The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-01-27

the farmers ana producers IN the Ell,
pay approximately 95 per cent Of the
expenses Of operating the railroads
and it is therefore to the interest Of
the producers that the expenses oi
the common carriers be as small as
| Is possible, consistent with good ser.
vice and safety. We, therefore, call
| upon our lawmakers, courts and
! juries to bear the foregoing facts in
mind when dealing with the common
carriers of this state, and we do espe-
cially reaffirm the declarations of
the last annual convention OF our
State Union, opposing the passage Of
the so-called 'full-crew' bill before
the thirty-third Legislature of Texas
The farmers of Missouri In the last
election, by an overwhelming ma
jority, swept this law Off the statute
book of that state. and it should
come off of all statute books where
it appears and no legislature of this
nation should pass such law or
similar legislation which requires un-
necessary expenditures.
The same rule applies to all regu-
latory measures which increase the
expenses of industry without giving
corresponding benefits to the public.
There is ofttimes a body of men as
sembled at legislatures-and they
have right to be there--who, in
their zeal for rendering their fellow
associates service, sometimes favor
an increase in the expenses of in
dustry without due regard for the men
who bow their backs to the summers
sun to meet the payroll, but these
committees, while making record
for themselves, rub the skin of the
shoulders of the farmer by urging the
legislature to lay another burden
upon his heavy load and under the
lash of be it enacted goad him on
to pull and surge at the traces Of civil
ization. no matter how he may sweat,
foam and gall at the task. When
legislatures 'cut melon" for labor
they hand the farmer lemon.
The farmers of the United States
are not financially able to carry dead
heads on their payrolls. Our own
hired hands are not paid unless we
have something for them to do and
we are not willing to carry the hired
help Of dependent industries unless
there is work for them. We must
therefore insist upon the most rigid |
economy
Legislative House-c Cleaning Needed.
While the war is on and there Is a
lull in business, we want all legisla- I
tive bodies to take an inventory OF |
the statute books and wipe of all |
and useless laws. A good /
is needed and econo-
mics can be instituted here and there !
that will patch the clothes of INDECENT
children, rest tired mothers and lift
from despondent homes.
workmen taken off and T
useless expenses chopped down all
along the line will add to the pros
perity OF the farmer and encourage
him in his mighty effort to feed and
clothe the world.
If any of these industries have sur
plus employees we can use them on
The farm. We have no regular
schedule Of wages, but we pay good
arm hands on an average OF S150
yer day of thirteen hours when they
BOARD themselves; work usually runs
lbout nine months Of the year and the
hree months dead time, they can do :
he chores for their board II they
,refer TO farm on their own account.
here are more than 14,O00000, 900 |
Icres of idle land on the earths sur
ace awaiting the magic touch of the
low The compensation is easily OBJ
ainable from Federal Agricultural
department. statistics. The total
verage annual sales of a farm in
he continental United States amounts .
o $4,000, the cost of operation is
$4,000; leaving the farmer sf76 per
mum to live ON and educate his :
amily.
There is no occasion for the legis-
ltures making position for surplus
mployes Of industry. Let them come
back to the soil' and share with US
he prosperity OF the farm.