Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-12-28
pLUNDERING THE M
Trusts and Protected Interests Appro-
priAted $7oo, ooo,o 600 More
Than Just Share.

Inere were about Ii, VOO,00U votes
last for candidates for congress at the
the last election and as there are in
the United States more than $500, 600
farmers and 4,500,000 agricultural la
borers, besides stockraisers and herd
ers, dairyman and market gardeners,
more than half of the voters must have
been obtaining their living through ag-
riculture. Yet this important class Of
voters, upon whose efforts and prod
ucts the whole country depends, have
not a single republican representative
in congress. There are some few re-
publican members who may call them
selves farmers, but their votes show
they legislate to farm the farmers in
stead of the soil.
The republicans are boasting of the
large crops raised this year, impiously
indicating they are backed by Provi-
dence in securing the bounties of ma
ture. The worthy master of the Ma
tlonal Grange, Aaron Jones, of Indiana,
in his annual report last year told the
hAp u NAGI vi SdAlLuIIOu tudt Tx
trusts and corporations plunuered the
farmers of over $500, 0OO. 900 over and
above the rightful dues for profits and
transportation.
Has the Grange. or any other organ
!zation of farmers, done anything to re.
lieve their members from that enor-
nous drain on their resources? 1t
would seem not. The trusts have null
tiplied and the railroads are extorting
unreasonable rates and the republican
representatives in congress have not
passed a single law that has accom-
plished any relief from the plundering
corporations.
The democrats in congress intro
duced bills to control. trusts and to re.
wise the tariff, which alone plumbers
the farmers of a large proportion of
the enormous sum that the master OF
the Grange stated, but the republicans
who controlled the last congress re,
fused to even consider the bills. Sim.
liar bills have already been introduced
by Mr.. Williams, the democratic leader
in this congress, but they will not be
considered.
The republican leaders have deter
mined to stand pat and the balance of
the republican members. like a flock
of sheep following the bell-weather.
vote against remedial legislation.
AS the farmers are not protected by
the tariff except a few sugar and beet
growers and a very small number of
tobacco raisers in Connecticut who pro-
duce wrapper" tobacco, they are in
terested in reducing the protection the
tariff gives the trusts, so that what the
farmer buys will be reasonable in price
and the greater part of the above men
toned $500, 000. 1000 saved to them.
Yet the farmers elect representatives
term after term in some districts who,
with railroad passes in their pockets
and trust Doodle behind them, misrep-
resent the great agricultural interests.
How can these republican representa-
tives vote for remedial legislation when
tucy lCly on JIG wi pOl oliolo III ouC-
cor and in return are bound to do the
bidding of the corporation lobby.
list. The republican bosses smile
and the trusts and protected in
terests laugh and grow fat at the
way they fool the republican farm
ers. But the signs of the times point
to an awakening and the late elections
are an indication of what is to follow.
Even the long-suffering farmers are be-
ginning to see that good crops may not
last forever and that it is time to pro-
vide for the learn years that are GER
tain to come in the near future and
that $500, 000, 900 that Master Jones told
about would be a nice nestegg in the
pockets of the farmers instead of being
annually added to the millions in the
vaults of the corporations.