The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-10-08

living. Yet it seems 10 inspire us
with no burning, rebellioGs spirit to
free ourselves from such thraldom
We allow audacious syndicates to die
tate, railroad kings and oonapzA mon
archs to WELD their scepters and walk
roughshod over us without a MUIR
mur. We positively yield in tame
submission to these crowned ausocrats
when at the same time we possess the
power TO upset their thrones, pluck
the crown from their orows and place
it upon our own Legislation, together
with other patent resources; but legis-
lation is the principal force that will
enable US to topple these thrones,
seize the disdem, and encircle our
heads with them. We should not
only insist upon, bus we should have
and see to it that we do have, our
share of legislation. By united action
we can easily use the power we possess
by concentrating it into more par
tisan party, that will give US entire
control Of State and National legisla-
ton, and especially an end to the
National legislation being packed
with lawyers to the extent of 95 per
cent. of the whole membership; and
why should we be squeamish about
using our power in the promotion of
such party? Whs is it deserving
of such consideration at our hands ?
We of this great Alliance order
should ignore Democrat, Republican,
Independent or what not party fealty; F;
annihilate partyism or partisanship
altogether and merge ourselves into
one solid phalanx, with an appropriate
consolidated name, and like great
overwhelming deluge, carry every
thing before us. We have the
power by this means to get rid
of the plunderers who have SO
long been rihing us of our substance.
AS we are the masters of the situa-
ton if we WELD our powers at all
compatible with our strength, we can
dictate our own terms. If we fail to
use this power which we undoubtedly
possess, a power which represents a
large majority of the voting strength
of the nation, we will richly deserve
the fetters which have so long bound
us hand and foot, to be riveted with
still frmer grip, and worse than
Sinbad the Sailor, will have on our
shoulders an old man of the sea never
to be shaken off.
The last census report shows the
strength of the different classes, as
follows: Agricultural pursuit, 48 per
cent. of the entire population; mining,
% per cent. professional and personal
service, "a per cent. trade and trans
portation, 9 per cent.
If this be true it requires that all
other classes would have to unite to
control the agricultural vote; and,
as that has never been done, it fol
lows that the farmers are to blame if
there is anything wrong in the gov
ernment and it is allowed to continue
True, the farmers have not advocated
any of the evils that has been legally
done, but they have allowed knaves
and scoundrels to play upon their
prejudices and keep them divided,
one-half against the other, so that their
voting strength neutralized itself and
left the schemers and spectators the
balance of power with which to die
tate results, and thus the tame sur
render of our powers into the hand of
our foes, may be linked to the COM
pulsory submission o. .;the Roman
when the Goths, Vandas and Hirus
swept down upon them with remorse-
less might, these Alaries and attilar
of merciless monopoly scarcely refrain
from less savage greed of rapine, to
sack and plunder at will every vestige
of our rights and subsistence, whether
within their legalized monopolstic,
prohibitory, protective tariff govern
ment, guaranteed enormity power or
blinked-at illegal grasp. Election
after election passes and we send men
to legislative halls to represent us who
care not one straw about our interests.
In fact we are not represented at all,
a glaring instance of which was the
defeat of the railroad commission bill
in the last North Carolina Legislature.
We have as able men in our ranks as
can be found in any order or profes-
sion. Why not bring them into
requisition and do away once and for all
with representation which so far as
we are concerned is not worth a
oauoee, but which seems to pave the
way for all the sharpers in creation to
least and gorge themselves at our ex-
Pense and impoverishment. Yes, I
repeat we have the power possessing