The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-01-21
THURSDAY, JANUARY 81, 1915
Western Hog Farm Furnishes
Good Text for State of
Maine Sermon

There once lived an agriculturallst'
or more exactly hog rancher, III
what was at the time Indian Terri
tory. In that mild climate his pigs
got a living with very little attention.
but they would not get themselves 10
market and the owner had to rouse
himself once a year to get his pork
crop loaded on the cars. two or three
days' tourney from their pasture home.
There was another period of three or
four weeks when a sluggish stream
nearby provided fair kind of fishing
History fails to record what our pig
raising friend did with the other eight
or ten months of the year. Indications
are that he lived life of rare idyllic
ease" There came a day when an
important change was to be made IN
the territorial government. The mat
ter was to be settled by votes of the
inhabitants, and the hog raising farm
er, being among the prosperous aud
well-to-do of his time, was consulted
as to when this election should occur.
The question having nothing TO DO
with pork or fishing, must have stag
gered the old fellow, but he replied,
nevertheless, to the effect that any
time would do for him when he WASH
driving his hogs to the cars ami
couldn't go fishing. This incident is
not of the present decade The old
hog man who figures in it doubtless
passed to his reward many years ago,
but there Is altogether too much OF
his mental attitude among us today as
to elections and all things political.
Like him, If no business offers and
we can't go fishing, we are willing to
go to the polls or give some passing
attention to state and national mat
ters.
The above comment gets utterance
at this time by reason of strange re-
ports, through the press and other
wise, about our recently convened
legislature, or some of the members
thereof Whether or not the present
senate and house are up to the average
in ability and department, probably
no man is competent to say. We Of
Somerset persist in thinking we have
sent men who are respectable and of
whose ability we have no cause to
doubt. 1t seems reasonably certain
there are among the law makers from
other sections, some who are not as
much entitled to commentator, who
have by their conduct brought re-
proach upon themselves, unavodably
shared by their fellow legislators. Be-
fore we go to blaming anybody, We
want to remember that every legisla-
tive member at the capital is there be-
cause the voters in some district de-
cided that he should be, and we ought
to be manly enough to place the re-
sponsibility just where 1t belongs. We
as voters collectively and individually
are solely at fault for any lack of
quality in one or more of the legis- |
lators of 1915.
These lines would have little pur
pose If they referred only to unfavor
able facts now past remedy. They |
are not written with that object, but !
with the hope that some of our readers !
may realize anew the seriousness of
the duty that goes with citizenship. /
SO long as we have our present gov
ornamental system the ballot and faith |
full study to see that 1t is wisely cast. |
will be incomparably more important
than any other of our earthly concerns /
We long since decided that we would /
have neither Kings nor Kaiscrs on this /
side of the Atlantic. but there are even
now sincere, broad-mindcd. brainy ,
men who believe the United States
would be more prosperous as Mon
archy. and Lords and Emperors may
yet rule over us II We continue TO |
signify. by APATHY and earlesxness.