1064 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country nnU Suburban Homea 
Established f&SO 
Published weukhr by the Rural Publishing Company, W Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Cot.ujigwood, President and Editor. 
John J. I 'illos, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ON£ DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign eonntrie* in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
marks, or It# francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at Sew York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising! rates fiO cents per agrate line—7 words. Discount for time orders. 
References required for advertisers unknown to us ; and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. But to make doubly sore we will make pood any loss to paid 
subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising in our 
columns, and any such swindler will be puWicly exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust Witling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must lie sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and yon must have mentioned Tin; Rttral New-Yorker 
when wilting the advertiser. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce The R. N.-Y. to progressive, 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, we send it 
10 weeks for 10 cents for strictly introductory pur¬ 
poses. We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
Do something for us! 
By “us” we mean all who sell farm produce to 
commission men. We are talking particularly to 
voters in New York State. What you can do is to 
write the candidates for the Assembly in your district 
and ask them what they will do for a bill to regulate 
the commission trade. If these men are renominated 
ask them what they did last year when the Collin 
bill came up. Get right after them at once and let 
us know what they say. This is important! Do it! 
You may guarantee them for us that they will be 
held right up in public view on this commission man 
question. 
* 
That two-cent advance in butter prices at New 
York last week was not warranted by actual condi¬ 
tions, and had the usual tmwholesome effects of such 
artificial rises. Tradesmen dealing in farm products 
seem unable to resist the temptations afforded by a 
temporary scarcity. ’ It hurts their feelings to see 
men get butter for 30 cents when a possible 31 
could be squeezed out of them for a day or two, 
even at the cost of deadening the market. With 
staple products, like butter or potatoes, of which the 
supply is normally ample, the market might far better 
be in an active moving condition than dragging with 
the chained wheel of an unwise price advance. The 
good will of the final buyer is an asset worth culti¬ 
vating. 
* 
What is the latest on parcels post? This is what 
President Taft told the people of Idaho: 
I am in favor of parcels post. It cannot be done all 
at one time. It is possible to Introduce parcels post on 
all rural routes and on the carrier routes in the cities. 
We are bound to nse the postoffiee to reduce the cost of 
transmission of articles now sent by express. This pro¬ 
gressive move will help everybody, and I disagree with 
those business men who think parcels post would injure 
their business. 
That is good as far as it goes—talk. We shall be¬ 
lieve we are to have a real parcels post when we are 
able to send the first package. The day such a post 
is established we want to send a dozen of the finest 
apples we can grow to the man who is most instru¬ 
mental in making Congress give up. The present may 
not carry a great intrinsic value, but think what it 
will stand for. 
* 
What is known as the “Blue Sky” law was enacted 
by the last Kansas Legislature. This requires all 
companies offering stocks, bonds or other securities 
in Kansas to obtain formal permission from the 
Banking Department. The whole tiling is investi¬ 
gated ; financial standing of the company and direc¬ 
tors, plans of operation and physical valuation if 
needed. During seven months since this law began 
operation 500 such companies have asked permission 
to sell their securities. Only 44 of these have “passed” 
the examination. Kansas people have suffered greatly 
from “fake” promoters. At least $5,000,000 per year 
was stolen from investors bj r schemers who prob¬ 
ably never expected to succeed with their schemes. 
This law chokes such rascals and dreamers off. Now 
a Kansas farmer can consult the State Banking De¬ 
partment and will be told accurately just what to ex¬ 
pect. The fakes are driven out and legitimate invest¬ 
ment companies have a fairer chance to do business. 
Kansas is said to be the first State to supervise the 
sale of stocks and bonds. Every other State should 
follow. The savings of the poor and people of 
moderate means are squandered by these fakes, 
usually because there is no one in authority to warn 
the victims and set them right. 
THE KUKAL NEW-YORKER 
In the mountains, of West Virginia we met a man 
who said he read The R.-N. Y. when it was two 
weeks old. He lived back among the hills, and the 
paper was passed on through three families before 
it got to him. 
“Not zi'h-at you might call ‘up : to date,’ ” said a by¬ 
stander. Our friend from the hills made an answer 
which we shall never forget: 
On the contrary it is “up to date” because it is alwaj-s 
useful. Some papers seem to be made to fit the passing 
hour and have no value after they get cold. They are 
like the froth on my milkpail. It looks like a big yield, 
but the Quart measure or the scales take no notice of 
froth. It disappears. The It. N.-Y. is always up to date 
because I can take any issue for the past . 10 years, • at 
random, and find in it something that will meet the need 
of tiie present hour. 
