The great West. [volume], November 29, 1889, Image 4

About The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
THE GREAT WEST
Is issued every Friday, at •
758 Wabasha Street, St. Paul, Minn.
It is devoted exclusively to the commercial
and political interests of the agricultural West.
EVERETT W. PISH, EDITOR.
Deputy State Lecturer Minnesota Alliance.
A. K. FRAIN, BUSINESS MANAGER
Subscription Rates
Communications may be addressed to the Edi
or, or to
The Great West Co.,
758 Wabasha St.. St. Paul. Minn
Entered as second class matter at the St. Paul
Postoffice.
St. PAUL, MINN., NOV. 29, 1889
We are'told that we have made
our “prism” too narrow* in estima
ting on grading, butHhe constructor
w’ho states this fact says that the
height (36 inches) for a level prism,
was too high, so that the general con
tents was not out of the way. We
struck that kind of a road. A grade
of 14 foot service width, and 20 inch
height, gives one cubic yard of earth
to “shovel” for ever foot of lineal—
that is for every foot of road.
$5,000 Challenge
While this paper has never fully
investigated the “Single Tax Theory”
—that is, that all taxes should be
levied upon lands —it realizes that
there must be something in it which
does not appear at first glance.
This much is certain, that the rich
men are not paying their proportion
of taxes on land in the cities worth
from SSOO to S7OOO per front foot.
They pay only a small fraction of
their just taxes on personal property
any way! And the unoccupied lands
of speculators go almost free of
taxes, while the farmer who spends
money and labor on his land has to
pay taxes for doing the very thing
which ought to receive a bonus!
Just how the land tax idea makes
farmer’s taxes less however, and
throws a greater share of the bur
dens on the rich we have not yet
seen—admitting that w*e have not
thoroughly investigated it.
There must be something in it,
however, for C. J. Buell, the Presi
dent of the Minneapolis [Single Tax
Club, has challenged the Tribune and
Journal to discussion of the proposi
tion that the single tax taxes farm
ers less than they are taxed now*, with
a forfeit of $ 5,000! This looks as
though the two great papers better
“put up or shut up.” If the discus
sion ever comes off this paper will
take an active interest in it, and re
port the points.
The following is a schedule of the
farm mortgages in the middle and
western states, as given by the Ohio
Bureau of Statistics
Ohio
Jndiana
Illinois
Wisconsin
Michigan..
Minnesota
lowa
Nebraska
Kansas..
Missouri
Total
By the census of 1880 the total
A’alue of all the farms in these states
was reported as $5,107,040,003.
It is noteworthy that after these
figures were published their accuracy
was denied by the poAverful plutocra
tic journals. The state of Illinois
had the matter investigated, and
found the estimate for that state was
ten millions too low !
Noav let the laboring world demand
that the census of 1890 shall show
up the number of mortgages. Let
this be demanded. Get up your peti
tions at once. Hurry up. Don’t
wait for printed forms—write out on
a sheet of foolscap:
“We the citizens, etc., petition our
representatives in Congress to in
struct the Census Bureau to give a
complete report on all land and chat
tie mortgages.” Get eA’erv man in
your township to sign and send to
us. MoA’e at once. Don’t Avait.
\ The Union Pacific was one of those
! enterprises which were born under
j the parentage of the government. It
* was first clothed in a loan of millions
of dollars, and then given an over
coat of 50 million dollars worth of
land! ,It grew fat on this—and as it
waxed fat it became purse proud.
Although it became so rich that it is
almost impossible to compute its re
sources, it refused to pay the interest
on the loan made by the government.
We have lately referred to the junket
ing committee of the U. S. Senate,
which went over the line as “guests,”
to see if it would be safe to let the
road delay payment! Here is the
view of one of our exchanges:
“It is a rich and powerful corpora
tion. It is able to pay now. The
debt is about to mature and ought
tjTbe paid. We are the government
tod it is our money which we have
t lent to build the U. P. for the benefit
of private parties. We raised this
money by taxing our hats, coats,
boots and the steel in our plows and
I we want it back now to pay the debt
P: yfQ incurred in suppressing the Rebel-
I lion so that the burden of taxation
I may be lessened. Will we get it back?
