Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-02-20

MILKING TIME.
try sad and depressed. When | got off
the boat, having borrowed money to pay
66s per cent duty on articles which if |
had been smart | would have struggled
in, l hurried to my bank to get $500 to
go back to the farm with.
What was my surprise and indigna-
ton to find in place of the bank a nice
new book and stationery store. And
what can l do for you?" asked an urbane
man with disheveled whiskers, coming
forward.
You might tell me where the Farm
ers and Swappers' bank has gone" said
l, with some warmth. "When I leave n
bank ON certain corner and tell it to
stay there till l come back, am not
pleased to find when | return that it has
taken advantage of my absence to go out
and see the town"
The Farmers and Swappers' bank, "
said the man, hopes to resume very
soon, but of course at present it is closed
until it can realize on its collateral"
hustled around and found that the
collateral was lot of paper showing
that Mr.. Chow Chow, the grocer, had in.
dorStd for old man Stiff, the embalmcr,
and old man Stiff, the embalmer had i'll
dOrsed for old Chow Chow, the grocer, i'll
order to borrow of the bank 500. 900 de
posted there by old man Rennet the
farmer and old man Ensilage. the farm
er, and old man Pitplant, the farmer. 1t
was the old story. The business men
had indorsed for each other in order to
borrow the farmers deposits, and the
t,,1- =.
i'll payment for advising them about how
TO do it.
| have been farming it now for two
years on my place, and | can say of Il
truth that | have no desire to turn back
1t is Il healthful and honest life, for when
| say that | have been us upright as my
farm | am saying nothing that | cannot
prove.
When Il neighbor's farm that is situat-
ed farther up the mountain than mine
has Slipped down i'll the night, have re-
turned it tO him on the following day
Stock that has fallen out of other farms
above me and into my farm has been re-
turned without loss or delay. Even
milk COWS that have dropped into my
Enclosure in that way have only been
We make our money by hard knocks
and we are SO situated that we cannot
get together and form trusts for our own
protection. We are the only class Of
people that don't raise II riot or throw
bombs when ~e are imposed upon, and
vet when II savings bank buStS, if you
will analyZe the cause, You will find that
the farmers money has been loaned on
rotten security in order that other pro-
LESSONS and other branches of trade may
have the capital To gamble with on the
price of our wheat.
That is why the farmer will hereafter
put his money i'll an old sock i'll Il hollow
tree. Do you blame him? Why do you
ask me for my ''confdcncc" and beg me
to put my money into circulation and
help the country when l return from a
foreign strand to find my savings gone
and book store where my bank was in
October?
Last summer my boy Henry was home
from Yale college, having been suspend
ed for something or other. 1t seems
that the chair of Greek history was Of
fered to Il man with II good education
alon:; in April. but before he accepted it
Henry put a bent pin in it and was tried
for the otfcnsc. He would have come
out all right, too, for he is very solid with
the faculty, but just about that time he
made wrong tackle at II football game
and was suspended, but has returned
now and been reinstated i'll the college.
But while he was at home during the
summer he explained to me the situation
of the country, and the tariff, and the
monetary question. He said that conf
lence was all that was needed and
wound up by getting $50 worth Of mine.
He also explained how much better
off we would all be with free trade.
But what does it matter to the farm
er anyway, so long as he has to
make up all deficiencies anyhow? If
he has protection, the merchant socks
20 per cent on the clothes he sells to the
farmer, and if free trade allows other
nations to compete with the farmer in
raising things to eat the price of his
product goes down. What rights has a
farmer got anyhow? He can't combine,
because he can't walk eight miles to at
nd agitation meetings. and if he should
his henhouse would be robbed by So
cialist while he is gone.
That is why farmers sons aspire to
become bartenders. My boy Henry will
graduate in June if nothing happens
and will march from the curriculum to
the mint julep works in spite of his
mother, for he says that there's where
you find your statesmen now. There's
where the laws are made and unmade
He can mix a good beverage now, for he
did so while at home, by means of which
he secured the use of my horse and bug
gy during our busy time.
For seven or eight years the tariff has
been used to scare the farmer into sell
ing his chickens for cents and paying q
little extra for his winter undergarments
For nearly eight years presidential con
ventions have talked one way and con.
gress the other.
Why?
Because the members of national
convention are not responsible, while the
members of congress are, Platforms are
made to secure votes, but tariff legisla-
ton has got to fit every locality and
every congressional district. SO, as a
! farmer, l am without hope in this
! world on that matter. am betting what
money had left in hollow black gum
tree when the bank failed that there are
harder times ahead than 1893 has shown
not harder times for banks perhaps, but
for people whe want clothes and food.