The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-05-04
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Sidelghts and Searchlights on Puplic
Men and Events,
Especial Correspondence.)

Especial Correspondence
Washington, May 2.-The department
of agriculture 3 "Year Book" for 1916,
Uncle Sans publication de luxe for
farmers, is now off the presses in the
big government printing office, and
readers Of this letter can secure the
book free by applying to their congress
men. Hundreds of thousands of farm
ers in this country have in past years
| received the annual Year Book, The
farmer who has never yet read one
has treat in store for himself. A
set Of these books makes one of the
best farm libraries Imaginable.
Interest and attractiveness are the
chief aims of those who compile these
annual volumes, which are handsomely
bound in blue buckram with silver let
! tering. Outside of the annual report
! of the department and the statistical
tables of the 1915 crops, the book is
| filed with series of articles written
by the best scientists in the govrrn-
| ment's employ. These articles are
written in popular style and are copi
ously illustrated.
In fax, the illustrations are one of
the chief elements in the Volumes at
Effectiveness. There are seventy-fve
plates in the book, most of them super
ior half tones in black and white, but
a few plates in colors.
The subjects treated range from CO.
operative buying to winter crows
roosts. There are twenty-five special
eartitles including such subjects as
civil engineering on the farm; how
to market the products of the farm
wood lot; fruit packing and boys pig
clubs. There is also an interesting
story on cooperative rural laundry.
Although the government provided for
the publication of 100000 Of these Year
Books, the supply is usually exhausted
early.
Slave Labor Binder Irvine.
America abolished human slavery SO
years ago, yet how many of our citi-
zens know that one of the most import
ant supplies of the American farm,
binder Irvine, is product Of slave la.
Dor
Binder Irvine is nearly all manufact-
ure from sisal hemp which is raised in
the state of Yucatan, Mexico. During
the investigation into the alleged Mexi-
can sisal trust, it was testified before
the Senate committee that the farm la.
Dor in Yucatan is enslaved.
The British manager Of one Of the
Yucatan railroads was testifying. He
kept talking about "slaves' and
"slavery.'
"You mean pconage, don't you2'
asked one of the committee members.
emo, 1 mean slavery he replied.
"But l thought that only peonage
existed in Mexico pursued the Sen.
ator.
cit does in all the other states ex-
cept Yucatan,' replied the railroad
man. Then he went on to tell how the
wretched Yucatan slaves are held in
bondage through debt Either they act.
ually owe their masters money, or they
are assumed to owe them. But how
ever real or fanciful their debts, they
can never ransom themselves, because
the masters -refuse to accept money in
payment, even should the slaves be able
20 save it., which they are not. When
man buys a slave, he simply pays to
the slaves master the sum which the
master says the slave owes him. The
master makes this sum whatever he
considers the slave is worth to him.
Carranza, said this railroad man,
anne into power with good intentions
toward the slaves. He emancipated
chem officially, but the law is not
obeyed. 1t simply transferred the own
ership of the slaves to the government
officials, and now the planters, in order
to get slaves, must pay money to the
officials. It's nice little system for |
the planters and officials.