I No. Our representatives who have
eaten, drank and slept off the Union
Pacific for the last month have be
come the servants of the Railroad
Company, and say we must give my
lord, the Railroad Co., who is a very
good fellow, fifty years’ time to pay,
and then forgive the debt. How
long will this thing continue? Will
Congressman Laws and Judge Nor
ble come up to the rescue of a people
oppressed by such outrages as this
outlined here? The leopard is not
expected to change his spots even
west of the Missouri, and while the
railroad lion and the Judicial lamb
may lie down together the lamb will
be inside of the lion.”
SI.OO a year.
The following clipping is cut from
the Dawson Sentinel—J. C. knows
how:
Appleton Press: Hon. Ignatius
Donnelly delivered himself of a long
winded address at the Madison fair
last week, which was overflowing
with gall and bitterness. Donnelly
is now bidding for the Farmer’s Alli
ance support, but like all his politi
cal hopes, these new aspirations are
doomed to disappointment.
The above weak and untruthful
attempt at criticism was penned by
one of those light-weight, cross-roads
attorneys to whom Mr. Donnelly re
ferred in his speech with such supreme
contempt. Any man who has the
courage to tell the truth in public
gatherings is not safe from the fee
ble attacks of the “picayune hire
lings” of the press—fellows who,
while professing regard for the wel
fare of the people on whom they sub
sist, stand ever ready to decry and
deride honest efforts in behalf of the
people. Mr. Donnelly, however, is
used to these Lilliputian attacks and
may well exclaim with his favorite
author, respecting these prating pig
mies of a venal press —“your words
pass by me as idle winds which I
respect not.”
We may add to this that the editor
of the Appleton Press is one of these
“Cross-field” lawyers of which we hear
so much of late. No disrespect in
tended, as some can’t be any better
than they are any way.
What it Costs to Build Rail
roads.
The bonds and the stocks tell us
it costs $ 58,000 to build a mile of rail
road as it averages up. The roads
of Minnesota are stocked, bonded
and treed to about SOO,OOO to the mile.
Of this $41,000 is the stock and bond
investment, which demands interest
and dividends at the hands of the
farmers. Now what does it cost to
build these roads? This paper has
furnished an estimate at various
times, based ox actual experience
of contractors.
So far below even the Commission
ers’ estimates have our various
figures been that the latter have not
received proper credence—for we as
sert that there is not a road in the
state which has averaged up $lO,-
000 to the mile.
In order to bear out our estimates
we append the folio-wing from a rail
road builder who has contracted
roads in lowa, and Nebraska. We
only regret that we cannot append
this gentleman’s name. As to wheth
er he is responsible or not, Ave can
say that he is noA\- in the employ of
the United States goA’ernment. He
puts the following statement in
writing:
“In one mile of grade, with an
aA’erage tAVo feet fill, there are 6,600
cubic yards. It can be done for Bc.
per yard [s32B]. It has been done
for 6c. this summer. A man and
team can make $3.50 per day at 6c.,
Avhile at Avork on a grade from 5
feet doAvn to 1 foot. [Grades in the
Avest average from one foot to t aa’o . ]
Larger grading outfits would rather
haA'e from 7 to 10 feet fill than the
same number of yards strung out in
a fill from one to three feet, for the
reason that there is less top to dress
up, and do not haA'e to moA’e so oft
en, and the larger part of the dirt is
in the bottom. One hundred feet is
called a “station.” The natural
slope of the loose dirt is 1% to each 1
foot. This is the slope used in near
ly eA'ery case, both for fills and cuts.
In sand it is tAvo to one. The width
of a standard road is 14 feet. It is
cross-sectioned eA’ery 100 feet, 53 sta
tions being a little over a mile. A
tAA’o-feet fill, 14-ft at top and 20 at
base, aA-erage width 17 feet, gives 34
cubic feet to each foot of road [l%
cubic yards.]
In case of cuts, count road bed 14
feet, with a 5-foot ditch each side, 24
feet A\’ide at leA’el of road bed. Hence
figure a cut at 24 feet instead of 14.
Buc the railroads do not pay for
cuts—they only pay for the dirt put
in a fill, —unless the cut is so large
that the fill, either side of cut, will
not take it avith a haul of 1000 feet.
After that they pay for what dirt is
wasted. [As 1000 feet each side a
cut is nearly one-half a mile—or
quite a mile with the cut, in
such grading the roads do not pay so
much as on more leA’el ground—the
cuts are done for nothing usually.
