphlet here referred to, no effort is
made to instruct the same audiences
in the facts and the truth. 1t does
not matter how false a lie be, if it is
left uncontradicted, it is believed; and
it is not strange if the granger, hav-
ing only one side of the case present
ed to him, believes that side to be the
true one.'
We have nothing to object to in
this. 1t is only what railroad organ
could say. AS he says, in extract be-
low, SO we repeat, "when you have
no case, abuse the opposing counsel. :"
We are dissatisfied with only one in
ference: If there are such false state
ments in our review, a reference there
to might be OF value. The fact is
that Mr.. Robinson stands forth to
defend the great engine of oppression
of the century-and as such it is wise
to call the Alliance workers "dema-
gogues" He puts the following pre-
face to his republication of portion
of our review:
THE FARMERS ARGUMENT.
There is a paper (of which the name
is immaterial) published in St. Paul
representing the financial and politi-
cal interests of the farmers of the
Northwest" In it's issue OF Nov. %
last it devotes some four colCmns to
a criticism of the pamphlet Our
Railroads. published by Harry Z,
Robinson nearly a year ago. The
criticism is delightful as an example
of the kind OF literary stuff that is
fed to the farmers nowadays-if the
paper reaches any farmers outside
the circle of those who farm for
political revenue only. The pictur-
esque villifcation of the author of
the pamphlet which the gentlemanly
critic revels in is entirely characterize
ic of the statesmen who are looking
after the "political interests of the
farmer to- day, and is only the practi-
cal observance of the old legal maxim
-Fwhen you have no case abuse the
opposing counsel" The arguments
which the aforesaid gentleman and
critic advances are too we'll under
stood to need attention again; but
we cannot refrain from remarking
that the "advance sheets" of which
such a monstrous mystery is made
have now been for eight months in
the hands of everybody in the cou1try
who cared to have them,
From the text ess the pamphlet, not
notlp~s che footnote, we supposed
that his advance sheets were of the
current year. Nor did we suppose
that such stuff had been afoat for
several months What we do know
is that in the recent past the rail-
roads have passed around the hat to
have an enormous edition struck off.
The railway officials, from brakemen
up, have been loaded with it with in
structions to scatter it far and wide.
As a result of this it is just now re-
ceiving the attention it deserves. All
this has nothing to do with the great
issues involved. The only relation it
can have is that Robinson did get
the advance sheets before they were
born to the world-so that he did pre-
pare a farcical document (Which at
tracted some attention in connection
with legislative matters in the various
Northwestern States" That was the
point d'appui upon which our criti.
cism hung. We find that the U. S
Government was lent to Mr.. R., as g
railroad attorney, to aid him before
the legislatures-this was more to