The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1919-07-10
NOnpartisan League.

Nonpartisan League.
If there is a class of men which we
need it is the farmer. His interests
should be protected and the junkers
overthrown.
Last Sunday I listened to an ad-
dress with here and there bit of
reason and sense included, but the
bulk was too vague for. the average
man to understand. The average far
mer has little time to read, so when a
so-called friend comes around and
gives him lot of gush he believes it..
I just want to draw the farmers
attention to few things that did not
seem on the square to me. You were
told the beautiful story of the man
on the bridge, the "middleman. -
When the farmer traded a pig for a
suit Of clothes he met the tailor on
the bridge, but before he got the
clothes he had to give the bridge ten
der a pig and, before the tailor got
his pig, he had to give the bridge
tender suit of clothes. So the poor
farmer was numerically robbed.
Now, in which. class does our
speaker live? He is not farming; or,
if he is, another man is doing the
work and he is drawing the profits.
He is not tailoring, or, if he is, an
other man makes the clothes. Then,
where is he? He is a middleman4 liv-
ing off the farmer on one side of the
bridge and the tailor on the other.
And, were to make a guess, would
say that his master, Townley, paid him
more for last Sundays two hours talk
than most of those who listened to
him would make in a month. Did his
hands look as though he was one of
the worlds workers? And I venture
that the suit of clothes he wore cost
as much as any three suits worn by
farmers on the grounds. Yet, at the
same time, he ridiculed brains, and
gave out the impression that it was
all bunk to say that it takes brains to
make money and a success. He gave
as illustrations two men, one who died
leaving an estate and business. Eigh-
teen months afterwards the will was
probated and his riches had increased.
Another man who had a large bust
ness went crazy and he was in an in
stitution for fifteen years. All that
time he was growing richer. Then
the great Illuminating light was
thrown on the whole CHASTITY affair,
and the farmers, who had not caught
the drift of the idea, clapped their
hands with glee when they were asked
the question, IF dead and crazy man
can make money where does the brains
come in?" And if they can then live,
sensible nonpartisan surely can.
Now, brother farmer; if your son
died and left farm with stock valued
at $4,000 to his child, should it not be
worth more in eighteen months? If
he was in an institution for fifteen
years, would not his stock have in
creased and the farm products brought
in some money? You know it would.
Then why fall for such foolish argu-
ments. Would you let a crazy man
run your farm?
We were told that we must own the
railroads. Who would run them-m
without brains? I venture to guess
that the speaker and his crowd would
want to be- at the head of them.
1t was made very plain to us that
the laboring mans interests and the
farmers are the same. Let us see if
they are. Last summer there were
farmers who paid from SIS to 81 per
day for help. They could not stand
the pressure so their wives had to get
out and do mans work. This wear
farmers are paying as high as SIS and
500 per month.
A short time ago you were getting
more for your hides than now, yet
shoes are nearly twice as high and go
ing higher. Why? Because the man
who makes them is demanding un-
heard of wages, some Of them get
ting $40 per week, $3.50 per month.
Can you and he cooperate. You talk