This has neA’er entered into our es
timates !] Fifty miles of road in a
prairie country, AA’ith an aA’erage of
15,000 cubic yards permile [more than
twice the eleA’ation of bed given
aboA’e] and with 20,000 yards of
“cut'’ in the 50 miles, could be let for
10c. a yard [sl,soo]. I will furnish
you some contracts in a week or
two. You know the market A’alue
of other matters used as Avell as I
do.”
$701,000,000
. 398,000,000
620,000,000
250,000,000
350,000,000
175,000,000
351,000.000
140,000,000
. 203,000,000
237,000,000
$3,425,000,000
We will add to this that the 6 and
8 cents per yard spoken of is not the
general contractor’s price, but the
mile-man who works the teams. In
all our previous estimates we have
used ten to fifteen cents a yard.
As to the cost of other items we
may say that:
Ties are worth from 22 to 32 cents
each —they w’ere formerly much
cheaper, especially in wooded sec
tions. They lay rather more than
tw’o feet apart, but estimate it so.
It costs from $1,500 to $2,000 to iron
one mile of road. SI,BOO is a fair es
timate.
It may cost as high as SI,OOO to
average up bridges, some costing
SSOO, and others SIO,OOO. But there
are a hundred cheaper bridges to one
costly one. S2OO a mile is more than
a fair estimate for Minnesota roads.
They do not figure up nearly so much
in the aggregate.
Masonry for culA’erts may run up
to S2O a mile as a road runs.
Fencing is quite an item—possibly
SIOO if w’ell built. EAerything a rail
road uses for fencing costs not more
than 60 per cent of the retail prices.
Perhaps $125 would be a better es
timate.
Right of way usually costs not a
dollar —bonuses and gifts counter
balancing the real expenses. It Avill
neA’er run oA’er 12 acres to the mile—
and one hundred dollars per mile is a
bountiful estimate.
Station house will not aA’erage
$1,500 each. SI,OOO is a fair amount.
100 miles should haA’e 12 depots—say
$15,000 for 12 or $l5O to the mile.
Manual. labor, castings, SAA’itclies,
spikes, fish-tails, frogs, side tracks,
etc., constituting a A’ery flexible ex
pense, AA’ill not reach OA’er $250 a mile,
or $25,000 for 100 miles.
There should be SB,OOO allowed for
first year’s salaries, which amounts
to SBO per mile.
Noav, if by peculiar circumstances,
any of these items are too small, and
to include such matters as snow
fences, roadway crossings, etc., and
even to alloAV 50 per cent more for
grading, and second year ballastings,
Ave will add #SOO to the mile or SSO,
000 for the 100 miles.
This giA’es a total of $4,508 to the
mile.
If the grade is broken up by num
erous cuts the cost of grading is oft
en actually reduced—because the
Company does not pay for the cuts
—it requires the contractor to get
his dirt for the “fills” from the cuts,
and dress them out to size—unless
the dirt has to be carried over 1000
feet on either side of the cut, or un
less there is a “Avaste” —that is, more
dirt from cut than fill requires. Thus,
a cut is liable to cost the railroad
company nothing so far as to supply
the fills for nearly one-half mile, Cut
and-fill grading is cheap grading!
This will perhaps be neAA’s to some
people Avho talk about the “big
cuts!”
The largest “cut” avo ever heard of
is on the Northwestern branch road,
Monona County, lowa—Maple River
line. It passes through enormous
bluffs. Yet the Chi. & NorthAV. road
only issued $400,000 in bonds to build
80 miles of that road.
Mr. Wardall, of Dakota, informs
us that a heaA’y contractor estimated
a road for him, complete, at ”s,OOO to
the mile —and therein were contract
or’s profits.
Now let our country exchanges pub
lish these matters—and invite criti
cism.
Ten thousand dollars a mile, there
fore, is more than double the actual
figures. But this $4,500 must be fur
ther reduced by bonuses A’oted by
nearly eA’ery toAA’nship. In one in
stance $300,000 AA’as A’oted on as a
bonus, but fortunately defeated.
But many toAvnships (six miles
square) A’ote $5,000 bonus. Others
SIOOO.
To above $4,500 must be added
$2,000 for rolling stock and equip
ment. Office furniture, etc., etc., for
stations, printing and some other
items incurred before operating, may
require another SIOO to the mile—
soo,ooo for 100 miles.
Telegraph lines are comparatively
inexpensiA’e, and their business pro
tects their cost. They do not belong
to this schedule, although their addi
tional cost w’ould not count much
per mile.
