The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-02-23
For THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR
THE CONSIDERATION OF
FARMERS.

the end chow shall we resist the COM
binations of capital made against our
interests" The laboring and consum-
ing classes, as a rule, are not given to
deep and intrinsic thought, while cap
ital, if it does own itself, can COM
mand the best and strongest thought
of the land; therefore it behooves the
organizations of these classes to move
cautiously and waste no material about
uncertain issues and dividing ques-
tions. True, they may throw out
questions as ~feelers, but draw them in
when found of doubtful prepriety.
They should first be sure they are
right and then go ahead. The farm
ers are agreed and on the following
questions:
L. How shall we get our farms re-
leased from debt &?
2. Shall we give liens and mort
cages?
3. How shall we improve our land
and make the farm pay?
4. How shall we sell in the best
market and buy in the cheapest?
5. How shall we have impartial
laws passed, and OF what particular
laws we wish passed can we unite?
6. How shall we resist the trusts"
the combines" and ~monopolies?
These questions are now before the
country, and practical solutions are
sought. To the last question, the
hardest one of all, [ wish to draw at
tention.
These trusts, combines and monopo-
lies are hard to reach, but it is no use
of complaining unless we are going to
find out how to reach them and then
pick your men who will reach them.
This way Of electing men to Office and
giving them general instructions, (you
must help us; you must do something
for us, or we will not send you any
mOre) don't often amount to a row of
pins. Tell your officers-elect what
particular law you want passed and
how to frame it; then he has his work
chalked out and before him, and if he
sees you are a unit he will procure it's
passage, if possible. This is the way
for farmers to do business; first, agree
on what they want and then point out
the way to get it. The farmers want
free competition in buying and selling
no trusts, no combines, no monopo-
lies, no corners. If there is a single
man in the United States wise enough
to tell how they are going to get it he
has not yet been found. For in truth
there is 10 n plan which will meet
all cases. Some say lower the tariff;
some say raise the tariff; some say
levy an income tax, and so on.
This is our view on that certain line
of articles manufactured at home as
well as abroad. First the legislator
should be well posted as to cost of
production and manufacture of any
particular article, and then after allow
ing a reasonable profit to our home
manufacturers the import tax should be
SO regulated as to allow foreign COM
petition when any such manufactured
goods is sold above this reasonable
profit. This would effectually check
mate all trusts and combines where
goods are manufactured at home al
well as abroad, unless our home manu-
facturers crossed Owe the water and
combined with the foreign manufac-
turer, which would be attended with
almost insurmountable difficulties.
Right here let me put in a remark of
caution, for we must remember that
foreign nations are more shrewd and
subtle on this trust and combining
business than Americans; for what
little they know they learned it from
them. We should by no means give
them a chance to combine against and
injure our home manufactures. We
must watch both ends of the line.
This is our medicine for combines on
a certain class of articles manufactured
at home as we'll as abroad. We will
call this class No. l.
The mex class we call class No. 2.
This includes products of other coun-
tries not manufactured or raised in
the United States. Now we come to
a problem-to a poser. How are we
going to prevent or combines
on coffee, tea, the spices, quinine, pep
per and so on. Many European gov
ernments, in order to give their cap
italists the command in the trade of
these thousand and one articles, have
subsidized regular lines of steamers to
carry these articles at nominal freight
rates. This was a powerful combine
against the merchant marine of the
United States. The merchant vessels
of the United States, getting no aid
from the government, could not COM