The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-07
A VOICE FROM wINoNA COUNTY

HOW FARMERS AND WORKMEN FEEL
To the Representative:
I CHANGED to be travelling through the
agricultural portion of this county last
spring when the weather was very dry
and the crop outlook little doubtful.
I met successful farmer, good Peo-
pies Party man and reader OF the Re
preventative. To him I made the remark
that the manufacturers, merchants, and
business men of the city were very anx-
ious to have it rain, in order that farm
ers might get good crops, to which the
farmer thus responded: "They want us
to have good crops in order that they
will have all the more to steal. And what
matter if we do have an abundance of
Gods gifts in their line, as the demone-
tization of silver has impoverished the
price of everything we have to sell I'M
til it is scarcely worth the labor it costs
to produce them. We have built ele-
vat0rs of our own at many stations, but
the grain ring and money ring and rail-
road ring still succeed in robbing us at
Chicago, and eventually in London. 1t is
the fellows who never work, who never
farmed and never will, who talk crop
all the year round, and who barter and
gamble in the fruits of our labor after
it is placed in the market that make the
money and rob the producer.
The good harvest is on, Winona
nfv ho fret
time in many years men are scarce, and
wages are good. And if there is any
better times now than year ago, don't
make an ass of yourself and think for
a moment that any Internal, damnable
old party has caused it. There is a
heavy crop, it requires labor, material,
and machinery to move it, hence the
demand for labor, hence prosperity.
The factory must be run, the lumber
mills must be run, the railroads must
put ON extra men, elevators must be
built Think of it, the insignificant AL
tura, this county, putting up two new
elevators.
:. Again; I care not what damnably de-
ceptive plank the old parties place in
their platform on the silver question, for
twill only be placed thereto catch votes.
I will vote the Peoples Party ticket
STRAIGHT in the next campaign,
from top to bottom. Old party plat
forms are nonentities, decisions, and
snares. The insignificant Grover Cleve-
land had the brazen gall to stand on a
free silver platform last campaign, and
Ben Harrison likewise. We can never
expect redress from the old parties ON
that score, and Democratic and Republi-
can papers that are advocating free sill
Var4n6qV will no o6vnaofinr
and Republicanism when the nominal
tions are made next fall. There is no
show but to stand true and strong to the
Peoples Party for her candidates are
ever ready to draw up in writing and
sign pledges and promises, instead of
making word of mouth promises on the
stump that they never intend ito fulfill,
as the graft agent, to get your vote.
The Winona Western Railway Com
pany are doing some grading in this
county. 1t is contract labor. Men who
know them and are acquainted in the
county struck, and their places were
filled by whom, and how? Those miser,
cradle fellows advertised in Chicago
papers Tor men. Succeeded in decoying
a large number to come ON. When the
men arrived and found it to be contract
labor ait $3.50, and farmers paying 81
and board, they very wisely accepted the
latter. But had crops been a failure
those men would have been only too
glad to work for those miserable fellows
at any wages offered. The above illus
trates our railroad swindle scheme only.
and on a very marrow scale, measured
presumably by the caliber of the indi-
vidual concocting it.
KNIGHT OF HONOR.
ST. Charles, July 20.