The Princeton Union and the Todd
Co. Argus, Bre’r Dunn and Sheets,
think the wheat buyer and the rail
road sympathizer is the qualified
timber to make legislators out of.
Hubbard Bulletin:
The papers are full of the election
returns from several states and each
side have their “little song to sing”
and their reasons to advance for the
result.
They dish up the same old re
vamped “chaw chaw” that has
answered for arguments for 25 years,
with an innocent disregard for truth
or facts that is refreshing. A stray
gleam of intelligence is penetrating
the brain of <the average voter,
through the sinew-gristle jroad, via
the back bone; and party lash and
lines aro not viewed through magnify
ing glasses so much as they former
ly were.
There is a large and constantly in
creasing class of independents who
are in somewhat the same condition
as the Missouri Judge who charged
the jury as follows: “Gentlemen of
the jury, you have heard what the
lawyer and witnesses for the prosecu
tion have said and if you believe all
they said, you will render a decision
for the plaintiff.” If you believe all
the witnesses and lawyer for the de
fense haev said you will render a de
cision for the defendant.” “On the
other hand, if you are like I am and
don't believe a d—d thing either one
of them has said, then I’ll be d—d if
I know how you will decide.”
Report of the Dakota Alliance
Insurance Companies.
Just before going to press we re
ceived the following splendid report
from the Supt. Alonzo Ward ell:
Mr. President and Members of the
Alliance.
In presenting my 3rd annual report
for your consideration, I am happy
to be able to show a successful and
eminently satisfactorily year’s work,
without a single if, or and.
For, despite the disastrous failure
of crops throughout a large portion
of the Territory, and the diversion
of many of our active workers, to
political and prohibition lines, our
business has steadily increased, in
volume, and grown in the estimation
of the people, until today no com
pany transacting Insurance business
in the Dakota’s stands higher for
honorable treatment of its patrons,
prompt payments of its losses, and
economy of management than ours,
and the outlook for the future is very
encouraging.
The best evidence I can offer you of
the popularity of our companies
with the people, is the testimony of
our agents, who say that it is easier
soliciting for the Alliance companies
than any others, as tjie people all
know of them and have confidence in
them. We have also been enabled to
be of material service to the Alliance
in assisting in the organization of
new Alliances, reviving old ones, col
lecting dues, bearing part of the ex
pense of lecturers, and officers engag
ed in Alliance work. In return for
which, of course, they explained and
advocated our work, hus rendering
mutual assistance, as was the inten
tion when the Insurance department
was inaugurated, and which we find
to be an economical and successful
method of getting our business before
the people. We are also glad to re
port that the pledge to conduct the
business economically, and at a
great reduction from the average ex
pense of Insurance, has been fulfilled.
In proof, we present a comparison
with the 83 foreign companies doing
business in Dakota in 1888. They
report receipts for the year of over
Two Hundred Millions of Dollars,
and losses paid of only Eighty and
One-Half Millions, or 40 per cent,
losses on total income. Our business
show’s total expenses, including sal
aries and commissions to agents for
that year, of less than 20 per cent, of
our income, and the balance was
either paid in losses or returned to
policy-holders; and this year, by
reason of greater experience, and in
creased vigilance, we shall reduce the
ratio still low T er. But this is not a
fair comparison, because our ratio
for insurance being much lower than
the stock companies, still further in
creases the differences. This is for
the Hail company, the Fire was only
running part of the year in 1888,
and no full report was made, but for
first ten months of 1889, namely, to
Nov. Ist. The entire expense of the
Fire department, exclusive of losses
and commission to agents, was less
than 10 per cent, of premiums re
ceived, and the larger the business
transacted, the lower the expense
ratio can be brought, as there are
certain fixed charges, such as rent,
fuel, furniture, officer’s salaries and
clerk hire that make a large showing
on a limited business, but cut very
little figure in an extensive one.
Our Hail work started out with
every indication of doubling last
year’s record; but the severe drougth
cut short the bud of promise, and af
ter the middle of June it was neither
practicable nor desirable to continue
work in many localities. The storms
were frequent, and some of them very
severe, striking nearly every county
in the Territory, north and south
the losses (nearly 1000) were not so
large as last year, on account of
crops being much lighter. For the
same reason it was a difficult task to
adjust satisfactorily; but, thanks to
our capable workers, and reasonable
patrons, it was accomplished without
a single case of litigation, and to
the almost uniform satisfaction of
all concerned.
