Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-06-24

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edge that he has labor union at his
back and the fact that he can spend
his money where he pleases. The
New England farmer seldom raises
enough of any staple to export Part
OF Maine and Vermont AFFORD the ex-
eeptions. Whereas the western and
southern farmer is principally coz
cerned in raising staples. and ships
almost all he raises, accordingly be
ing independent Of the complacence
Of the local storekeeper. the poor New
England farmer has to find his mar.
ket in the village stores and take
what he can get and in barter, too.
How He is Punched.
The honest farmer is not so mythi-
cal as the basiitsk and griffin, bur
there are those who believe not wllh-
out some reason that he belongs with
/, the fabulous monsters, But the New
England farmer does not 1tte2 get
chance 10 try any agricultural wires.
and when A does, it is the worm
turning. You can hardly say the
bamboozling OF the New England far
mer is punishment for his bamboozl-
ing OF others. He can seldom be the
aggressor because he seldom has the
chance. A western man, accustomed
TO the lordly agriculturist OF that re
gion. more and more man of affairs
and education, beholds with amazemeny
the way the New England farmer is
knocked down and dragged out.
Everybody takes a whack at him. A
system Of squeezes hardly less rami-
fed than that of China, prevails. Yoi
have to give rebate on everything.
A cord of wood is not a cord, but
has to have several inches knocked
of. The "cut down" the saw mills III
hiet upon the farmer would constitute
a respectable yearly cut for a respect
able mill The farmers speak in awe
Of old man so-and-so who cuts down
more than any man in the country.
In Indiana, they would hang him up
after few of his cut downs. Ii YOU
send sixteen cords of some sort Jf
pulp wood. or several thousand feet
of lumber, they will throw out f ON
an eighth to a quarter-on the s ate
ment rendered, Try to recover this
rejected wood try to have it shipped
back or to get possession Of it ID sell
for cord wood in the town of its re-
ceipt and they ignore you Not a
single tender word can you get out
of them. Thieves! With due recogni-
ton OF the fact that they a.e pillars OF
the church and loud voiced in town
meeting, | repeat the word Thieves.
The New England farmer broods over
his wrongs and his rebuffs He medi-
tates raising potatoes and remembers
how they squeezed him at the store.
What's the use? He thinks of going
into his wood lot and cutting a quaint
ity of timber and is deferred By the
recollection of how he was cheated on
the last consignment he sold. What's
the use? He reads in the paper how
the latest request OF the farmers was
denied by the legislature. Out west,
even unreasonable and unjust de-
mands by the farmers are granted
The tact is, New England. for all its
talk of concern over its agriculture,
doesn't care whether 1t has any far
mers or not Indeed, it is ashamed of
its agriculture Everything else ia
New England holds a conceded emin.
ence, New England manufactures. edu-
cation, penal systems. New England
city governments and city beautiflea-
tion and New England pie, here is
nothing like them elsewhere. New
England agriculture is the one weak
point. Just as a business concern will
sometimes close a branch because of,
its poor showing, branch which while
not causing pecuniary loss, hurts the
concerns prestige, so New England
would be resigned if all Of its far
mers were doing well in Kansas. The
farmer is of use to the ruling classes
merely as a provider OF a summer
boarding house. Thal's al, they need
Of him, and for years taking summer
boarders has seemed the brightest
promise Of New england agriculture.
But He is Not A Degenerate.
Then too. the belief that the popula
ton OF rural New England has not
merely deteriorated, but degenerated,
seems to afford comfort even to New
Englanders and is very relishful to
the foreigner We have had a good
many hysterical squeals from persons,
who finding badness in New England,
missed tie fact that it was in
cident 20 humanity in general
For every New England dereliction. the
western settlements of one continental
nationality viii show i've, and of a
second nationality, ten. 1t isn't sheer
deprayity, for in the matter OF lying,
for instance, the chaste Irish are very
bad compared with the Continentals.
and N horse trade, please give me a
Continental instead Of a Yankee,
When have read lurid tales of New
England depravity, have sometimes
been moved to tabulate the criminal
record of some typical European com
munitfes of my former State, good )ok-
ing weTi-painted towns surround d By
rich Turning csuntry and let New Eng,
land see how good her worst is. Theft.
Violence, there wouli be ut many in
stances of these, bu' III, the instances
OF sexual remissness. Much Of the