Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-07-16
A CORNER CASUIST.

Is agrarianized In all but name. The
backbone OF this matchless political
juggernaut is the Bund der Landwfrte
Farmers alliance). IL marshals a
membership OF 800, 900, which acts with
military s~ubservience In obedience to
its leaders will.
The bund Is nominally a league In
which, princes, barons, counts n peas
ants mingle on terms of democratic
cooperation. What 1t actually consti-
tutes Is an instrument for advancing
the interests of a handful Of wealthy
land barons, who represent not only an
insignificant percentage of the bund
itself, but a wholly infnitesimal pro-
portion Of the nation.
Fifteen years ago the bund confined
itself to agitation for the safeguarding
of strictly agricultural interests, The
annual meetings Of it's various subsid-
larry organizations during the Berlin
week were devoted to topics no more
thrilling than ferttlizing, fencing, cattle
raising, irrigation and implements.
Its role In politics in the days when
Bismarck governed with huge nation
al-liberal matorities was altogether
minor. Not until the early '90s did
agrarians determine to mobilize for es-
sentially political objects the immense
power dormant in their serried ranks.
The so-called Caprivi era gave them
opportunity.
Beginning Of Activity.
The second chancellor had effected
a series Of long-term commercial treat
les with Germany's continental neigh
bors. Deliberately favoring the father
lands then budding Industries at the
expense of agriculture. Caprivi bar
tered low rates on Russian wheat, Aus
trian rye, Danish meat and dairy out
put, Hungarian barley, ETC., in exchange
for preferential duties on German man
ufactures.
His treaties were the logical express
sion of the fatherland's conversion
from an agricultural into an Industrial
state. They proved the signal for war
to the knife between agrarianism and
all other forms OF capital.
The bund, which had spent Its ener-
gies In the past on pigs, poultry and
pasturage, welded itself into a lighting
political phalarx. The organization
under the battlecry OF Agriculture in
Dangerl" rallied the farming commu-
nifty like wildfre.
It's strength and It's influence in
creased by leaps Inc bounds. Indus
try and agriculture became enemies
instead Of allies In German national
development. Farmers sent only
avowed representatives Of their own
class to the Prussian diet and the
reichstag.
From these councils the hue and
cry of oppressed agriculture" issued
systematically and necessarily. Agita-
ton was conducted with f~ierceness and
audacity. Fronting by the losses of
small investors throughout Europe I'm
the speculative craze, which terminated
with the Barring crash. the 'agrarians
dealt their first vital blow at the cap
italist class by forcing the passage OF
q stringent bourse law, the provisions
OF which still hamper n harass the
German financial world.
Then came the frenzied crusade
against the Prussian governments
comprehensive canalization scheme,
which agrarians opposition blocked for
months. and eventually allowed to be
realized only In emasculated form.
Their browning revenge was still to
come.
The Caprivi treaties expired by limi-
tation In the opening years OF the new
century. To annihilate them and sub