Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-26
HONEST RESENTMENT OR sNoBBERYq

Writing to the Des Moines Register
and Leader "A Farmer" objects some
what vigorously to the publication In
newspapers of cartoons that ridicule
and caricature the agriculturallsts.
The text of his letter is as follows:
Wellington Hotel, Des Moines, Sept.
Fl. = Editor Register and Leader:
Damn the artist who caricatures the
farmer of today and the paper that
copies such cartoons-as you publish
this morning. You have used severai
such lately, and / presume they suit
you and are about your idea The
fact is that the mass of the farmers
today are quite as well dressed and
present quite as intelligent an appear
ance as the average editor or his car
toonist, and resents being depicted
daily as a bum or scare crow-as 1T is
not true. and no longer funny nor ap.
preciated by newspaper readers Try
q change. Yours truly. Farmer.
Upon perusal of the above the Reg
lister and Leader arrives at these con-
illusions:
The farmer who wrote this cons
munfcation is snob. He has reached
the point Of owning pair Of patent
feathers, and can S it about a city
hotel bar room with entire composure.
The old days of cowhide boots, ana
overalls tucked in at the top, are pain-
full to him. He is ashamed Of "the
base degrees by which he did ascend"
If they are referred to he feels it a
personal insult. Every reminder of the
old days on the farm is for the pur-
pose of humiliating him. He would
have the farmer pictured with a silk
hat and a cane. awaiting his auto
mobile on paved highway, and then
he would take pride in his avocation.
The Times Republican finds itself
unable to coincide with its esteemed
contemporary on these points. On the
contrary. this paper has long been
convinced of the justice of "a Farm-
er's" protest. To object to ridicule Is
scarcely to be convicted Of snobbery,
and to resent being pictured as a mon-
key, faced monstrosity with bow legs
and billy goat beard is not prima
facie evidence that Farmer" is
ashamed Of his class. No farmer OBJ
jects to a true picture Of country life
or countrymen. He has smiles and
tears for the humor and pathos that
Riley dresses in the llomespun dialect
of the earlier Indiana. He no more
objects to being portrayed in boots
and straw hat than an engineer to
jumper and overalls. But he is of the
most sensitive class of mankind and
his ire rises over the evident effort OF
a class of cartoonists to made him the
centerpiece Of ridiculous caricature.
There has been too much fun with a
sting in it poked at the farmer. His
simplicity has been tortured into ig-
norant Stiffness. his plainness Of dia-
lect into foolish jargon. The farm
er of the caroonist Is a worse libel on
the class than the stage Irishman to
whom all Irish object is upon the Irish
people. No wonder he objects and
roundly damns the cartoonist. He has
been patient this long time.
Few men born on a farm are guilty
of silly shame over their origin. None
need be. Man for man and venture
for venture there are fewer failures
among farmers than among any other
class Of business men. The western
farmer is a man Of affairs. He COM
pares favorably in educational ac-
- Il,
ness. He is hospitable, good looking
and wears good clothes. He is not
bow-legged and rarely grows a billy
goat beard. He goes to church, pays
his debts and works for his living.
why should he be made a butt or called
q snob when he resents ridicule?
THE RENAISSANCE OF OUTRAGE.