This was to us a new idea, yet who will say it is 
not as sound as a rock? This craze to be “up to 
date,” no matter what you tramp over to get there, 
or how untested or untried the conclusion is, does 
fill the pail with useless froth when what the people 
need is nourishing milk. We are content to try to 
make a paper which may, at the last analysis, size 
up to the standard of our friend from the hills. 
* 
The two candidates for the Assembly in Tompkins 
Co., N. Y., are G. M. Stoddard and Dr. Minor Mc¬ 
Daniels. We wrote them both asking where they 
stood on the principle of regulating the commission 
trade. Mr. Stoddard’s answer was printed on page 
1010. We now have this letter frorn Dr. McDaniels: 
I would say that any measure that will in any way help 
the farmers I am for. Regarding the Collin bill would 
say that we were told at the time the vote was taken it 
would be an added burden to the farmers, and as no one 
seemed to dispute it or have a word to say for it it was 
lost. Had you written me regarding it. or anyone else 
explained that it would be beneficial to the farmers I 
would have done all I could to help it through to passage. 
Since I received your communication I have looked into 
the matter and will say I am sorry that the bill was de¬ 
feated, and should I be reelected will do all I can for this 
or any other measure beneficial to the farmer. 
minor m’daniels. 
Dr. McDaniels is recorded as not voting. We 
would like to know who told him this bill would bur¬ 
den the farmers! The Democratic leader from New 
York City opposed this bill and was coached by a 
commission man. Is that where the information came 
from? The Republican leader also opposed it. Two 
hearings were held at Albany, one of them, at least, 
attended by over 100 farmers. It seems strange 
that no one ever heard anything of this. On the floor 
of the House nearly 10 men spoke for the bill. We 
are glad this thing has come up. It clearly shows 
how the agricultural counties are represented at Al¬ 
bany. Here was a bill covering one of the most im¬ 
portant questions which farmers have to face and one 
of the purely agricultural counties! Yet the repre¬ 
sentative did not know anything about the bill or the 
question, and seems to have done what he was “told.” 
* 
We went into this “Consumer’s Dollar” proposition 
well knowing that the lions in the way are not stuffed, 
but with real teeth and claws. There are useless 
middlemen who will fight hard before giving up 
plunder. Those who expect to add to that 35-cent 
dollar by walking on velvet should get out of the 
way. Mayor S. L. Shank, of Indianapolis, is one 
who sees this clearly. Last week we told what he is 
doing with potatoes. Some one asked for his “pro¬ 
gram.” Here it is: 
It is a scheme to restore competition, by the use of a 
club if necessary. There is no effort to harm legitimate 
commission men. The scheme is to “show up” the system¬ 
atic falsification employed by the commission combine to 
keep up food prices to double what they ought to be. 
When they are shown up in their true light I believe they 
will be good. If they are not they will have to meet cost 
prices from the farm. 
Any man who is after justice if he has to get it 
with a club has our respect and sympathy. Mayor 
Shank further says as a private citizen he has a right 
to “bust the potato corner,” and as a mayor it is his 
duty. May the Lord give us more officials who will 
graft private right upon public duty. And read this: 
There are hundreds of men, here as in other cities mak¬ 
ing from $12 to $15 a week. It is a physical impossi¬ 
bility for them to live and raise normal families unless 
food prices fall. While they are struggling for existence 
commission men have been growing rich by interfering 
with the law of supply and demand. Farmers have come 
to Indianapolis with potatoes, peaches, sweet potatoes and 
apples. Carloads have been offered to commission men. 
The latter tell them the market is “glutted.” With the 
same breath they tell the consumer that an alarming 
scarcity exists. Farmers have been compelled to take 
what they could get for their wares, often without leaving 
them a cent after they had paid the freight and carfare 
back home. 
You cannot put the case better than that. When 
the farmer gets a 35-cent dollar these men must pay 
out a $1.75 dollar, and that is what hurts at both ends. 
These $12-a-week men ought to be the best customers 
... -, ... - October 28, 
the farmers could have, and they would be if we 
could have more men like Mayor Shank in office. 
