St. Landry democrat., 1890-09-06
CO. don, Of Georgia.
THE FARMERS ALLIANCE INDORsED IN AN
OPEN LETTER,

| THE FARMERS ALLIANCE INDORsED IN AN
OPEN LETTER.
Governor Gordon, of Georgia, gives bis
Endorsement to the Alliance. The South
ern Alliance Farmer of May 26 contains
letter from the Governor in reply to one
written him by Editor Brown, of that
paper. In this letter Governor Gordon
heartily indorses the Alliance This in
dorsement was made necessary by the
Governors candidacy for the succession to
| Joseph E Brown in the United States
Senate Following is Governor Gordon's
| letter:
ATLANTA, Ga, May %. 1890.
Mr. Il. c. Brown, Editor of the Southern Alliance
NV Dear Sir-Representing as YOU do,
80 large and honorable q body of our best
citizens, your right cannot be questioned
| to nv opinion of the great movement to
which you refer in your letter Of yester-
| day. NV answer will be given with entire
! frankness, although the exacting nature
| of my duties absolutely fnrbids any elab-
| crate discussion. Appreciate most sensibly
| YOUR kind illusions to myself las frieno
! Of the toiling millions who are seeking
| Justice" This testimonial from one IL
your position will justify the statement,
trust, that as life-member of the State
| Agricultural Society from early manhood,
| and identified in every possible way with
| farming interests of the country, my high
est concern, in public and private life, has
been to protect and promote the great ag-
ricultural industry of our country, no.
only as the leading, primal and principal
| calling of our people, but that one most
essential to Southern and National pros
perity, and yet least favored by govern
| ment or protected by its own votaries
| Hence, for fifteen years or more l have
| labored in convention, on the public rQs-
| rum and in private station to induce the
| farmers of the country to organize. For
fifteen years or more have urged close,
compact union, an all embracing agricul-
tural brotherhood, defensive in its charac-
ter, and only aggressive in protecting that
| industry from unfrlendly legislation, unjust
exactions and hurtful determinations.
| In view of these efforts to secure organ
ization during so many years of my past
| life, it is scarcely necessary for me to say
that hailed the advent of the Farmers
Alliance as the possible final realization of
long cherished hope. Nor is it neces-
sary, with my past record before you. to
SAY that | indorse without reserve and with
undated emphasis the policy Of the Alli-
ance for an increase of the circulation
medium of the country. As to the best
method of obtaining that increase, FRI n 4.
ly admit that am not fully prepared to
advise, but repeat what said in another
place, more than twelve years ago, that
do not believe more dismal chapter, nor
one more inconsistent with real statesman.
ship, nor more incompatible with the true
interests of its citizens, has ever been
written in any country, where the ballot
was free, than that which records the
action of this government in the forced
and rapid contraction of the currency. In
the teeth of overwhelming evidence of the
country's growth and rosperity, and on
the groundless assertion and bold assunp-
ton that all the boundless prosperity in
the country at that time was the meres,
ham, Congress proceeded to rush through
on measure of contraction after another
until it had checked enterprise, quad
rupled the difficulty of paying debts,
blasted the hopes and psraly zed the indus
tries of the people and reduced all these
inspiring prospects and productive ener-
gies to one vast funeral pile.
dissatisfied with these dismal results,
the contraction cormorsnts gave the screw
another turn in the demonetizati IN of sill
yer, and cramped and crushed the tillers
of the soil and t,ilers for bread until the
black ruins from their mad policy were
seen on every hand in shattered fortunes,
popular dismay and deadly universal
blight regret that | cannot in this let
ter discuss the reasons, or rather excuses,
offered for this needless and cruel policy.
What ought to be said of the folly and
madness that would enforce in this coun-
try a policy which everywhere, in all
countries and conditions. Is reeking with
the iEdiscrminste murder of every interest
that makes country rich and great.
shall hope at an early day more fully to
analyze this subject and discuss the other
problems to which you allude in your very
courteous letter.
You are aware, however, that my time
is taxed to the utmost. and you will par
don me for now closing with one word to
the great brotherhood in which you hold
SO responsible position. By education
from early youth up, by persistent interest
and by every consideration of the welfare
of our people, my sympathies are deeply
enlisted in all the high purposes sought to
be accomplished by the Farmers Alliance.
l rejoice that the genius of the age-the
genius of organized, cooperative effort
nas al laSI possoSSeu, arouSea anu Inpelleo
TO action the great body of the tillers of
the soil. With wise counses to guide
them to conservative action, with full rec
ognition of the rights of others, but I'M
compromising resistance to wrongs upon
themselves, with relentless opposition to
legislative or congressional discrimination
in every phase or form, whether discrim-
nation be against landed interests. through
pet banking systems, or against the masses
of the people, through unequal taxation,
uncontrolled corporations and monopolies
or iniquitous financial policies, by unitedly
combating all these governmental PARTIAL
ties and special privileges, the success of
this great movement by the brotherhood
of farmers will be doubly assured, and that
success will bring not only to the farming
classes, but to the toiling masses of the
people, speedy and substantial relief, and
iaaugurate an era of prosperity never
known before in the history of this repub-
lie. Fraternally yours, J. B. GORDON.
Two Ways of Reading.
A little boy came home one day from
| church service. from which his parents