The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-01-29
A FARMER IN
TAX PAYERS" HAIR.
Claims He Is Troubled With In
growing Corn.

Tax Payer" must have been ro- :
fused a drink up about Indian Lake
State Park. As for myself and fam
lily, we meet a great many very pleas
ant people up there every year, but
"a Son of Toll having voiced the
popular thought of corn growing, as
regards the reservoir. / hope you
will bear with few deductions from
farmer, himself.
The golden shower gentleman's
conclusion, is very much like the
chicken business, very alluriug. Il
ngures all right, but it does not work |
out that way. Ditto the rabbit bust |
ness. have tried them both.
| First. we will start with five thous
and acres, because it is nearer right
than 900 acres, since the state only
Iclaims some little better than COCO
acres, which with Indian Lake, the
islands and a few unthought of things
out, leaves Us away with 5000 acres.
u Now. anybody that knows the land
at all. knows that with Otter Lake
and a few more deep places out,
lthree-fourths of this is not tillab,e:
so at the first quarter, we are left
behind with 5000 acres.
: Cut this into 100 acre farms, leave
|, room for houses, barns, hog lots, pas
. lures, etc, etc, and we are at the
| half, with, planting ground, of say,
1900 acres.
IL There are plenty single farm as
: big, this, Dun lands, for example and
+ many other lands. But hold on! The
/ lvery "stock" to work these crops,
statisticans say, eat up one-third of
p them, Two-thirds would come nearer
e the truth. Why, If farmer could
: lay up one-third of his earnings, he
: would soon become a very rich man.
:. But pshaw!
: Where is that man on hundred
Y acre farm today, that is wearing tai
c tornado suits of clothes and sending
n his children to college?
I Where is that man on hundred
l. lacre farm today that says he is not
: lstarving to death. And the pity of
it is, he is telling the truth, atleast,
r he is eking out d very common exist
l. ence in very common clothing for him
t lself and children: so much so, that
,r you know what the Characterization
l. of farmer is on the stage? It is
-e not taste, friend. 1t is necessity.
m We all got lands cheap, originally
ID Some of US inherited them. Got
j. them for nothing. Where are we
a still?
T. Look close and see if this is poo
a. mans cry, or the cry of the investor
a the cry of capital.
MI Put it another way. The tax dup
T licate, who ever heard of taking II
c-lraw lands to cheaper taxes o
to others? Before they would get
t. through grubbiug stumps, burning
ne logs, l don't know how many cris
cross deep, tiling. ditchine and pix
D. ing they would be for calling upo
Y. their neighbors. Aud | expect /;
n great many of their neighbors woul
Id be draggled into it anyhow, and b.
Mt the time decent homes were bull,
n etc, civilization would have az
r. vanced and grating so Increase
al they would find use for the tax, wit
a little added.
of The writer is not posing for effec,
he read the past.
il The trouble is. we are all living o.
he the farmer. Did you ever think o
er-l it? Not only his children, but you
rt- children, and talk about Armor
nd wheat corner, let Armor's combin
by and you have a wheat famine. The
ed can and will charge you any pric
"a they have mind, for bread.
i'd Now offer the reservoir lands fC
st sale, the vultures hover around, tn
leeches on the body polite have il
ce and by the time the small purchase
to would pay them what they would as
,c- for it together with the usury, alon
ce with, as before stated, tilage, ta'
er. drainage and pixies, he is ready fC
so his cheap shroud, folded hands, an
he rest. Every footstep of the journe
* laundering out Defeat"
We And this should be his epitapl
re- Defeat can see the poor shrou'
zee ed form in the coffin, now, with h
forehead marked, Defeat"
No, this is only scheme for spec
latiou. There are better lands ar
more accessible, for those real
hu wanting farming.
d' The future will bear me out, and
'n would not give up my little outir
id' every year with myself and fami
' for several fault-fnders and peop
l that can see only the bad.
ed A.