1910. 
ner 
the rural new-vorkeb 
OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY. 
Loosely Loaned to Lewis. 
Come, let us reason together regarding 
the income or annuity which Mr. E. G. 
Lewis promised his Founder's Chapter 
members. He has repeatedly told us that 
those who have the intelligence, courage 
and initiative to step out and lead the 
way are entitled to more benefits than 
are those who can only follow, and .that 
in recognition of these desirable qualities, 
he will give to the first one hundred thous¬ 
and women, who complete the membership 
requirement by the payment of $52 in sub¬ 
scriptions, the income of $1,000,000 in the 
Lewis Publishing Company stock, and the 
income of $1,000,000 in the stock of the 
People’s Savings Trust Company. This in¬ 
come to be paid as an annuity for life 
equallv among this first one hundred thous¬ 
and. But, hold on! He has now induced 
many of these women to accept a $20 de¬ 
benture note as a substitute for the 
promised annuity. Then he issues another 
call. He wirl give a full membership in 
the League and a $100 debenture note for 
$100 in cash. 
Now let us examine these two proposi¬ 
tions. Those who first led the way, did so 
in April, 1908. The interest on the $52 at 
8 per cent, would now equal $11, so that 
as these women have received no income 
during this time, each membership has 
cost $63, and each member of these leaders 
now has her membership certificate and 
one $20 note for her $63, while each mem¬ 
ber who accepts this later offer will have 
her membership certificate and a $100 note 
for $100. She who took a membership 
in April, 1908, has her membership certifi¬ 
cate and a $20 debenture note at a cost of 
$63, and must pay yet $80 more in order 
to get a $100 note and her membership 
certificate. Thus she who led the way 
must pay $143 for a certificate and a $100 
note, while she who accepts this later of¬ 
fer will get both for $100. And we ask, 
“Who gets the promised annuity?” I com¬ 
pleted the membership requirement early 
in July, 1908. The interest on this $52 at 
8 per cent, would now equal $10. I have 
received no benefit whatever from this mem¬ 
bership, and I understand perfectly that 
Mr. Lewis is now giving to others for $100 
what would cost me $142 to get. because I 
was one of those who did not wait to fol¬ 
low And this, while it is not at all in 
harmony with my idea of justice, and does 
not accord with Mr. Lewis’ promises, is 
according to the Final Plan which so 
many League members accepted so en¬ 
thusiastically. ELIZA A. WEBSTER. 
At last intelligent women are making 
note of his broken promises, and fake 
propositions. He admits that they 
stopped sending him money on his fake 
League membership during the past year, 
and lectures them for not keeping their 
promises to send him money. He for¬ 
gets his broken promises and repudiated 
obligations to them. We again tell these 
women that the promises to send Lewis 
money were made under misrepresenta¬ 
tions and for that reason are not bind¬ 
ing in either law or morals. On the con¬ 
trary, Lewis is liable to them for the re¬ 
turn of the money they sent him under 
misrepresentation made by him. We 
have abundant evidence to prove that 
Lewis deliberately falsified when he said 
Mrs. Tener was the only woman who 
complained of his methods. We have 
complaints from women from all pqrts 
of the country, and from many of the 
women who attended his convention in 
St. Louis last June, and had their eyes 
opened while there to his shifty schemes 
and fake methods. These women have 
frankly written Lewis, and spoke their 
minds plainly. They have told him that 
they have been mortified and chagrined 
before the neighbors whom they induced 
to join the League. Their only apology 
is that they then believed that Lewis 
would keep his promises. Now they 
know that he has repeatedly broken 
them, and they want no more of him. 
Incidentally, they have not been able to 
collect the money he owes them for work 
done under contract to secure new mem¬ 
bers. Members, of course, means sim¬ 
ply women who will send Lewis money. 
Many of these women make the mis¬ 
take of taking the new Lewis promises 
seriously while they berate him for re¬ 
pudiating promises of the past. Mrs. 
