Mower County transcript., 1904-01-13

Il Vol XXXVI-No As @
FARMER N BEN'S COLUMN: /:
Amt there a good deal of humbug
in the extreme standpat theory that,is
used as shield for lots of our re
calcitrant congressman to get behind?
This idee of stickin' to the old ways
thro thick and thro thin no matter
what. the people demand is easy but it
amt popular and the congress- men are
goin' t. find out. 50 too. Hete we've
been bled to death by lot IF trusts
and monopolies in iron and coal and
sugar and oil and other trust control
led monopolies and manufacturs and
we can't get relief because our con-
gressmen allow themselves to be dictat-
ed to by the big injins insted of COM
binin' to treak their control. I tell you
the big fellows hav this country pretty
we'll by the throat and they will throtlet
the very life out of us if we don't get
wiggle on US. Why, you can buy steel
rails or locomotives or sewin' machines
or farm machinery and lots of other
American goods cheaper in Europe,
and Asia and Africa than you can
right hero at home just because these
industries are protected SO unneces-
sarily and excessively that outsiders
can't compete and hold prices down
reasonable. The people demand pro-
per tariff modification on trust made
goods that don't need so much protec-
ton and the senators and representa-
tives promise all smooth before election
only to ''stand pat" after they squeeze
into offs agen. Look at the lumber
tariff which is nothin' in the world but
putin millions into the pockets of the
lumber barons of Minneapolis. Does
anybody spose that it would be an in
jury to the common people Of this
section to hav lot of Canadian lum-
ber come in at reduced prices to help
piece out our fast disappearin' forests
on this side of the line? The protec-
tive tariff principle is all right but in
it's application it has got to be modified
as new conditions develop. That was
McKinley's doctrine, that is Roosevelt's
doctrine, and I'm certain it's Farmer
Ben's doctrine now and forevermore.
We feel like shoutin' because this
land grabbin' Of our public domain is
goin' to be curtailed. suspect how
somever that it's pretty much case
of .lockin' the barn after the horse has
been stolen but it's better late. than
never as the old maid said and the
lands amt all been taken up yet. Here
hundreds of thousands of acres of land
which should hav gone to actual set
tiers to move onto and liv on 'em and
develop 'em and make homes for their
selves hav been stolen by the big live
stock companies and the big syndicates
who hav been playin' dummies for 'em
and hav swooped in the whole thing.
These big land grabbers are now work
i'm congress to prevent the repeal of
the present communication clause of the
homestead act and the other parts of
the present law under which all this
rascally theft of lands has been goin'
on and it's sixteen to one if they don't
carry their point same as usual. Those
fellows down east don't know putty
about this public land business any
how and they can be worked as easy as
thimble riggers. But the western con-
gressmen hav no excuse of ignorance.
They know just where the loopholes
are thro which the land grabber rascals
reach and steal and they ought to plug
up the gaps without delay. The origi-
nal homestead act, givin' home to
every worthy citizen who wished to 60
on it in good faith and develop it and
make it blossom as the rose, was a
most benedcent proposition. But the
present conditions under which the
people are bein' held up by syndicates
and big corporations and are bein'
stolen blind are different. What re-
mains of the public lands should be
unquestionably and absolutely and
teetotally and unreservedly and en-
phatically reserved for the people. The
big fellows hav got about all in sight
already. Now is the time to call a
halt at the behest of an aroused and
vigorous public opinion.
o q y ;.
My, but didn't president Roosevelt
just clear up the Panama question in
great shape in his special message tC
congress last week? Some of the antis
and fellows lookin' for an issue kept
callin' on Roosevelt for facts and
fggers and papers and documents in
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