Mower County transcript., 1903-12-23

Vol XXXVI-NO ~
FARMER BEN'S COLUMN.
It beats all how shortsighted folks
are in dealin' with monopolies aud
trusts. They can be lead round by the
nose like they was q dog or steer. Out
in South Dakota in one town an inde-
pendent oil company came in and
bucked the Standard Oil monopoly and
put. prices where they ought to he. The
Standard hog put down the price Of oil
below what it actually cost the other
fellow and I'u be switched if the whole
town didn't leave the competin' chap
and tumble over themselves to pat
ronize the Standard monopoly because
they could save a cent. But mind you,
now that the competition is crushed
and the Robberfellows hav the whole
field, prices hav scared and are higher
than ever and the people are robbed
without mercy. Yet if the same thing
should happen over agen, you'd see the
same crowd tumble to the monopoly
and desert the fellow that was tryin' to
break down the crushin' power of the
heartless robber trusts. You can see
the same thing right along. A new
telephone company comes to town and
cuts prices to be reasonable and givs,
good service and are accomodatin' and
| bet Canada dime if the monopoly
lets down rates, a lot Of fools will tum-
bic to save cent no matter for con-
sequences. SO it goes. And that's
where the big monopolies can play the
game of freeze-out so successfully
Nobody wants 'em to furnish goods
and do service without profit but when
they are robbers, they ought to be
brought to time But woe be to the
competitor who tries to tackle 'em un-
less he is willin' to go it alone when tho
monopoly knifes him with Temporary
cut rates. It looks like folks hadn't
common sense in lookin' out for their
real interests and in standin' by their
real friends without ever goin' back
on 'em.
Why don't Tom Shevlin, the Mime
apolis lumber baron, step right down
and out as Minnesota member of the
National republican committee? The
dirty trick he played the other day is
enough to disgust every right-minded
republican. For some reason, he has
it in for president Roosevelt since the
pine land thieves and rascals are bein'
pushed by the government authorities,
and when the national committee met
down in the city of Washington the
other, Shevlin had an engagement"
in Canada and sent his proxy to boss
Hanna and boss Hanna promptly turn
ed it over to Perry Heath, the official
postottice authorities are after for
alleged crooked deals in connection
with rake. offs and graft in that depart
ment. OF course the whole bunch are
naturally sore on Roosevelt and t :
great state Of Minnesota with its hun6
reds of thousands of loyal republicans
whoopin' 1t up for Roosevelt was worse
than not represented in the national
committee. Now let Tom Shevlin, if
he's got any honor and any regard for
what the people wish, get right down
and out. Nobody wanted very bad him
on the national committee at the first,
so far as I've ever heard, except gang
of political schemers who fixed up the
job. Why didn't he send his proxy to
our own Knute Nelson or any of a
dozen of our leadin' republicans who
were right there in the city and who
could hav attended to the matter and
represented this gigantic common
wealth insted of havin' it misrepre
sented? Roosevelt is the comm presi-
dent as sure as there's hair on dog
and Minnesota is solidly behind him
and the more he cracks it to all bOOdlers
and grafters the bigger majority he'll
hav in the state and the chaps that get
in the way of the peoples wishes will
be trodden under foot and mashed. 1t
is high time that the North Star state
had committee man and Tom ought
to take a hint before he gets good,
hard kick. s~-
o O Q
Christmas alwus warns up Farmer
Ben's old heart and he can't help think
in and imaginin' of all the glad feelin's
that are created by it. The man who
,o,, l,oo,> ool1 orl inIi fforonf@s and