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•The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 5, 1924 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
1'iiblUhed weekly by the Rural Publishing: Company, 333 West 30th Street,New fork 
Herbert W. Collinowood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm K Dillon Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
L. H. Murphy, Circulation Manager. _ 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. Remit in money 
order, express order, personal check or hank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 31.00 per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us j and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
such swindler will be publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such casdt 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 within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
S OME of our folks say they have written their 
Assemblymen on this school’bill. They received 
a polite note saying that “careful consideration” will 
be given the matter. Now this “careful considera¬ 
tion” business may “listen well,” but long experi¬ 
ence has taught us that it is about the most mean¬ 
ingless phrase that ever left the dictionary. Our ad¬ 
vice is to make them say something more definite. 
They will come down to “yes” or “no” if you stay 
right by them. 
* 
It is interesting to notice that one after another 
farm leader who at first blush said: “Sure, let s catch 
the rich tax-dodger,” are finding that upon investiga¬ 
tion there are very evidently two sides to this question. 
I anticipate when the* farmer discovers that in addi¬ 
tion to killing the Federal Farm Loan system this 
amendment would have the effect, according to Secre¬ 
tary Mellon, of raising local interest rates by 1 per 
cent on road, school, drainage and improvement bonds, 
there will be a howl that will be heard at Washington 
as well as at the State capitals. K. 
IILS refers to the proposition that uo bonds or 
securities should be exempt from taxation. It 
may be that farm leaders will feel as our friend 
states, but farm followers are in favor of abandon¬ 
ing special privileges. We do not believe for an in¬ 
stant that taxation of Federal Farm Loan bonds 
will kill the system. These bonds would stand the 
same chance that others do if all are taxed. As it 
is now they compete with school or drainage bonds 
which pay no taxes. People who believe in the 
system should invest in these Farm Loan bonds as 
a patriotic duty. We know that our farmers do not 
want special privileges for their business—they want 
fair chance and equal privilege accorded to others. 
The transfer of capital into tax-exempt securities 
is partly responsible for our present ruinous taxes. 
The holders of such bonds do not pay their share of 
the costs of government, and the feature of tax ex¬ 
emption encourages reckless borrowing which piles 
up taxes. We think those farm leaders who advise 
tax-exempt securities ought to be led. 
'I' 
T HE great political event in the campaign thus 
far is the statement by Henry Ford that he will 
not oppose President Coolidge at the next, election. 
This is taken to mean that Ford is satisfied with 
the President and believes that the excitement and 
uncertainty of a fierce Presidential election should 
be avoided. We have been solicited many times to 
join the “Ford for President” campaign, but we knew 
from private sources that Mr. Ford does not want 
to be President, and feels that the duties of such 
an ottice are out of his line. Just what the result of 
Ford's announcement will be cannot be fairly esti¬ 
mated yet. It probably kills off a vigorous third 
party movement, but no one can tell yet how many 
of Mr. Ford's friends will follow him. 
* 
I T is hard for an American to understand the re¬ 
sult of the recent English election. There are 
three parties. Conservative, Liberal, and Labor. The 
Conservatives stood for a limited protective tariff 
with a bonus to be paid to farmers of $5 for each 
plowed acre. This was to offset free trade in food 
products. The Conservatives' strength lies chiefly 
among the farmers and land-owners—in one sense 
an agrarian party. In the election the Conserva¬ 
tives elected the largest number of members of any 
group, with the Labor party next. They did not, 
however obtain a majority of Parliament, and can¬ 
not. therefore, pass laws for a protective tariff. How¬ 
ever, the showing they made on that issue shows 
how far England has traveled away from the na¬ 
tional policy of free trade. It would seem to indi¬ 
cate that there is a world-wide tendency toward 
tariffs rather than a movement toward freer trade 
among the nations. The World War has not made 
us trade brothers yet, however desirable that condi¬ 
tion might be. 
