THE FARMERS' LEAGUE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2395, 6 September 1892, Page 2

THE FARMERS' LEAGUE.

Apout a week ago we published a short article showing how tho Farmers' Club of Mataura, at a meeting held in Gore rejected the programme of the Christchurch Farmers' and Country Settlors League. According to the Otago DailyTimes of last Saturday the Maniatoto Farmers' Club have also condemed the Christchurch programme, as they do not consider it was " framed in the interest of settlers," but was " of such a nature as to constitute a platform of a purely capitalistic sort." After rejecting the Farmers' and and Country Settlers programme, the Farmers' Club passed a resolution inviting Sir Robert Stout to visit Naseby to deliever a political address, and a committee was formed to arrange for his reception. This looks healthy.

The conclusion one must come to is that the Scotch farmers' of Otago are at last beginning to surmise that the land owners belong to the " capitalistic class," and, consequently are not safe guides for them. They prefer to throw themselves into the arms of Sir Robert Stout. When the Canterbury League put forward their programme we stated that it would not succeed, because of its untrue assertions, and fearfully exaggerated statements. It was accepted by about 80 large landowners, and their satelites, and it has has remained so ever since. An attempt to plant a branch of it in the northern district of Canterbury, was only a very partial success, but through the influence of Mr John Grigg and others it has secured considerable support in Ashburton. Still we believe the small farmers' will repudiate it everywhere as they have done in Otago. The net is spread too palpably in the sight of the birds—the cockatoos—and they are not likely to be caught in it. The Government have taken taxation off the shoulders of the cockatoos and placed it on the squatters, and the League is formed to put it back on the cockatoos again.. The cockatoos are not so foolish as to help the squatters to do that.