The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-12-15

of the Rural New-Yorker, the farmers
succeeded in bringing out Peter V.
Porter, a man of the same political
faith as Wadsworth, and he was run
as an independent. The thirtyfourth
district had elected Wadsworth by
about $4,000 majority, two years ago,
but Porter was elected this year by
$500 majority.
This is a good lesson. When any
nan, either in our state legislature or
in congress, ignores the wishes of the
farmers he should be given dose
like the one administered to Wads-
worth But what right has the farmer
to dominate this country? No right
except the right which comes to the
majority in democratic country Re-
member that farmers lead all other
classes in numbers and also in wealth
reduction. Turn to the last Year
tCok of the department of agriculture,
mage IL, and you will read the follow
ing: Dreams of wealth production
could hardly equal the preceding fig
ures into which various items of the
farmers industry have been trans
lated; and yet the story is not done.
When other items, which can not find
place here, are included, it appears
that the wealth production on farms
in 1905 reached the highest amount
ever attained by the farmer OF this
or any other country, stupendous
aggregate of results Of brain and
muscle and machine, amounting in
value to $6,415,000, 1000" 1t staggers
us to try to comprehend this stipend
Gus amount. Think of it-six bill
lions and four hundred and fifteen
n illions from our farms in one year!
We think we owe a great deal to our
gold mines Why, the American farm
ers' hens produce over half billion
dollars annually an amount greater
than all the gold mines in the world
What would our country be without
our farmers and the wealth which
they produce? Such a far seeing man
as J. J. Hill, president of the Great
Northern railroad, has repeatedly
said that the prosperity of our coun-
t-y depends on our farmers. No one
can take much notice of the real con-
ditions of things and not be forced to
agree with this great railroad mag
nate. Should not such class OF our
citizens have voice in our leglsla
lures and in the halls Of congress?
To ask this question is to answer II.
And yet it is quite too common to
sheer at our farmers as hay SEEDS
and treat their entreaties with con-
tempt. If there ever was any reason
for such things, and there never was
p 1.-THE of what some little city chaps
have supposed, that day has gone by.
With the rural free delivery of mails
and the consequent circulation OF
dailv papers and magazines; the troll
lev lines running all over the country,
and the telephone in nearly every
farmers house, the so-called hay
seeds" and their families can match
their CITY cousins in intelligence and
in many cases far surpass them. Such
q class when properly organized con-
stitute q power in our nation that
must be felt and not to recognize
their lust claims is to invite such
defeat as overlook J. w. Wadswortf.
+
do not believe in arraying one
class against another and do not ask
for our farmers anything more than
that their rights be recognized equally
with their brethren who follow other
vacations. I was born and reared on
a farm. One of my ancestors bought
a farm in Windham county, Connectl-
cut in 1861, and from that day to this
il has never changed the name OF its
owner. I have spent most of my life
in one of the professions and have the
highest respect for men in any call
ing in life. but when I know that the
rights of the great farming class are
ignored and they are sneered at, IL
makes the iron in my blood hot and
I feel like coming to their defense.