Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-05-31
wheeler,s Column.
w. Il. yecrkamp. Edlto.


Veerkamp, president Jas. Elliott,
vice-president j. w. Middleton,
secretary VIM. Farrah, treasurer !;
", =. Veerkamp, lecturer and
editor.
The next meeting of the Au-
drain County A. w. will be held at
Moline, June 18th, commencing ut
10 o'clock a. m. It will be an open
session and the public is invited.
Secretaries of the several Wheels
should send US the date of their
meetings, SO we car publish it in
this column.
County Lecturer Veerkamp visit
ed Laddonia Wheel on the 10Th
inst. He found the Wheel flour
ishing and initiated three men,
bers.
A Wheel should be organized in
every community. If properly
conducted they may result in great
good by encouraging independent
thought and action, and a degree
of self-reliance and firmness which
are absolutely necessary for every
great reform. Anyone wishing
to have a Wheel organized should
address Isaac Iiams, Worcester
No., or J. P. Veerkamp, Rush
Hill, Mo.
The Wheel is essentially labor
ing mans organization through it
the s may associate them
selves together fraternally for the
purpose of studying and discussing
questions of profound interest to
both the producer and consumer.
The Wheel is not working in the
interest of any party or class of
people, except those engaged in
manual labor +; it does not attempt
to influence the religious or politi-
cal opinions of anyone, but 1t must
be borne in mind hat we have
never forfeited our right to crlti-
else the public measures of any
party whenever those measures are
inimical to the interests of the
people.
The Wheel is arrayed against all
class legislation; its motto is equal
rights to all and exclusive privi-
leges to,,none;;" it is opposed to all
monopolies, pools or "trusts,'
which, by concentrating capital in
a few hands, crush out all compe-
tition, and have the people at their
mercy; they cannot be reached by
existing law, owing to the secrecy
of their organization ; they not be-
ing chartered by State authority,
are accountable to no one except
their own individual consciences,
and these have become so dulled
that a reckoning is not often called
for. The remedy for these evils
is in proper legislation-let the
people demand it.
County Secretary Middleton is
in receipt of a letter from J.. w.
Rodgers, State Secretary, in which
Mr.. Rodgers states that within the
last ten days he has chartered five
county Wheels he says further
that here are 72S sub Wheels in
the State, with a membership of
40, 900.
The next annual meeting OF the
State Agricultural Wheel will be
held at Dexter City, Stoddard
county, Mo-, commencing Wednes-
day, Sept. 10, 1888. Secretary
Rodgers says he is proud of the
Audrain brethren and hopes to
meet some of them at the State
meeting. Audrain will be entitled
to one, and, perhaps, two repre-
sentatives at this meeting, where
Wheelers and Alliance men will be
united. This will then be n of
the strongest organizations in the
United States, as it is estimated
that the two orders combined will
aggregate 100000.
The several State conventions OF
both parties have adopted planks
in their platforms, denouncing
trusts and ~"pools." Every
Wheeler should endorse this senti-
ment, and watch closely to see
whether or not this denunciation
of sstrusts" will be continued after
the November elections.
County Lecturer V~eerkamp Wis
tied the Bean Creek Agricultural
Wheel on the 26th inst, at which
an open session was held, the pub
lie having been invited to learn
something of the aims and objects
ofthe Agricultural Wheel. A large
audience, one-third of which was OF
ladies, filled the hall. j. r. Tor
reyson, county organizer, was in,
troduced by the president and made
a neat little speech. He was fol-
lowed by County Lecturer Veer.
kamp, who said in the course OF
his remarks, that a combination
or "pool'' of the people at the bal
lot box was the best method by
which the money power could be
broken. The meeting then adj
journed.
I have been notified that our
State Wheel dues must be paid al
once. Sub Wheel secretaries will
!nlaase collect ten cents from each