This movement against unfair prices is world-wide. 
In Berlin, Germany, the city is buying and s-.lling 
fish. In Budapest the city bakes and sells bread, and 
will handle milk and meat at cost. We knew it would 
come just as soon as the consumers learn where they 
are being robbed in the price of food. 
* 
California has just voted in favor of woman 
suffrage, thus adding a sixth star to the equal suf¬ 
frage flag. It is worth noting that it was the country 
districts, and essentially the agricultural communi¬ 
ties, that conferred this powder upon their women, 
while the cities, and most emphatically San Fran¬ 
cisco, opposed it. The reason for this is not at all 
obscure. The country stands for clean living; the 
city shelters thousands who gain wealth and shame¬ 
ful ease from vice and infamy. At this same election 
the people voted for the recall and initiative. The 
under world could not bear the thought of women 
voters with the power of recalling unfaithful public 
servants; it risked the curtailment of their privileges, 
so every effort was made to defeat this amendment. 
That it succeeded is to the credit of rural California, 
and is proof once more, if proof were needed, that 
country people are ever ready to fight on the side 
of right and decency. A recent Australian picture, 
taken during an exciting' election, showed husband 
and wife on their way to the polls together, wheeling 
the baby in his • carriage. It has ever seemed to us 
that the best and purest form of human government 
must depend for its power upon that threefold unit— 
father, mother and the baby. It may be said that 
conditions in the Western States are peculiar, and 
that suffrage would not be so well adapted to the East. 
The truth is, however, that the movement is develop¬ 
ing everywhere. As with half a dozen other reforms, 
the tactics of the politicians and the “interests” cause 
it to grow three times as fast as it otherwise would. 
* 
When banker Charles W. Morse was sent to At¬ 
lanta prison for wrecking the Bank of North America 
the Government had a struggle to prove its case. It 
could only do so through the testimony of clerks and 
employees who either kept the books or knew the 
crooked records. These men rendered a great public 
service. Of course the honest bankers saw that they 
were protected and honored for what they did. But 
they were not! Henry A. Wise, U. S. District Attor¬ 
ney, recently said: 
"They ought to be promoted, rather than punished. 
But let me tell you the latter standard was followed in 
the case of the Bank of North America. Do you know 
that of the employees who testified in the Morse case not 
one is employed to-day in any of the banks of this city?" 
Think of it! Grasp the shame of it in your mind. 
These men went before the grand jury and told what 
they knew. This made it possible to convict Morse 
and show up the rotten crookedness in his system of 
banking. Bank presidents and directors are supposed 
to have charge of “other people’s money.” You would 
think they would hunt for men who had the courage 
to tell the truth and show up dishonesty. But no— 
these bank presidents evidently feel that such men 
should be punished. They are not safe men to have 
around. They might spread the germs of their hon¬ 
esty as they would smallpox or typhoid. Get rid 
of them. Courageous honesty is a had asset in the 
banking business! The most astonishing thing is 
that these bankers and financiers cannot see wliat 
they are doing. Blind as bats, they do not realize 
that just such things are rousing the people to de¬ 
mand a more direct power in politics. Primary nomi¬ 
nations, the “recall” and all the rest simply express 
the disgust which ordinary people feel at the way 
our laws are being manipulated by the rich and 
strong. It is hard on the honest individuals to be 
punished for doing their duty, but it is a good thing 
if it will help make the people see that they mus*t 
come in and take the government into their own 
hands. 
BREVITIES. 
The North Dakota Agricultural College sends what it 
calls a package library to* State farmers who apply for it 
An English milk dealer gives as one argument for rais¬ 
ing the price of milk that water rates are higher. An 
honest man ! 
Let the young Alfalfa alone. It will make some growth 
and then fall down on the ground. This will protect it 
somewhat through the Winter. A coat of straw would 
help. 
Get ’em to think! Get ’em to think. That is the 
way to make farmers unlink chains that have held 
them to moss-backed ideas. Thought will cut out the 
old methods and fears. 
The big hippopotamus in Central Park, New York, re¬ 
cently presented the park with a 75-pound baby, being “Miss 
Murphy’s” tenth offspring born there. The head keeper says 
this young hippo is worth about $5,000, another proof 
of the value of purebred live stock. 
