The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-03
BEN" BUTLER AND JERRY" RUsK

Ouulty Will many duitiidoic si"ieo' ~
is his habit to seek out the weak side
of any case that happens to attract at
tention and then get himself before the
public i'm efforts to make the less ap-
pear the better reason. lie has trav-
eled every open road in American poll
tics, he takes pride I'm appearing to be
eccentric. A great many people dis
trust him, yet the public is generally
interested in what he has to say-and
he can put his notions in good crisp
speech.
Uncle Jerry l.usk's letter gave Gen
eral Butler a suggestion or two. At
the Butler club dinner, Thursday night,
the general talked about the farmers
and the Alliance which just now is
bringing into organization thousands
of American husbandmen I'm a dozen
different states. The Alliance claims
to be non political, but General Butler
declares that to be an impossible con-
dition, since the object of the Alliance
is to influence national and state legis-
lation, and that can be- accomplished
through political agencies alone. In
| deed, General Butler fortells that If the
Alliance realizes any large part of its
hopes, IL will destroy both political par
| ties and itself become the leading pO-
litical organization i'm the United
States. This prediction may be a safe
one, yet new parties representing any
| particular industrial class do not live
and thrive as easily as n might i'm
agine. Six years ago, General Butler
was very sure that the class i'm the
country distinctly known rs the labor
element was going to march straight
way into power, and the old man inn
mediately named himself as the head
and front of the movement. Nothing
came of it, except the historic fact
which was notifying enough to Mr..
Butler-that at the last moment In the
campaign of 1884, he tried to turn over
To Blaine what few votes he had in
New York state, and failed i'm the at
tempt.
Touching the condition of the farm
ing community General Butler declares
that the farms are gradually passing
out of the ownership of the men who
cultivate them, that the farmers are
becoming a class of tenants, that mort
cages are steadily driving them out of
ownership of land. "To pay these mort
cages" said the general, lis simply an
impossibility. Even the payment of
the interest on the mortgages is out of
the question because they call for from
seven to nine per cent interest, while
all statistics show that the average pro-
fits on farming are between four and
five per cent"
The telegraphed report of General
Buffers speech does say how he
would apply a remedy. Uncle Jerry
Rusk, however, in his recent letter adj
dressed to the farmers, undertook 10
say what, in his judgment, ought to he
done. First of all he would work the
venerable old tariff racket to the full
limit of its capacity. Says the
cabinet representative of agriculture
an my annual report | have demanded,
on behalf of the American farmer, n
wise application of our admirable pro.
tective system" This is stately enough
Mortgages may fade and produce thrive
under Uncle Jerry's fostering report,
yet we doubt il. But he offers other
suggestions. lie would revise the tax
levy SO that the farm shall no longer
bear its undue share of burden, and in
q way that will make personal property
bear its part. lie would insist on
bringing about m era of economy In
all national and local administration OF
government and he would stop the con.
nict that involves the farmer in his
amending struggle with the shipping
and traffic interests.
All this is well enough but, alas
other men and greater men than Uncle
Jerry have prescribed the remedies
time out of mind. They are simple
enough-it is ice for fever and wrap.
pings for chills, food for the hungry
and water To quench mans thirst. We,
taxation keep OF its Uneven course, of,
fetal extravaganza goes unchecked
and the doctrine of protection. in il,
practical application, is made the help
full instrument for trusts and the farm
er's worst foe.
Can these men who theorize abou,
the way of escape for the American
farmer bring themselves to the candid
study of the currency question? Will
the figures that show the fabulous debt
Of the farming community befor,
them, will they take account of In,
fact that, by wicked manipulation a,
Washington, the dollar with which tn,
farmer must pay interest or principa
has been made to cost him CONSTANT,
more and more while the purchasing
power of all the product of the farm
has become less and lessp Would
, potent remedy applied right here b'
more speedy and effective in its opera
ton than consolatory letters from TIN
cabinet or professions of friendship
from men SO skilled in statecraft tina
they have found il an easy task q
hoodwink the farmer, and so adroit il
legislation that they have made TIN