The Columbus journal., 1908-08-19
LINCOLN LETTER.

LINCOLN LETTER.
Lincoln, Neb., Aug. Ill have
been reading the Democratic plat
FORM" said a prosperous farmer from
a central Nebraska county who was a
caller at Republican state headquar-
ters last week, "and if my personal
experience of prosperity under repub-
lican administrations for the last
twelve years had not made me a dyed
in-the.wool republican that Demo
cratic platform would do the business. y
Twelve years ago l was a renter and
owned a team, wagon, a couple Of
cows and q few farm implements, %
added the visitor, "and by virtue of
good prices for all farm products dur.
ing that time, which l attribute pri.
marily to the republican policies of
sound money and the protection Of
American wage workers by wise tariff
laws, l have been able to pay for a
good farm of 12O acres and have
money in the home bank. That ought
to be enough to bind me to the sup
port of the republican party as against
all the promises of the democratic
politicians, but if it wasn't, one item in
the democratic platform alone would
make me hurry to the republican
party for defense against the destroy.
ing hand of democracy"
81 notice that the democratic plat.
form denounces the increase in the
number of public officials in recent
years and the consequent increase in
the public pay roll Now that sounds
all right, but what does it really mean?
Where will they make the first sweep
ing discharge Of men and reduce what
they call the pay roll? l have taken
the trouble to look it up and as far as
l can see, the democrats, if they keep
their word. would very probably stop
the Rural Free Delivery of mail be-
cause that service has added more
names to the payroll, in recent years
than any other branch Of government
work. Now rural free delivery of
mail was q republican idea, has been
fostered and promoted by republican
and is one of the most i'm
portant things the government ever
lid for the farmer. We farmers
wouldn't give it up without fight and
the democratic threat to reduce the
payroll is no doubt aimed at Rural
Free Delivery and the best way to
fight that issue is to vote for Taft and
Sherman. That this democratic threat
IS seriously meant is proven by the
figures known to everybody. From
he reports of the Department l see
hat in 1908 the total expense Of Rural
Free Delivery was around fifty thous-
md dollars and less than 80 carriers |
we're employed. In eight years the
ervice had grown so enormously that
,early thirty-fve thousand carriers
we're employed and nearly twenty-six
million dollars appropriated to pay
he expenses of this service to the
armers. That is where the demo-
ratio howl comes in about the in
rease' in the number of public Off
ers' and the increased payroll be-
ause all these Rural carriers are
ounted as public officers which Of
curse they are. Am l going to beat
nyself out of Rural delivery by voting
be democratic ticket? Not much. l
i've twelve miles from town and my
,ail and daily papers come to my farm
ate every day. Tread and keep even
'ith what goes on in the world and l
M taking no chances with the demo-
rats who are for cutting down the
ay.roll, for their first chop would be
! the farmers mail delivery. None !
that kind of democratic economy for
e. They could cut $4,000 men off ,
,e payroll by stopping rural deliv-
y of mail. That might look fine for
'e payroll, but what would it do to
farmers?'
One of the notable political incl
.nts of the past week was the devel- ::
,ment of the scheme of the Bryan !
,litical managers in Nebraska to !
pthe the democratic presidential 3
ectors in this state with the garb of :
'eoples Independent" party nomina-
,ns, thus securing to candidate Bryan 9
'eoples party" votes intended to be 9
st for Watson, the presidential NOM !;
ee of the Peoples party. While !.
gal technicalities" may be cited to