The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1917-01-18


ties, embracing the greatest
Nmount of service at the least
/ possible cost. We further recog-
nize that the farmers and pro-
ducers in the end pay approx
mately 95 per cent Of the expense
of operating the railroads, and it
IS, therefore, to the interest Of
the producers that the expenses
Of the common carriers be as
small as is possible, consistent
with good service and safety.
We, therefore, call upon Our law
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-
latlon 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 a 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 a melon" for
labor they hand the farmer a |
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
is lull in business, we want all
legislative bodies to take an in
ventory 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 INDECENT chill
dren, rest tired mothers and lift
mortgages from respondent
homes. Unnecessary workmen
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
them 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 14,0O0,000,00O acres of idle
land on the earth's surface await
ing the magic touch of the plow.
The compensation is easily OBJ
tainable from Federal Agricui-
tural Department statistics. The
'otal average annual sales of a
farm in the continental United
States amount to $516.0O; the
cost of operation is $4,000; leav-
ng the farmer Sl76 per annum
10 live on and educate his family.
There is no occasion for the
legislatures making a position for
surplus employees Of industry. Let
hem come back to the soil" and
hare with us the prosperity of
he farm. +,