The Russellville Democrat., 1886-11-17
About Farmers' Organizations Correspondence Home ana Farm.

ADoub E8rmer6 Organisations. Correspondence Home and Farm.
 Readers of my articles in Home and Farm on the subject of farmers organizations seem to misunderstood me. do not think it would be pol |icy to organize politically, but for protection from tllc trades unions and others affecting our interest in. juriously. If it be attempted to or. ganixe q political party, combining the agricultural interests against all others, 1t will be an attempt at class Legislation that will prove of greater Injury to the business Interests oil the country than those we now com
 plain of. It requires long time to build up a political party of snffic- tent strength to carry the country
 in fact. It is next to impossible to do anything of the kind. The two DO liticaT parties now present are sufficI ient, and they arc well enough---they represent the two sides of politics and we can take our choice true, both are somewhat corrupt, but any other party would be the same in a short while. Political revolutions are the spontaneous upheaval Of a dissatisfied people, and when neces- cary, are forthcoming. Farmers should not desire q separate political organization, they can control either party wherever they nre in the ma. Jorlty, provided they are united, oth erwise no new party could help them. Agricultural communities can al- wave select, if they desire, their fav- orites for office, and by their votes elect them. We agree that in those states where the agricultural inter- est predominates, agricultnralists should, to . large extent, represent those districts; they can bc elected Tn the democratic or republican par lty, whichever may be strongest in any particular locality. It is not necessary to organlze . new political party to secure that representation, secure it within your own present party.
 The organization among farmers that particularly urge, is one look ing to protection from organizations in trades, which organizations have for their object the oppression of the farming interest. They are organ ized solely for this purpose, and it behooves those interested in agricul- ture to form a counter organization. Farmers have to contend against flu ture gambling. commercial exchang- es, unions of every description. Mo nopoiies are only unions of capital ists for oppression of all classes. Union gives them combined capital. making them all powerful for evil-- evil, because selfish, every cent float ing must sooner or later come into their vaults; they have the means, hence the power to accomplish it. These unlons of capitalists have brought about labor unions unions of every description. They were made necessary by the first, for with out some concert of action they were at the mercy of the first. It is the old truth, that one evil begets sDoth- CT, until to day the entire world is embraced in some sort of union.
 Let us consider only those affect ing the South and it's agricultural people. We will take the city of New Orleans, for example. What we say of that will apply to all South ern trade centers. for these commer- cial unions are as a nnIt, everywhere. We find New Orleans cursed with unions of every description, but es- pccislly those affecting her com
 merce. The city government fos. ters and protects these associations 1, in fact, they have become 80 power ful they direct the legislation of the state. The Cotton Exchange, the Frees Association, Brokers, Cotton Men's Council, and others too nu- merous to mention organized to prey upon the farmers cotton as soon as 1t arrives, or for that matter, as soon as seed for the new crop enters the soil. The cotton factors of New Or leans are members of one or more or ali these associations; they are the owners of the stock Of the New Or Ieans insurance companies, and every cent Of the tax on our cotton goes directly into their pockets. We de- sire to say here that we make no fight against the legitimate factorage business. We recognize the neces- sity for men to attend to the sale, etc. of our cotton, as 1t would be i'm. possible to go to the cities to sell our crops. We fight only the side issu es--these extra charges for do ing what we pay commission for do. ing. An examination of our account sales reveals the fact that we are paving from 8 to 10 per cent of the gross value of our crop to have II sold. We first ship our cotton by 2 line of steamboats that are all formed into a "pool line" combination te keep up freights far above what they could carry freight for. We can'l sh,p otherwise, for there are no oth' erwise boats. There is norslief by the railroad; they are even more powerfully organized than steamers eo we are compelled tO submit. WI