Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-14
UNITED DAIRYING INTERESTS.
What the Passage of the GrOut Bill
Has Demonstrated.

Has Demonstrated.
1.-The passage of the circuit or oleomarga-
| rine bill through Congress by so decisive
! majority was the greatest victory the farm
ers of this country ever accomplished, and
demonstrates what a terrific power polit-
ically combined rural communities would
possess if they could but effect a proper
combination said ]. w. Foster, a farmer
from central New York, to a Star reporter
in one of the downtown hotels this morn
ing.
IF the constituents of a member or a
prospective member of Congress from a
rural district were to let him know that II
he voted against their interests on any
matte of legislation coming up during his
term he would be promptly retired at its
close and another man substituted who
would take the wishes and the interests of
his constituency first into consideration and
his personal inclina lions afterWard, general
sentiment in Congress would undergo quite
a change.
ION the stump candidate for Office will
and does promise anything. He talks at
length of the interests Of his constituents
being first in his heart. 1t is only when
he gets to Congress that they hear any
thing about his personal convictions
Farmers, a rule, are an easy-going class
Of voters, but they were all worked up over
the oleomargarine bill thiS year. Scores
of members came back with the positive
assurance that it would be their last term
If they failed to give their constituencies
the protection they demanded, and so ur-
gently needed. l, myself, personally in
formed my member that If he did not vote
for the one great bill Which the farmers
and dairymen of this country demanded
should be passed / would my strong
est endeavOrs to beat him at the pri-
maries. and falling to accomplish that,
that L would take my horse and buggy and
Campaign against him on the stump lose
N doe,
him; ana, furthermore, that L would guar
antee to enlist at least one dozen repre-
sentative farmers in my township who
would do the same thing. He assured me
that his promise to vote for the bill was no
ante-eiection promise, and so it proved.
The great trouble withs the farmer vote
IN acting in unison is thatit is so scattered
that combinations cannot be readily effect
ed. as III other occupations, skilled labor,
for instance The labor unions in a mem
bers district can as a rule, control his
vote on all questions affecting their par
tlcular trade. The farmers of his district
might outnumber the membership of the
unions ten to one. but, being unlimited the
member gives secondary heed to their de-
mands.
If farmers would cultivate the letter
writing hablt to the extent practiced by the
constituencies of the city members and trop
Their representatives from time to time lit
tie notes, 1t would go great way toward
perfectng sort of Organization among
liioii, anu liIdl Is ABOUT the only effective
way 1t can be done.
An analysis of the vote on the Grout hill
Is interesting. 1t shows, briefly, that the
negative vote came largely from the mem
perS representing city and manufacturing
constituencies and from the southern mem
pers, though many from my section voted
Tor 1t. lnasmuch as the south is essentially
an agricultural country, it would at first be
supposed thot the vote of it's members
would have been unanimous In favor of
tilc biii ne DIVISION and strong re
against the bill arises from the fact that
the dairying interests in the south are vet
III thelr infancy, and the pressure from that
quarter was necessarily less than from the
west and east. The farmers are nipbriIx
Pleased over the result, and the members
IRON agricultural districts who voted for
the Dill VIII receive their warm congratu-
lailohs. ana III most instances undoubtedly