Webster’s complaint that the new mem¬ 
bers will fare better than the old ones 
would be true, if the debentures or 
notes had any value. But as we view 
it the new members who pay $100 will 
be just $48 worse off than the old ones 
who paid $52. Neither of them get any¬ 
thing of value for their money, and we 
do not expect from Lewis’ past record 
that any of them ever will. Lewis has 
made no definite statement under oath 
or otherwise to show what value if any 
the Builder’s Fund has; and no state¬ 
ment of the exact amount of notes to 
be issued. For all anyone knows the 
Fund may be in debt for more property 
than is credited to it. For ourselves, 
we believe it is; but we see no evidence 
that the Fund has any legal existence. 
Lewis admits that he is unable to pay 
his debts. There has not been a day in 
three years when attorneys have not 
had notes against him for collection. 
So that he is virtually capitalizing his 
debts, and asking neople to send him 
money for notes that are worthless, and 
that may be issued without limit. 
But now Lewis has launched a new 
scheme. The “noble women” who were 
to be emancipated at $52 per, are not as 
noble as Lewis thought them. His 
standard of nobility is based on wo¬ 
man’s promptness in sending him money. 
When the money stops flowing, the 
standard of nobility drops. But Lewis 
is now willing to try another stimulant 
to reclaim womanhood. That is to in¬ 
duce her to continue to send him money. 
His last stimulant was the income on 
two million dollars referred to above by 
Mrs. Webster. But human nobility, like 
the human body physical, becomes im¬ 
mune as to same stimulant for a long 
time, and Lewis has an infinite variety 
of quickening nostrums. When the pa¬ 
tient begins to lag under one, he prompt¬ 
ly prescribes another. Now he proposes 
a rival men’s Universal League. The 
two Leagues are to vie with each other 
to see which can send him the most 
money. In exchange he promises them 
a note of a straw man whom he has 
created in words, if not in flesh or spirit. 
Last week an escaped lunatic from 
Canada took the social and professional 
sections of Boston by storm. He was 
entertained and dined and made much 
of in both social and dramatic circles as 
a wonderful genius until the asylum au¬ 
thorities appeared and put him under 
safe restraint. Some of the Lewis apolo¬ 
gists have intimated that he is crazy on 
the subject of getting other people’s 
money. We have not felt like denying 
the gentle indictment, but on preference 
we would give his mental and moral bias 
quite another name. But it would cer¬ 
tainly be inconsistent to put him in a 
madhouse and allow the man who would 
now send him money on this new scheme 
to wander outside of a lunatic asylum. 
THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 
President Taft on Parcels Post. 
The most important thing in Presi¬ 
dent Taft’s message is the following on 
parcels post. This indicates the begin¬ 
ning of the end of the long fight: 
“With respect to the parcels post, I re¬ 
spectfully recommend, its adoption on all 
rural delivery routes, and that eleven 
pounds—the international limit—be made 
the limit of carriage in such post, and 
this, with a view to its general extension 
when the income of the post office will 
permit it and the postal savings banks 
shall have been fully established. The 
same argument is made against the par¬ 
cels post that was made against the postal 
savings bank—that it is introducing the 
government into a business which ought 
to be conducted by private persons, and 
is paternalism. The Post Office Depart¬ 
ment has a great plant and a great or¬ 
ganisation reaching into the most remote 
hamlet of the United States, and, with 
this machinery it is able to do a great 
many things economically that, if a nezo 
organisation were necessary, it would be 
impossible to do without extravagant 
expenditure. That is the reason why the 
postal savings bank can be carried on at 
a small additional cost, and why it is 
possible to incorporate at a very incon¬ 
siderable expense a parcels post in the 
rural delivery system. General parcels 
post will involve a much greater outlay.’’ 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Indiana 
Grain Dealers' Association, through the 
president, W. B. Foresman. of Lafayette, 
has presented a handsome silver trophy to 
the Indiana Corn Growers’ Association, to 
be awarded annually for the best sample 
of oats exhibited at the State grain show, 
to be held at Purdue University. Mr. 
