1472 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BVfiJSESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National M et*kly Joiiriiul Tor t’oiintry an<l Subiirb^in lIomoA 
Established fsjo 
Pnbibhed w^rkly by the Unral riibilsibinc Company, 8S3 Went 80IIi Street, Xew fork 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
.loHK J. Dillon, Tre,'surer and General Manager. 
Wm. r. Dilix>n, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
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order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Oftice as Second Class Matter. 
Advertlsincf rates, 75 cents per aerate line—7 words. References required for 
advertiseis 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- 
Pible pt^iT^on. We use every possible precaution and admit the adveitisincf of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make {rood any loss 
sustained by trustini? any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleadin^r advertisements in our columns, and any 
such swindler will be publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust dinerences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingrly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts, 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us w ithin one month of the time or 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker w'hen w’riting the advertiser. 
“Happy New Year!” 
W E once walked across the boundary line which 
runs between two great nations. There was 
no change of conditions—the air and the sunshine 
were the same. The stone post which marked tiie 
boundary merely stood for a sentiment. As the sea- 
.sons pass we come to feel that way about “New 
Year.s.” The li. N.-Y. goes right on without stop- 
jiing. This issue is No. 4462—next week’s will be 
No. 4403. The New Year festival seems like a mile¬ 
stone on the road as we pass along on a pleasant 
.iournej’. We have had o good year together, and 
we shall enter upon another which will be in many 
respects the best one we have known. There lies a 
shadow upon the woi-ld—which makes it all the more 
necessary that we of the Rural family should spread 
all the hapi)ine.ss and kindly feeling we can. We 
are all pledged to do our best to make country life 
better and more prosperous, and we can only do 
that by working together and as far as possible ris¬ 
ing above the meanne.ss and mental poverty of pre- 
.indice and evil. There Is great work for n.s all to 
do, and in that work lies onr best hope for “.1 //a/jp// 
New Year!"’ 
j T han come to a point in New York tchen declaim- 
ing against the heef trust is of less importance 
to your future as a country dtveller than writing a 
strong personal letter to Senator Eton R. Brown. 
Give him a New YcaEs present of your opinion on 
the school laic! 
* 
T here lias been nothing in years to stir up the 
rural districts of New York like this much- 
debated school law. We have had nearly 500 letters 
^ about it. At least 95% of these letters denounce 
the law and demand its repeal or change. Three 
l»er cent claim that the theory of the law is .sound, 
and that it ought to .succeed, while about two per cent 
I)rai.se the law from its operations. We have never 
yet known onr readers to go wrong in expressing 
public opinion when their interest was aroused, and 
we conclude that this school law is opposed honestly 
and serioiLSly by a very large majority of our country 
people. That being so we feel that the law should be 
repealed or greatly changed. It seems to us like 
.something good in theory, hut not well adapted to 
conditions as they exist in the country, and surely 
this is no time to force extra expenses and worries 
upon country people. As we stated last week the 
fight over this bill will come in the State Senate, 
which passed the measure by a great majority. Tlie 
Assembly will, we believe, do what the people desire. 
The Senate will do pretty much as Senator Elon R. 
Brown directs. It is humiliating to be forced to 
make such a confession, but under our political 
machinery that is the fact. In a way it is a good 
thing if Ave Avill take advantage of it, for Senator 
Brown thus looms up as a target or bull's-eye as a 
mark for your ink or pencil. If you ever expect 
to have this law changed go right after Senator 
I'lloii R. lirown of WatertoAvn. N. Y. Keep your 
tcmi)er, do not argue with him, hut make him under¬ 
stand that you mean hiisiness! 
» 
B oth Houses of Congress liave uoav jiassed the 
National prohibition amendment to tbe Consti¬ 
tution by a two-thirds vote. 
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of 
this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of 
intoxicating liquors Avithin, the importation thereof into, 
or the exportation thereof from the United States and 
all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for bever¬ 
age purposes is hereby prohibited. 
It must be ratified by three-fourths of the States 
within seven years. No one Avho has studied public 
sentiment for the past few years Avill be surprised 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 20, 1017 
at this action. We feel sure that the brewers and 
distillers' have realized Avhat is coming, and will noAv 
Itrepare themselA’es for the inevitable. For aa-o be¬ 
lieve that the States Avill ratify the amendment and 
thus settle the question. How soon? If the Avar 
continues the food scarcity will compel the nation 
to save CA’cry ounce of food, and this will force pro¬ 
hibition as an economic measure within three years. 
