Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-10
Injustice Supported by Nonsense.

L
Injustice Supported by Nonsense.
cit is we'll to see where the farmers
| stand, They stand against allowing the
millions of workers to enjoy more
| abundant food supply. And they cry
baby
| The first emotion of any honest,
| practical man is one of Indignation on
reading a paragraph such as the
| abe e. A moments reflection changes
it to one of pity. 1t is not the ex-
| preston of a dishonest man put forth
| to deceive, but of one who does not
see beyond his nose. If you should
ask the writer OF that nonsensical ex-
preston who fixes the prices of the
| farmers returns for his labor?t he
| probably would, after due reflection
| and recalling the tenor of his news
| dispatches. admit that when Maine
| farmers last winter were receiving
from 2s to 80 cents per bushel at the
railway for potatoes, the tubers were
retailing at from 80 to so cents a peck
| according to locality and avariee of
middlemen and retailers, in eastern
cities.
Does the farmer have anything to
do with fixing the price for the mil
lions of workers on that article of
diet?
| Eastern farmers cannot raise beef
he vi faf. ha
local dealers in small city markets as
| they used to do. Does the writer OF
the above know why? Let us tell him
lit is because said dealers will be
| boycotted by the beef trust If they
| buy of farmers or local butchers di-
rect. Yet the millions of workers"
do not eat live stock. which is free in
| this wonderful trade arrangement, but
| they do eat meats, which are protected
| for whose beneft-the workers." or
the farmers? Neither one: it is for
the beef trust.
Our exchange writes of the 10000
| 900 in the farming industry of the
United States as If they were not
| workers or Consumers. What
proportion of the other 6O,0O0000 does
he think fixes the prices for all and
successfully engineered the outrage
| Gus trade agreement with Canada for
the purpose of broadening the field?
A Washington dispatch of Monday
night said: President Taft INDUCED
in some plain talk today in explaining
| TO % members of the National Grange
that he does not intend to play poll
tics with the Canadian reciprocity
| agreement even if the enactment OF
that measure by Congress costs him
| the farmer vote The President told
| his visitors bluntly that he was sorry
to hear that Republican farmers would
| desert the party if the agreement goes
through. but fear of such desertion
would not change his conviction as to
the wisdom of such legislation. He
said he believed reciprocity the best
thing for the whole country and that
he did not intend to argue it,
There has seemed to be no DISPOSE
ton on the part of those arranging
| the trade treaty to "argue it, with the
| farmers. Neither the farmers nor
their representatives. We're consulted
about 1t. The so-called "progressives,"
egged on by such jugglers of vacuous
phrases as the Maine self-styled pro-
gressiye organ, thought there was no
need of consulting the farmer. He
could like it or lump ii as he chose,
and the same sentiment seems still
to prevail There it is and you are
| helpless, Mr.. Farmer. The engineers
| OF great trade agreements that affect
you iirectly cannot bother with you
long enough to tell you why it is "for
your interest" They THINK it is for
your interest and it doesn't make a
plcayune's difference what YOU think
about it.
! That is sample of the fairness"
OF the whole proceeding.
/ Before the Senate committee on fl
nance. Monday, representatives of the
farmers of thirteen states protested
against the so-ealled reciprocity bill.
Ex-Gov. n. ]. Bachelor of New
; Hampshire, master OF the National
! Grange. denounced the bill as a yio
ation OF the pledge of the Republican