Foresman, who has been president of the 
Grain Dealers’ Association for two years, 
has been doing much to place the asso¬ 
ciation in closer touch with the farmers 
tli rough corn shows, publications and 
special meetings. The State corn and small 
grain show will be held January 9 to 14. 
Nearlv 300 Montgomery County farmers 
entered exhibits in the corn show recently 
held at Crawfordsville, Ind. Professor 
George I. Christie, of Purdue University, 
judged the corn, and delivered a lecture to 
the farmers on corn growing. Fifty boys 
of the county, under the direction of Su¬ 
perintendent Otis E. Hall, of the county 
schools, platted, planted, tended and har¬ 
vested an acre of corn for entry in the 
show. Many girls of the county, under 10 
years of age, had entries in the girls’ con¬ 
test in culinary skill. The show was the 
biggest corn exhibit ever held in Crawfords- 
ville. 
Efforts are being made to secure the at¬ 
tendance of Secretary Ballinger of the In¬ 
terior Department and Secretary Wilson of 
the Department of Agriculture at the an¬ 
nual convention of the National Woolgrow- 
ers’ Association at Portland, Ore., on Janu¬ 
ary 4, 5, 6 and 7. 
Farmers’ Week will be held at the New 
York State College of Agriculture at Cor¬ 
nell University, February 20 to 25 inclusive. 
In addition to the usual features of this 
week the animal husbandry department is 
planning to do some extra demonstration 
and lecture work. During the week every 
afternoon will be taken up by different 
demonstrations in the Judging Pavilion 
with horses, sheep and cattle. Among other 
features will be a cattle judging contest, 
horse show, carcass demonstration of fat 
steers, hothouse lamb exhibition and a pub¬ 
lic sale of live-stock to be held Friday, 
February 24. Throughout the week there 
will be registered horses, cattle, sheep and 
swine on exhibition in the college barns. 
In addition to the lectures given by the 
college faculty, several prominent breeders 
and stockmen’ of this and other States have 
been invited to speak on the different 
phases of animal husbandry. Two evening 
sessions will be devoted especially to live¬ 
stock interests. 
THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.—The 
outstanding features of President Taft’s 
message, sent to Congress December 6, are 
these : He declares that it is time to stop 
legislating, with reference to regulation of 
corporations, and to witness the effect of a 
vigorous execution of the laws already on 
the statute books. The exact limitation 
upon business methods imposed by law, he 
says, will doubtless be made clearer by 
pending decisions of the Supreme Court. 
Just at this time the President says he be¬ 
lieves the activities of the Government, in, 
addition to enforcement of the laws, should 
be directed toward economy of administra¬ 
tion. the enlargement of opportunities for 
foreign trade, the building un of home in¬ 
dustry, and the strengthening of confidence 
of capital in domestic investment. The 
only amendments suggested in the Inter¬ 
state Commerce law are an appropriation 
to enable the Interstate Commerce Com¬ 
mission to ascertain the valuation of rail¬ 
roads and one fixing the responsibilities of 
public carriers in the issuance of bills of 
lading. The tariff board is not ready to 
submit a report on any of the schedules of 
the Payne law, and Mr. Taft says he will 
not recommend any tariff legislation until 
the new Congress convenes in December, 
1911. He urges that the tariff board be 
made permanent, and that all future re¬ 
visions be made schedule by schedule. He 
vigorously opposes another general revision. 
