The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-11-29
JUNGLE STENE'S" LOGIC.
LOOKING AT THINGS FROM a
HOME STANDPOINT
He Holds a Ratification, Passes Reso-
lutions and Finds Why the South is
not More Prosperous.
Progressive Farmer. !

" Uncle Steve, what did you think
of the speeches yesterday p
"Capital! capital.'' said Uncle
Steve, but DO you know I've been
studying nightly to-day? I've been
looking at things from a h0mc stand
point, and | have about concluded
that there are some things which none
OF the speakers touched that are 0,
more immediate concern 20 the farm
ers than anything | heard. | remem-
Der how one Of them, dressed out in a
nobby suit, talked about Southern in
del endenCe, and how we c)uid SC
easily get it. Well, last night | lay
down, and that suit, and that speech,
were haunting me. 1t put me to
thinking. You know he is a prett,
good writer, as well as a talker. Well,
this is about the drift of my thoughts.
/ lie tells the farmers how to become
independent, and yet from the brads
/ in the toe Of his shoes to the top oil
! his hat, there was not 4 stitch on him
! that was made in the South. And
then | remembered some pretty fiery
| articles had seen from his pen against
the Yankees, and yet | fanCied that
/ when he was preparing to write one of
thcm, he was in room whose carpet
was from Yankeedom; it was heated
with a Yankee stove and Yankee coal.
/ lit with a Yankee match. He used a
Yankee dipper, Yankee bucket, Yam
/ kee soap and Yankee towel when he
washed his hands. He seated him
self on a Yankee chair, beside Yam
kee table, picked up a Yankee pen,
dipped it in Yankee ink in a Yankee
inkstand and wrote on Yankee paper.
I Well, such reflections as these brought
me nearer home. You remember the
Pr0gycssi0e Farmer, about three
weeks ago, got hold of one Of my res
olutions and published it. Well, last
night | felt like | ought to hold a big
ratification meeting and ratify that
resolution with rousing vote. You
know | am one of these farmers who
has tried to make money raising cot
ton. | lay there and thought over all
that | had heard in the speeches about
! Independence of Southern farmers and
then, as ] said, | would look at it from
a h0me standpoint. ! allowed my
mind to ramblc all over the room and
the house and the kitchen and the
SmQke-hOuSe and the lot and the barn.
| couldn't find much comfort. |
couldn't find but three things in the
room that were H0We- -Waae-thc old
cat, two roasted potatoes and the
feathers III our bed. The side board =,
the books, the chairs, the bedstead
the clock, tho tongs and andirons-not
one of them was made in the South,
and SO it was all over the house. If |
could have stopped there, | could have
palmed it off on my wife, but it was
irresistable-I had to 20 out in my
own domain went to the smoke
house. There sat a part of box of
white Chicago meat, a piece of a bar
rel Of Minnesota -four, about half
bushel Of Irish potatoes from Maine, a
small tin can of Chicago lard, a bag of
Richmond meal, keg of so-called
Cuba molasses and gallon jug of
vinegar from New Jersey. From there
| went to the barn, where | found my
mule from Kentucky, that | fed ship
stuff from Baltimore, mixed with hay
from Illinois, cut with knife from
New York. Ny wagon was from
Michigan, my harness from Massichu-
setts and my plow from Pennsylvania
and my buggy from Ohio, and even
tie old guano sacks had on them,
Rhode Island"
Uncle Steve here shut up his big
jack knife, with which he had been
whiting and rising from his seat, said
slowly, deliberately and with great
emphasis:
Talk to me about independence Of
farmers who do like that Talk TO
me about protecting labor or reducing
the tarif-speeches or no speeches,
tariff or no tariff. vote or no vote,
am ready to amend that resolution Of
mine published in Polk's paper, and
to take an oath that it ought TO read
Pe5ol0ea, That WE ARE 4 NATION
OF FARMER FOOLS"