The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-09
BUTTER MEN UNITED
WON THEIR BATTLE AGAINST OLEO-
MARGARINE BY FULLY Or
CANNED EFFORT ?"
STIRRED UP BY YOUNG KNIGHT
Dairy Organ Editor Welded a
Heavy Club Over Congress-Hint
of What Farmers May Do
When They Get Together.
FROM THE GLOBE BUREAU,

WASHINGTON, D. c., April S.-There
is a lesson for the farmer in the success
OF the anti-oleOmargarine legislation IN
this congress. The moral is: Organized
the farmer can have anything he wants.
This piece of legislation is one of the
very few-if not the only one-devised in
the special interest Of the farmer.
Legions Of other special interests are rep
resented; they always are There are
laws in the interest of sugarmakers, Of
stocking knitters, Of boot and shoe manu-
facturers, of patent food and medicine
concoctOrs, of steel rail rollers, Of dis
tiIlers and tobacco dealers, Of board of
trade operators, bucket shoppers, Of
sailors and shipbuilders and all the army
of railroad owners, operators and en-
plOyes, of fishermen, miners and lumber
ers-in fact Of everything imaginable ex-
cept the tiller of the soil. They all have
their associations, organizations, and paid
lawyers and Hobbies, and they look to get
special laws which will do them good
And they get them. There is a force in
lObbies and organizations. A small Or
ganization,a as against a large disorganiza-
ton is effective; and legislators in a
great republic move along the lines CT
least resistance. They are representa-
tiVes; and they represent the people who
are most clamOrOus to be represented.
L Icy SpIGdU Ii0lI sans 10 puDllC OplIlIOIl
and are always striving to do what viii
net them the most votes. Congress is a
representative body-representative Of
interests
Hats OFF to Organization.
What the Interests" lack in votes they
make up in money; on occasion they will
open a barrel" and pay campaign ex-
penses. But it is mainly by organization
they accomplish what they want. Always
the politician, the congressman, will take
his hat off to an organization. The or
gained industries and interests get la2is-
lative favOrs; the unorganized farmers get
left. They get the short end of it. They
get in congress what they get when they
come up to the big city; only too Often
the gold brick and the package of green
goods.
There is one thing the farmer does get,
In congress, and that is the 'two-handed
jolly" He is the subject Of many an elo-
Quent speech and glittering tribute Not
even the Civil war veteran can vie with
him in the reverence he inspires. You
may search the voluminous Congressional
Record from cover to cover and find not
one disparaging word from either party
or any individual rejecting on the farmer
Even members from the city whose con-
stituents never see a hay field, observe
the tradiuon, and put brakes on their
speech lest their utterance be charged up
against the party and bring confusion on
their colleagues. The ''honest husband
man" the Intelligent agriculturst," the
'horny-handed son of TOLL the bone and
sirew Of our country-there is nothing too
good for them-when it is merely a matter
of talking about it. But truth to tell, and
sad to relate, there are no tariffs for his
pumpkins, duties for his corn, subsidies
for his Strawberries or preIc entail for
his carrots. Cp to this time his horse has
stood on his own four legs, his chickens
have had to scratch for themselves. and
his COW has been a poor unprotected
sad-eyed beast, muIcted of the sustenance
due her progeny, and in danger of ex-
termination by steam-poWer fat-fe1
competitor.
Its Strength Is the Farmer.
But, for once, the farmer organized.
They call it the ''Dairymen's associa-
tion," but it's strength is the farmer-the
man who keeps the cow 1t was the
dairyman who stirred him up, ana dairy
organ published in Chicago by a young
man named Knight. And Knight welded
a powerful club over congress because
he had the farmer back of him-the far
mer organized. Speaking frankly, the best
lawyers in congress believe the anti-oleo
bill to be unconstitutional, bad as a pre-
cedent and vicious in principle; but that IS
not what they say about it in the official
Record. 1t is a long time since any bill
has had as merry course through con-
gress as this one. Senators and repre-
sentativeS have begged for the privilege
OF helping to pass it; they have pleaded
to have their names associated with it,
There was a race between two members
to see which could get it introduced first
at this session, and Tawney and McCleary.
Of Minnesota-both with an eye on the
senate-became involved in a bitter quar-
rel as to who should have the honor Of
escorting the bill through the house of
representatives. There is no one cIamor-
ing to take part in the passage Of the
shipping subsidy bill-or even the bill re-
ducing the duty on Cuban sugar No
The anti-oleo law was bit of legislation
distinctly in the interest of the coW-oWn-
ing farmer. 1t is intended to save him in
one Of the important departments of his
farm industry, from dangerous COMPETE
ton. 1t is not often the farmer invOkes
the aid of special legislation; and in this
instance he has only done it in self de-
tense, and in the face Of a situation which
appeared desperate.
Started a Rackfre
The farmer did what Is known as "start-
ing a backfre." 1t is like putting the
whip to horse Spirited members often
kick and rear under the LASH but they
generally conclude to get into the traces
and draw. Just the other day Senator
Hanna got stirring up Of this kind. He
was the maddest thing in seven states
He swore he would not be buliied by any
such methods He demanded the right
to do as he might please on bills of this
sort. But his farmer constituents in Ohio
did not see it in that light Even though
he was chairman of the Republican ma
tional committee and head of the party
organization, they intended that-he should
act as their senator and vote in accord
ance with their local interests. And
Uncle Mark knows the value of organiza-
ton too well to ignore an organization Of
farming interests.
Yes, there is no doubt about It. A ma
tional organization of the farmers could
get anything it wanted. 1t could elect a
president in walk. The biggest thing
that has appeared at the capital this ses-
sion has been Charley Knight and his
farmer lobby. Hail to the farmer or
pa OiZ9tiO0l