Some criticisms of the Payne act, he says, 
are just, but more are unfounded. The 
Panama Canal, he says, should by all means 
be fortified. An appropriation of $19,000,- 
000 is recommended for this purpose. The 
President says that the progress of the 
work is satisfactory, and that the canal 
will be completed well within the time set, 
January 1, 1915, and within the estimated 
cost of $375,000,000. Failure to fortify the 
canal, lie says, would leave the United 
States powerless to enforce the universal 
and equal use of the waterway against a 
desperate and irresponsible enemy, and 
would defeat the object of the canal in in¬ 
creasing the military effectiveness of the 
American navy. The tolls should not ex¬ 
ceed $1 per net ton, and the President 
should be authorized to adjust the rates 
as necessary. The President recommends 
some form" of ship subsidy to increase 
American shipping, especially to South 
America. Two new battleships and several 
auxiliary vessels are urged for the navy. 
There should be more officers for the army. 
The engineer corps should bo increased by 
60. Estimates for Government expendi- 
penditures during the next fiscal year have 
been cut to $630,494,013.12, which is $52,- 
964.887.36 less than the actual appropria¬ 
tions for the current year. The estimated 
receipts for the next fiscal year are $680,- 
000,000. Regarding the courts, the Presi¬ 
dent declares that the crying need of the 
United States is cheapening the cost of 
litigation by simplifying judicial procedure 
and expediting final judgment. The Su¬ 
preme Court should be relieved from un¬ 
necessary appeals. The salaries of the Fed¬ 
eral judges should be increased. Heavier 
fines, the President says, should be imposed 
against steamship companies for violating 
the immigration laws. The facilities at 
Ellis Island, New York, should not be so 
increased as to offer an inducement to the 
steamship companies to concentrate their 
immigrant business at one Dort. Immi¬ 
grants are needed in the rural districts. 
There must be no more “pork barrel” 
methods in river and harbor and public 
building bills. The latter should be based 
upon the report of a commission of experts. 
In the past. Congress, he says, has appro¬ 
priated too much for buildings not needed 
and not enough for buildings badly needed. 
Recommendations for anti-iniunction and 
Federal incorporation laws are renewed. 
Postal savings banks will be established 
in a number of cities January 1. A par¬ 
cels post on rural delivery routes is recom¬ 
mended. The extension of the merit sys¬ 
tem to include all classes of postmasters is 
urged; also that second-class mail rates 
shall be readjusted so as to charge maga¬ 
zines a much higher rate on their adver¬ 
tising sections. The stupendous value of 
the agricultural products, amounting to $8,- 
926,000,000 this year, he says, indicates a 
good prospect for business throughout the 
country. The President recommends that 
coal, phosphate, and oil lands and water¬ 
power sites be disposed of in the future by 
leasing. Establishment of a bureau of 
health is recommended. 
CROPS AND PRICES. 
The potato crop in some parts of this 
locality was very good, and in some places 
very poor on account of dry weather. The 
price is from 65 to 80 cents a bushel. 
Corn a good crop, 60 cents: wheat, good, 
85 cents; oats, very good, 35 cents; hay, 
light, $18. in local market. w. b. w. 
Washington Co., Pa. • 
Early potatoes were a short crop on ac¬ 
count of dry weather. Rains came in 
August and made the late potatoes. They 
yielded 200 bushels of poor quality, not 
being ripe, and are worth 35 cents. Hay 
is a short crop, and worth $15. Barley 
is fine, 75 cents ; corn a good crop, all cut 
and fodder saved, worth 38 cents, n. e. m. 
Winona Co., Minn. 
Potatoes averaged about 120 bushels 
marketable per acre, price 30 cents; beans, 
$1.85 per bushel, average yield: wheat, 
89 cents ; oats, 32 cents; hogs, alive, $6.50 
per 100 pounds; butter, 28 cents: eggs, 28 
cents; rye, 75 cents bushel. Quality of 
potatoes is good with the exception of 
some being green. l. j. m. 
Oakland Co., Mich. 
