Mower County transcript., 1904-07-20
FARMER BEN'S COLUMN.

town when was a lad down in Jeffer-
son county. They never thought OF
loadin' on cars in them days but alwus
travelled across country by wagon road.
What sight it was to go way out and
meet them as they caravaned slowly
from town to town. I can remember
how the elephants used to try the bridges
before they would walk onto 'em and
what time the circus had a gettin' III
on time after swampin' rain. They
used to, stop at the old creek crossin'
and clean up their wagons for the
parade. III never forget how the whole
push cot started down Solomon Olney's
long steep hill one time and the brakes
didn't work right and You never see
the way things was piled up at the bot
tom. 1t was like a railroad smashup
of today. One tiger cage busted and
aunt Patience pretty near got combusti-
Gated with fright. We used to hav
chance then to carry water for the ele-
phant and get show ticket and had
lots of perquiites that hav been out
grown. There want but one ring in
those days and it took both eyes to
watch that without distractin' fellow
with three or four all goin' at the same
time. I'd give round dollar for one
more visit to an old time circus and en-
l;1,o l;<l xr,hoo q hid
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One of the boys was laughin' the
other day when he was tellin' me how
the grafters had laid down this trip
to the courthouse boys and accepted
the inevitable. After all the threats
and bluster and bluff that didn't work
with the idee of workin' up graftin'
scheme on the boys, he said that the
CRATER gang was now like kittens and
was awful good with the idee of gettin'
a gratuitous donation for good will and
boostin'. Farmer Ben set the gait
long ago on county politix this trip.
1t amt at all likely that the people are
goin' to allow the courthouse boys that
are just servin' their first term to be
kicked out just because some other.
fellow would like to occupy their shoes.
The bluster to get up fuss didn't
work at ::all. Even on legislator it's
goin' to be awful hard to stir up
racket. Will Nolan is slated to be
speaker of the house next winter and
Hank Lightley was the best friend the
farmer has had in the legislator for
ten years. He knows how to get to
the front and do things. The CRATER
that was up to the courthouse for a
contribution not so very long ago and
got turned down hard is in the dumps
but all the rest of the push is satisfied
and so we accord. I tell you it amt
ABSOLUTELY and teetotally necessary to
hav big political racket and row every
time election comes round. 1t is better
to hav an off year when the worthy
officials are given the compliment of
reelection without holdin' 'em by the
hair over the pit Of defeat.
So good old Dom Paul Kruger is
dead. | amt forgot about that Boer
war and how the poor Beers were
pushed to the wall by the invadin'
English. Livingstone said that the
Beers were sober, industrious and
most hospitable body of peasantry and
I believe him. They went to South
Africa centuries ago to get away from
oppression and to be by themselves
where they could liv peacably and
without the whirl and excitement of
the giddy world. They laid out their
farms and prospered and then John
Bull came along and told 'em to move
on and they moved on. Later when
John Bull wanted their gold and
diamond mines they had to move on
again and it looked like they could
never get away from interference SO
that they could enjoy life, liberty and
the pursuit Of happiness. They were
contented in simple ways of livin'.
They didn't hav waxed floors in their
houses and didn't wear diamond rings
and pins but when you come down to
genuine character they had the goods.
They had some Of the best blood OF
some of the best old families that
France ever contained and they were
honest and sincere in their notions.
But the great land grabbers couldn't
stand it to see the Beers prosper and
contented and see 'em in peaceful pos
session of the fine farms thay had
worked up harder than Minnesota pio-
neers and so they fit 'em and took their
lands and at last got 'em tee tally un-
der their thumbs. Dom. Paul was a
great man and fought for a righteous
cause. @
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