The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-07-15
A CORNER CASUIST.
are no more blind than ! am"

Is agrarianized In, all but name. The
backbone of this matchless political
;uggernaut is the Bund der Landwirte
Farmers alliance). II 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 and 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 infinitesimal 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 its various subsld-
larry organizations during the Berlin
week were devoted to topics no more
thrilling than fertilizing, fencing, cattle
raising, irrigation and implements.
It's role in politics in the days when
Bismarck governed with huge nation
al-liberal majorities was altogether
minor. Not until the early SOS 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
! TRAN 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 indugtrial
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 q fighting
political phalanx. The organization,
under the battlecry of Agriculture in
Dangerl" rallied h farming commu-
nifty like wildfre.
It's strength and its influence in
! creased by leaps and bounds. Indus
try and agriculture became enemies
instead of allies in German national
/ development. Farmers sent only
avowsd representatives of their own
class to the Prussian diet and the
reichstag.
From these councils the hue and
cry OF oppressed agriculture" issued
systematically n necessarily, Agita-
ton was conducted with fierceness and
audacity. Profiting by the losses OF
small investors throughout Europe In
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 and harass the
German financial world.
Then came the frenzied crusade
against the Prussian governments
comprehensive |canalization scheme
which agrarians opposition blocked fol
months, and eventually allowed to be
realized only in emasculated form
Their browning revenge was still tc
q cOme.
I The Caprivi treaties expired by limi-
tation in the opening years OF the new
century. To ~annihilate them and sub