VOL. XXIX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND. APRIL 7 1894,
NO. 14.
The Farmers and Their Representatives.
Bditobs Indiana Fabkmb:
The Farmer of the week of Feb. 24th,
comes to hand replete with bright newsy-
letters on a variety of topics, but the tariff
question seems to be upermost in the
minds of a very great many, and they
proceed to dole out the same old song snng
by the politioil harpers of their respective
parties, daring the last campaign, and
which is still being used as one of the
most effective means to divide and divert
the attention of the labor producing
classes.
One country claims that high protection
is ruining the country; another that free
trade Is the cause of all the trouble, but
when the propositions proposed by each
are taken in the aggregate, the general results will be about the same so far as the
masses are concerned.
The McKinley sohedule increased the
average rate per cent of tariff tax, principally on the manufactured articles for import, in competition with large corporation interests, supposed to be engaged in
manufacturing the same kind of goods
here, while maintaining a tariff on some
of the farm products though seemingly
insignficant In the amount of revenue de
rived or the competition they could possibly receive.
The Wilson bill reduces the rate of a few
cents upon the average, by lowering the
duty in one place and- increasing it in another, but puts the products, (raw material)
of cheap labor on the free list, with the
exception of barley which is to be raised to
25 per cent ad valorem; but for whose benefit and what for? someone else will have to
answer. Also an Income tax has been attached as a caudal appendage to wag the
other part of the brute, as pacificator to
the confiding ones.
Ah, says the champions of the bill it
will smash trusts, and combines, and
greatly relieve the people of unjust burdens they have been laboring under. But
if the bill becomes a law as it left the House
—like a tail for a barking pup—corporations
trusts and business interests in general
will pay the tax directly, but indirectly
the consumer—the masses—will pay it.
Business men always calculate to add a
per cent sufficient to meet all expenses,
and where a corporation exists an income
tax upon the business will be apportioned
to each, according to the amount invested.
The man with an investment of {100,000
as compared with one ot a million will
pay only one-tenth as much as his richer
partner whose profits are ten times greater
and just as easily paid after all.
With a graduated income tax the man of
ten times more wealth could not hold out
against his less wealthy competitor and
would necessarily surrender to division of
his own capital, and that is the kind of a
tax to equalize wealth to only a moderate
amount.
Again the protection the farmer has
been receiving on what he has to sell, under the McKinley duty affords but little
or no benefit to him, as the democrats
say, and yet they by the Wilson bill, proceed to put all of them on the free list
And whyf If It did no good and brought
in so little revenue, it might not have
brought him harm to let it alone. Bat no,
they must make it appear that something
was beiDg done and work the pumpkin
huskers from each side the bean rows, and
they succeed pretty thoroughly as the results show, as yon see the most of them
chawin' at the tariff bone while the gold
bugs and bond holders skin 'em out of
both hide and tallow.
But here comes one and says the farmers must ask for what they want, and demand the passage of certain laws through
organization, by -resolutions sent their
senators and representatives, who can present them before committees, etc,  as for
Instance an Indiana senator opposed further coinage of silver, when a number of
farmers' meetings passed resolutions
against his position, which was before him
in less than 10 days, but the writer failed
to state that the resolutions were ignored
entirely.
Previous to this last election I had polled
more than 100 voters in this vicinity that
favored free coinage of silver 16 to 1 and
when our representative in Congress came
around asking for re-election he knew of
the strong sentiment at this place in favor
of silver, and stood up in our farmers'
hall and declared he had supported the
measure on two previous occasions, and
would again, if elected, and he was elected,
notwithstanding he misstated a fact recorded against him; but many of the boys
of the old party affiliation supported him
one time more, and to be sold out again,
as he voted to defeat silver on every bill
offered for coinage. Though during a
meeting of our county assembly last August that unanimously indorsed the resolutions which were sent to him, reminding
him of his pledge on that question, to earnestly support the free coinage of silver, 16
to 1, and that the government Issue money
in sufficient quantities to the people, with
out the intervention of bank corporations|
he answered back he would do the best he
could; yet "best" did not mean the people's
side of the question. No the farmers'
voice don't go for much in the law makers
citadel. He is only used to fill up the processions at home. And the same man 1
understand announces himself for re-election, and I suppose he will be sending out
letters to farmers appraising them of his
willingness to assist them to what they
want, which he too well knows Is to beat
the other fellow, and they will sniff at the
pie counter of party patronage, and hoop
themselves hoarse, and "vote'r straight"
because of "hlghiprotectlon," "free trade,"
"force bill" etc. I. M.