Ten years from now even those Avho have talked so 
much about “personal liberty” Avill look back and 
Avonder why this great nation ever endured the 
saloon nuisance. Let us not forget that “hard cider” 
is now classed as an intoxicant! 
* 
I T is not unlikely that the government Avill be 
obliged to take over and operate the railroads 
during the war. The roads cannot .seem to handle 
the present situation. They would like to have the 
government advance them one billion dollars for new 
equipment and dividends, but it Avould be better 
economy for Uncle Sam to act directly as road mas¬ 
ter. It is not likely that the goA'ernment Avould ad¬ 
vance one billion to the farmers for equipment and 
dividends, yet the production of food is more im¬ 
portant than transportation. Why should one in¬ 
dustry have a privilege which is denied to the other? 
Transportation of persons and property is a monop¬ 
oly and, sooner or later, the Avay public thought is 
noAA' developing, it must become a public monopoly. 
If the government took over the railroads in war 
time Avould the people ever permit them to go back 
to private management? We all understand that 
under the necessity caused by war the people of this 
country Avill do in one year many things AA'hich 
Avould not liave been done during 25 years of peace. 
* 
T he president of the T’nion Grain Growers of 
Canada has been made a member of the Cana¬ 
dian Cabinet. This is a ti-ibnte to the poAA’er of or¬ 
ganization among Canadian farmers. In this coun¬ 
try few men have ever been put into responsible 
public positions to satisfy a real demand by working 
farmers. In Canada the farmers, through their or¬ 
ganization, became the most poAverful group in tbe 
country; therefore the government was forced to 
recognize them. The Public puts it this way: 
The Canadian grain growers, unlike their American 
brethren, never hav'e permitted themselves to be con¬ 
sidered a silent partner in an industrial system in Avhich 
they held the bag. High tariff profits for manufacturers, 
in order that factory employees might pay good prices 
to farmers, ncA'er appealed to the .settlers of Western 
Canada. 
Most American farmers of middle age who uoav 
look calmly over the past 30 j’ears Avill agree that 
they hav’e “held the bag” Avhile it was filled for 
others. They will also realize that what they have 
ever Avon of prosperity or fair legislation has not 
been handed them as a Christmas present, but dug 
out of the snoAvdrifts by their own united efforts. 
If we put 50 farmers in the Neic York Legislature 
Ave miLst shovel our own path through the snoAvdrifts 
of graft and prejudice. Get out your shovel and 
help! 
♦ 
I attended the County Farm Bureau’s annual meet¬ 
ing yesterday and listened to Go\\ Whitman’s represen¬ 
tative from the State Food Commission,. Mr. Betts, I 
believe, of the Lyons Republican. I went out swearing 
mad at the picture he drew of the various commissions, 
bureaus, etc., that were being formed and manned to 
help the farmer. Why, Avith all the rest, must we stand 
these useless burdens? We have got to fight to make 
the world safe for democracy, of course, but who is 
going to wage the eternal fight to keep democracy out of 
the hands of the spoilsmen ? 
The fruit was called Washington Navel, and has 
added untold wealth to California and untold ple-as- 
ure to the Avorld. Now the old tree is dying, and the 
experts do well to .strive to keep it alive. No mouu- 
ment can ever take the place of this veteraii old 
tree. Avhich has done more for California than all the 
gold eA'er dug out of her soil! 
M ANY' readers have called attention to the groat 
Avaste of fuel in burning old railroad ties. 
Most of us haA'e seen these great piles blazing beside 
the track.s-. In the present shortage of fuel, Avhy not 
saA-e these tie.s and sell or gi\-e them to poor peo¬ 
ple? We have applied to all the great railroads of 
the Eastern States, and they all say that AA'here\'er 
possible this Avood Avill i)e given to ])oor people at 
cost. In many cases these tie.s are pulled up far 
from towns or in places Avhere it Avould be almost 
impossible to deliver them in small lots. To send 
out a car to collect these ties Avould cost about as 
much as they are worth, as they would have to be 
collected over a long line and brought to town for 
distribution. We believe the railroads Avould gladly 
gi\’e them aAvay at cost. There i.s at present a pre¬ 
judice against AA’ood as fuel. ^lany of us haA^e large 
quantities which Ave Avould cut and sell if the mar¬ 
ket price Avould )my us. 'Thore is but little demand 
except for firei»lace AA'ood. 
* 
I oncbiso clipping of ('ditorial from Clovcland riain 
Jlealer of rocont issuo. It would soom that the killer 
of fools IS neglecting some golden opportunities, or per¬ 
haps the task is too gigantic. o.suar rice 
Ohio. 