The early potato crop was greatly in¬ 
jured by late freezes; fully one-half of 
the early acreage did not yield more than 
20 per cent of a normal crop, late plantings 
vielding 40 to 50 per cent crop, tubers 
generally small, selling from 40 to 50 cents 
per bushel. Apple crop almost a total fail¬ 
ure in central and western Ohio, due also 
to severe freezes in April and May. 
Chillicothe, O. I. s. 
Potato crop in Chester County was good, 
from 100 to 200 bushels per acre, shippers 
offering 50 cents at station. Hay was a 
wonderful crop, $17 for Timothy: corn 
fine, nearly all husked; many claim 100 
bushels to the acre, price 50 cents. Cows 
are scarce and high, $70 to $100 at public 
sales. Hogs are lower, and small Fall pigs 
$3 each. H - H - c - 
Chester Co., Pa. 
Potatoes from 60 to 75 cents per bushel *, 
60 is for those shipped in to merchants; 
apples from 80 cents for fallen to $1 to 
$1 *>5 picked per bushel. Pork nine cents 
live per pound. Calves nine cents live 
weight. Fresh cows from $50 to $65 ; cab- 
bags from 3% to five cents per head: tur¬ 
nips 75 cents ner bushel; carrots $1 per 
bushel; eggs 35 cents per dozen ; butter 35 
to 3S cents per pound. M. l. i.. 
Clyde, Pa. 
Hogs, $8 per 100 pounds ; potatoes at car, 
35 cents ; store, 40 ; retail. 70 cents. Apples, 
No. 1 and No. 2, in barrel, $2.65. Hay 
market dull, have paid in barn $15. Not 
much corn husked; will be shelled later. 
Oats, 32 cents ; wheat, 85 ; corn, 25. Nine¬ 
teen days of rain and snow for November 
so far. As this is a pump town, shops are 
running nights. Wo are thrashing clover 
seed and running out pretty fair. 
Seneca Falls, N. Y. G. d. s. 
While the potato yield was not large, 
farmers dug and sold more than they ex¬ 
pected. The prices were from 50 to 75 
cents per bushel delivered to private fami¬ 
lies about the city; 50 cents Is the whole¬ 
sale price at present for northern stock. 
Timothy hay, $17 per ton; mixed hay, $15 
and $17 ; clover. $12, all a good crop. Corn, 
45 and 47 cents per bushel, good crop; 
wheat, 90 cents, and oats, 37 cents, both 
a fair crop. G. E. K. 
Dayton, O. 
We have had good crops in spite of the 
dry season. Clover hay and oats gave us 
a very large yield. Our different kinds of 
peaches gave us a continual supply of 
choice ripe fruit for two and one-half 
months. Some Carman and Elberta peaches 
measured 10 inches in circumference. Car¬ 
man and Crosby gave us the best crop. 
Greensboro was a large peach, of good 
quality as grown here, that began to ripen 
the last of July. M. F. 
Waterford, N. Y. 
In regard to prices of apples in Kansas, 
thousands of bushels of hand-picked A1 
Jonathan, Winesap, Grimes Golden and 
other Winter varieties were sold here lo 
shippers and cold storage men for 50 cents 
per bushel. The buyers were often so bear¬ 
ish in the assortment that many farmers 
drove to the cider mills, and hundreds of 
loads of good seconds at least went into 
10 cent cider or lay under the trees to rot. 
There are but few commercial orchards 
near here, but most farmers had from one 
to a dozen loads to dispose of. J. e. h. 
During September potatoes sold here 
f. o. b cal’s at 50 cents per 60 pounds. 
Later they dropped to 35 cents, and that 
seems to be the price new. 1 think there 
will be an advance, as there are a good 
many acres not dug yet. One farmer iu 
this locality has seven acres yet to dig, 
and the snow is about 20 inches on the 
level (December 1). Wheat yielded about 
12 bushels per acre and sold at $1 per 
bushel. Oats about 40 bushels per acre, 
price 35 cents per bushel. Buckwheat was 
about 30 bushels per acre and sold frotw 
$1.10 to $1.20 per 100 pouuds. There was 
a very large acreage of buckwheat. The 
corn crop was the best iu this section it 
has been for years. The yield of potatoes 
was about 100 bushels per acre. l. m. u. 
