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

nave been atoms TOO long; We
wal Cohesion We must close up
our ranks, present a united front, and
show the world that we are prepared
to hang together, march together,
bearing in mind that united we stand,
divided we fall.
Yes, brethren, by all that is holy,
we must have proper legislation.
There is a world of meaning in these
two words-proper legislation-for
upon and through them rest and is
involved life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness-all that makes life
worth living. But there can be no
pursuit of happiness when one class
possess all the power to oppress all
others with no redress whatever to
shake off the intolerable burden.
Under our present system the legisla-
ton is divided and framed by profes-
sional politicians, spectators, lawyers
and through the corruption brought
to bear by concentrated capital We
must purge, to begin with the Nation
al Legislation of it's 95 per cent. of
lawyers, many Of whom are there
solely to maintain and advance the
interests of monopolizing corporations.
This state of things we have got to
fight to the bitter end.
Yes, in order to assure our inallen-
able rights we should keep up a
never ceasing, inexpressible conflict.
Aye, raise the black flag in such a
cause, neither asking nor giving
quarters as we press to the front with
antimonopoly as our war cry to echo
in the ears of our representation as
we triumphantly elect and seat them
in State and National legislative
halls.
To effect such a salvation we must
begin instantly. We can't be too
previous in marshalling our forces,
organize thoroughly, shape our cause
at the primaries SO that we will be
primed and cooked to clinch matters
when we meet in convention. Wemust
take time by the forelock, for our foes
are ever on the alert in sleepless vigil
ance to pounce upon us. A most i'm
portant matter in connection there.
with is to fix upon the proper men to
represent us as preliminary to such
vital step. We should fix the stand
and for our candidates up to the very
highest notch of the scale of honesty,
probity, integrity, fearless discharge
of duty and unfinching adherance to
our interests as the sole criterion of
their eligibility to deserve our
suffrages. See that they adhere to
this stand, as representatives, and
when they finch from any cause or
influence whatever, decapitate them
without mercy. They should be men
that all the gems of chicanery could not
bribe, as incorruptible as flake of
virgin snow on the way from it's birth
place in the sky to the earth. We
have such men, and we should bring
them into requisition, instead of allow
ing their places to be filed by useless
incompetents with doubtful characters
as to their infexibility not to be bought
or turned aside by any outside infu-
ence. Politics should not rule us, but
we should rule politics; nor must we
let parties dicate to us, but we must
dictate to parties. To accomplish this
we must above all have unity and re-
member there is insubordination to
the will of the majority.
By all means let us waste no time
in this work, for nothing is of more
vital consequence to the advancement
of our interests.
Without proper representation, we
cannot by any possibly have proper
legislation. So let us keep the ball
rolling ceaselessly from now until the
election day, and if we will only be
true to ourselves thence forward, it
requires no prophet to foretell that
FIVE years hence this country will be
historic as the graveyard of monopoly
and trusts. Calamity, it is said, is the
touch-stone to try the stuff that men
are made of. God knows, if any peo-
pie ever had such an incentive through
the robbery and despotism of COM
bined capital to show what stuff they
are made of, we have. So let us as a
solid unit of purpose and action, show
to the world what gritty stuff we are
made OF, by throwing down the gauntlet
in the face of our enemies with the
bold challenge clay on, McDuff, and
damned be he who first cries hold I!
enough"
RITE ATTJANcE No A21