Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-06-26


In their pooling system and in consolidating
parallel roads, these corporations have de-
| fed the people and the laws of the land. By
bribery they control elections aud leyis
latioD, they make unjust Determinations
against the farmer in travel and carrying
his products to market. Nine-tenthe of the
stocks and bonds OF railroads in the south
| and west are owned i'm t re eastern states,
where they are put up as stakes tor unprin-
cipled gamblers to play for. 1t is said on
good authority that some time ago, when
MIR. Gould was operating in New York and
there was combination against him, that
each day lie drew from the southwestern
system Sa5O, 900 10 sustain him. These rail-
road corporations have become SO powerful
| that in the face of these great enormit!es
neither party in congress have the courage
or manhood to pass laws restraining them
from depressing the people from whom they
| have received their franchises. By their in
| tluence with the state authorities they do not
pay One-fourth as much taxes according to
their own valu alton of their property as the
farmer is made to pay. In the founding of
the republic the law of primogeniture was
abolished to prevent an OdiOus arlstOcracy
taking root in this country. But no fuedal
monarch ever endowed his lords and barOnS
with such magnificent estates as our repre-
sentatives in congress have taken from the
people and given to these railroad CORPORA
tions. These railroad corporations are ar
tificial bodies and never die, which virtually
Il holt 81, ths. Ell -
primogeniture.
| Again: National banks whose existence
is founded upon the bonds of the people
that were chiefly issued to eastern manu-
factuIers and capitalists. This has central
lied the money power of this vast country,
chiefly in Wall street, New York, and as a
consequence this mOneyed power regulates
he vslue of the products of the vast farm
ing interests in the south and west. The
| value of rytbing is regulated by the DOW
or which controls the currency of the coun-
try. Ii is the most potent factor in human
affairs. Again, on the plea of protecting
home industry, the western and southern
farmers are virtually prohibited from selling
their products and buying what they con.
sumo in the best markets that they can trade
in. This unconstitutional restriction upon
commerce necessarily forces southern and
western agricultural products into eastern
markets, where they are purchased at ruin
Gus rates and they are compelled to purchase
their inferiorly manufactured articles about
80 per cent. higher than thew could be pur.
chased i'm other markets. This accounts for
their rapid increase in wealth and why Il
was necessary to discriminate against the
agricultural interests and give bOunties TO
the commercial ard ma 7ufacturrg interests
in the east Mr. Beecher with the courage
of his convictions has denounced this fallacy
of protection as the m )St StuppndOus fraud
of the age The practical effect of this fall
lacy of protection Is shown in its results. In
no nation of the earth is there so great dis
satisfaction among the labOrers and manu-
faciufers. as there is in the eastern states
The fact is that the tailor who makes a suit
of clothes or the shoemaker who makes a
pair of shoes, or the labOrer who makes a
yard Of cloth, in his wages don't get the
benefit of protection, but the bounty inures
to the benefit of the capitalists who have the
articles are chiefly consumed by the farmers
Of the south and west, and they are forced
to pay to the manufacturer a bounty of
about 80 per cent. The fraud and hypocrisy
of these men who are preaching home In
dustry is shown in the fact that whenever
their employees claim higher wages they pro-
tpct home labor bv Immediately sending 10
Europe and importing the dOwntrOdden of
that country to come in competition with
home labor. by the constitution, which is
the supreme law, the government has no
power to tax the people beyond what is nee
essafy to defray the expenses Of the govern e,
ment; but urder the plea of protection the
government now has locked up in its treas
ury about $3.50 0OO. 900, or nearly half of the
J entire volume of the circulating medium.
and is now collecting about $50, COO
} more than is necessary for the expenses of
the government. But so powerful is the in
flueDce OF these prOtectiOnists that they in.
} timidate both parties in congress and the
representatives of the people hold these
burdens upon the shoulders CT the laboring
classes and give them 10 relief from the un.
Just oppression. Three-fOurths of this i'm.
mense tax comes primarily from the surplus
Of the agricultuiists south and west. By
collecting these immense taxes and locking
up about One-balf of the circulating medium,
: it is not astonishing that money is 80 scarce
among the farmers Of the south and west
and that there is such a complete plethora
Of it among the favored classes Of the east.
1t is this discriminat on dictated by the mon
eyed power that has reduced all the pro
ducts of agriculture so that farmers are
forced to sell them at about the cost of pro-
ducriOn. Again. 1t is indispensable to the
prosperity of the farmer that he should have
cheap transportation of his commodities TO
market. He could have this upon our mag
nificent rivers il the western congressman
were not either bribed or intimidated by the
railroads TO whom they have given such i'm
meESe franchises ana DOuntieS. III asTal,-
road wants bridge or any other franchise
urOn our water courses they have but little
difficulty in obtaining it, but il the farming
interests of the valley of the Mississippi ask
an appropriation for the improvement of
navigation upon their streams many west
ern cOngressmen manifest i'm Ii an indiffer-
ence of their interests that raises a strong
presumption that they have been fixed"
We have not alluded to one fftieth part of
the expressions and injustice which have re-
suited from the unwise and unjust law
passed by congress, discriminating against
the laboring and agricultural classes. l see
no remedy for these evils, except it be with
the farmers of the south and west They
are in an overwhelming majority, and to
save themselves and their pOsterity from
slavery and oppression, they should cast
aside all party considerations, and like men
of other vacations, form a farmers union.
In every county in the United States they
should call farmers meeting at their
county site and proclaim their principles and
make them as public as the declaration of
independence. They should bring out their
candidates for congress TO be elected in No
vember, and pledge themselves TO vote for
no man who Is favoring these unjust dis
examinations against them. Each county
organization should demand that their con-
gresham should furnish them with copy
of the Congressional Record and from it a
list should be taken showing the votes OF
every member upon all matters affecting
their interests. Your only security against
injustice and oppression is to hold yourcOn
gresham to the StricteSt account concern
ing the way in which he casts his vote.
/ j. E. MUNFoRD.
1