The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-10-01
AN OREGON OPINION.
Editor The Ranch:

dom of the recent "logged-off land con-
vention" of Everett, Wash, which you
had promised to publish and which ap-
peared in No Is of The Ranch, !
expected to learn something new and
good about land-clearing, but, alas
| see that 1 can not learn anything
by it and that the suggestions of the
stump-doctors and land-clearing adj
yisors, who gathered there, were of
very poor quality.
The "water-tight" scheme for land
clearing, for instance, which Mr.. w. ).
Varnum offered at that convention,
seems to me to be full of gas, and just
as water-tight as the extremely foolish
proposition was which General CoXey
made in 1893 or 1894 to the national
government and to his great army
of half-witted soreheads. VarnHm's
and Coxeys schemes are both just
alike, the only difference between them
| is. that Coxey wanted to build roads
all over the country instead of clear
ing land, and that he wanted the ma
tional government instead OF the coun-
ty to issue another form of printed
paper in unlimited amounts as pay
ment for it. 1t is simply Impossible
for such men to see "that something
which is given in payment for another
| thing must have a like value. MT.
Varnum could not even buy postage
stamp at a postoffice with the GER
tificates he proposes for the payment
of the proposed work, nor could any
other person be forced to accept them
as payment for anything, etc, and
what value could any certificates have
which would probably only be taken
in payment by Mr.. Varnum and few
other men like him? 1t is of no use
to consider such bottomless nonsense
any further Why if the farmers had
the right to be helped along by the
county. state or nation in such
way. all other business and business
schemes had then the same right, and
to what a scheming humbug and dis
valuation would that all lead us?
| Newspapers and books would be an
impossibility, as we surely needed
| then all paper for paper money and
certificates.
The land Gearing scheme which
Hon. w. H. Paulhamus proposed at
that convention, viz: "To do the land
clearing with convict labor" is very
unfair and unjust one to all those
farmers who had to clear and still
have to clear their land by their own
hard labor; because it brings all the
value of their labor, which they have
done and which they are still doing in
| that line, down to the value of the
cheap convict labor, which would be
worse still than competition with
cheap Chinese labor. If it is right, fair,
and lust to protect the labor OF our
| "a CT M
petition of cheap labor of the Chi
nese and other cheap labor hordes,
| then surely the farmer is entitled to
the same protection, and any kind OF
his labors should never be brought in
competition with still cheaper ana
lower class of laborers, like those OF
| convictS
If any man wants to cultivate land
and be a competitor with the present
| farmers, let him do some hard work
in land-clearing at first, like all the
rest of us had to do, or pay fair
white-labor-price for cleared land, be-
fore he is entitled to it; not convict
labor-price.
The question of clearing land will
quite naturally settle itself when 1t
pays to clear it. Not otherwise. Any
spe cial scheme to push it artificially
is unnatural, and therefore unsound
and unhealthy to the natural develop
ment of agriculture and welfare of the
farmers. The laws of nature, which
govern us, and which move us to &C
ton when need is, will clear that land.
But as you are enjoying pushing
this matter, / will make you a fair
proposition about it before I close. |
There are a good many people here in
Oregon, as it was proven at the last
election, who are "single takers" and