The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-12-01
6LAMEs THE FARMERS.

| farmers Of Southwestern Minnesota
| by Il plurality of something like 5000,
was defeated this year by IL majority
Of about 5000. He says the farmers
did it," Mr.. McCleary has gained a
reputation OF being one of the leading
standpatters in Congress. His opinion
OF what caused the great change in
his staunch Republican district is both
| interesting and encouraging. 1t is i'll
teresting because his method of ex-
planning what happened shows that he
still thinks the farmers are wrong, and
it is encouraging because it shows
that the farmers Of the country are
becoming wise OH the great American
llumbGg. Next 10 the patent medicine
fake comes the tariff cure-all. Nc
Cleary seems to be very much dis
guste'i with the farmers. Mr.. Nc
Cleary is not the only man who went
down to defeat at the last election at
the hands Of the farmer. One William
| Randolph Hearst made quite a sue
cess at stirring up the people Of the
cities of the Empire state, but he got
all awful jar when he ran up against
the Yankee farmers. Another man in
the state Of New York who met de-
feat at the hands OF the farmer was
Congre ssman 'Wadsworth. Mr.. Wads-
| worth defended the beef trust in the
last Congress. Outside of that par
ticular work he was a very valua bic
member Of Congress and exceedingly
popular, but the damned farmer" was
wise on tia beef trust. The farmers
are the NEST conservative element in
our politics. They change slower and
less than any other class, but when
they do change it is with such a GER
tainty that they change the whole poll
tics OF the country. The farmer has
been for years the chief supporter of
the priests Of the high tariff. The
farmer favors high prices always be-
cause he always has more to sell than
he needs to buy. The farmer is a
producer more than he is Il consumer.
Somehow the high tariff people have
| been able 20 convince him in the past
that high tariff was what made the
| high prices for his products. The
high tariff advocates were aided in
their argument by the circumstances
of events. It SO happened that when
the last financial depression came on
it followed upon the Wilson bill. The
Republican leaders told the farmers
that the hard times We're caused by
the tariff. The farmer has now learned
that the only high prices that the
tariff influences are the prices Of those
things which he must buy. He has
studied out that the things he has to
sell always constitute an export Of
the country. The farmer Of the NORTH
west has nothing to sell which this
country imports. Everything he sells
| the country produces more Of than it
needs for home consumption. Conse-
quently tariff fashioned to keep out
imports and thus prevent the lover
ing Of prices can have no possible in
tluence upon the wehat, beef and other
things that the farmer raises because
we do not import any wheat or beef.
The farmer has figured out that sugar
and machinery and clothing and most
everything that he has to buy, are in
creased in price because Of the tariff.
He ha, learned that Mccormick llar-
vester is sold to the peasants OH the
steppes of Russia for less money than
it would be sold to farmer at the
shops in Chicago. He has read some
where and verified tho truth Of the
statement that key of steel nails
manufactured in Pennsylvania are
sold III the city of Brussels. the only
other steel center of Importance, for
less money than it is sold to the Amer
lean farmer.
hC uduIuCu is all 1ntelll.
gent voter. He has time to read the
newspapers. at least in the winter
time, and the quiet life he leads en-
ables him to reflect upon political
questions more than the average city
man. He is at once Il powerful and
silent factor in wedding out a con-
servatism that is stagnation and in
preventing a radicalism that is de-
struction. 1t is the farmers who con-
stitute the political stability of the
country: They remain uninauenced by
sudden storms of passion but respond
surely TO- the crying needs Of reform.
lsrsAs