The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-09-17

But let us pass from King, rather !
Tyrant cotton, his shackles riveted |
on us by u vicious business system
with our tull consent, to the next
subject proposed tor your consid
Grafton, TO wit, the vicious State
and Federal legislation and admin
istrations. La this, matter, too vSSu
are not wholly bIamvless. Your
class com jose IN THE State More
..nau three lourths Of lie Inhabitants
and voting population, and in he
whole United States ttore than
half and puy, directly and Indirect
IL, more thar lhree-fourths OF the
taxes, State and Federal, aud yet
how many mem bers OF your class.
WHO are supposed to know and care
for your iuterestes have you in the
legislative halls OF the country, or
in the State and Federal admins
lratige departments OF those gov
ernments? Echo answers, how
many? and the curious searchcrN
alter facts says, they are too ins'g-
nificcnt in plumbers to count. Who
fills these positions then, aud mainly
through and by your votes and in
fuence2 The facts answer that
they are filled by lawyers, mer-
chants, and very few farmers,
many politicians by trade, Il few
preachers and doctors (not enough,
however, to save the souls or bodies
of their associates) and very many
servile tools of monopolists and cap.
italists.
The great motive power that
prompts almost all our actions is
SELF interest, real or supposed. The
great majority of these officers live
in the towns and cities, and besides
being influenced by what they re-
gard as their own personal interests,
they are also Influenced by their
associations and surroundings.
These towns and cities are mostly
composed of merchants, monopolists
and capitalists, their employees and
dependents: and hence we should
not be surprised to find almost all
legislation and the administrations
OF the governments, State and Fed
eral, placed in the interest of and
administrator for the benefits of
those classes, even in cases where
no corrupt means are used (Which
are not infrequenD to produce the
result. As long as you and the
other producing classes continue TO
shirk or ignore your rights and du
ties, and submit without a murmur
of complaint, and still continue to
vote for those kind OF officers, they
have a right to presume that you
are satisfied; or else that You arc
too ignorant to know, and too in
sensible to feel the wrongs done you
and in either case are fit subjects
to be plucked by vicious Legislators
and to be contemptuousIy ignored
in all that would benefit your inter.
ests. By an uprising in 1875 OF the
good people of the State we rid our,
selves of the venaI and corrupt Rad.
icaI party, but much OF their egis.
Iation still remains. A premium i,
offered to capital Gin the phrase o
exemption from taxatiOnO in The
very face and teeth of the Constitu
ton, to invest in building railroad,
and manufacturing establishments
ard our Supreme Court sustains the
law; and which all admit or pretend
to admit, that Agriculture is th,
basis upon which all other pursuit,
, depend for their success and pros
, perity, yet DO one proposes to lesser
the burden of its taxes; to offer any
premium for the cultivation of thi,
or that one OF its numerous indus
tries; to pass any law for its prOtcc
ton, or for the development of i'll
interests and resources; and oul
Governor vetoes a bill restrainin
Railroads (the creatures of tn,
State) in their excessive freight
and passenger tariffs, and virtually
says these creatures are above thti
creator, and are vested with right
that their creator can not touch
however much they may abus,
| lhciI pO"ets. ", tUEluDdi0 CfGd
lures! you are second only to tn,
; Devil himself, and seem to hav,
been nodded upon the plan of hi
creation.
There is a State law first passed
in 1876, with no doubt the best in
!, tentions, but which, by its abus
!, and base prostitution to purpose
not intended by the Legislature
4, that passed it, has, in my judgment
done more harm to the best A grI
cultural interests of the State tha,
any other, yes | might justly sa,
. than all others. | refer to the ag
' ricultural lien law which enables
9 person with not a foot o: land,
horse, mule, OK, pillow, hoe or spade
to mortgage crop before it is pro
duced. yes even before it is planted
or even lick of work struck to
: wards its production; and this to-
:, has been repeatedly upheld by on
! Supreme Court, although in man,
cases there was not the potential
ity of existence" as required by tn
, old and best exponnders of the com
mon law.
4 Through and by the abuse an,
I prostitution OF this law the Agri
e cultural labor of the State has bee