The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1888-01-19

roads IL this State, placing it's exc
oution in The hands Of a Commits
sion. The law appears to be fair
and just, while il Is rigid and ex-
acting, the object being to prevent
extortion, and discrimination
against persons or localities. The
q. s. Supreme Court has pronounc
ed the law constitutional. II rail-
road companies are now extorting
upon and discriminating against
the rights of the people il they
are charging more for carrying
freight under the rates established
by the commission than before,
then the commission is to blame,
and the remedy would be to select
a commission who would protect
the people under the provisions Of
/ the law.
This is rot said to condemn the
commission. Railroad corpora
tons are wealthy and powerful,
and courage, prudence and judg-
ment mist be exercised in dealing
with them. However, in behalf Of
those whom have the honor to
represent, I declare aud say they
must and shall be prevented from
extortion and discrimination.
RFFTpcTTONs
In looking over the annual re-
ports which / have had the honor
to make TO the State Grange dur
ing the last eleven years, / find
that in nearly every one of them,
| have called attention to the fact
that our farmers were not pros
porous, and that they were getting
poorer continually; that I have as
often called attention to the cause,
which unquestionably is class leg
islation, and as many times have
given the remedy, which is to elect
the proper proportion of farmers
to represent agriculture in the State
and National Legislatures. i
would that | could say to you now
that the hindering causes to far
mers' prosperity had been remov-
ed; that the property ofthe wealthy
indivuals and corporations now
paid just proportion of taxes
that spectators aRd gamblers no
longer regulated the price of our
products; that railroads no longer
charged all the article will bear :;
that farmers are no longer compell-
cd to pay tribute to support great
manufacturing establishments; that
monied shylocks no longer con-
trolled the purse strings Of the ma
ton and the arteries of commerce /;
that justice had regained her
throne, and the laboring and pro-
ducing classes now enjoyed the re-
wards OF their industry; but facts
would not sustain me in making
the declaration.
Farmers submitting to the lead
ership Of those who have no SYM
pathy in common with them, have
allowed the few to usurp the con-
troll ofpublic affairs, and to absorb
the earnings Of their labor and de-
stroy their political rights, thus
fostering monopoly by impOver-
ishing the people, sapping the
foundation OF virtue, of integrity,
of patriotism and Christian civili-
zation and subordinating the nobler
ambition and purer instincts of
man to the base and ignoble desire
to make the fewrlch by enslaying
the many.
1t has boon said that a people
may become
TOO poor TO BE PIovs.
However this may be, it is GER
tainly true that when people have
been robbed, impoverished and en-
shaved by the power and influence
of capital as we have been, they
become discouraged and dispirited,
and tamely and patiently submit
until patience ceases to be virtue,
when they will rise IN the majesty,
peculiar to an outraged people and
redress their wrongs.
sometimes think we are near
ing a crises in our affairs when pa
thence will cease to be q virtue, and
our producing people, aroused from
their condition of indifference, will
peacab!y revolutionize at the bal
lot box, by RELOCATING to private
life the present public men and
substitute those who are in sympa-
thy with them in their depressed
condition. Let us note a few facts.
Our farmers are producing i'm
mense crops which represent i'm
mense wealth while they remain
poor with a seant subsistence. Yet
those who handle these crops are
prosperous and doing we'll. Note
again the record of UNPUBLISHED
crime. Read the charges that are
- IL 80. -. -. e--. L..