Mower County transcript., 1908-09-09
FARMER BEN'S
COL UJMlN

COLUMN
So old man Russell Sage, who was al
wus held up to us as the sharpest
finencier of the whole bunch with ha-
bits of economy and shrewd bargains
and all that actually got stuck for over
a million dollars in bogus Investments
'and securities. His executors and as,
signs hav actually found in the dead
mans strong box oyer a million dol
lars of worthless truck that he bit on.
Gee, but he was easy. Folks don't
need to be callin' Farmer Ben a Rube
when it comes to biting on fake invest
yments l never bit but once and it
wasn't big but it satisfied. The townies
and city chaps drepa a million in these
financial fakes where the farmers drop
hundred. The farmer is used to get
tin his increase by hard work while
too many Of the lazy townies hav the
habit of livi1i' without toll and the
get-rich. quick schemes appeal irresist-
ably to such. Russell Sage's greed for
big profits gotawa with his judgment
bad.
It is really, pitiul to see the old gang
down In New York state sit up and
watch Gov. Hughes and his wise and
honest course and 6gger how they can
lay hiGa seut and they don't dare to-.
Hughes is one of those independent
govern oGsslake La Toilette and Folk that
you can't ~bulldoze or scare or manipu-
late. He stands up like a man to en-
force alllsws no matter who they hlt-
He is of course unpopular with the poii
tical schemers but the joke of 1t is that
while tbeyshate him and would awfuAy
like to damp him over they don't dare
to beeaussxof his hold with the cotamoR
people who demand his reelection rs
governor or they'll make trouble.
Hughes stands for square deal. ore
treatment for all classes. He stands
for publicity and clear settin' ontef
what is law and what is not and then
punish with equal justice and swiftness
all wrong acts and all wrong actors nc
matter whether they are millionaices or
tramps. Gt, does Farmer Ben's heart
good to see Emen like Hughes in COM
manding position like Roosevelt stand
IN inaexibly for the right whiae the
gang is mad :and powerless; ~~-..e:s eva>- :
I've alvus ban, stuck on the subject of
practical eddication, givin' the boys
and girls something that will help to
start 'esn in life. l see that down in
New York city they've agreed in favor
of establishin' compulsory trade schools
workshops Wheresboys over IL will hay
to take practical .leasons in some trade.
lreckon such practical course would
be a good thing for any boy whether
his father is a millionaire or a day Ia.
borer. There's q public sentiment On
this that won't down. The real basis
of all true livin' is.Inanual labor. It
don't make any differ ,whether man
keeps store afterwards, or runs bank
it's better for him as "a boy to know
what manual work is. h,alwus pitied
the town boys that was .tRrned out of
school knowin' nothfn' practical, just
havin,, some theoretical book sknowledge
and fopnderin' in the real life show
down. It'll be bonanza to any boy
and i don't calkerlate that it will crowd
the trades either. s9
it makes a decent mans blood boil
to see upstairs like Jim Tawney gettin
so puGed up by bein' in Washington
steen years that he loses all conception
of moderation. Look at that salary
grab business. 1t sin't simply that be
brazenly stood ont in the eye of the ma
tion and fought in congress for addin'
one half to his own princely salary
but he actually tried and persisted in
extractin' constructive mileage from
Uncle Sans cash box when he never
travelled a mile for it. Congress ad-
journed IL o'clock March one year,
and at one o'clock of the same date an
extra session was called to order and
I'll be jiggered If Tawney didn't advo-
cate the prop that as it was new ses-
sion every member had right to mile
age home and back when he hadn'
move ont Of his chair IT'S sl1Gh