Mower County transcript., 1904-03-23
FARMER |: BEN'S COLUMN. !. !.

FARMER BEN'S COLUMN.
What are the farmers comm to in
the way of'help? ltlooks like this
was about the hardest proposition for
them yet Down in Franklin county,
Iowa, the farm hands hav formed 8
union and demand an eight-hour day,
free board, washin> and ironin', the use.
of 9 horse and buggy on Sunday eve.
min and $50 q month. Amt this 9
pretty, turn of things? Think of far-s
.mer goin' to the field at eight O'clock
in the mornin' and quittin' at five in'1
the afternoon with an hours noonin'
taken: out. Why, when was down on
the old farm, used to be out at sunrise
in the summer, four o'clock in the morn
in and just had to spring to work un-
til eight and nine in busy time and
then didn't alwus get throwhat want
ed. reckon that there amt any farms
in the world that can stand eight hour
time Last year, there was lots of far.
mers in this very county that didn't
get more than enough cash out of. their
whole crop to pay their hired help to-
say nothin' of surplus and of runnin''
double shifts of eight hour help. l tell
you this is gettin' nifty serious for the.
farmers to fgger on and there's got to
be relief. Amt it about time for us,
farmers to form a union too? &.
@ Q o e
Wasn't that regular jaw smashers
that the supreme court of the United
States gave the merger the other day?==
The decision says point blank that no
scheme or device could certainly come
more effectively within the prohibition
of the antitrust law than the merger.
trust. That appeals to every mans.
honest opinion. Garry the news to Bill
Lochren. wonder what those who
poked fun at comrade VanSant for.
raisin' the merger issue think now.
Bob Dunn and lot of his chums
thought that it was awful funny for
VanSant to pitch on to the merger be-.
cause they. was violatin'' the laws. +
tell you this trust business is goin' to
swamp us all unless the law. can
throttle it and we elect men that will en-
force the laws fearlessly without, stand.
in in. with the maQnates and trust
bosses for pull. Unless the sovereign,
people of Minnesota elect such men as
VauSant and Collins to protect 'em
from the, e,$strust sharks, we might as
well all quit any. business for we'll be
trust ridden and combine owned and
hav no liberties left. I'd like to see
men elected now that would follow up
the advantage we've already gained
insted of caterin' to the monopolies
and combines and lettin' things slack
back so they won't be disturbed and
defied and resisted and fought to the
bitter end.
| o 9 @
Everything that goes up must come
ldown. I was readin' for quite while
about that big cotton king that had
cornered the cotton market and was
|just pilin' up millions on profits
speculatin'. OF course, you kind OF
feel some times like such money came
easy when farmer has to work hard
forty years and then only has com
Portable livin' in his old age. But this
same cotton king Sully who has been
(soarin' so high with his millions had q
awful fall Friday and went bump
: against the wall and lost five millions
at a clatter and maybe is worse of
7 than when he started in. So it goes.
tell you the old way is the best. The
slump in the cotton market don't af
feet Farmer Ben's financial standin
orinterfere with his financial condi
& tion. The old farm is still there an(
there amt no mortgage on it and ever,
spring it wakes up to yield another
bountiful crop to keep us in our ole
age. This speculatin' business has it
downs as well as ups and mostly downs
as lots of the heady young fellows wht
gamble in wheat options hav fount
, out to their sorrow. 1t amt safe eve
= to bet ON the other fellows game. II
rather hav something solid like the oil
farm and my garden spot than all tn
blo tied millions that are like the cot
,, ton kings, so liable to bust and disap
pear and leave you hard up AM
,, penniless in your old age.
o o o
I About this time every year, you hea
, lots of wind and talk about good road
and when the frost is out of the grount
> and the spring mud is dried up the1
5 all is forgotten. Amt it queer that w
3 can't in some way round up all tn
;, work that is wasted and performed OF