Mower County transcript., 1908-03-25
FARMER BEN'S
COL UMN

COLUMN
1t looks like Gov. Johnson's ap.
pointees want all saints either. When
the hungry squealers was gOin' round
the state four years ago tellin' that it
would be 4 good thing to try a dem
governor so as to see whether there
want cr0okedness in some of the re.
pub officials it took with lots Of folks
and the hungry outs got in. There
want worse howler for johnson than
one McDermott and of course johnson
Civ him good reward. Now it has
leaked out that McDermott has showed
short about $4,000 in his oil fees and he
tried to turn 'em back to the state un-
der some other head SO as not to show
up the real inwardness Of the deal and
the whole fat is in the fire. Johnson's
got to hav some of the responsibility
for what his appointees do. He names
'em and he's got to stand for 'em. l
amt gloatin' at all but it shows how
fool some folks are over the cry Of turn
the rascals out
Now that the lid is off; J ohnson's fav
orites will get all the scrutiny there is
on tap. l see by my paper that one OF
Johnson's appointees around the capt.
tol was goin' to be made to cough up
for about 81, 200 in excess of what be-
longs to him and the end is evidently
not yet. l reckon that when it comes
to show down the dem fayorites of
our dem governor don't size up any
better than the old repub phalanx. 1
don't know whether McDermott is goin'
to get out of his alleged troubles by
turnin' back the little So, 700 to the state
treasurer. Dinehart says he can't find
it on his books and maybe there'll hav
to be duplicatin' and lawin' and maybe
worse. But when such things CON-
mence to break out you never know
just where they'll end. You don't
know how many deadbeats will be
showed up. Maybe none, maybe some
more. It's all up in the air. But
Farmer Ben has had enuf of the virtu-
Gus dem cry of four years ago OF turn
the repub rascals out and let in dems
who will clean up the cage It's ALA:
humbug. The best thing to do is to
kick Gov. johnson and his whole dem
horde into the scrap pile.
l never could see why so leetle is
made of vice president and lieutenant
governors. 1t alwus seems like these
places went by default to any old plug
that would take 'em. But can't con-
ceive of anything more important for
the peoples good or bad. Look at
what the lieutenant governor does.
He's speaker of the senate and he has
all the appoiutin' of the committees of
that body so if the liquor interests or
lumber trust or any other interest want
to hold up legislation all they hav to
do is quietly to work in lieutenant
governor that will appoint committees
favorable to 'em and they'll do the rest.
The same in congress. The vice presi-
dent is president of the senate and
when the standpatters and monopolists
want to head off all legislation hostile
to 'em all they've got to do is to~pull
: the wool over the eyes of the presldin
officer in maxim up the committees and
the jig is pretty near npEmostly. What
old man Cannon did to our congress-
man Davis on the agricultural commit.
tee may happen oft in the senates.
. . O. 4,
l was nifty interested in the mothers
congress down to w Washington the other
week. They came from all over and
from across the seas even to Japan and
south Africa. They discussed the sub.
jects that are most solid for our coun.
try, treatment of children, juvenile
courts, treatment of erin children, ed.
dication that shall be helpful and prac.
ticaI, care Of the defective, home and
school associations and all such. tell
you. that's what this country needs
wakin' up to. There's : million farm.
ers that would spend FIVE dollars for q
book>t show how to raise calves and
colts right that .don't know putty about
raisin' boys and girls right. There's
many man that would go,to Chicago
to'a Live stock show that would not
take time to 60 up to the school house
to see how his. boy was learnin'. a
man will pay $25 to q trainersto break
his colt who would begrudge ten dol