❖ 
T HE papers tell of a case where a gang of robbers 
stole a large quantity of jewelry right under 
the nose of a dog. The family were at dinner, and 
the dog stretched out on the floor, eagerly watching 
for bits of cake and meat which the master or the 
baby handed him. He would “speak” for them, 
gulp them down and wait for more. A fine dog he 
was; he won several prizes at a dog show. A blue 
ribbon dog of fine pedigi’ee. Yet he lay there on the 
floor without winking an eye while the thieves, 
hardly 50 feet off, got away with their loot. Some 
little mongrel cur with no Joy in his pedigree would 
have nosed those thieves and given the alarm, but 
the blue-blooded prize-winner had conceived the idea 
that his job consists in “eating and looking pretty,” 
and he did his best to play the part. We may say 
that there is something of “human nature” in the 
perfoi'manee, or lack of performance, of this dog. 
There are people in various public positions—all the 
way from members of the Legislature to directors 
of co-operative associations—who fall into the habits 
of the blue-blooded dog. It is their business to 
“watch” and protect family and property, but they 
find that their job and their living are both made 
more secure by fawning upon the members of the 
family or posing as fine figureheads. Thus they lose 
the power to scent the enemy or to fight him after 
he is located. Farming needs leaders who will fight 
as well as display their figure! 
* 
T HE way the world is made up now most of the 
expei’icnce and most of the money may be said 
to be controlled by people of middle-age or older. 
Young men often think that this disposition of 
money is a mistake of society—they think they 
could do so much moi’e with it if they could har¬ 
ness it to hope and energy. The chances are that 
the money would run away with them if they had 
it—and smash things generally. As for experience, 
many a man has looked at. his boys with regret, if 
not with disgust, when his own plain expeiuence 
tells him they are making fools of themselves. Yet 
experience can only come with age unless the older 
man can retain the language of youth so as to make 
his boys understand the lesson. And there usually 
lies the great trouble. Most men of 50 or over for¬ 
get their youth and cannot put themselves in the 
places of their children. Too many men change this 
wholesome experience into a sour, bigoted, con¬ 
ceited thing for their own glorification, and without 
the power to adapt it to younger lives. What a 
man did 50 years ago cannot be directly applied to 
the lives of present-day youth—with all the changes 
which half a century has brought. It is a great 
privilege for a man to keep so close to his children 
that he can make them understand the real lesson 
of his life and the real worth of his money. And. 
after all, what are experience and money given 
us for if not as an investment in those who follow 
us? 
* 
Those District School Meetings 
T HE reports from the meetings held on Dec. 4 
are still coming in. This is written on Dec. 26. 
This morning there were reports from 43 districts, 
all against the school bill. The total now runs close 
to 1,500, and they are still coming. There never was 
anything like it in the histox-y of rural New York, 
and there can be no escape from the conviction that 
this incident proves conclusively that the country 
people of New York are against the proposed school 
bill. At first the friends of the bill were inclined to 
belittle the matter, and say that only a few meetings 
were held. They know better now and have aban¬ 
doned that claim. Now they say that no one at these 
meetings knew anything about the bill. It was all 
blind prejudice and misunderstanding. It seems that 
The R. N.-Y. has “poisoned the minds of country 
people,” misrepresented the bill, and through mis¬ 
representation "done great injury to country people.” 
That is what they say as they go about the State. 
