News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1911-04-19
WHACKING EDITORS AND LAWYERS
Reminds Farmer Sheldon Of the Fun had in
Batting June Bugs with Board when he
was Boy.
GFrom the Fair Haven Era

|
came down where we could bat them
with board it was huge fun.
am reminded of those times now
when the editors and lawyers get to
writing about reciprocity and farm CON
ditions. They usually soar away above
my comprehension but when they occa-
sionally do get down near the ground |
cannot resist the old sporting instinct to
give them "a whack.
The general trend of their remarks
seems to be that if we pour gush and
gurgle into the Canadian he in return
will pour pea soup and potatoes into us.
Senator Page says that papers seem to
be nearly unanimous in favor of reci-
procity, the letters he receives against it.
Let us look for possible explanation.
The paper trust is the only manufac-
turing industry interfered with and that
has a joker to this effect. All paper
that sells for less than four cents per
pound comes in free, all paper above
that price pays duty. That means news
papers get their paper free of duty, while
magazines and books pay duty. There
is no earthly reason for the difference
except to induce the editors to support
the measure and they are working well.
l doubt If one person in one hundred
knows of this joker and while the papers
are full of illusions to the selfish farmer
you will look long and in vain for refer
ence to the paper schedule. The Era ed
itor is the only one l have seen honest
enough to admit that farmers are not the
only selfish people and he allows that he
wants reciprocity and wants it bad"
So when Senator Page reads a well
written editorial favoring the measure,
he gets the expression of one man who
has good big axe to grind, who is
trained writer but don't know anythir
about farm conditions and [ am inclined
20 think cares less. When he gets a
letter from farmer he hears from
man not used to writing, has no axe to
grind and is only pleading for equal
jnslice for all, and he does know farm
conditions.
One cannot help remembering right
here that when the farmers, 10000
strong, through their organization with
thousands of others asked our last legis.
lature for the privilege of voting as to
whether they wanted saloons in the state
or not, nearly all these same editors were
equally united and were very successful
III opposing the idea that the people of
the state were capable of deciding for
themselves what they wanted. Can you
put your finger on joker there? and if
so are not these editorial jokers getting
little too common?
If these editors should write articles
on astronomy how long before you would |
see cream from the milky way on their
Now as to lawyers. My old friend and
George w. Ellis, now a
prosperous lawyer of New York, shows
his ability by writing entertainingly ON
farm conditions in Vermont, something
Of conrse that he does not know any
Thing about. He recommends intensive
farming. [ like the idea. We were just
getting to it. Talk about the limit of
production! We can produce many
lines what we are now doing, just as
soon as our produce sells for enough to
Jay for help, fertilizing under draining,
tic. But can that be done in competition
With cheap virgin soil, that if ''tickled
with hoe will laugh with a harvest"
lness with some protection either in
reight rates or the equivalent in a low
antf?
Take milk, something everyone uses.
recent investigation in New York
hows price there of nine cents the
ear around of which the Vermont
armer received two and one-half cents.
he present duty is one-fourth cent per
uart. 1t is proposed to remove that
ut continue the duty of 50 80 per ton on
owls feed, bran. Both of these propo- :
lions hurt the milk prod ucer and how /.
luch will they help the consumer? !
1t seems as if it ough not to be neces-
Try to use meat axe to get the idea
Ito a mans head, that if the duty is
ken off the cows milk then take it off |
lie cows feed also. |
We can concede that the New York [
wyer must have a larger fee than his q
,untry brother because it costs him |
ore to do business, but if the Vermont
rmer asks little protection we are :,
Id, if we would live as farmers used to :
e would be all right and that is true. q
can remember when the farmers t
life MIXED, dipped tallow candles, spun e
e wool and wove the cloth for our v
ckets, made the soap, etc., stopping "
ng enough to put on bowl of milk for u
ch one with kettle of corn meal mush u
ON which each one ladled what he d
anted. AS a special treat, the boys :,
I'd slice of bread and West India mo- a,
sses and you will never get me to ad- a.
it it was not a good living. If we ovei- p
e, dose of picarY kept everything
owing all right and as we knew what
IS coming if we complained we did moi