Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-17
The Threshman's Side Of It.
BY REQUEST of a Marshall County

(Byl Request of Marshall County
Thresherman.)
The closeness of harvest and the
threshing season following, calls at.
tention to an industry vital to every
raiser of small grains, viz, the thresh-
ers. The farmer is dependent upon
them to put his grain into shape for
feeding, milling or selling. 1t is i'm
portant to the community that there
should he enough threshers to take
care of the crop during the fayorable
weather. 1t is also important that ms
equipment should be first class in con-
dition ard capacity, that the grain may
be all saved and that work may pro-
coed steadily. We know of nothing
more likely to put the farmers nerves
on edge than a broken down thresh1ng
machine and to be surrounded by
full complement of help, waiting ire
ouently for the machine to be re-
paired.
The threshers are a hard working
class and their outfits represent large
Investment We believe that some
things are required of them that are
unjust. They cannot serve COM
munity unless they can move from
farm to farm. AS our statutes now
stand he is branded as awsbreaker,
he has been restricted by legislation so
that he has to carry his bridges with
him; keep man walking one hun
dred yards ahead of his engine and
stopping on the crowded highways OF
iowa when team is either one hun
dred wards ahead or behind. He is IL
hot
while pulling his rig over the road, ana
vet, these very men are equally exact
ing in insisting that the thresherman
own an up to-date rig with the Dig
eest engine that he can run over the
highway and the biggest separator ne
can buy in order that he can get thru
threshing before dark and get away be-
fore supper Live stock. teams OF
horses and wagons, carriages and bl-
cycles all have rights on the pupllc
highways. Even the automobile has
rights which every man is compelled
to respect whether he wants to or not,
but the thresherman's rights are re-
stricted such as no other VENICE, op-
iect or being is hampered.
WHY this discrimination? Why is the
man who runs the traction engine on
the road thus segregated from the resi-
If citizenship and forced to comply
with obnoxious laws that never ought
TO be on the statute books? He pays
taxes WHY are not his rights on the
highways equal to any other taxpay-
err? why are the bridges of Iowa not
hui]t for the thresherman as we'll as
for the man who drives the lighter
load:
We will tell you why. 1t is because
the threshermen are not organized and
favorable legislation is always side
tracked by organized interests, that
their interests may have precedence.
There are also other abuses from Whlch
The t1,reshers ask relief. At various
fines bills have been presented to the
legislature asking for a lew enabling
! them to file lien upon the grain
threshed for their pay. This would not
be unjust as the farmer has oppof-
| tunity to settle before the filing OF the
! bill The tenant may not sell ms gram
| without paving his rent first or from
| the proceeds of the sale of the gram.
| VET the grain is not marketable untli
| Tho tbresher has been employed. Why
I sbonla he not have lien the same as
tba land owner? Simply because the
! threshers represent minority anu
many rich land owners are members
of the legislature
! Referring again to the matter OF
bridges, the style of structure, ma
. terial used, amount expended to whom
contracted, number of and position are
all left with the county supervisors to
do with according to their best 1udg
ment, They do not even need to let the
contract to the lowest bidder 1t seems
10 us 1t would be for the best interests
of the rural communities TO nave oul
1 bridges built of more permanent ma
J terial and do away with the nllnss