The Huttig news., 1915-01-30


 makers, courts and juries to bear the foregoing facts in mind when dealing with the common car- riers of this state, and we do especially reaffirm the declara- tions of the last annual conven- ton 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 majority, 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 a law or similar legis- lation which requires unnecessary expenditures.
 This applies to all regulatory measures which increase the ex- penses of industry without giving corresponding benefits to the pub lie. There is ofttimes a body of men assembled at legislatures and they have right to be there who, in their zeal for rendering their fellow-associates a service, sometimes favor an increase in the expenses of industry without due regard for the men who bow their backs to the summers sun to meet the payroll, but these com mittees, while making a record for themselves, rub the skin off the shoulders of the farmer by urging the legislature to lay an other burden upon his heavy load and under the lash of "be 1t en- acted" goad him on to pull and surge at the traces of civilization, 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 pay rolls. Our own hired hands are not paid unless we have some thing for them to do and we are not willing to carry the hired | help of dependent industries un- less there Is work for them. We must, therefore, insist upon the most rigid economy.
 Legislative House-Cleaning
 Needed.
 While the war is on and there $ lull in business, we want all bodies to take an in gentory of the statute books and wipe off all extravagant and use less laws. A good house-cleaning is needed and economies can be instituted here and there that will patch the clothes of indigent chil- dren, rest tired mothers and lift mortgages from Respondent homes. Unnecessary ~orkmen taken off and useless expenses chopped down all along the line will add to the prosperity of the farmer and encourage him in his mighty effort to feed and clothe the world.
 If any of these industries have surplus employees we can use item on the farm. We have no regular schedule of wages, but we pay good farm hands on an average of S1.50 per day of thir- teen hours when they board themselves; work usually runs about nine months of the year and the three months dead time, they can do the chores for their board. If they prefer to farm on their own account, there are more than 14,O00,0OO,0O0 acres of idle land on the earth's surface await ing the magic touch of the blow. The compensation IS easily ob- tainable from Federal Agrieul- tural Department statistics. The total average annual sales of a farm in the continental United States amount to $516.0O; the cost of operation is S340.OO; leav- ing the farmer Sl76 per annum to live on and educate his family.
 There is no occasion for the legislatures making a position for surplus employees of industry. Let them come back to the soil' and share with us the prosperity of the farm.