Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-03
A DisGUsTED FARMER.
The Crop Failure Together With
q Gross Frand I'm the Way Of
Taxes Calls Forth a Howl.
FIsHERynIE, SHELBY e, Tenn Tex }

FIsHERyfLLE SHELBY Co, Tenn, \
September 70, 1888. J
EDITOR LEDGER.-Permit me to
say few words TO you, respectfully,
FROM this poor miserable, God lorsaken
portion Of old Shelly. W
Ihrthe FIRST place, We will talk a
little about the crops You say the
crops are bAd in spots, an average of
half bale to the acre in the hills.
Talk about half bale to the acre
building castles 10 the airl Ii is a
grand effort now for stalk Of cotton
to produce one boil to the stalk-ten
bolls in old times, or an average OF ten
bolln to the stalk We calculated then
on getting a bale to every two acres.
You con6ne yourself too close to the
city. You onght to travel more in the
country. Up to the first of August
some few crops 10 this immediate
neighborhood looked very promising,
but the cold snap we had the first OF
August gave it fits Since then it has
been going down hill every day--no
August crop. A cotton crop is some.
thing like an internal County Court
neyer know what it is going to do un
til the thing Is done.
The month of August always de-
oides a cotton crop-never know what
twill do until the first Of September
Forty years Of experience has taught
me that. Our corn crops are very
short; no turnip sfor breakfast, frizzIed
out; pea crop seriously injured.
hope you will not think ID an i'm.
pertinent question to ask you how you
stand on the taxing business. Are
you in favor Of taxing the old farmers
living twenty -four miles from Mem
phis to build mscadamized roads lead
ing out OF Memphisg Ii you are 10
favor OF it, say so il not, helpt the old
farmers TO get out of that difficulty,
for it is gross swindle. The other
papers in Memphissay pile it on You
are not fitting for anything else but to
vote and to pay taxes. That issue
never came before the people. Mem,
phis has just as much right to tax US
TO build hotels, or lheaters, as TO build
roads for her Is that the fruit oil
your modern Democracy? If so, hell
is fiji Of all such.
Not a mao living in the Eighth,
Ninth9r Tenth districts wants TO pay
that tax.
II we have it to paywe will never vote
for a man living in Memphis again for
any thing Tax a mln TO build road
and then tax him 10 travel on i'll We
living in the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth
Districts have no use for the road
You cant induce sn old farmer living
near q depot to haul his cotton to
Memphis. when he can take il to the
depot and sell it and get back home at
night. No zone but fool would do it.
Any merchant living 10 Collicrville
will duplicate any bill an old farmer
can make 10 Memphis Let Memphis
oonhne herself to a legitimate whole
sale business. We can get goods
cheaper In the country than in Mem
phis Let Memphis build her roads
we have no objection. We say God
speed TO her-but don't tax US to do
it. When we travel on the road we
pay willingly.
The Ninth Civil District will vote
solid for Arthur il he will only say
COLOMBO the negro. You may talk
about slavery, polygamy, whisky
drinking, and the tariff, but the insti>
tItion Of a free negro is a greater
curse, greater evil, than all the
others combined.
Pardon me Tor tresspassing on your
time, have been as brief as possible.
Respectfully }. FIG.