San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-10-28
The Farmers, Alliance.

EDITOR FREE PREsR:-This bids fair to
become an important question, both in the
commercial and political circles of our coun-
try. It behooves our farming friends to
look we'll to causes which hinder their pros
perity as we'll as to the remedy.
That the laboring class is oppressed is q
fact that no man will deny, but just where
to begin to remedy this state of things
might engage the attention of the wisest
statesman.
However this may be done there is a
foregone conclusion, and that is the CON-
mon people of this country are going to be
heard on oil vital questions that involve
their financial and moral welfare. The
voice of the great laboring and producing
class of this country must be heard in max
ing the laws or distributing and controlling
their products.
In conversing with many of our most in
tellgent farmers, find that the main mo-
tive for organizing is to raise the price OF
what they produce and lower the price OF
what they buy. This is attended by many
difficulties. If every man lived to himself
1t would indeed be fine scheme.
It only takes a moment of sober thought
to see that this is not the remedy. II you
raise the price of cotton, you raise the price
of labor, all cotton cloth and cotton mate
rial, and the force of pressure will rebount
back against you, and you will find your
selves no better off. You say, Well, VIZ
must get sugar and rice and molasses cheap
er Stop!-you are settling life OF pov
erty on certain class of hard laborers ant
setting yourselves up as the beneticiaries
The broken down plantations and mortgaget
homes of the sugar and molasses-growinf
countries tell their own sad tale of woe
Their cry is, We can't live at the price
the consumer is paying.
Again: When you say nine cents for ba
con, Texas opens her eyes with holy horror
and says its too high; but Kansas says it IL
so low that the poor class will be bound tt
suffer if something is not done for their re
lief, and so on through ell the producing
sections. A remedy of this kind is only
calculated to produce an endless state o.
confusion and bitter feelings between thu
various producing sections. A more equa
distribution of prices might possibly b.
agreed upon so rs to do small amount O
good, but this is evidently not the solution
of the problem.
Another remedy they propose is to begil
with home markets and home dealers ant
force them to virtually exchange one pro
duct for another, or sell the products of IN
other county to them for q profit ut whicl
they cannot afford to live, much less +
make money. lesson in political econo
my would not be amiss for some Of Oh
friends.
In the first place, by this remedy You dis
courage all home enterprises. When yo
force capital below a living Investment
always seeks other places TO invest. Whe
you drive capital out and strike ut the YER
foundation of all home commerce what
the result? Cotton, horses, cattle, shee
and corn all go down for want of n market
Money is locked mp in its various vaults o
moved to other sections, aud the cost q
getting these various products Of a profit
able market is greater by far than the prof
its of the home dealer is ON the goods sold
Now. Mr.. Editor, have only ment one
two remedies our friends propose to appl
and showed some of the results of each.
My letter is getting too long. By you
permission will try to show in anothC
letter some Of the real difficulties attendin
the labOring class Of this country and th
remedies. OBSERVER.