The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-09-20

RAiHi. Wltt1- ~ y Itttut ItlktF 10 THO
New York Evening Post as follows:
Sir: Betsoy an hev been 70 town
to-day. Mister Editor. Z get load OF
bindin' twinc for my harvest and
sugar for her presarvin'. an as Susan
that's our Oldest girl that's 20 hum
lis goin' to be married this fall after
huskin', the old lady insists on the
house bein' painted ag'in. an so
bought lot o. paint; the gracious
knows. ] don't see how we can afford
1t. While in town. our editor-he's
tariff reformer. an has got me TO be
sight more OF one than | was when
] quit the fact'ry down in Connecticut
an came West 10 farmin' he give me
a copy OF your paper. an have been
readin' since got hum those letters
from farmers from everywhere. It's
pow'ful refrcshin, as passon says, to
see how many other farmers all over
this big land O. ourn is gettin' the fact
into their heads that down under all
these things that trouble US farmers so.
as the cause OF them all. lies that dod-
rotted (scuse the cnssin' but Inn get
tin mad) perfected tariff. We've been
allowin' that the reason why we had
so little money in our pockets when
every thin was paid for was because
the railroads robbed us. an because
the Government didn't print money
enough, an because tho elevator men
beat US on grades and weight. an be-
cause some one they call ..Big Four
down to Shecawgo sent meat ready
dressed to our cities. an all that. An
we've been runnin' the Legislatures.
an passin' all sorts OF laws that some
Teller that wanted to go to the Legis-
lature said would just fix he thing all
right An so fur from gettin' better,
8 fer as can see. it's getting worse.
You see. US farmers don't spend much
time cipherin' on such matters. The
war. with its big prices, sent US along
boomin'. an since the bottom
dropped out we've had just all we
could do TO keep our heads out Of
water. an while we felt that some
thin was out O. killer. we couldn't
spend time to study 1t out for our
selves 1t is as clear as day TO me.
an jedge from the letters that IL is
getting heap clearer to lots Of others.
that we won't get any help that will
do US any lastin' good until we can
buy just egsactly as we sell. under a
compertition as wide as the world.
But didn't start in fur TO tell you
what you know sight better than
can tell it. but to tell you about our
shoppin' to-day, an what dose Of
this pertective / got. ! s'pose
you've hearn tell of the Irvine trust.
hewitt you. Mr.. Editor? Well. tie
difference 'twixt you an me is that
I've hearn Of it and felt it-fclt 1t in
| my pocket. sir--an' that's bein' teched
that way so often nowadays that it Il
/ gettin' mighty sensitive. Two years
| ago paid fourteen cents a pound fol
the best manila twine. That was be-
| fore the farmers had said that they
didn't want free Irvine. and before
these pesky trusts had got to be such
! private affairs that what they did
wasn't any concern Of yours or mine
or the Presidents, you know. To-day
| I paid eighteen cents pound for just
the same kind OF Irvine. / saw a letter
from the secretary OF this trust in
which he said that the raw material
had riz. Wages isn't raw material,
Is they? Well. on to-day's deal that
little rise OF the twine trust jest lifted
Sc out o my pocket slick an clean.
Then, only last year. when Betsy
wanted to put up her preserves, we
got fourteen pounds Of sugar for 81.
This year the sugar trust have run II
up-or down-so we get nine pounds
for 81. That made jest twenty five
pounds less sugar for five-dollar
bill. you see. and at last years prices
that is tl.7S more than / have
trusted" Then. on the paint an
oil, as near as can figger It out, the
whitehead trust and the linsecd-oil
trust borrowed a couple dollars more
to be paid back TO me in a home
market, p0sserDly. ltail makes W. 10
taken jest for nothin'.
Now. let's see what that means from
my point My cows average me pound
OF butter day, an I'm gettin' a shil-
ling a pound for It. II will take one COW
seventy-cight days to earn what these
trusts took out Of me. TO say nothin'
OF the feed and work; or they've come
and taken a Northumberland fifty
pound pig out OF my pen. or they've
took an acre OF good corn. or they We
taken all the profit there is in an acre
Of my winter wheat, leavin' me the
cost about paid. Now, when this sort
Of thing is goin' on all round the ring,
Is II any wonder that all farmers feel
that somcthin' Is hurtin' them mighty
bad, and that some OF Us. who can see
what it Is. get so ALTERED mad? Their
was . Teller onct down in your city
who impordently asked folks: "What
are you goin' 70 do about it?" when
they limited that he was a-stealin' too
much. an the trusts arc stickin' their
thumbs In their arni-holes and cockin'
their eyes 1T us an askin' US the same
question. Well, Tweed found his