St. Landry Democrat

The Farmer Is a Politician,

The importance of the farmer as a political factor is becoming more noticeable in every campaign. The man who tills the soil and furnishes the country with its living is cutting a wide swath in politics. He holds a prominent place in the affairs of the Dakotas, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. In the latter State the Farmers' Alliance has just completed its nominations. It is interesting to note that one of the leading candidates for the gubernatorial nomination, Ignatius Donnelly, was beaten and the editor of a Minneapolis agricultural paper chosen in his stead. Mr. Donnelly is a ripe scholar, a fine lawyer, a shrewd politician, and has been a Congressman and a Lieutenant Governor. He posed as an independent, and sought the nomination. The farmers would not have him because he was not one of them.

There seems to be a growing inclination, where the farmers have organized themselves as a political body, to draw the lines closely and to keep all favors, at least the big prizes, to themselves. The wisdom or folly of this plan a practical test alone can satisfactorily demonstrate.