One of them writes us that he can go into any meet¬ 
ing of unprejudiced country people, and in half an 
hour make them all supporters of the bill. We 
might ask why he and others have not done it. We 
can cite cases where some of the best speakers in the 
State have pleaded for the school bill before audi¬ 
ences of farmers, having all the time they wanted, 
and then the audience voted against them. To say 
that The R. N.-Y. alone has been able, without oi* *- 
ganization or campaign fund, to “poison the minds 
of farmers” in the face of the ti’Cmendous organized 
power back of this school bill, seems too absurd to 
be considered by sensible men, or else is a most hu¬ 
miliating confession of weakness. The truth is that 
these volunteer school meetings go deeper than the 
mei’e discussion of this school bill. They represent 
an expression of deep x’esentment against at least 
some of the representative leadership given them or 
forced upon them during the past few years. W r e 
think we are in a position to prove not only that our 
farmers do not want the new school bill, but that 
they feel that most of their farm oi'ganizations are 
no longer truly co-operative, but controlled by inter¬ 
locking close corporations or “machines.” This 
school bill has given them their first opportunity to 
give fx*ee expression to their feelings. It is not im¬ 
possible that some of our farm leaders need refold¬ 
ing, quite as much as their followers. We may not 
add to our popularity by making these plain state¬ 
ments, but we are quite willing to submit them to 
the rank and file of farmers for verification. 
* 
O N the next page will be found a list of the New 
York State Senators who voted for the pro¬ 
posed school bill last year. You may know from this 
list just who represents your county in the Senate. 
We are confident that some of these men voted for 
the bill under the belief that a majoi'ity of country 
people desired it. We think that in a matter of this 
sort they will be guided by public sentiment if it can 
be made clear to them. We do not think they will 
try to force the bill upon country people until there 
is reasonable understanding or acceptance. We ad¬ 
vise every rural voter who has an opinion on this 
bill to write to their Senator and tell him frankly 
just how they stand. Do not threaten or try to 
bluff, and, on the other hand, do not show the least 
fear of them. They are under greater obligations to 
you than you are to them. They are entitled to full 
respect—but, so are you! Be bi-ief, stx*aight and 
cleai’, and make them understand. No matter if 
you have signed a petition or voted at a school 
meeting. Go after them again. The contribution 
of a two-cent stamp and a few drops of ink from you 
will help move the State House. Lick a stamp for 
the district school! Do it right away! 
Brevities 
Never expect giant results from dwarf trees. 
One trouble with the self-made man is that he thinks 
too much of his maker. 
Don’t work too hard to put on “pep.” It only puts 
puts you out of step. 
“Put on your thinking cap” is the advice often given. 
Some people seem to need a percussion cap which is to 
be hit by a fact in order to explode an idea. 
To the many who asked about the seed sorghum called 
“Darso,” send to the Oklahoma Experiment Station at 
Stillwater for a bulletin telling about the crop. That 
was the way we learned about it. 
A widow of 67 who had lived all her life in a small 
community in an Eastern State marries a Western 
farmer and moves 2.000 miles away to begin life under 
new conditions! A serious adventure, we call that. 
Silver. We are told that in the past 90 years, or 
since the United States began the production of silver, 
the total amount produced in this country is valued at 
$2,255,000,000. Not so much, after all, when we think 
of the values of some farm crops in one year. 
A case is reported from Oklahoma where a man tried 
to get an army mule out of a railroad wreck. The mule 
bit him. The bitten man secured damages of $1,500, 
but the verdict has now been reversed on the theory 
that the habits of mules are “notorious,” and a by¬ 
stander assumes all risks when he approaches one. 
Alfalfa is “great stuff” when properly seeded on 
the right soil. That means limestone land—the upper 
soil well filled with humus, and a porous subsoil. But 
on sour, thin, wet land, with a clay subsoil, the “great 
stuff” is the farmer who seeds Alfalfa under such con¬ 
ditions. Alsike clover is far better for that land. 
We have a good many questions about like this : “My 
uncle died, leaving no will, but I am told that before he 
died he said that he wanted John to have his farm. 
Witnesses will swear he said that. I am ‘John,’ and 
would not this make me heir to the farm?” It may 
seem strange, but such questions are frequently asked. 
Of course, such a saying by the uncle would have no 
legal value. The other heirs might respect it as a moral 
obligation, but it is not the same as a will, as some 
seem to think. 
