Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-22
ONE THING AT 4 TINE

| ONE THING At 4 TINE.
| The Farmers Alliance of the Tenth
congressional district OF Texas held q
meeting at Austin On the l4th and 18th
Of this month, at which the usual string
of resolutions or declaration of princi-
pies was adopted. An Alliance meeting
without that evidence of life, without
| going over for the thousandtt time the
story of its wrongs and of the mode of
redressiug them would be almost
| curiosity. The worthy people of this
society appear to forget that the man
with grievance who is forever dining
| it into the ears of his neighbors and
| friends incurs the risk of firing, if not
| disgusting them. Instead of exciting
| sympathy he is more apt to inspire dis
gust. All men are sorry for the victim
of deep seated ulcer, but if he should
go about constantly exposing it to the
| public gaze, and calling attention to the
fostering sore, pity would soon degener-
ate to Indifference, if not disgust. To
be sure, the analogy between the Alli-
ance and the invalid is not altogether
complete, but the similitude is suf-
ficiently striking TO arrest attention.
Maladies affecting the body polite are in
their consequences very much like those
attacking the physical organism, and
there is a kind OF social hippo, or assault
of blue devils, that ravage COM
munlties, as they distract and worry in
dividusls, stimulating morbid fsncies
and grotesque imaginings. Under the
in tuence of this malady the imagina-
tion becomes as foul as Vulcan's smithy,
and peoples the surrounding air with
ugly phautoms and merciless ogres.
The disease is largely one of the mind,
and not of the body, functional instead
of organic, and the victim is eternally
talking about 1t, grooming and lament
ing, doctoring and dosing himself with q
thousand and one quackeries and nos
trums.
There is q way of going roundly to
work quietly and judiciously, to cure the
SOIu UniutS ~ ouC hoo LILO SOOu
sense to quit quackeres and curealls.
and leave off moaning and winning.
At the late election the farmers Of the
United States did more for their interest
in a single day. by wise use of the bal
lot, than they have done since the war,
with oil their talking and resoluting.
Organization doubtless contributed to
the result. But that result was achieved
by a concentration of effort upon single
wrong, and not as we too often see, by
scattering it over multitude of more or
less imaginary woes. That effort was a
death blow at protection and high taxes.
To reap the fruits of it, it Is uesdful that
the victory be followed up energetically,
and not be neglected TO so in chase of
wil-o'-the- wlsps and jaok-o'- the-lan-
terms.
Here We have this Aus in Alliance |
calling for uniformity in school books,
the Australian ballot system, a reduction |
of the legal rate OF interest, the confiu-
ing of couvicts within the walls of the |
penitentiary, and the manufacture by |
them of cotton bagging. separate tax
rolls for negro taxpayers, the employ |
ment in state departments of female |
clerks and SO forth.
Now all these things may be very we'll,
or they may not, but whether they are
or not it is extremely doubtful if all of
them, and others besides, were granted
by the state the average condition of the
Texas farmer would be appreciably i'm
proved. He is the victim, not of bad
government in the state, but in the ma
ton; not at Austin, but at Washington.
Unjust and discriminating Federal leg
islation that has made him the victim OF
monopoly, is to blame for his wrongs.
1t is against that he should direct his eff
forts, and upon the general government
he should call for justice. A separate
roll for the negro taxpayer, or a half
dozen more female clerks i the depart
ments may be all right. but how does
that cheaper the cost of living to the
farmer, or enhance the price Of his cot
ton or corn? The world Is 5000 years old,
and still there are men who have yet to
learn the value Of the old adage, zone
thing at time, aud the big thing
fret.
|