REBATES
We are returning about $12,000
on unused premiums from 1888
assessments to our policy-holders,
all who reinsured with us in ’B9 were
credited on their notes, and those
who for any reason did not insure
against this year, will receive their
money.
What we have saved in the past
three years on Hail Insurance The
average assessment has been 22%cts.
per acre, and we have insured about
1,200,000 acres. Calling it 60cts.,
the net saving is $471,000, an aver
age of $157,000 a year. What has
been done here on a small scale can
easily be increased by proper effort,
and we propose to make it. Help us.
Though only in operation eighteen
months, the fire department, con
ducted as the farm department of the
Fidelity Insurance Company, has met
with gratifying results, and is now
one of the most popular and best
patronized companies in the State.
We have a capital of SIOO,OOO which
it is intended to enlarge to $200,000
before January Ist., 1889, to enable
us to carry our business into other
States, as we are urged to do. Our
plan, which is to charge the lowest
standard rate, with one-half the pre
mium in cash, and balance in one and
two years withont interest, allowing
10 per cent, only on our stock, and
dividing profits with policy-holders,
gives our members safe insurance at
actual and necessary cost. The loss
es have been severe this year, on ac
count of the great prairie fires in
April, but we have easily and prompt
ly settled and paid in full, and at a
nominal cost, less than 10 per cent,
of income from expenses, other than
losses and commissions to agents.
At first, loan companies hesitated to
accept our policies as collateral, but
that difficulty is now fully overcome,
and we are also arranging for a loan
company of our own, to loan money
to our farmers at a lower rate than
they now pay, and expect to have it
in operation ere long.
Our life department, authorized at
the last annual session, has material
ized handsomely, in the shape of the
Alliance Aid Association. A purely
mutual company , on the assessment
plan. It has met with great favor
wherever introduced, and has been
officially endorsed and adopted by
National Alliance, and the State
Alliance at their annual meeting, or
by executive action, in Minnesota,
Kansas, Nebraska and Washington,
and we hope to secure its adoption
by the National Farmers’ and Labor*
ers’ Union at St. Louis. There have
been no deaths yet, although our
first policies were issued May 14th,
over six months ago, consequently
no assessments. We only assess at
a death.limit expenses to 10 percent,
of income and provide a 16 per cent,
guarantee fund for security of persist
ent mem brrs. Insure men and women
alike, and ask that each and every
one jf you examine the by-laws, and
if approved, take a policy with us.
STATE OF THE WORK,
All departments of our work are
prosperous, being carried on at the
same office, and under the same
officers, reduces the expenses to a
minimum. In a rush of busines in
any one department, the clerks from
the others can assist. We have in
troduced and extended our work to
a limited extent to Minnesota and
lowa, also Washington, andarraiug
ed to place it in a large number of
Northwestern States as soon as the
requirements of the law can be com
plied with, and hope ere another
year, to assist in placing it, or some
similar plan, in every State where
our order exists, and thus do our
share to help lift one of the heavy
burdens from the shoulders of our
people, and save at least a part of
the hundreds of millions of dollars
annually expended for insurance in
excess of losses paid.
Resp’y Submitted,
Alonzo Waedall.
Huron, S. Dak.
We still occasionally see Mr. Don
nelly referred to as a “boodler.” All
his friends have to say is, ‘‘He has
an income from his books, which is
sold throughout the world—but
with that income and all his boodle
added, he is known by every intimate
friend, at least those who know of his
finances, to be comparatively a poor
man. If Mr. Donnelly received the
boodle somehow he forgot to bank
it or bank on it.
Slocum, of the Glencoe Register,
says he didn’t get sight of the boodle
barrel last year. Now, Slokey who
carries that mortgage for y6u, hey?
It is none of your confounded busi
ness—but you handled another man
the other day rather roughly, and it
was suggested that you were shut up
by the mortgage route.
Statistics
There is a suspicion abroad that
the government statistician has been
playing into the hands of the pluto
crats.
Just as the crops were ready to
move he published his “estimates”
on the wheat crop. They were
strangely overloaded. The price
went down. Within 90 days Dodge
discovers that his figures are wrong
—that there were not 525,000,000
bushels in the country as he had
stated—but scarcely 470 millions!
Had he made that latter statement
90 days earlier wheat would have
been from 8 to 12c. higher. The
northwest had marketed its crop be
fore the “mistake was discovered!’'