The Grave of Thomas Lincoln.
Editors Indiana Fabhkb:
Ten miles drive from the little city of
Charleston, the county seat of Coles
county, HI., brought us to the place where
rests the dust of Thomas Lincoln, the
father of the great and good Abraham
Lincoln. The grave yard is in the southwest corner of tho county, 10 miles south
of Mattoon. The nearest point by railroad
is Janesville, a small hamlet on the P. D.
E. railroad, which is a mile from the place.
It occupies about two acres on a hillside.
At the foot of the hill on the northwest
runs a small brook. Outside of the enclosure of the grave yard stands a neat
country church, belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterians who number quite a
congregation. In the centre of the ground
stands a plain white shaft about 10 feet
high including base. On the base is cut in
relief the magic word, "Lincoln," and on
the main shaft Is this inscription:
"Thomas Lincoln, father of the martyred
president, was born January 6th, 1778, and
died January 15th, 1851."
This monument cost about $150; $35 of
which was raised by the citizens of Mat-
toon, the balance by Robert Lincoln, the
grandson, who at that time was the secretary of war. The grave up till that time
was unmarked except by a little mound
which arose above it. Not even an evergreen waved over it.
"No myrtle nor ivy nor hyacinth i blow
O'er the lonely place where thcjr laid him;
No cedar nor holly nor almond tree grow
Near nil grave to shade him."
Thomas Lincoln was a pioneer in the
fullest sense of the term. He settled in
the heaviest timbered portion of Illinois
and hewed himself out a farm and erected
a log house and covered it with clapboards.
In this house he ended his days. The
house is still standing as a memento of the
pioneers life. Luxuries were unknown to
Thomas Lincoln.   He never knew any lot
but that of strictest economy and self denial, and the hardest of labor. In a conversation with an old neighbor of Lincoln
we asked if he knew Thomas Lincoln. He
said: "Oh yes, I knew him well. We
used to meet often at the old horse mill
and logrollings. Old Tommy drove a
poor little team of horses. He was poor
and had a hard time 'of it. He never had
a suit of store clothes, nor was he ever
worth over $500; probably not that. He
was hardly known outside of his neighborhood. He was considered an Inoffensive
kind and considerate neighbor. I met him
and his wife in 1838 in a cart drawn by a
yoke of oxen. They were taking some
provisions to a stepson who was working
on the National road, which was under
construction at that time. I was well
acquainted with Abe. He used to visit his
old father quite often. But little did we
think then that he would occupy the highest national honors ever presented to man,
that of being the president of our great
Republic."
Other old neighbors confirmed the above
as to the life of that reticent old man.
Little did they anticipate that in his offspring would be developed the power at
whose word the dark stain of slavery
would be forever wiped off the fair escu-
cheon of our beloved land and 7,000,000 of
God's people made free. Nor did they
think that from that uncouth youth, who
used to visit the old homestead and participate in its rural affairs, would develop
the ruler of this great Republic, with its
60,000,000 inhabitancy and at whose command 1,000,000 brave men enrolled themselves as defenders of liberty and perpetuation of our Union, nor could those kind
neighbors who used to extend the hand of
friendship in a hearty hand shake with
him, conceive that that hand would grip
and strangle the Nation's greatest enemy,
the monster rebellion which has dyed our
land with our people's blood and threatened the destruction of our Republic.
Tommy Lincoln lies in that little quiet
country grave yard, his resting place only
marked by a simple marble shaft, yet that
name sculptured by the artist's chisel on
that cold limestone sends a thrill through
every one that peruses it. "The father of
Abe Lincoln" builds for itself a higher and
grander monument In the hearts of the
people of American than It Is possible for
art to do. We think it would be befitting
in the American people to honor his resting place by erecting a suitable, monument
or at least enclosing the sacred ground
with an iron fence. D. Moffitt.
