The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-07-21
A SENSIBLE LETTER FB01 A
LABORING MAN.
MIKE MYERS SPEAKS OFT
HIS APPROHAL.
HONE, July rs, 1875.


MIKE MYERS SPEAKS 0IT7
HIS APPROEAL.
HONE. July rs, 1875.
To the Editor Of tbs MOrristown Gazette;
Please permit me through your
paper to say a few things. First,
as to the dog and other laws passed
by the last Legislature: T am for
the dog law as it stands. I am for
the fence and stock law. j am for
the vagrant law. land would amend
it so as to compel the Judges to en-.
force it through the Grand Juries,
and would make it biM0Ing on every
civil officer of the State TO see to its
enforcsment) as they stand, and i
am for the men that voted for them ;
and as am, / believe, the first voter
-non-aspirant-that has attempted
to say any thing in vindication of
our late Legislature, Ihope i won't
be the last. / have been voter for
% years. in this county and Jeffer-
son, and the last Legislature was
the first and only one that did not
pander to the most worthless of our
population. and attempt to legislate
for the real interest of the real peo-
pie of Tennessee. / am sick of all
this twaddle about the dog law, &c.
What can be said against it that
could not be said with a thousand
fold more force, against taxing land.
for out of it is produced every thing
we eat and wear. or that we have
and are. / call upon the manly. in
dependent and honorable voter to
speak out in defense Of the noble
men that dared to rise above the
pitiful demagogue one time.
Permit me to tell you, that if there
is not more legislation in the interest
of the landed interest Of Tennessee,
instead of land advancing. emigra-
ton pouring in, &C., the said inter-
est will continue to retrograde, and
one after another of enterprising
men will quit it, until farming inter
ests will be swamped, and with it all
other interests in this State. Sir, the
farmers are, to-day. the most depend
ent and helpless of all classes. They
cannot. or dare not. put rowing and
breaky stock off Of their premises.
or dispossess a sqnatter, without
damages or paying heavily. They
cannot keep their hands through har-
vest without paying them double and
treble wages, and cannot get them
back after harvest to finish up the
crops. They made too much through.
harvest to work. / know of a num-
Der of men, clever men. who have
not single hand. Some have from
100 to 1000 bushels of wheat stand.
ing out in all this rain and their
corn crops range from 20 to $50
acres--I say not a hand to help them
and no way to help themselves. /
am not quite SO bad off myself. bat
| intend to quit farming unless there
is relief, and that quick. Instead of
repeating the dog, fence and yagrant
laws, there will have to be more like
them passed, or not only my humble
self, but others, win seek relief in
operating on different scale. Hong
to live to see the day that the stock
is bound for the damage It does on
anotIier's premises, and the man that
works one day and begs or swindles
you out of pay for two or three, and
then goes off. works for no one till
he can find another victim, be taken
up and forced-forced-to work to
support those that have a right to
look to them for support. 4 think
you ought to say more. for I feel
that the real interest Of the real peo-
pie is at stake. The curse is upon
us. The last Legislature legislated
in an entire new direction the
interest OF labor. and if they are not
sustained. why, they, and the best
interest, and with it the real people,
must go to the wall. / would. sug-
gest to the farmers to call meeting,
take action, organize. You have not
only got to deal with tricky hirelings
and tenants. but when you get your
hard-earned produce ready for mar
ket, you then have to encounter a
still shrewder set of Shylocks. 4
want to say more, but / may have
said too much already /; if SO, throw
it all in the waste-basket.
Yours Truly,
MIKE MYERS.
~ Col. John S. Mosby has de-