The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-05-28
HAPPY
NAY 6, 1889.

an item In your excellent paper from
| Saddle Tree, 1 will give you a few
dots, which may be interesting to
some one.
We are situated near the centre of
Robson county, and have a church, a
| Sunday-school, school-house, literary
society, an Alliance and a postofice,
all known by the same name, Saddle
Tree.
In our Alliance we have some over
| fifty members, nearly all of whom
seem to be devoted Alliance workers.
Our County Alliance did not make
anv arrangements to answer your
| questions, as some other counties have
done-the day was too inclement.
| But l think, in the aggregate, there
| will be as much cotton and corn
I pl Anted and more sugar cane and
clover than usual. About the same
amount of guano used.
We enjoy very much the pictures
| of our State Alliance officers so far.
Don't forget to give us the picture of
our State Secretary-we want to see
it too. l think as they r not very
suitable to frame, 1 will paste them in
my scrap book.
Well, Colonel, you certainly got the
| best of Commissioner Robinson, but
you had the advantage of being in the
right.
The farmers are better informed,
politically, than aver before, which is
due, in a great measure, to The Pro-
GREssIvE FARMER.
I would suggest that, as we are to
educate ourselves Gin the science of
political economy" that each Sub
Alliance in the State procure a copy
of the Journal of the last Legislature,
and, on the principle that " in time of
peace is the time to prepare for war"
let us inform ourselves as to the re-
cord of each member of the last Leg
| islature.
l have no doubt but that the mem
bers from Robson "a show a clean
record, but there are some who can
not, and we do not know but that they
will be candidates for some Of the
| highest Offices i'll the State.
The Journal would not cost much,
and there we would get the truth of
| the matter.
I see that a committee appointed by
the Georgia State Alliance, for the
purpose Of considering the 2eotton
bagging question, have reported in
favor of the use of bagging made OF
cotton; but I am sorry to see thatthey
reported adverse to the proposition to
reduce the size of a bale of cotton
however, if we can all consolidate with
them, the sooner the better. 1t seems
probable that Texas and Tennessee
will adopt the same course.
There seems to be a combination
about formed on salt. This combina,
ton will be hard to subdue, as there
is no good substitute for salt, still, the
Southern people did find a substitute
in time of the late war and can do SC
again if driven to it. Can we not dc
something that will induce some
national Legislation to suppress such
Ubiquitous and fendish outrages.
(Yes, elect the right kind of men tc
the Legislature and to Congressman
who are friends of the people and who
cannot be bought or whipped in by
monopoly.-ED.)
A great many of our members are
becoming discouraged and seem tc
have come to the conclusion that the
Alliance will never accomplish any
real good, and a few have ever gone
so far as to withdraw their names, but
they are of that class generally who
are noted more for their enthusiasm
than their zeal and energy; so when
the enthusiasm dies away they are
done. They remind one of the story
of the Irishman, who, having never
visited a mountain, started with some
other men to visit a mountain which
they could see in the distance. AL
the balance of the company knowing
that it would take some time to reach
the mountain, started off at a very
moderate speed, while Irish walked al
full speed. When they had Travelled
some time they came upon Irish sit
ting down by a small ditch pulling of
his boots and literally walked down
And when asked what he was pulling
off his boots for, and being told tha'
he could step across the ditch, he re
piled that he was preparing to wade
across, "for," said he, chew do know
how far it is acros in your poor coun
try" This, I think, very much illus
trates some Of our Alliance brothers
They have found the distance create
than they expected and have nov
come to a ditch, as it were, and thinl
they cannot cross, and have becom,
weary and faint-hearted and have de
cided to give up the struggle. w
regret to give them up, but unles
| 4hou bod tho zoo1 ord &oA~.