Mower County transcript., 1908-05-13
FARMER BEN'S BEL \:
COLUMN

That would be a sure enuf jag. But
that amt the prop at all. The friends
of the protective tariff are the ones that
believe in the principle of protection to
needy Industries and to keep all our III
dustries from bein' run out and destroy
ed by foreign competition. Farmer Ben
has alwus stood for this and alwus will.
We don't want any tariff for revenue
only to initiate the monopolies and let
down the bars on lots of our deservin'
industries and just whack on a tariff
for revenue hit or miss. The repub
ioee is the proper caper, to protect with
your tariff. That's what has made us
so great and prosperin'. 1t has given
our laborin' classes good wages and the
farmer better prices and the mills bet
ter runnin' and it makes. us self sup
portin' and independent.
When it comes to the foundation
basis of all our prosperity you alwus
back up agenst the farmer. When the
farmer prospers all up in this whole
section the rest prosper and when the
farmer is down all is on the ground.
Lots of folks are tryin' to figger out
why the railroads and the mills and the
cities amt havin' smoother time OF it
just now but I can cipher it all out.
The railroads hav lots of empty freights
all along the line and light trains
because the farmers didn't raise the
stuff last season for 'em to haul and
when that's missln' there's nOthin' else
to fill the business. When farmers
round Austin and Lyle prosper, the
merchants thrive and fatten but when
the crops are light all the wheels Of
business clog and move awful slow.
The first start of prosperity is from the
ground. The farmer raises the grain
and stock and wool and cotton, and all
the rest of business is simply to make
up the stuff and sell it to the world.
Woolen and cotton and sugar and shoe
and lumber and flour mills are all just
maxim up what the farmer raises and
the iron factories just make up to haul
these products and make business ma
chinery. Business all rests down pri-
marily on the farmers prosperity.
l agree with senator Knute Nelson
on this child labor question. 1t looks
like things might be carried to extreme
in maxim laws agenst children laborin'.
Knute says that he began to earn his
own livin' at II and held the plow be-
hind yoke of oxen at IL years old. 1
agree that all proper protection should
be made to keep children from bein'
overworked in mines and factories.
But to make rigid law that child
under ii years shall be prohibited from
bein' employed at any job is too much
granny. l tell you it's good for boys
and girls to get used to work within
right limits. 1t gives 'em better idee
OF life. This idee of bringin' up child
rem in illeness is the curse of the ma
ton this blessed mint. The criminals
alwus come from the idle loafin' classes.
This forbiddin' any one to employ
children for properly adjusted work is
outlandish. Why spose we'd brought
up our gal Sarah to just sit round and
let her mother wash the dishes and do
other work what would she amount to
now? The reason the farmers boys al
wus clean up the towny boys is because
the country boys hav learned how to
get busy at wholesome labor.
d y d
1t does beat all how every offs hold
er gets to be salary grabber from con-
gressman down to catawauler. Taw-
ney had bis salary poked up from
5000 to $500 for foolin' away four
or FIVE months in the year and all the
rest his own to 60 and do as he pleased.
1t looks like all the others was grabbin'
the same way for an increase. | don't
know what we're comm to if this
thing keeps up. You can't get any
body to stand for moderate salaries and
holdin' down expense. Our state rate
of tax was raised by the last legislator
and local taxes are just KILN SO a man
hardly has anything left after he settles
tor taxes. It's a fright and is gettin'
no better and all the time the renegades
keep pokin' up salaries and expenses
without anv idee of protectin' the hard
worked tax payer. I'd like to see a
new deal on this matter. I'D like to see
the offs holders that amt satisfied with
the goin' salaries attached to the ottises
just step down and out and 60 grubbin'
for themselves. They'd soon find out
where they were at. It looks some
time to Farmer Ben that the less an