The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-08-08
The FARMERS, COLUMN.
Edited s.by The. Pioneers Agricultural
8. = Correspondent.
PRESIDENT IoucKS' ADDnzss.

We had grand session in South Dakota,
the largest gathering by oil odds ever held
by our people, even when North and South
Dakota were together, and now'I come here
to-day and find almost as many bright in
telligent faces to greet me-almost as many
as at Huron-if not as many. I make no
pretense to be speaker in public, want |
to talk to you as one farmer to another, as
one neighbor to another. have been in
the field for seven weeks making one, some
times two speeches day, and must do as |
did at Huron, give you my views without |
special preparation.
There are three cardinal prinsiples--so-
cial, financial and political. To thessfrst l
add educational. The bankers form CONF
binatiens, the press form organizations and
the bar form associations, now should We
not form alliances?
In every alliance am asked by fathers
and mothers, what shall We do with our
children to keep them at home? answe r
educate, form social ties ana cultivate
brains. The farmers children see the
father, bent with hard work; silver gray
hairs cover his forehead and the mother
sometimes taking luan's place in the field
ond doing woman's work in the house,
besides.
We should handle our own wheat. Some
one says we have no right to interfere with
the elevators and the railroads emphasize it.
admit some say, "there is no money in
raising wheat;' but I say large fortunes
are made in raising wheat. Going out with
some friends of the Minnesota Farmers ALI
| ance in ST. Paul and Minneapolis, l saw the
residences of J. J. Hill, Pillsbury family
and elevator owners, and the .million-dollar
l - hh,,rr nf
there men raised it from just where the
producer dropped it-there they took it up.
MIR. Hill hauled it to market, the elevators
stored it, the millers ground it. Washburn
hauled, gro und and sold it, They made
money. Let us compete and try and cut
them off. *
| was once fool myself. Four years ago
| I raised stock. It was "diversifed FAM
ling fsund only ''diversiAed" my mas
ters. We should control our stock rs we
propose to control our grain. Cnre it at
home (cold storage.) was at Deadwood;
I found there they raised hogs and sold
pork at two and quarter cents. At the
Homestake store they sold hams at eighteen
cents. It struck me there war good deal
of margin between two and quarter cents
the producer got and the eighteen cents
paid ut the store for the same meat-atter
! it had gone through the hands of the trust.
i I have been assailed, we oil are more or
less. Four years ago was at Bismarck,
Brother Edwards can tell you was beau
tiful, innocent granger. felt so bad that
almost gave up, but had religious stroke
and one day wus reading Sam Jones. Sam
/. says in his book: "When sec q pack OF
, dogs gathered together throw stone al
'em and know which dog is hit by the
howl he sets up.'' So it is with the press,
the louder they howl, the more they are hit
and notice that the littlest orniest cur
usually makes the most notes.-the meancr
and more worthless the dog-the louder. the
howl. do not mean to say oil the press
> are this way, but some are awful mean.
Politicians give US lots of advice. They
} tell us We are doing grand good work
> only leave politics alone. Politics is q dirty
pool, not fiji for you to work in, lesve it tc
| us. We are too decent to engage it. In al
q seriousness, if politics are graded down t
Q that level, is it not time to purify them.
cannot pay my compliments to the ladies
for there are none present, but give CHI
franchise to the wives and daughters-the,
will purify. About the year 1900, I an
not sure of the exact date we had farme
lpresident, majority Of the senate an
+ lower house Of congress, and both senat
= and house Of representatives in all til
,. states. Then the farmers held three-fourth
:. ST the wealth of the nation. In 1860 W
y had less representation, half the populatio
3 and about half the wealth. In 1880 VIC ha
10 onc-haf population, slight representatio
anywhere, one-quarter the woalth, and .
these years been producing. To-day, il on
. real veal tn had our debt deducted from \
we. don't owe fifteen per cent..of the eountf
no representation in the senate or congress
We begged for better state Of affairs, no
we demand it..
% There are two planks in the nations
:. platform to which wish to oall your atte,
:. tion and urge theiF Mdoption. One is Il
control of public Necessities, Governmel
+ should own orscontfol. Some men fail
= comprehend what government is. We al
the governmet. IS not supreme; we d
mand our rights. &
n First. To deal with transportation: cor
IN panies. i p
a. Second Ccntralize power in hand
. Igovernment md adopt civil service rcfor
throughout the land.
The Republicans were defeated with q
Q. the patronage aud again the Democra
were defeated and believe any party tha
has the patronage without civil service r
form will fail In reelection. Twel,
II men want Office, one gets it, eleven are ma
and SO it will be always, and this answer
the charge that by placing the railroads
the governments honds, that the great pa
ronage would keep the party in power; yo
can keep all the employees now in, right o
duty, all you do is to change paymaster,
Do away with so many manigers and 70
can haul wheat to seaboard for six cents
bushel; now it costs thirty; save twenty
four cents and the farmers make il.
Seventy-two men own four hundred mi
lion dollars-more than all the currency {
the nation. Twenty-Five men command O
much wealth as our circulating medium
Is not this q dangerous power? You and
have given II to them. Two million tramp
are idleI Bankers are sent to congress
Attorneys and shareholders in banks cor
not be expected to legislate for us, and y
are entitled BY our great numerical strengi
to take ali the Offices s.,7
We propose "a be broad gauge. We clai
n the offices for the sake of legislation On
emoluments. Politicians have not waite,
but they rushed off to Washington to 6
s the Offices. rather think that those th
got in are the best fixed, for in south D
are yet TO Be filled. The farmers propose
fill them themselves and those not alreaJ
s. in, are likely to be left out
3. In North Dnkota you farmers are entitl,
s. to two senator's because Of numbers 81
necessities In South Dakota we claim I,
congr ressmsn, ,.but here yol only shaye on
the farmers should have that osice. q
i, must hove the governor because you Va
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