The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-08-04
FARMERS IN POLITICS.

Under the above headline, the
Butte Inter Mountain ridicules the
efforts of city politicians to give the
farmers advice and then proceeds to
solemnly hand the farmer some of
the valuable advice of the city edi-
tor, and tne joke of the situation is
that the Inter Mountain substitutes
its own advice for that Of an able
statesman like Governor Hogg, and
app ars to take itself seriously The
advice donated by the Inter Mountain
to the farmers is as follows:
Ex-Governor H0gg of Texas has
been giving the farmers of his state
some advice. 1t appears to be re-
garded in Texas, as elsewhere, that
one of the first qualifications of a city
politician is ability to supply the
farmers with advice, Mr.. Hogg tells
them to organic which j, the r0pu-
lar thing to do il al manner of enter
prizes nowadays and to organize for
political purposes, which is a very
foolish thing for people engaged in
any particular class OF business or in
dustry to do. as many thousands of
farmers can tell Mr.. Hogg from ex-
perience.
If politics was an AGRICULTURAL
product and governm2 Mt a market for
the same, the farmer might find profit
in pursuing the advice of the Texas
statesman, but the fact is that poll
tics is game in unis country and the
rule is in the country as in the city
that the individual who makes a spe-
cialty of playing it in connection with
his business seldom makes a success
of either.
1T would be a poor excuse for gov
eminent which would be administered
by or solely with reference to the in
tcrcsts of any particular class of citi-
zens. And it is a sorry substitute for
patriotism which prompts any leader
to cultivate class spirit for the eXer-
else of the duties of citizenship
Farmers, like every other consider
able class of people, differ with re
spect to the questions of government
and administration which concerns
the individual and gives strength to
parties. II is we'll for the farmer as
we'll as the government that this is
so. Any attemp to organize them for
political purposes along such narrow
lines must inevitably result as did
the granger movement, in reaction
against the purely selfish effort and
the final destruction of the organiza-
ton itself"
According to the Inter Mountain
it is a very foolish thing for the
farmers to organize for political pur-
poses, but it says nothing in dispar-
agemant of combinations made for
political purposes Iby all of the big
corporations and trusts of the coun-
try. The Inter Mountain evidently
sees no harm in the political work
done by the Bankers assertion, and
other class organizations AS the In
ter Mountain observes. politics is a
game in this country" and of course
the farmer is very foolish to waste
any thought upon THE game when
there are so many other classes to
do his thinking for him.
To secure class legislation, the
railroads combine, the manufacturers
unite. the wage earnerS organize. and
the members Of every craft and call
ing have their particular organization
largely for political purposes, but ac-
cording to the Inter Mountain, it is
best for the farmers as a class to re-
main divided politically
1t is to he admitted that the best
and most impartial government could
be secured with an entire absence OF
class organizations. but why should
the tanners be the only class without
and help. AS a class, the farmers are
the greatest producers in the world
and il is not strange that other
classes should wish to prey upon
them. The farmer must buy his
goods at prices fixed by the various
manufacturing trusts. while he must
sell his grain al prices fixed by the
milling trust. and if between these
two robbers he has anything left, it
is taken by the railroad trust. He
can hope for no remedy except
throneh Hesitation, and vet he is
warned bv the Inter Mountain not to
organize for political purposes.
To he sure, let the farmer confina
himself to his pumpkins and pota-
toes for the Inter Mountain and 9th.
e-s will do his political thinking for
him. Politics is game in which he