Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-27

| this side the farmer paying the mgn
prices that OTHER consumers pay fol
| the things he has TO buy, and attempt
| ing 70 live up to the standards which
| Americans of education and refinement
| are setting for the world. On the 9TH
| or side the farmer producing the same
| things ae his American neighbor and
| paving vastly less for the manufac-
,nred articles which he purchases. His
manner of living is wholly different
his family is larger; his children enter
occupation years younger. and hence
labor is much cheaper. His land Is
new and prolific and even after paying
nresent duties he is able To export
largely Of his crops.
Our Ellsworth friend will not at
temnt To deny the above. He cannot
assert that we have gone further thaEi
10 disagree with the President in TINS
nartisular and we believe that to De
the first prerogative of free govern
ment and free institutions. There can
he no real progress without opposi-
tion We oppose the reciprocity agree
ment because We honestly believe It's
adontion as at present drafted viii
yitallr affect the farmers of the
states along the border and particu-
larly Maine.
NJ. Mathews perhaps has not
thought Of the farmer as a consumer
certainly his letter does not indicate
that he has And yet. the farmer Has
TO wear clothing and, from the rugged
nature of mis- occupation. has 70 pur-
chase much more of it than the aver
age consumer. 1t is only his farm
surplus that affects the other con-
sumers MIR. Mathews blames the
farmer for all the high prices, and
cheers for tine trusts that have low
cred prices by grinding competition
out of existence. Here is a farmers
anSwer-a few words embodied in
letter which we intend to use later
from Mr.. Walter A. Morse of Gardi-
ner. He writes:
Il crow n few potatoes for which |
am offered the magnificent price OF
2S cents per bushel in Gardiner. The
same grade of potatoes is retailing in
a city of 100000 population. 10 miles
from Boston at 30 cents per peck. No
need of going TO Canada to do some
missionary work for the consumer.
keep hens: some of them lay. l ship
my eggs TO Boston twice a week. r.
am now receiving IS cents a doz. The
same eggs are retailing in the city Il
spoke OF for SO cents n Dozen
There is much more of it, just as
true, and Just as pointed. He might
have gone a great deal farther and still
not have distorted a single condition
or fact.
Our Ellsworth friend seems also to
have wholly overlooked the fact that
If he allows the farmer to be swept
under he has dealt a direct blow at
the other consumers of Maine. But
his greatest error of all is in think
ing that because we are trying to
save something for our farmer friends
hat We are opposing the interests OF
other consumers. We believe that in
lighting for amendments that will low
n the cost of things farmers and
other consumers have to buy we are
not only doing a service to farmers
ant to others as we'll.
1t must be very selfish man who
measures his prosperity by another
mans voc. II we can save something
Tor the farmers in the way OF conces-
SONS from manufacturing interests it |
VIII not have cost our pastor friend or |
the village members of his flock one
cent. But if the farmer has to bear |
the whole burden, we predict that i, |
VIII cost the man of average income
crushed between upper and neither
nillStone. pretty penny.
Let US relate a true incident IN a |
few words. A farmer who has lived
years in the provinces came to Maine
a few gears ago because of increasing
promise in agricultural affairs here,
and TO educate his children. lie now
lives in Wayne. A daughter is at
present in Augusta. They like Maine
people and institutions, but declare
that if this reciprocity agreement is
ratified they shall at once move to the
provinces to buy land. They declare
that under present conditions there.
with American markets open to them.
it is the farmers refuge and erea.
opportunity 70 make money.
Would it surprise our reverend friend,
who must have n pretty good under
standing of human nature, if there were
many other families in Maine who would
no