The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-09
THE UPLIFT COMMISSION FAD.

Mr.. Roosevelt gets tree
Of one diversion, he starts another
| For a long time, outside spec
tacular things, he took deep interes'
in making speeches to Mothers Con.
crosses composed chiefly OF Ole
maids) upon the evil Of race suicide
and declaring that the hope OF the
Republic was in large families Of the
old-fashioned sort. He lectured the
women upon the duty OF becoming
mothers of many children n berated
| those who did not see that their chief
service to mankind was in rearing big
families. Most Of the women heard
his lectures without paying much at
tention to his admonitions while 9TH
ers told him hat it was none OF his
business.
Last year, in order to create a di-
version and in the hope Of REACHING
the farmer vote for Taft, he issued
a manifesto that he had determined
to uplift the farmers. How? The
pose to lessen the burdens Of taxation
under which they labor, and waited
to see what form the relief Woul
take. Instead Of that, he tickled the
vanity Of half a dozen or more OF
MuGwump editors and writer's and
teachers by appointing them or a
Commission to Uplift the Farmers. 1t
was widely heralded as the savior OF
the farmer and the members scurried
$40, ~, -
60 the uplifting while the farmers
We're working in cold and ain to up
lift enough money to pay their taxes.
The Commission talked about roads
just like the Farmers Institutes have
been doinS About schools-just like
the Teachers Institutes have been
doing. In North Carolina they sprang
a "hook-worn" surprise on the few
people who heard them, and hurried
to Georgia to hand out q few chest
nuts to the Georgia Crackers. The
whole performance has proved to be
n Ro~osevcltian fad and is now SO
regarded. On :" turday night at the
big GrldirOn G.nncr at Washington,
attended by the President, Nice-Presi-
dent. and the other di.nitaries and
notables, the Farmers Uplift Commits
SION got what vas coming TO it as the
talk off described by the
Washington Post shows:
~ noise was heard after the sons
die away, and it was discovered the
disturbance was being made BY q par
ty Of 'Rubes' entering the banouet
hall. The tour men We're dressed in
uue FARMER style, and ~cOnVerSed on
country topics, until one declared that
he had been told that the United
states Farmers Uplitt Commission
had come to their locality, and soon
the members Of the commission. led
by a herald in gorgeous costume, en-
tered h hall. The commission was
1f~ock-coated and covered With Ii.
-. and other colored college degrees.
IL was difficult for the Presidents rep
rfsentatiVeS to recognize in the farm.
er delegation the material on which
1t q been set to work. The chair
man suggested that the rural represen-
tatives displayed very few of the re-
flnemcnts of our notwithstanding
life
Are you really agr~iculturists?' he
asked. The reply was an emphatic
negative.
We are farmers, by heck!' ex-
claimed the spokesman OF the country
side.
the commission had a pressing
engagement for an afternoon tea with
the tennis cabinet, there was not
much time to secure extensive data.
A query as to farm topics elected
the curt retOrt:
I'VE DON'T get nc soft money from
the government, by gosh!' The phil
OSOphical of the commission
was that We are all practical men,
and reform always comes high
BY questioning, the commission
discovered that the principal ingre-
dent Of milk was water; tina farm
pumps are not pasteurized; that an
Client eggs are sold to city folks as
strictly fresh and that the component
parts Of perfectly pure little, farm
sausages are anything out OF the pig