The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-02-04
DAIRY FIGHT.
A Review of the Situation. by
Ex.President Henry Ames.
He Claims the Contest is Between "Thoss
Who Dairy With Cows and Others
Who Dairy With Politics."

Who Dairy With Cows and Others
Who Dairy With Politics."
The following letter regarding the
contest in the State Dairymen's AS.
ISOLATION is from the Chicago Produce
and is written by an ex-president OF
the association:
LITCHFIELD, Mimi, Dec. %.
EDITOR CHICAGO PRODUCE:
1t has been said that whatever the
Minnesota dairy school asks the dairy
and food department. opposes and
vice versa. Ii this Is true, it is in
deed source Of regret to those who,
like myself, dairy with cows; if not,
to those who dairy with politics. But,
admitting its truth, the cause is not
far to seek. The school is conducted
strictly upon business principles, the
department as strictly upon political
principles. The school has at its head
q man whose reputation as an au-
thority upon dairyfng is not only as
wide as the continent, but has reached
every land where scientific dairying is
conducted. He is ably assisted by
practiced men whom the butter and
cheese makers of the state take pleas
ure in honoring and to whom they
have the confidence to look for ad-
vice. These men are zealOusly and
intelligently laboring in the interest
of the dairy industry and to place
Minnesota in the lead as dairy state,
while the dairy and food department
expends it's zeal in serving the interest
of the appointing power.
While discussing this matter of a
few days ago, one of the appointees Of
this department. remarked to the
writer: "Even a dog would lick the
hand that fed it," This illustration
so aptly applies to the dairy and food
department. and so plainly portrays
is idea of public service that it will
bear repeating. In looking into the
personnel of this department. we find
that it claims one man who has had
practical experience as factory man,
but it is well understood that long
years of idleness in the department,
although originally, perhaps, good
man, he has become too lazy to be of
much use to dairymen, and that it re-
quires the excitement of hustling
political campaign to rouse him to &C.
tion. Inquiring further, / am in
formed there are in this department
editors, stump speakers, bankrupt
hotel keepers, bankrupt saloon
keepers, bankrupt merchants and ex-
postmasters-a joblot of political
buns, who know about as much of
practical dairying as as herd of wild
asses. But all have political pull.
/ or his last summers vacation the
professor of dairying held and ad-
dressed over 10 meetings of dairymen
in this state, giving them valuable in
struction in dairying. AS his salary
is paid by the national government,
and as the railroad companies appre-
ciated his services and gave him trans
pOrtation, it has not cost the state a
copeck, yet the dairymen who dairy
with politics charge him with ex-
travagance.
Compared with the above, the dairy
department., at an expense OF $18, 600,
thinks it has inspected about 100
creameries and, as was done by the
class of men have indicated, the in
spection consisted principally in tell
ing the patrons whether or not their
''cans are Clean" which any old scrub
woman could do. What ''cow" dairy
men ask is that this work be done by
practical men like B. D. White, FL. E.
Schuknecht and Sondergaard, who can
roll up their sleeves, 60 into factory
and teach a man how to make sweep
stakes goods. =
At the last session of the legisla-
ture the dairymen appointed com.
mittee upon legislation, of which the
writer was chairman. We endeavored
to secure legislation which would give
US a system of field instruction similar
to that in other leading dairy coun-
tries with which we must compete.
In an interview with Commissioner
Anderson, he expressed himself as
follows:
Eyes, this field instruction is good
thing. like it. But / shall stand
by my Office and keep it strong like /
found it, or make it stronger" to
which I replied: "Then, Mr.. Ander-
son, the dairymen understand that
you oppose them in this matter for
the reason that you wish to control
the patronage which these appoint
ments would bring" with profound
nod Mr.. Anderson promptly replied
"Yes." have endeavored to give the
substance of this interview, "ver-
batim," not to parade Mr.. :Andersons
ignorance Of English which is excus-
able, and which, by the way, is not a
M arker to his ignorance of the re
quirements of dairying, but that all
who are interested In the success of
the dairy industry may realize the
downright brutal Indifference of this
department to the industry which it
was created to serve. Unlike the
dairy commissioners in other states,
Mr.. Anderson has never graced a
| dairymen's convention with his pres
ence, nor has he made any effort to
place himself in touch with US. When
not employed in his newspaper work
or in the service of the politician, he
seems to prefer snoozing and snoring,
and snoring and snOozing, on that big
leather-covered lounge in the COM
missioner's office to our society of the
dairymen. This creature of the dairy
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