The Russellville Democrat., 1884-04-24
.issssrs from the People,
Lee Township.
,.nne nfihr Dcmocrat.

"as own efforts can relief come" The .ost Inf his communication amounts ~ ohout this; study hard Co raise L;ooer crops, better stock ant use ,neTe fertilizers; and that farming abould be conducted on "business arinciples." All right Mir. Editor ,and Brothers of Freedom, as far as ii qoes. "Alone through our own osorts can relief come" But shall wo direct all of our efforts to the rsisine few more pounds of cotton, few more bushels of corn, a few more fat hogs or saving few more loads of manure? If the Brothers of Freedom expect to better their con dition they must quit dealing in gen. eralities, they have been fooled with .glittering generalities" long enough. Ii is time to come right down to sol. Id facts-to bedrock.
 Now, just permit me to ask one i. square, blunt, plainly put question. Can farmers become prosperous sim ply by concentrating all their thoughts, energies and capital with Tn the narrow bounds of their en closed lands? We are ordered to steer Clear of politics. Why? If farmers are not capable of attending to political matters are they capable of choosing others to do it for them When I speak of politics, l may mean something very different from the definition given by others. do not mean partizan politics. It is Of but little consequence to me wheth- CT the county offices are filled by democrats, republicans, greenback- CTS, brothers of freedom or independ ents, so they perform all their du- ties faithfully, honestly, impartialiy. shall never ask any of them to di. vide salaries with me. But don't at tempt to begmle Us by inducing us to ignore politics. Don't tell us that we have no business with great ques tions like the tariff, taxation and plliered treasuries." No sir. A pill tered treasury means pllfered peo. pie. Isn't it the peoples treasury Didn't the people fill it with their own hard earned ducats? "We may talk about tariffs and taxation till doom's day" Yes sir, and we will, too, for we are tired of raising cot ton bales and yearlings (about the only things we can sell for cash ), just to satisfy the greed of shllocks and corporations who have neither "bodles to be kicked nor souls to be damned". Whether the farmer rais es two bales of cotton or only the fourth of bale on his acre he can have no say about the price he is tc get That is fixed by the manutac turer or the spcculator in futures Everybody is interested in farm. ing, just as the farmer is interested In his hogs in the pen. He sits on the top rail and looks complacently down on them, hoping and believing they will fill his meat house by and by.
 Does Belisso mean to praise, ol hatter, when he speaks of ''thesc pa tient sons of toll, toiling early and late" The praise is somewha al equlvocal if intended as praise, fol the OK, the ass, and the mule are still more patient. None but patient men and bruies can be used as slaves or beasts burden.
 "If the farmers lot is hard one, -has he not played an active part iu making it soy' No sir, he has not he has played . passive part he has worked hard with his hands and let others do the thinking, blaming. iu, trigung and finarciai managing, and that's what's the matter with the masses of toilers. Class legislation has taken not hundreds, nor thous- ands, nor millions alone, from the wealth producers, but MILLIONS, and yet we must confine our pent up powers to raising larger turnips, smoother potatoes and u leetle nicer cotton, (good middling if possible ]. agree with Belisso, that "al0ne through our own efforts can relief come, ahd that reforms must be brought about by means of educa- ton. Our efforts must be directed to the repeal of baDking and tariff laws and to the control of railroads and telegraphs. We must educate ourselves in the science of politicaI economy. We must study until we are able to diagnose our own finan elal diseases and then have the cour, age to apply the remedy-"heroic' tho' 1t may be.
 snail make this (for mel long article little longer by writing aoont home atiairsY Well, the broth efs oi Freedom, and everybody else ought to contend to the bitter end .of reduction of expenses and taxes We don't want another dol Tar appropriated to the so called Az lieultural and Mechanical Universl y at Fayetteville till it is made, il lact' what it's name imports. w, a'e against the proposed new State
 assessments and taxes are un eqgal--lf possible equalize the on' ana reduce the other. Our roaC iaws are very little better than none Let us DrOfit hv tho axau,Ia of olda