•Ml iTouonai in leA'eiand 
X 1(1111 
Dealer of December 1.. 
prised If yon arlvocate the formation of such a league. 
EMA.XUEL AVER.XTZ. 
If this is true I .shall be sur 
TX7E pi-int these two letters from Ohio in order 
V V to show how two men may look out of tbe 
same window at tbe same object, and see in one 
ca.se a roaring lion and in the other a kicking don¬ 
key. ’Tiie editorial in the IMaiu Dealer, entitled 
“Tbe Menace of I )isloyalty,’’ is a bitter attack upon 
the non-partisan league. Tbe .same thing is apjiear- 
ing in practically all of the large daily papers, evi¬ 
dently inspired from the same source and by the 
same organization. Tlie ])Iau is to discourage any 
independent action or thought on the part of farm¬ 
ers. Tho.se Avlio advocate any reasonable action to 
compel a fair recognition of the riglits of farmers 
are to be branded as disloyal “friends of the Kaiser” 
and all tlie rest of it. We must be prepared to 
meet this as Ave organize the movement to put 50 
farmers in the New York Legislature. It will be the 
chief argument of the small, narrow-minded men who 
are trying to pile .so many committees and commis¬ 
sions on top of the farmer that he will keep down 
under the lid. The.so blind men cannot .see that the 
Avay to induce the farmers to produce more food, 
buy more bonds and make greater sacrifices, is to 
make them feel that they are free and have a fair 
chance with others. All this government by commit¬ 
tee and commission Avill depress the farmers and 
shorten rather than ineivase the food sujiplj'. Should 
anyone accuse The R. N.-Y. of di.sloyalty Ave AAill 
challenge them to compare records, q’hey Avill have 
to show that they have had more ancestors in former 
American AA*ars, that they have offered more of their 
children and friends to this Avar, and that they have 
invested a larger iiroportion of their savings in Avar 
bonds! We are ready to meet that test A\dth those 
who are scolding and insulting the farmers. Such 
felloAA's usually fight Avith their moutlns. 
T hat is from Tioga County, N. Y., and there are 
many others who feel the same Avay. It seems 
to be the policy of most of the political papers to 
report these meetings as though the working farmers 
Avere greatly pleased Avith such talk. Five minutes 
spent in talking to the farmers outside the meeting, 
Avould get 10 miles nearer the truth. The people are 
sick and tired of all these committees and commis¬ 
sions, AA’hich thus far have done nothing but talk 
and lay plans. There are plans enough already laid ; 
Ave Avant someone Avith vigor and warmth enough to 
hatch a few of them out. These men Avork on the 
principle that farmers are incapable of managing 
their OAvn business; therefore it must be handled by 
men who knoAv nothing about it. but need a job 
Avbere they may earn honor or money. 
* 
O UT in California the l)est experts the country 
affords are trying to save the life of an orange 
tree. It is a matter of sentiment, for this tree bore 
the first navel oranges ever grown in the United 
States. It is the parent tree to groves uoav produc¬ 
ing nearly $70,000,000 in choice fruit each year. It 
was planted in 1873 by Mrs. C. L. Tibbetts. She ob¬ 
tained it from the government horticultural gardens 
at Wa.shington, while it came orieinaliy from Brazil. 
Brevities 
IIOAV do you disgnint the disgruntled man? 
The latest figures show that it costs per year to 
feed the average dog. 
As a teaehor adversity uses troulde as a club aud gives 
scars as a diploma. 
There is great society in a dry apple chunk on au 
open fire. 
Most peojilo seem to “resolve” in the theory that good 
resolutions are made to be badly broken. 
The best political offensive is made by the man on 
the fence. When he gets down on one side or the other 
he wins. 
I.ook: it lip and you will find that wherever the people 
consume jiotatoos freelj’, there you will find a strong 
and healthy race. 
Who in the Food Administration is large enough to 
tell the men of the country to stop burning up tobacco 
as a “war measure”? It is safer to scold or advise the 
women. 
The continued mse of salt meat is, we believe, a 
source of indigestion aud trouble. That is one reason 
why the modern plan of canning a part of the meat 
instead of salting and smoking it all is a fine thing. 
The College of Agriculture in the University of Notre 
Dame. Indiana, is the first .school of agriculture to es¬ 
tablish the custom of sending its entire student body to 
the International Fat Stock Show for intensive study 
under the direction of competent instructors. 
