Farmers In Congress

An exchange has discovered that out of 444 members in the fïfty-third congress only 35 were farmers, and that those had but little representation on committees and complain that this condition should exist in the legislature of a country so largely composed of agriculturalists. X'ot 'a very good showing surely. And yet the fault as well as the remedy ■lies at the farmer's door. So long as the farmers hold, as they now do, a large proportion of the voting strength of the agricultural states, they have only to exercise the duties of citizenship to obtain all the representation they desire. No political party will ignore a demand of this character properly backed by rural strength. The place for this, as well as every other complaint against party rule, to exert itself is in the caucus. In general every community gets just as good government as it deserves. Citizens who neglect the primaries and shirlc the duties of citizenship must not complain when things do not go to suit them. The Dockerv commission created tor the purpose of investigating the executive departments at Washington, has effected]an annual reduction of over $600,000 in government expenditures at a cost of 41,364. This saving was effected by lopping off useless clerkships created by a republican congress. Not a bad showing for one department, at a time when revenues are not meeting expenses. The course pursued by the administration in dealing with the vexatious exclusions of American cattle and meat producís on hygienic grounds deserves th'e commendation of all patriotic citizens. Jingoism at this juncture might precipítate a tariff war which the industry of the country could ill afford to stand in its present condition. The log-rolling combination at Lansing, by courtesy called a legislature, is a monument to misdirected sufirage. It bears the unmistakable brand of peanut statesmanship. This of course does not apply to the democratie minority.