The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-08-07

or less, while those condeming them
tried to economic by placing one
lamp on every four or five acres.
Herein may lie the secret of success
or failure. If the thing is worth doing
at all it is worth doing thoroughly.
Half measures are never effective.
Let those inclined to fight the miller
with lamps get them ready and placed
at least one to every two acres. If a
fair test shows their futility, then they
must be discarded and something else
tried. Experiment and report results
THE FARMER AND POLITICS.
This year of grace marks new
epoch in the history ofpolitical parties.
There is little or NO change in the
policy of the two great parties, but a
new political factor has come to the
front in the person of the farmer.
Hitherto he has been a nonentity in
politics. Now he is the balance of
power. The tariff reform agitation
commenced some four years ago has
opened the eyes OF agriculturists t,
their position, and suggested remedy.
All over the States, but particularly in
the West and South, farmers have de-
cided to take hand in politics with
view to remedying the grievances
under which they suffer.
OF course the professional politician
condemns their action, as it interferes
very awkwardly with his assumed
prerogative. He is still willing to sac
rifce himself for the sole benefit of
mankind in general and the farmer in
particular, and affects an injured air
when told that his services are no
longer required, and stands aghast
when conventions are called and con-
!, Quoted without his aid and in spite of
his antagonism.
In some States the farmers, through
their organizations, have put a full
county, State and congressional ticket
in the field, but generally the policy
has been to secure the nomination of
candidates pledged to support meas
ures favorable to the agricultural
interest, regardless of party lines. 1t
is only by thus organizing and assert
ing their rights that farmers can ever
secure their just demands. Let the
good work proceed.
COUNTY CoNvICTs,
am glad the Democrats of Travis
county accepted Mr.. STEMS resolu-
ton calling for the employment OF
convicts on our county roads and
hope that our county commissioners
may awake to sense of their duty.
The idea is not now one and is not
in the nature Of an experiment. AS
l pointed out in recent article, Dali
las county has been using her convict
labor on the county roads for some
years and Judge Bower says the plan
is an unmitigated success. 1t is the
best and most reliable labor that can
be employed and the system is not
open to the objection generally raised
against the employment OF convicts
viz, that they interfere with honest
paid labor. At present there is no
labor employed in road construction
and maintenance. OF course the EN-
ployment of convicts outside the walls
OF the jail will involve a system of
temporary prisons, guards and vans
that will require careful organization
and strict management, but what has
been done in other counties is posi-
BILE here.
WHY THEY FAIL.
There are good many reasons
why people fail in the poultry bust
ness, says the Germantown Telegraph.
People do not go about it in the right
way. For instance, they depend upon
special branches. If a man wishes to
make a good living he must continue
all branches-he must sell eggs when
prices are high and set them when
quotations drop. This gives him a
profit right along. In fall and
early inter when eggs bring 25c a
dozen and cost an average of 12c there
is money in them. In the latter part
of the winter and early spring when
prices fall the eggs can go into an in
cubator and broilers can be raised.
Later ON in spring chicks can be
Matched and raised for the next fall
roasters. Ducks, geese and turkeys
can be Matched in their season ana
marketed before the holidays. Thus
an income can be kept up nine
months in the year.
RAILROADS AND RANGE STOCK.
Where there is no herd law COM
polling stock to lie fenced in, and the
railroad reservation is unfenced, the
law recognizes the right OF the COW to
the use of the track equally with the
locomotive, and should migratory
ouadruped be killed or injured when
! in pursuit of business or pleasure on
! the track its owners can recover dam
ages against the company.
So frequent are the accidents to
cattle that every railroad has a
special agent for the settlement of
claims. These claims form a large
item in the running expenses of every
Texas railroad, and the companies
naturally Try to keep them at mini
mum, and in doing so some times acts
unfairly if not unlawfully.
Here is a case in point: A few
tl,a ,oononoro of tho