Mower County transcript., 1908-02-26
FARMER BEN'S
COLUMN

the game for permanent waterways
commission to plan for the improve
ment and extension OF our waterways
so as to regulate and facilitate and per-
tect transportation. Salary grabber
Tawney cut out 81, 800 to pay the ex'
pense of congressman Bankhead who
was sent by the president to hurry up
Investigations of this business. Taw-
ney recommended the appointment OF
"a special policemen to guard that ele-
giant $3,50U0OO loafin' palace which the
house of representatives hav recently
built for themselves at Washington
but he couldn't stand for $500 for i'm
provement of the Mississippi and other
waterways. Just think of it, 81 snide
positions for political heelers to guard
the reps palace, one fourth the entire
police force of St. Paul. Tawney can
let thru the payment of $24,OOO,0OO for
deficiency bills and not sneeze but
$1,000 for Roosevelt to hurry up the
waterways Improvement is cut out.
That's such wonderful and unheard OF
economy that no wonder nobody else
ever heard of such economy schemes.
"a snide positions for political heelers'
$24,OOO,OOO for one years excesses but
not even $1,8OO for a most worthy plan
of the president.
q o
If Cannon lickspittles in congress
really wanted to do somethin' for the
public, Farmer Ben could Civ 'em lots
of valuable pointers. One thing is this
miserable allowin' of shippin' liquor IN
to towns and states that hav prohibi-
ton law. The way it has ben, if Ma
son City goes dry at the polls st. Paul
wholesaler can ship in original package
to dealer in Mason City and all local
law is of no good because the dealer
claims perfection under the interstate
law. Now say if any state votes dry
then the U. S. government ought to be
in better business than to perfect Ticker
sellers in shippin' in tram loads of their
stuff in direct violation of the express
wishes of the state aforesaid. The
same ought to be true in local matters
in state, the legislator ought not to
allow licker to be shipped into Lyle or
Grand Meadow when they hav voted
themselves dry and don't want it inter-
duced. Some day we'll get into the
habit of sendin' men to Washington
who strive to do somethin' for the
people insted of playin' hog for their.
selves lonesome.
One of my naybors took me down the
other day to see fine heifer he's got
that he wouldn't take hundred for
and couldn't help noticin' how much
care he took with it. He knew all
about the pedigree and he'd looked out
for the critter ever since it was day
old to see that it was rightly fed and
perfected from the weather and stalled.
] spose he's spent a good many hours
all together lookin' after that heifer
and raisin' and trainin' it to milk
gentle. 1 wondered in my Uranium
whether he'd put in one tenth of the
same time in thinkin' about his boy
that's gettin' along up where he's form
in habits fast and gettin' into all sorts
of associations. I wonder if he ever
visited the school where his boy is
learnin' and fittin' hisself for life's
racket. 1 wonder if be knows just
where his boy is nights same as he
knows where his pet heifer is. Won
der if he tries to perfect his boy from
the world as careful as that heifer gets
perfected. Amt it queer sometimes
that your own kith and kin may go to
the dogs while your horse and helfer
get the best care there is goin'?
Speakin' of schools, amt it queer
that parents doD't take more interest
in their children's eddication? l spose
that not one man in ten up to Austin
goes inside of the school room where
his children are taught once wear and
1 spose they know nifty little about
what grades their youngsters are in OF
what they're studyin', 1t seems like
their children ought to take share Of
their attention and time. 1t used to be
that there was deal more visitin
than nowadays. Children was pretty
sure to be inspected by pa and ma anC
if things want up to the mark they
heard from it sharp. Parents stood BY
the teacher and in lots of cases thu
boy or girl that got lickin' at schoo
got another to keep it warm when they
got home. In my time teachers useG
to come and visit the pupils in theil
homes, every term maxim the rounds
1t got the pupil in the idee that teacher