The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-02-15

advocated the abolition OF the slave
like drudgery to which young farm
lads are subjected nine months In the
year: the hiring OF the best teachers
money can procure for the country
school, for here the Young sprout Is
given first Impressions; the making of
home life attractive by the introduce
ton Of city comforts into modern
houses; the training rather than the
driving. His lecture was very In
structive and at times brilliantly
witty, but space forblds its repro
lduction.
i Mrs. G. J. Curyea recited the beauti-
fll tale of modern prOdigal son. She
possesses very fair voice and has a
line command of her gestures. The
applause was very generous.
CACKLEs FROM THE FARM.
Startlingly original, that paper by
Mrs. |. H. Elliott. Its humor was
contagious. 1t inflamed the entire
house from the gallery doors to the
orchestra stalls.
No one expected 1t. 1t fell like
thunderbolt upon the audience. 1t
was thunderbolt that passed down
the aisles and scraped the cObwebs
from the eyes of the farmers. Several
prominent manufacturers present sat
open moutned and open eyed, but
they did not smile. The remainder of
the audience, not respecting their
feelings, did.
Mrs. Elliott's paper opened with
| its caption, "Cackle from the Farm"
Then followed a pleasant reference to
woman's cackle, but with the apology
that she was battling, not for place
in fames nitches, but for money to
educate the farmers boys and girls,
money to send them to college, II they
wished to go there.
81 believe" said Mrs. Elliott, SIN
the Declaration of Independence. |
believe that every man should have
fair show. and know that the farmer
does not have fair show. l will not
enlarge upon the relation of the farm
er to the national taxation, because l
would be approaching too nearly to
partisan politics. You are mixture
of democrats, republicans and prohibit
ItonistS here. But | believe that salt
and lumber should be placed on the
free list, along with altar OF roses and
oil of lavender, as a tribute to Ameri-
can agriculture, so that the American
farmer might have fair show with
the American dude. wild applause)
There were 81 ,000, 900 worth OF coal
mined by the operators OF Illinois dur
ing the past year, and not cent OF
tax was paid upon it. If that $ll 200
600 had paid its fair share OF tax,
wouldn't it have helped you?
THE increase OF farm mortgages,
from 1880 to 1887, in Illinois has been
% per cent, and it may interest La
Sale county people to know that this
county stands second In the list OF in
debtedness, Livingston county head
| ing the procession. In La Sale county,
| in 1887. 1913, l20 acres of land were
mOrtgaged to secure "a, 45l ,9S9, while
the farm products for one year were
only So, 30. 900. That is it would take
all the receipts of a years work-not
the protitS--tO pay off the indebted
ness. But since for several years all
products have been raised at an ac-
tual loss, it is difficult to see how this
debt is ever going TO be paid, If this
condition continues. Two men are
PP5ak lles BAY atns""o''s1- 8, : ; =
81 am not talking for the farmer
who owns "A couple of sections OF land.
/ am speaking for the farmer with
an eighty or two eighties. He is the
man who is ignorant. He is the man
who pays, more for the lightning rod
upOn his house than he did for his
house. He is the man who Is buncoed
| by the bunco steerer and crooked by
the crook of the cities.
"Why don't someone go out ana
catch farmer, put a clean pair or
socks upon his feet, comb out his soap
| locks and send him down TO the legis-
lature to legislate? (applause) Who
pays the bulk of the taxes? The
farmer Who owes the bulk of the
debts? The farmer. Why? Because
| he is green and soft headed. Because
| he stands around and talks about his
wrongs and allows the politicians to
do the nominating at the conventions.
He lets the bankers legislate high
| interest and the owners OF railroad
and corporation stock make laws under
which their assessments may he for
gotten and his especially remembered.
1.-THE farmer is told to elect men
who will pledge themselves to give
him relief. Then he is relieved-of
more tax money. (applause) The
Grange teaches that the Office should
seek the man and not the man the
Office. Did you ever hear OF the office
seeking the man? When you see
rabbit chasing around after great
ferocious dog, then you will see the
Office seek the man.
Il read the other day of how Mrs.
So-and-So, and Mrs. This-and-That,
and hundred Others were dressed in
royal purple velvet trimmed with
cloth of gold" at a grand Washington
reception. 1t would relieve the farm
ers of Illinois If they had only the
money paid for telegraphing the stun
over the country.
Il have been reading of late OF the
many delegates from this and that
business appearing before the Ways
and Means Committee at Washing
ton But, strange 10 say, there has
not been farmer before the commit
tee. | have thought that | could
walk down to Washington myself
and say: Mr.. McKinlay, am an Hill
nois farmers wife, and prices have
been so low this year that We haven't
made dollar. Now, as we are not
making anything on what we sell,
10. H.