Newton, HI.
»  —  «
Garden Products on Two Acres of Irrigated Land.
Kditobs Indiana Fakueb:
In several of your Issues of the Indiana
Farmer during the drouth of last summer we noticed various articles on irrigation, and understanding that any one's
experience on that subject would be accepted by the Farmer, we submit the tol
lowing experience we have had in irrigation on a small scale, and the results we
derived from the same.
The plot of land irrigated is located
along the side of a public road leading east
and west, extending 32 rods, and running
back from the road 10 rods to a natural
bank or slope. Here we constructed the
bank of the reservoir, using the dirt from
the upper side, the pond averaging perhaps 40 feet In width and five In depth,
and running the length of 35 rods along
said bank. We made the excavation
principally with teams and scraper. The
pond is fed by natural springs coming out
of said bank, and also by a flowing well,
so the supply has been abundant ever
since constructed, some five years ago. In
the severest drouths the surface of the
water lies from three to six feet above the
land.   The soil is  a black sandy loam,
verging into a muck at the lower end.
Formerly it was a wet, soggy, worthless
stlp. Four-Inch tile are laid every four
rods apart. These extend north and
south, leading from the bank of the pond
to a main drain along the highway. There
is also a tile drain at the foot of the embankment, which Hows into the lateral
drains to catch the seep.
Describing this so minutely is for the
benefit of the readers of your valuable paper, as my traveling over the State shows
locations that could be Irrigated on a more
extensive scale In a similar way.
The past few seasons justifies the necessity for a more thorough and systematic
application of irrigation to the rain-belt
lands, which can be made more valuable
by the revivifying powers of Irrigation
coupled with its tile drainage. When we
have our land in this condition we can
count with as much regularity and certainty as the ^manufacturer's weekly pay
roll is balanced.
The fertilizers we use on small plot is
what we make on the farm and what we
can purchase close by, as we are situated
some distance from a large town, which is
a disadvantage in that line, also in making
sales of product.
The fertility of the soil Is improving,
each year by the continued annual production. It is so arranged that the water
can.be let down between the rows ot vegetables whenever an increased moisture of
the soil Is necessary. Two crops are raised
on the soil each year. We grew onions,
early cabbage, cauliflower, beets, peas and
early celery. Where we grew onions we
drilled the rows 14 inches apart, drilling
three rows and missing the fourth, repeating this until the patch is sown. Until
the latter part of July the ground was kept
scrupulously clean with hand cultivators
and weeding when necessary. Then we
gave it a thorough soaking ready for plant-
tng celery in the rows missed. The latter
part of August we removed the onions
from the ground, they having made their
growth, giving the celery full possession
of the ground. Also set celery same time
between the rows of early celery, and
where we had cabbage etc. From this on
It was necessary to Irrigate often as when
we had the worst drouth here.
We will give results of season in actual
"Bales, deducting freight, etc., but not expense of cultivation.
Onions, 41S bushels .  „ ___ f 834Z7
Celery __..._   615 43
Cabbage, etc...„_...__.............__  60.00
Celery on hand not sold..... ..___ _„.. 30.0]
Total    11,037 70
What we have used in the family is not
Included in the above.
The expense for hired help amounted to
$45 and part of that was employed on farm.
What success I have had this and the past
two seasons I owe to irrigation, the soil
being very loose, vegetation would soon
barn out in a drouth. We have the pond
stocked with fish which are doing splendidly. W. W. Warnes.
Marshall Co.
Our Prize Essays on Clay Soils.
Editors Indiana Farhxb:
I am very much interested in the essays
on clay soils, there being some diversity
of opinions thus far. N. 8. Sharf,
Delaware Co.
—We, too, have found these papers very
Interesting and feel sure that they will
prove very useful to a large proportion of
our readers. We intend to make up a
summary of the best points in all of them
for a future number. In the meantime if
any reader has anything further to say on
the subject we shall be glad to have it.
Fred Sheehan, 14 years old, employed by
a hoop company at Bluffton, fell Into a vat
partially filled with boiling water and was
cooked to death.