The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-02-18

IS business enterprise, and the in
slant it becomes the advocate of indi-
viduals it steps from a business enter
prise to an anythingto-live concern,
despised and despicable."
Rural Center last week took The
Gazette to task for presuming to quote
from democratic paper in support of
a republican proposition repub-
Iican question and democratic an
swer!-as Rural Center puts it, are
mark and all. Absurd, isn't it? If
lawyer trying case before Squire
Byington should bring out facts "a
vorablc to his case from witnesses op-
posed to him, of course his honor
would throw lawyers, witnesses and
testimony all out of court for their
contempt of the fitness of things. But
the court of public opinion is free
and unshackled," and the Gazette did
not and does not realize that it was
doing an absurd thing, in quoting from
a democratic paper to show that under
republican administr alton and a !
republican financial policy, business
is fourishing, and that the surplus of
eastern capital is expected to seek
western investments the coming sea
son.
TX
Rural Center asks: Gone question,
Bro. Aiken. Are the terms the people
and business circles synonymous or
interchangeable" In our humble
opinion, as applied to people Of our
state, decidedly yes To answer the
question Yankee fashion, why is not
raising wheat and selling it as much
business as buying it? Is not the
farmer who hires men, horses, and
land to produce wheat at profit of 25
per cent above cost mot an unhoard of
thing doing as good business as the
wheat-buyer who gets everlastlngly
scored if he makes profit of four or five
cents bushel for taking the wheat to
the distributing centers? One of Web
ster's definitions of business is, "Any
particular occupation or employment
for livelihood or gain, as agriculture,
trade, mechanic art, or profession"
Doesn't that take in everybody but
loafers and anarchists, Bro. Byington?
Even Donnelly and Fish are said to be
doing hourishing business at hum
buggery.
And what does Rural Confer pro-
pose!
There are some very good reasons
for the government, that has always
maintained a protective paternal pol
icy toward various industries and pur-
suits to extend its protection to that
most useful industry of wheat raising
by furnishing the medium of exchange
necessary to hold the entire crop of a
year, in government warehouses locat-
ed in the vicinity where produced"
Republican paternalism, as we I'M
derstand it, is like wise paternalism
everywhere, to protect the feeble and
tender infant, and give the lusty youth
a chance to develop himself. The rea-
sonable farmer is not asking govern
ment to buy his wheat but government
is not doing its duty when it fails to
foster and protect the market for his
product in all legitimate ways. Re-
puhlicans claim that if certain pro-
portion of the population of tho coun-
try is set to work at mining, manufac-
turing, or trading, to laboring on our
countless railroads. ON our vast inter
nal lake and river commerce, and to
doing Americas share in the COM
merce of the high seas-if over-pro-
duction is thus avoided in agriculture
by the building up of home market
that dwarfs the demands of the old
world-if government does all this, it
is doing its whole duty by the farmer.
Infinitely more SO than by lifting it.
self by its own bootstraps, and going
into the wheat buying business.
Xxx
One side of this warehouse scheme
is presented in the following, from an
exchange:
Did you ever stop to think what an
awfully expensive undertaking the
scheme would be to build govern
anent warehouse in each county to
which the farmer could take his pro-
dses? 1t is estimated that it would
cost ct least 4OO,OOO,OOO to put up the
buildiHgs and that after that it would
take $10G, 100000 to run them year.
Again each county is to have but on, {.
Naturally that would be at the county
seat. With all the grain and other
produce of county going 10 one point
in the county what is to become of the
business interests of the remaining
towns of such county? Are these lit
tie villages to be abandoned? Are we
to have forced Capitalization of the
business of each county? Store the
wheat of this county in warehouse at
81 per bushel and then by decline in
the market it drops to 50 cents per
bushel, or let a thousand bushels of
potatoes rot in warehouse, who is to
make the loss good7 The government,
to be sure, but how, Under our con-
stitution we doubt very much whether
the general government can do any
thing of the kind. 1t certainly cannot
by taxation, and to food the country
with greenbacks to make up the def
cheney, would undoubtedly, result in