Mower County transcript., 1908-08-05
FARMER BEN'S
COLUMN

SOAStvA1N 1.
Icant get over my. disappointment
at the knockin' out Of that twenty; mine
million dollars fine agenst the Stand
ard oil company for acceptin' rebates
on shipments. 1t looked so clear IN
the evidence that was cocksure Uncle
Sam had wad comm on this bald out.
rage on the rest of the shippers. But
here comes the higher court and by
some legal hair splittin' highfaulutin
cuts out the fine and the octopus is free
agen. Amt it about time that this
trust Dustin business amounted to
something real and substantial? 1t
we amt goin' to get any real crack at
sem harder and severer than ever and
never let up until they get down TO
their proper level. The trusts can hire
smart lawyers alwus to clear 'em ana
why can't Uncle Sam hire just as smart
ones to have justice really and truly
accomplished? '-.
Those hot days of late are jnst what
the farmers needed for their corn and
hay maxim even if they did ripen up
grain too fast. Geo. Benton used al
wus to say that you couldn't hav
good corn crop aud wheat crop the
same season and there's deal in it.
Small grain wants cooler, slower
weather than corn will stand While
corn is nothiD' but sun crop. 1t had
a bad start in the spring and it's got to
hump to get thru to maturity before
frost. But we've got to take weather
as it comes and make the best OF 1t
and when the sun is hot make bay.
Things don't look so discouragin' to
many as while ago. Milk checks and
other things keep comm in in spite of
set backs in places and there's lots left
to be thankful for. 1t looks like there
was big Dakota wheat crop and may
be the price of flour will come off its
high peg so poor folks can get it.plenty
But we amt like as if we had all our
risk on one CROP.
A rich Chicago man the other day as
ne was leavin' for Europe gave it out
that it is good deal harder for the
man who has been livin' at the rate OF
100000 year to cut down to the basis
of $4,000 than it is for man who is
used to livin' on $l5 a week to cut his
livin' expenses down to $40 a week.
There amt word of truth in it.
These rich bugs think they can't get
down to economy because they amt
actually obliged to, but let 'em cut off
all European trips and cut down their
servant list to one or two and sell al!
their autos but two and cut out their
enormous spread of money in swell
parties and extravagant dress any of
sem can liv within $25,OO0 a year and
hav lots of real solld livin'. On the
other foot, the man on $15 week finds
that it takes the bulk of this to buy
flour and shoes and necessarles in good
times and to cut down to ten basis
Just takes the very last fibre OF nerve
and pinch.
Amt it just glorious that Jim Taw-
ney, the salary grabber, is goin' to be
skinned out at the comm repub prim-
ary? He's got SO fur above his con-
stits and is so proud and chesty in hav
in his own way in spite of what his
constits demand that nothin' is left
but to kick him out. One of the bows
was tellin me that his temporary prom
inence in w Washington was due to the
standin' in with standpat Cannon
rather than for his personal strength
and that awhen Cannon was downed
Tawney would hatten out. We've Civ
Tawney every chance in the world to
make good. We've accepted his prom
ises forced out of him when scared by
Knatwold that he would do somethin'
torevise the tariff in the interest of
the farmers and common people but
nobody ever showed one thing that
Tawney ever actually did except make
some kind Of promise of what. might
be done IN the sweet by and by. Ii be
gets elected next fall he'll probably
show up for senator Clapp's or senat.
or Nelson's shoes for there's no limit
to his political conceits. So we'll kick
him out next month and put him
where he belongs.
o o o
see that president Roosevelt amt
goin' to let up on the prosecution of
the Standard Oil rebates. He's give
orders to the big government lawyers to
tackle the whole business agen and
avoid the measly technicalities on
which the reversal was recently made.
Roosevelt is sure that the Standard has