The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-02-02
JOHN 'GOODEe HOPES LETTER.

60 ~.. JOHN 'GooDE- HOPES LETTER. ! Il
NJ. Edator:-I have been reading
The Mercury pretty close for along
time, have been watching it's effects on
the minds of those who write for it,
and have come to the conclusion that
the State Alliance did one of it's boss
acts when it decided to run its'own
printing establishment. From all that
Lean see the order has taken a long
step in the line of education. The
members Seem to be fully alive to the
issues now being talked of and will be-
fore long be able to understand the
causes of their oppression and will
know how to remove.the burdens, and
in the future provide plans for making
the monopolists keep their hands
out of our pockets. They now have
them in our pockets up to their
elbows, and with a leer in their eyes
and a devilish grin on their faces they
tell us to help ourselves if we can.
Now, sir, [ am just going to do my
level best to help myself at the ballot
box. And [ am going to try to get that
biggest and greediest hand out of my
pocket first. [ mean the national bank
ing system. Then l am going for the
railroad corporations that are to-day
making me and all the rest of you pay
about Is per cent. interest on monry
they never put in railroads, but til y
swear they did
How am [ going to do it? Wei,
next summer when a fellow wants my
vote to help him go to congress | will
make him first swear that he will do
his level best to have a law made to
repeal the national banking law and
another made to pay off the bonds in
the same kind of money that the first
holders paid the government for them,
and another to putup those roads that
the government loaned the money to
build and sell them under execution,
and if they don't sell for the debt let
the government buy them in and run
them for the people and declare all the
land grants forfeited and take the land
away from the thieves, for that's what
they are.
And then the fellow who wants to
go to the legislature | will make
him swear he will do his level best to
pass a law FORGETTING the charter of
every railroad that has not complied
with the terms of its charter or the
State laws, and another law to fix the
price the railroads may charge for
freight and passenger hauling, and
make him swear that when he fails to
do as he promises to do, right then he
will resign, come home, 60 into a hole
and pull it in after him. Itell you if we
will all do that way we will soon have
the greedy hands out of our pockets
will fill up and stick out like a happy's
stomach after eating a quart of mush.
l was telling my lawyer friend, Sam
Skinner, about my notion of paying
off the national bonds. He said,
"Why, Goode, you are a crank. That
can't be done. If congress were to
pass an act to pay off those bonds in
currency, or before they become due,
the Supreme Court would decide that
law unconstitutional, because it would
be an ex post facto law, and also one
impairing the obligation of contracts,
which the constitution strictly for
bids" I said, " Is that so Sam p He
said eyes" Then 1 said, "Look
here, Sam, the State of Texas sold me
a tract of land. | paid the cash for it.
The State made me and my heirs and
assigns a deed in fee simple to it.
Was not that a contract ?" He said,
ayes, of course it was" |. said,
We'll, after a while a railroad came
along and wanted to go through my
land. | told 'em no, [ had bought
that land and paid for it and did not
want to sell or give any of it away.
Then we had a fuss about it and the
court said the railroad should have
my land by paying a reasonable price
for it. Now you see the State of
Texas impaired the obligation of the
contract and the law was ex post fac.
to-" He said, "Oh, that "a done on
the ground of public policy and the
courts always sustain the. law" [
said, "Well, if the State or govern
ment can make a contract and 60 back
on it on the ground of public policy,
why, we laboring folks are going to,
make them work that public policy.
game on the bondholders and railroad
fellows. And if the Supreme Court
gets to monkeying with it we will
1911 - ~ook fcnfo' ororon nrrEfharo