Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1906 — Republican Farmer Becomes a Democrat. [ARTICLE]

Republican Farmer Becomes a Democrat.

A Spencer county farmer who has heretofore been a Republican writes to the Rockport Democrat that he will hereafter support the Democratic party because he believes it to be “the only party that represents the best interests of the common people.” In bis communication he says: “This sort of Republican protection we hear so much of —Republican boasts of protecting American labor—has built up the all-powerful trusts in this country, and instead of protecting American labor has made the trusts so strong that the laboring men have had to band themselves together in unions against the tariff-made trusts. That’s the only protection the laboring man has in this country, what he makes for himself by organizing.” Not only the farmers and laboring men, but the masses of the people generally, are realizing now as never before that “this sort of Republican protection we hear so much of” means the protection of the trusts and special Interests which Republican tariff laws have created and fattened at the expense of the rest of the people. The tariff does not add a cent to the price of anything the farmer sells, but it adds to the cost of everything he is compelled to buy. The machinery that he uses on his farm is sold to him by the trusts at a much higher price than the same articles are sold for to farmers in foreign countries and the same thing is true as to other things. And yet the standpatters think they can fool the farmers all the time.