One of our exchanges asks if this were
“stupidity or rascality?”
If business men in cities pay from
SSO to SSOO, and even $5,000 a
year for Life Insurance, why could
not a farmer pay from 5 to $lO a
year therefor—in a National Associa
tion. Write J. J. Furlong, Austin,
Minn., for particulars.
The editor of the Lac qui Parle 1
Press was also secretary of the Lac
qui Parle County Fair this year. He
advertised Mr. Donnelly to address
the farmers at the Fair —in flaming
posters, stating that he would
make things red hot. He has since
been “seen”—he since writes in his
paper:
We doubt the wisdom of sailing
about the country as a sort of tail
to the Donnelly kite, or blindly fol
lowing the lead of a man who is so
thoroughly tinctured with the essence
of demagogism as that gentleman.
We all know what the trouble is, but
what is to remedy the evils ? There
is a golden opportunity for the man
who can suggest a good, business
plan for meeting this open market
question, to immortalize himself, but
it can not be done bj serving as a
bobber on the Donnelly fish line.
Don’t kill us off before we have a
chance! This man makes us think
of the minister who changed the lo
cation of two letters: “Brethren let
us all bray!”
Speaking of the destitution in some
parts of Dakota, Mr. Bracket, a
correspondent, wrote:
The greatest difficulty which I en
countered is the money sharks. They
are sapping the life-blood of the
country and impoverishing the poor
farmers, who have given them chat
tie mortgages on their horses and
stock on runious terms. For in
stance, one farmer had given a shark
a mortgage on a fine team of horses
for S3O, and it has already cost him
over S3O, in payments of interest
to enable him to float for a year,
while he still owes the principal/ The
poor farmers are eompletelv in the
hands of these sharks, and this will
eventually depopulate the country.
Mr. Brackett’s idea, which is a good
one, is that after supplying the needs
of the people in the way of food and
clothing, the next thing to be done
is for the business men and capital
ists of St. Paul and Minneapolis to
form a trust company which will
loan the poor farmers money on
their chatties at a legal rate of in
terest and secure them from the
clutches of the sharks.
WE FEEL LIKE OLD ACQUAINTANCES
too!
Morris Sun
The “Great West” is a new cham
pion for the farmers, It is an alli
ance paper from the first water. AVe
are not personally acquainted with
the editor (Dr. Fish) but after look
ing over a few numbers of the paper,
we feel like an old acquaintance. He
goes in with vim to roast monopo
lies, especially the great railroad cor
porations who look upon the farm
ers as so many laborers in their em
ploy. This is what they really are,
and the Doctor is putting in his
heaviest licks in their defense.
Every farmer in the county ought to
take this paper, it only costs SI.OO
per annum. AVe may be able to ciub
with the ‘Great AA est ’ at more ad
vantageous rates, if so, we will soon
let the farmers know. The Sun is
not strictly an alliance paper, but
we are willing to go in for all the alli
ance that’s in it, for the good of the
farmers.
M e will say this for the Morris Sun:
During an acquaintance of three
years with the paper, we have never
known it to fail when the farmers’ in
terests were involved—and often it
has come out “red hot” for justice
when injustice was in the air. Farm
ers, take it—take the Sun—and it will
warm you in the “winter of discon
tent!”
POPE COUNTY IS NOT ASLEEP
Two clubs are received from Pope
County this week—one from the
northeast portion by our old and
stalwart friend, E. E. West; and the
other from that sound farmer John
Strandness, of Lowry. Besides this,
friend Farup, of Belgrade, on the
county’s east border, has rolled in a
big list. Hail friends!
Mr. West says they want Ignatius
Donnelly to come up and talk to
them, and Mr. Donnelly will have to
go. Mr. West says that the farmer
must sever his party ties absolutely
and be a free man. He savs we
must fill the legislature with men
“smart enough to
SEE THE ELEPHANT IN DISGUISE,
and head him off so he can’t control
us with his boodle. There are
plenty of farmers who will work and
stand by us. It stands us in hand to
keep a sharp lookout. Let every
farmer stand by the Great West
and support it. God bless you and
our children will thank you.”
“for god’s sakf stand by us”—
we’ll DO IT JOHN !
J. Standness writes, “Enclosed
please find $8.13 for subscriptions
For God’s sake stand by us. till we
have busted all the trusts, and we
will stand by you. It makes our
blood boil to think of. the beef com
bine!”