The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-02-18
PetitiOning COngress-What will
it Avail?-Judge for Yourselves,
Farmers


The numerous petitions praying
Congress to legislate in the interest
Of commerce, and regulate railroad
charges on freights, sent me from
different sections of the State, have
all been forwarded from time to
time, to members of Congress
and Senators from this State
Many thousand signatures have
been forwarded in this way dnring
the last two months, besides many
other sent direct by those who so
licited signatures. What effect
these petitions may have upon
Congress remains to be seen. If
the names of these thousands Of
farmers and business men, who
through the medium of petitions
have been praying their represen
tatives to legislate in the interest
and for the welfare of the people
have no effect and exert no inf1u-
ence IN reeting the work of thesc
representatives, L will show most
clearly that they are not represen-
tatives of the people, who, by their
votes have sent them there, but the
tools of the monopolies whom they
serve instead of the people. Let
some of these pretended servants
of the people" )" who by their acts,
laake themselves the peoples mas
ters will soon return to their re-
spective districts and ask, yea, beg
TO be e-elected, for another time as
their representatives., but only to
go back and serve their lords and
masters, the kings of monopolies.
While seeking re election, each
party will he loud and outspoken as
TO the faults and errors of the other,
but not a word will be said against
the power that oppresses, nor any
encouragement as to the relief of
the farmers, except to deceive them,
for the sake of getting their votes
again. In the efforts to show faults
and errors against each other,
proof is generally SO abundant that
it is an easy matter for any one
to succeed in this particular.
But an important question arises
here which should be well consid-
cred by every Patron and farmer.
1t is this: Will these same men now
in Congress, whom we have peti-
tiond and prayed to legislate for the
whole people instead of legislating
for favored few, and who have
disregarded our wishes, ignored our
Just demands, and trampled our Pc
titions and prayers under foot, can
they be trusted in the future? If re-
elected, will they then serve the
people, which is serving US, or will
they again betray our trust, and
serve moneyed corporations thereby
binding the bands of Slavery around
us more firmly? This is the ques-
ton to be settled by every man at
the ballot box. Each one must de-
eide for himself, and each must
bear the responsibility of his own
acts.
I receive the daily proceedings
Of Congress. and keep an eye on
the acts and votes OF the members.
Patrons in any district in the State
can, atany time, ascertain how their
member voted on any question. In
electing members of any legislative
body, let sound integrity and 'un-
swerving fidelity be the ruling
qualification for public servants,
and YOU will have more servants
and fewer masters. To make saint
take a swearing sinner and convert
him. IF you undertake to make a
saint out of praying hypocrite,
you will fail in the attempt and still
have hypocrite instead of saint
So it is very much with selfish par
tisans. But when you inquire
about the acts and votes of your
representatives in Congress, or
question their qualifications, make
up YOUR mind to be ready to receive
the charge of being called grum
bier, fault finder, traitor to party
communist, and all manner OF
names and threats. Such charges
will be made to induce you to re
main quiet, and not question the
qualifications of any one seeking