The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-01
@oNLY FARMERS IN vT70
That Is Question Answered by Spring
field Republican.

I
field Republican.
Senator Page of Vermont is expected
to vote against the reciprocity bill
because be finds the farmers Of his
state generally opposed to il He il
quoted by our Washington correspond
ent as saying
II have been in doubt about Canadian
reciprocity, and have taken plebescite
OF the people of Vermont, and ] find
that at least so per cent, and indeed
| might say 90 per cent, of the farm
ers are opposed to the reciprocity bill.
And the farmers kaow what they are
talking about. The extensive cores
pondence shows remarkable range of
information and deep study and consid-
cradle independent thinking. The
unanimity Of their conclusions is i'm
pressive, / am indeed quite impressed,
and ! shall probably vote against the
reciprocity bill"
lie has taken a plebescite of the
people of Vermont on the subject, but
he tells us the results only in respect
to the farmers He permits it to be
inferred that everybody in the state Of
Vermont is farmer, and that those
who are not farmers are not worth
considering Yet Others besides Mr.
Page may think that the non-farmer
population is worth some little notice
and they would doubtless like to know
what he learned about the sentiment
of the other industriel classes of the
state.
The senator may not know, but there
are. in fact, other industrial persons
IN Vermont besides the farmers He
may not know it, but these other per-
sons are numerous enough and econom-
ically valuable cough to be entitled
to the consideration Of others if not
TO that of the senator The last avail
able census figures $4,000 show the
people of Vermont above 10 years Of
age to be classified by gainful occu-
pations as follows
Total population 10 years old
and over ............. 27s943
All gainful occupations ...... 1888
ture ..'................. 40,s2o
Engaged in professional serv-
ice acknowledgements. fuIO
Domestic and personal service 2302S
Trade and transportation ~ 1889
Manufacturing and mechanical
pursuits ............. 3s.lsO
Thus majority of the state indus
trial population is TO be found on the
farms Only about 40 per cent, in
fact, are to be found there, leaving 90
per cent for other occupations. Nearly
80 per cent Of all are found in manu-
featuring and mechanical pursuits, or
not so very far short OF the number
in agriculture Fourteen per cent
are engaged in trade and transporta-
ton, and those so engaged, along with
those in personal and domestic and
professional service. make up a mum
Der just about equal to the farming
class
Now what did the senator hear from
these other classes, or did he think
they were not worth hearing from and
did he refuse TO hear from them
Reciprocity would eoncededly help
those eYaged in transportation and
related trades. What did he find the
sentiment to be among themI What
is the position Of the large manufar-
turing class What Of the professional
and other services If all these CLASSES
are largely opposed to reciprocity. how
comes 1t that the newspapers of the
state are very generally lined up in
favor OF il? But with all these classes
largely in favor Of reciprocity, where
stands the general sentiment Of the
state when at least small minority
OF the farmers are favorablei
The senator says that the opposing
farmers are showing deep study and
large information in their replies. VIII
he say also that they are showing
great satisfaction with things as they
are-with the profits of farming under
the present tariff policy Of the nation
and with the progress and general
Of the industry in that state
where its hard experiences and its de-
clining tendencies have been known to
everybody else, if not to them and the
senator? The trouble with Senator Page
seems 10 be that he has traded among
the farmers Of Vermont so long and
so exclusively as to be unable to think
OF any other industrial class worth
noticing; and that he ha $50 far pros
pered himself in this trading among
farmers as to come ir.o the belief that
they are also prosperous Springfield,
Mass. Republican,