Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-05

crouch once in a while? AS a matter
OF fact he is as a general pule one OF
the most patient of men considering
what he has to put up with. Is it not "A
fact that the farmer is looked on as
the legitimate dupe of every designing
sccrhdrel under the sun, from the
.workshy" who Calls at his door with
something to sell for 10 cents that is
worth about two and who is generally
rude if one doesn't buy, to the swindler
of higher grade who drives good
horse, wears fur coat with jewelry
TO match. addresses one famliarly as
though he were an old friend of the
family and finally leaves you with the
feeling that he has paid for your apples
or hay about. half what they are really
worth. Then there is the man higher
in his profession still. who sells fifth
grade automobiles and tells the farmer
that he needs one and often succeeds in
persuading him to part with half a
life's savings for a mass of something
not much better after a very short
time than so much scrap iron
The farmer seems to be the only main
who in doing business allows the other
fellow to fix the price ON what he is
selling.
Again no matter how Industrious or
what degree of intelligence he may put
into a crop, he is entirely dependent on
wind and weather as to what he is
going TO get for his labor. Is it not q.
Governmental policy in this as in al
most every other country that the
farmer is made slave for the benefit
OF the rest of the community
ba chief aim and object of the tx
periment Stations Government Bulie-
tins etc, appears to be to get him To
grow bigger and more crops, in other
words work harder, in short. be II
slave, and this he verify is if he takes
their advice. He gets out of bed at
in the oining. doubles his crop and
at the end of the season. halves the
price for that crop; true, there is SO
much. more for others TO eat. therefore
very philanthropic on the part of SEN
ators. agricultural editors and such, u
good thing and a wise policy TO have
plenty TO feed a multitude of people.
but the point is the farmer stands the
brunt of it all, and the farm papers
whom he naturally expects to stand by
him a little are about the worst of
tenders in that respect and issue spec
ial Thanksgiving numbers telling him
to DO contented and thankful for his
blessings and that he has had GOOD
crops. etc, etc. and such twaddle.
They remind him of the pure air he
breathes, the beauty of the fields and
the woods, etc, etc, blessings indeed,
which any man worthy of the name
fully appreciates hut unfortunately
these blessings do not feed crowd
of hungry youngsters when they come
home from school, or replace the shoe
leather they wear out; nothing but
solid grind on the part of him and his
wife will do that. If the tragedy of the
farm were to be written, if 1t ever is,
and was handled by writer worthy OF
the subject il would furnish as brave
and as sad a tale of the hardships and
struggles of life as was ever written
Quite recently we have had before us
a man, a farmer, whose daughter was
diabolically done to death almost un-
der his very eyes by some fiend and
the father has the terrible burden to
bear in the knowledge that the perpe-
traitor is still at large and yet because
the man, chiefly doubtless through
grief and sheer loss of heart. has ne
elected somewhat to provide for the
beasts he possesses, attention is called
publicly to the condition of his barn
and amount of hay therein, and hui
name officers sent to his premises to
/ add to the troubles he already has.
/ Humane, forsooth, wouldn't it be Il
little more humane and brotherly to
/ start public subscription for such a
poor human derelict and get the
wilerewithal to put his barn in order
! and give the man little heart to start
life afresh?
What a truly great country this could
be if the dollar bill was taken off its
pedestal and humanity and brotherly
! love put there instead,
Faithfully yours,
CHAS. o. ELVIN
/ East Readiield. Dec. 3.