Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-07-01
4 DAKOTA FARMERS VIEWS.

Populist Ketchum formerly a real
estate speculator of Boomtown. MINI.
-.sAh, cd mornin' nabor; hard at it,
I see. Well, work suits some fellers,
| but it never did me, nohow."
Farmer Growsum, (who is plow-
ing)-"Guess yeh don't half teh work.
but yeh dress we'll, and got a good
team and buggy there"
Eyes, pretty fair. Got 'em on a
land deal just afore Boomtown busted,
and with wink) thought I'd get a
leetle further West. How's times in
this low-cality?''
s.Bad, nifty bad. Drouth last year !;
gophers ct up most everything year
afore; thet Rushin thissel's spreadin'
like mad. Got to hussel to get liv
in here. Gee roun there, Gray"
ssHard times, eh? You're one of the
men I'm lookin' fur. Calkilate to run
for Congrus this fall, and thought I'd
take run through this part O. the
State to kinder get acquainted. Looks
like I'm goin' to get the nomination
all right. If I do, spose l can count
on your vote?"
ssWell, I dunno. What mout yer
prinserpils be? So many fellows
roun' now, all wantin to go to Con-
grus, man don't know who's who. :"
ooh, me? Why I'm fur the only
party that's fur the farmer. The free
silver party, of course. Amt it time
that you, the toilers of our farms, rose
against the the giant money powers
which like huge octupus-''
t'Ho1 on. I amt seen no jints out
here in Dakoty. It's the thissels, and
drouth thet's worryin' me. Octupusses
amt botherin' us roun' here half
as much as gophers. But wat yeh
goin' to do for me if help SEN you
to Congrus?''
s.Do? I'm agoin' to break the
chains tibet the blasted British gold
bugs hes got on every farmer. I'm
goin' to give you free coinage at Is
to l. Tn goin' to put silver up to a
doller'n twenty-nine cents an ounce.
Thet's wat I'm goin' to do"
"Mebbe yeh are. An mebbe yeh
amt. But wat ] want ter know is
how that's goin' teh help me? Hist,
darn yeh, Bill, git yer leg over that
trace.) I see how goin' to Congrus's
goin to help you wear good close and
drive team without workin'. Whered'
I come in?"
''I'm afraid, my friend, you don't
see that if silver goes up, wheat'Il go
up. corn'll go up, every thing you
raise II GO up. Then you'll be able
to make twice as much off n your farm
as you do now"
"Will, hey? I amt SO sure bout
tibet. TIL price of wheat's fixed in
England, where theirs the blame gold
standard. How's free silver goin' to
to change prices there? Anyway, if
prices do go up, won't I have to pay
jist twict as much for my sugar, glass,
nails, blankets an harness?'
'sGuess yeh will, but you can pay
yer debts off in silver. and stead of
havin' to give thousan' bushel of
wheat for five hunerd dollars, yeh'll
only hev to give haf as many"
seThink | get yer meanin' now.
You're one of these here fellers who
want to find some way of gettin' out
of payin' lawful debts, or cuttin' them
down hat. Mebbe if you paid yer
debts back in Boomtown yeh wouldn't
have no team and buggy. Well, I'm
poor, an I work hard. Got to get
these thissels plow'd under and amt
got no more time to argy. But if I'm
poor I'm honest, and I don't want to
send no man to Congrus to pass laws
cheatin' men who's lent money. G'd
up there, dern yer picters.
Then Mr.. Ketchum drove off to look
for a greener farmer.