Centreville, Pa. 
Potatoes here were cut to about half a 
crop by early blight except those grown on 
low flat land, which made about two-thirds 
of a crop; price for home-grown, 75 cents 
per bushel; those shipped in from other 
parts, 10 to 15 cents less. Corn made a 
fair crop, none for sale locally. Dealers 
ask 68 cents for corn, 45 for oats, mid¬ 
dlings $1.60 per 100 or $30 per ton, hay 
$23. Most farmers retailing milk have gone 
out of business, others are selling to a 
local pasteurizer for five cents per quart, re¬ 
tail price being eight cents. Butter, coun¬ 
try print or roll, 38 cents; creamery, 40 
to 42. Apples, 20 to 25 cents per peck, 
most farmers holding potatoes and apples 
for higher price. Dairy cows. $50 to $60 ; 
good horses, $225 to $275; plugs. $50 to 
$100; six-week pigs, $4 each. j. d. s. 
Ashland, Pa. 
On account of the prolonged dry weather 
it looked as if potatoes would be an en¬ 
tire failure here, except on low lands and 
muck, and early-dug lots commenced to sell 
at $1 per bushel, but late rains and grow¬ 
ing weather changed the conditions as if 
by magic, so that late crop potatoes that 
were not considered worth digging before 
turned out to make a fair crop yet, and 
prices gradually dropped to 35 or .0 
cents per pushel, which is about the ruling 
price yet. The corn crop suffered too for 
lack of rain, making about half a crop 
here, although that is a local condition, as 
some places nearby were favored with 
showers that changed conditions. Oats a 
fair crop, and wheat generally good, some 
extra good, and some fields injured by ice 
last Winter did not make much. Local 
prices, wheat, 85 cents; corn, new, 35; 
oats, white, 28 cents per bushel; eggs, 28 
cents; butter, 25; hogs, alive, $6.50 per 
100. H. L. F. 
New Paris, Ind. 
The month thus far has been quite un¬ 
settled weather; not very much rain, but 
some snow, just enough to keep it muddy. 
The cabbage crop this year has been one 
of disappointment. There was not as large 
an acreage set as last year, on account of 
the lice that were very bad last year, but 
what was put out grew to a good crop, 
and yielded well to the acre, but the price 
has been very low, from $2.50 to $4 per 
ton for domestic. The greatest drawback 
has been on the Danish, which although it 
was a good yield, has been afflicted with a 
now disease. The leaves were covered with 
small black spots or specks. One man that 
had 100 tons took a sample to the Ogneva 
Experiment Station, and they could not 
name it. They have visited the field sev¬ 
eral times, but are at a loss to give any 
help. The man was forced to sell hi3 
crop. Not as much stored by others on 
account of disease. This will mean much 
for the future for Danish. e. t. b. 
Canandaigua, N. Y. 
The Middleman’s Profits. 
“Apropos of the discussion concerning 
the large profits of the middleman, a resi¬ 
dent of New Hartford who bought a barrel 
of apples received a great surprise the 
other day to find that he had paid six times 
what the apples had cost the middleman. 
On a card nailed on the inside of the 
barrel he found written; ‘I sold these 
apples for 75 cents. What did you pay 
for them?’ The card was signed with the 
name of the farmer who had sold the 
apples to the middleman. The consumer 
in New Hartford wrote a letter to _the 
farmer telling him that he had paid $4.50.” 
—Utica Press. 
We call it mighty encouraging when the 
daily papers all over the country take up 
this" question of the consumer’s dollar. We 
have hammered at it for years alone, and it 
is good to have company. That Inside bal¬ 
lot like the letter mentioned above is a 
fine institution. 
