The Mena weekly star., 1910-02-10
A Bright Future.
lhe Editor of The Star.


 Dear Sir:-The nog law propo- sition has been pretty thoroughly discussed ln this department of your paper, and 1 feel confident that much information and bene- fit have been derived from the various communications published on both sides of the question. Since the discussion began, prices of meat have been steadily going up until the American people afe witnessing the curious and uupre. ccdented spectacle of a stupen- dous boycott on meat. So far as 1 know, such thing has never occurred before in the United States or any other country, and the situation may be fraught with some grave consequences. Of course the packers laugh over the boycott. Men who have made their millions out of the producer and consumer can afford to laugh. The farmers with fat hogs and cattle are not laughing very much, though. When the con- sumer quits eating any one thing, the farmer must quit producing it, and that is the long and short Of this boy business. That brings us back to the law of sup ply and demand, and to the prop osition that 1 have tried to make plain in former articles that the farmer makes the most money out of high-priced meat or any other product when he raises enough for his own use and sur plus to sell.
 The farmers of Polk county who have bad big Poland China, Duroc, Berkshire or Tamworth hogs to sell this winter have made good money, but the farmers with mast-fed hogs have scarcely made their own meat. There was no mast to speak of last year and there has not been auy for several years. In fact, if there was lots of mast in this country and the free-range farmers could get some hogs to market, they would have to take from three to four cents less per pound than they could get for corn-ted hogs. If you doubt this statement, read the market reports closely.
 But as we have just about threshed out this question to frazzle let us leave 1t to vote of the people of Polk county. say "people" because want the wom- enfolks to take hand in the contest, They cannot vote but they can tell their husbands ho to vote, and 1 am sure the ma ioirty of them are like Mrs. Woodmansee, the lady who wrote about the best article published in this department. They want some pretty Poland China pigs rolling around over the farm in- stead of a cross between byena and timber wolf roaming through the woods; they want four or five big fat bogs in the pen that they can feed the sour milk, slops, etc., and call their own. That means $40 or $50 for sperd- ing money along about Chrisim S for the wife, money to buy warm clothes and presents for the chil- dren. What farmers wife does not dearly love to have little money she can call her own, money that she can earn through her own efforts Egg money and butter money is all right. but 1t comes in such little dribs. Pork money comes in big punches, nice crisp greenbacks, aud money that IS earned on the farm comes so easy. Yes, we want the womenfolks with us in this forward movement, and If they will do their duty we uiil uot only have a hog law in Polk county but better times and great CT prosperity than the people have ever seen.
 Let us leave it to vote, and il