The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-24
ONE MANS EXPERIENCE.
Making Farmers of Mechanics.

we took issue the other day with
the very worthy gentlemen who are
full of projects to overcome the evil
effects OF the decentralization of silver
and the contraction of the CURRENCY.
by shipping the unemployed laboring
men OF the cities out into the country
and making farmers Of them. 1t is
all very pretty and very well meant,
but you can not transform mechanic
into farmer by making few hyp.
MOTTO passes over his head, and saying,
"propreSto change"
we lind an interesting article in a
recent issue of. the Chicago Times
Herald, which confirms the truth of
our remarks:
When the regular business of the union
mad been transacted last night and the re-
guar appropriation for the care of unem-
ployed members had been made, the chair
man declared that any remarks of gem
eral interest would be in order
This left the field clear for mister" Fred
erlck Griswold. Mister Griswold was an
elderly man, with watery gray eyes and a
tattered fringe of gray chin whskers that
added greatly to his berign appearances
He was of a philanthropic turn of mind.
and took an immense interest in what he
called the welfare of the wage-earners
though known to be rich. he was very
popular in union circles, where the men
called him, among themselves, 1.-The old
party, and said his heart was in the right
place In an inpassioned tribute to Mr..
Grlswold's worth the president one night
referred to him as "our noble phy-lan-
thruppist.' and that raised him several de-
grees in the estimation of the men, par
t1cularly as most of them had only the
Vaguest ideas as to what a "phy-lan- thrup-
piSt'' was.
Mr.. Griswod having made all his money
in the city, and owing to the city all that
made his life worth living, thought no place
so desirable as the country. He had a lit
tie farm, forty miles out of the city, where
he spent two months of every year, and
where farming was conducted at a vast
outlay of money, with no very appreciate
results.
Mr. Griswold was a frequent and welcome
visitor at the meetings Of the union. He al
ways came late and after the regular bust
ness was out of the way. He always made
the men bright, jolly, encouraging speech,
and not infrequently went into his pocket
when some peculiarly distressful case of
poverty was brought to his attention
AT last nights meeting of the union when
Mr.. Griswold was called upon by the pres-
dent to say an encouraging word to the
boys, he responded with alacrity and
spoke at great length. He had new plan.
he said. 1t was simple one and he ex-
planned it fully and enthusiastically. 1t
was that the unemployed men should go to
the country. take cheap lands and become
small farmers. He spoke feelingly of the
delights Of such life. of the fresh, pure
air that would make the pale, narrow
chested,- tenement-housed children strong
and we'll, the milk they could have that
would make them plump and rosy, and of
the broad, sunny fields where they could
play the livelong day.
Mr.. Griswold's remarks were heard with
great approval and several men declared
that the "old party" surely had level
head and that his heart was in the right
place.
When the sounds of approval had died
away a weatherbeaten German who occu-
pied a seat in the of the room rose in
his place and began to speak in falterng
but earnest tones
MY name is Hertzer." he declared. Il
been a member of this union two years and
l know what l talk about. / heard Meester
GriSwOld'S speech just now which shows
to me that Meester Griswold don't know the
real circumstance of the unemployed. If he
did l guess he would speak different from
what he speak now. He don't know what
1T is for poor mechanic to go farming
Eighty men out of every hundred unem-
ployed mechanics in Chicago today are out
of money. Now will Meester Griswold
please tel ire now Il man out or money
can take a cheap land and help himself to
living? To buy land takes money You
cannot live the land without a house.
This takes money, too"
This proposition aroused a mild sensation.
Mr.. Hertzer continued ITO work your land
you need implements. shovels, hoes horses
wagons. That needs money again. You
need seed to put in the ground before you
can expect any crop. You have to pay for
this seed. and like l say before eighty out
of every hundred don't know anything about
farming at all. OF course, it happens that
a poor man is lucky and worked himself a.
living; but not ten of every 100 are so lucky.
1t may be that Meester Griswold had some
money and was lucky in his farming, or
maybe he know nothing about it at all.
"If he had the experience / have had
about farming he would not say what he
did do now And then If he fell into the
hands of land agent who stripped him
from $50, like Chicago land agent did do
me. he should be afraid to go farming I
bought some land in Iowa in the spring of
1891. 1 paid tenth cash on 1t, the rest
should be paid each year. 1 build a little
house. not more than shanty, but before