The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1912-10-18

3
they have read the glowing announce
ments of the railroads and of the won
derful riches that man can dig from the
soil out here. Some farmers from Mis-
they stayed on that land they all the
dry farming land, but after severa years
their horses and cattle died, their fam
lilies were starving and these four farm
ers took the advice of the good Catholic
father and helped themselves TO some
/ flour out of a freight car standing on
the siding and then the sheriff arrested
them, and although it was shown IN the
case that these men helped themselves
only to what they needed for their
wives and children, they were convicted
in that capitalistic court by demo-
cratic Judge, sentenced from two TO seven
years in the penitentiary of Colorado.
And you wonder that the farmer is
revolutionist. I wonder that he is as
patient as he is. When the Appeal heard
of this case I wired an attorney in
Pueblo to take up their case and just
before leaving Girard got the cheering
word that the governor with his ear to
the ground, had decided to parole these
four farmers, but their condition is Just
what it was before, only they have the
brand of Cain, the brand of the criminal
on their brows.
Wage-Earner and Farmer.
So say to you, friends, this afternoon,
that the wage-earner and the farmer
must stand shoulder to shoulder in this
fight. There can be no liberty and
freedom otherwise. So long as the poll
ticians can keep the two great armies
of workers in this country divided they
will lick you to a standstill. Mr.. Taft
and his campaign managers are telling
the working men in the cities that it is
the farmer who is responsible for the
high prices of living You read that in
his Saturday Evening Post advertise
ment, didn't you? Well, most of lis
who are busy with our own affairs trav-
cling around in our own little circle,
making no investigation, may be fooled
by that sort of statement. I had en-
idea myself that the farmer was getting
a good big part of it. So I have been
making inquiries among the farmers.
The Farmers Profit.
Over here in one of your valleys a few
hundred miles from this section where
they raise peaches, some fellow who had
been voting the republican and demo-
cratic tickets concluded he would make
an investigation and in several boxes of
peaches that he sent out he said: 81
received 27 cents for this box Of
peaches. would like to have the pur-
chaser write and tell me what he paid
for this box of peaches" He was get
ting down to real facts, as Mr. Taft's
campaign manager advises us to do. In
two or three weeks he received a letter
from Chicago, and that letter contained
the information that the man who had
purchased the peaches, which were in
excellent condition. paid Sl75 for those
peaches.
A Rich Revolutionist.
Why met on the train coming over
here plutocratic farmer owns nine
thousand acres Of land, worth perhaps
from one-half to a million dollars-and
do you know that man was wearing
red button2 "Yes" he said to me- 81
goods but I have eleven boys and girls
and / am wondering what is going to
become Of them and their children"
Pretty ar-sighted old comrade, he was.
If any Of You democrats and republi-
cans are skeptical as to these facts 1
can give his address and you can write
TO his banker His name Is p. w. Cox,
Colfax, Wash.