The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1908-01-02


tually the poorest farmer in all
the country round. When ID came
to practical farming he was the
most miserable failure l ever saw.
The work on his farm was always
at loose ends. In the barns every
thing looked as if the Old Harry
was right after him and would
catch him in another lap. His
cattle were thin in flesh and look
ed like death and destruction.
And that was the man who talk
ed 50 learnedly at the Farmers
meetings. / tell you. it is not
right. What kind of instruction
is it that will not help q man to
do his own farm work as it
should be donep Theory and
practise ought to be somewhere
in speaking distance in these
matters. 1t takes good common
sense to make man valuable to
go before a company of farmers
and tell them how to do their
work better and make their busi-
ness more profitable, But these
are not always the kind of men
we fiud at our institutes and other
farmers gathering.
Every farmer ought to take a
hand in politics. 1t is too bad
that we have gotten so far away
from some of the old time ways of
conducting these matters. The
town meeting, for ex ample, was a
good thing. That was before we
had little coops to go into and fix
up our ballots. The booths are
all right as far as they go, but
the work is mostly done before we
come to them. The primary meet
ing is where the real work is done
and there is where every farmer
should betake himself every time
he has a chance.
Farm taxes are outrageous.
Why2 Just because the farmers
have gotten too busy 10 look after
the men that ask for officers. We
must get back into the habit of
looking for our offices instead of
leaving them to look for Us.
The long and the short of this
is that farmers expect men to be
what they say they are. l believe
farmers as rule try to live up to
that themselves. You find very
few men that are mean enough to
cheat their fellows on the farm.
Now 6 nd then a man waters his
milk or tries to palm off inferior
farm articles for the real thing
but they are scarce. The farmers
as class are doing good, honest
business.
A few years ago the editor of a
city paper gave my farmer friends
high compliment. That county
had1 6 towns, with one representa-
tive in each, in the local law
making body, while the city had
13 wards each of which had one
representative, so that the country
towns had maj ,rity on every
vote when they stood together.
There had been some talk of cut
ting up the wards to make more
members from the city. This
editor speaking of this said the
best men of the city did not want
it done, for the reason that the
men from the farms were safer
Legislators than were those from
the city. If that was not high
tribute l do not know where you
would go to look for one.
And we ought to be worthy of
this praise every time. That means
no deception in selling butter,
eggs, fruit, or anything else that
comes from the farm. 1t means
good, honest farming always and
everywhere. 1t means being
worthy to he trusted.
SO while the farmer has right
to ask that honest men be put on
the institute force he has a re-
sponsibility laid upon him to be
honest, right and true himself in
every spot and place. The ring is
what we go by when we buy a
farm tool. Dull ring, cracked
hoe. How is your ring2
Foul Murder.
jacksonville Register.1