The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-03-22
Hogs and Politics.


At the recent convention of swine
breeders at Taylor Populist poltti
tician tried 10 work off some politica
rot on the evel-headed hog men, ale
his ignominious failure is thus related
bv Texas Farm and Ranch:
Mr.. Williams (Populist editor
wanted again to know about the poor
farmer With only an 8x10 pen for hogs
how is he TO make his meat? We
want you hogmen to tell them how to
do it. This is the man you should
help; and he has been overlooked.
MIR. Helland-Where are the men
you speak of Mr.. Williams; are they
here? If so, produce them, If you
want them taught, bring them up.
These men are ready to teach them.
But they are not here. If there is a
single one of these poor farmers who
can't make their meats in town today,
he Is on some street corner whiting a
goods box. How can you expect us to
teach men who will not come to such
meetings as these-who do not want to
learn-Who would rather grumble and
curse the government
Mr.. Williams:-l wish to reply that
these men are not here. They are in
the fields blowing. They have no
time to attend these meetings. |
simply wanted to hear something for
their benefit.
r. F. Butler:-I am truly sorry for
the farmers Mr.. Williams speaks for
But these men are not here, nor can
we get them here. How can we reach
them if we caunot get them out, and
\ they will not read agricultural and
stock papers? They ought to raise
their own meat and could if they
would, even if they can't get ground
for pasturage.
Mr.. King (of Taylor):-I have in
quired of our merchants and they tell
me that most tenant farmers on 40
acres or less are Germans, and they
actually do raise hogs and sell meat.
Mr.-:-Tenants on my farm
raise hogs and sell pigs and meat
They raise sorghum for teed, and also
have plenty of corn. German renters
also do the same everywhere, but they
do not remain renters but few years;
then they buy farms.
Mr.. Evans-l came here for informa-
ton, Mr.. Williams pities the poor.
He is wasting his sweetness on the
desert air. AT Hutto we have Just
shipped out five cars of hogs, raised
chiefly by tenants, and more to fol-
low. One OF my peighbors has 30 big
hogs outside and 30 in pens; he raises
them on barley and fattens on corn.
| tell you many tenants are buying
some Of the best stock they can set.
Mr.. Williams spoke again in COM
miseratioa OF the poor tenant farmers
and wanted this meeting to instruct
them how to raise their meat; but he
did not produce his pupils, and the
teaching could not be applied. He
publis he'd Populist paper and had
an immense circulation among these
people. He did not offer any solution
of the question how these people were
to be taught how to raise hogs prop.
erly unless they read livestock papers
or attended such meetings as this
A gentleman, replying to Mr.. W.
| find find a growing inclination
among all classes to buy and raise good
hogs and make their own meat. My
six renters buy pigs from me ard raise
and fattan them for their own use.
My observation is that very few rent
ers il this section buy meat.
Mr.. Pierce-Let us get back to our
subject.
n
Mr.. Williams (Populist editor)-I
was raised on farm. am sorry to
see so few farmers herer l used to
raise hogs-the small boned Berk-
shires. Laughter The farmers ten
ants want to learn how they can raise
hogs. In this organization they can
not learn this. They are too poor.
Why, 80 per cent of the farms of Will
hanson county are mortgaged now.
Mr.. II would like to correct
Mr.. Williams. have the official fig
ures here, and the farm mortgages |
amount to little less than 10 per cent |
in Williamson county.
Mr.. Holland-I noticed my friend |
Williams at the Georgia Wonder Show |
last night, and think know what is |
the matter with him; he lifted so hard |
on the little boy that he sprained his
knowledge of hogs so bad that it wont
work. | would like to speak further
OF Mr.. Williams, hut am long way
from home and want to return unin-
lured, so you will have to excuse me-
from expressing my opinion of him as
breeder Of Of red-boned- no,
small-boned Berkshires, He knows
nearly as much about hogs as jack
ass does about Populists politics.