The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-06-03
The Farmers and Politics,

Farmers are taking as much interest
in politics as any other class of people.
They have learned by sad experience
that the political administration has
very much indeed to do with their
prosperity, They have also learned
that the present administration has no
more care for the welfare of the tillers
of the soil than it has for the savages
of Africa. Under present conditions
farmers cannot help asking, What of
the future? Of the possible candidates
for president, which will be most apt to
consider the real needs of the farmers?
The Ohio Farmer answers this ques-
ton as follows in an editorial which
calls attention to the recent appoint
ment by Governor Morton of Mr..
Wieting as com missioner of agricul-
ture, an appointment generally con-
demned, and known to have been made
at the command of Boss T. c. Plat:
"The appointment of Mr.. Wieting
shows just what sort of work the farm.
ers might expect in behalf of GU agri-
culture, should Governor Morton be
elected president of the United States.
The secretary of agriculture would be
a mere politician, appointed under
pressure The same, it seems to us,
would be true if Mr.. Reed of Maine
were to be president. He is not
known ever to have done thing, writ
ten line or said word that has made
the slightest impress in favor of agri-
culture, or that has indicated that he
would appoint thoroughly competent
but sure enough farmer to stand at
the head of the agricultural interests of
this vast country. The same is true,
30 far as we can learn, of all the repub-
lican candidates for nomination thus
far prominently mentioned, with the
exception of Mckinley of Ohio and AL
lison of Iowa. These two, especially
the former, have shown real knowledge
of the vastness and importance of our
agricultural interests and thorough re-
spect for the representatives and the
claims of this vast interest. OF the
possible democratic candidates we can
hardly speak except to say that those
thus far named as possibilities have
not, in their past history, been in
any way prominent for their ap.
probation of the agricultural inter-
ests. Hill and German and Whit
ney would be more than likely to APP
point lawyer or Wall street farmer
for secretary of agriculture, and to fol-
low Cleveland's example, in his first
term, of appointing almost the entire
cabinet from those so far east that they
could smell salt WATER and only one,
and that one lawyer, from the entire
region that exports the wheat, corn,
oats, beef, pork and horses which alone
can keep our balance of trade in our
favor with Europe. So far as the in
terests of agriculture are concerned
and that is as far as The Ohio Farmer
cares to go in political matters-we
heartily rejoice that the nomination of
William Mckinley at ST. Louis seems
alaeady an assured fact If nominated
there on fairly just and liberal plat
form his election seems exceedingly
probable"
We believe every farmer in Vermont
will rejoice to know that Mckinley is
thus spoken of by a reliable authority.
The Ohio Farmer, like most of the first
class agricultural papers, is really indie
pendent in politics, and what it says
carries far more weight than if it were
party sheet.