The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-06-26

Howard, ESQ, Tuskegee, Ala.
Dear Sir-Your favor stating that
you are a member of the Farm
er's Alliance of Macon county.
Alabama, and requesting me to give
nv views OH what is commonly
known as the Sub treasury plan"
was duly received and take the
esrliest opportunity to reply. You
state that you have been Demo
crat fifty years, and that you and
those with whom you are associated
are in favor Of equal justice to all
and special favors to none. This Is
sound Democratic doctrine, and if
it had been strictly adhered to in
Congress during the last quarter OF
a century the evils of which the
farmers and other classes Of our
people Justly complain would have
been averted and the whole country
would be prosperous and contented.
But unfortunately the paternal
theory Of government which owes
it's origin to this country to the ad-
vocates Of q system Of taxation which
makes unjust determinations against
part OF the people for the purpose
of increasing the profits of another
part has been so frequently embod-
led in our legislation during the last
year that our people instead of rec
ognizing a common interest in the
general welfare, have been divided
into warning classes, each striving
to secure for itself some peculiar ad-
vantage at the expense of all the
others.
The prevailing theory is that the
individual citizen must not rely on
his own efforts in the transaction of
his private business, but that he
has a right to appeal and ought to
appeal to the government for finan-
cial assistance in every emergency.
that the government has not and
never can have any money except
what is realized by taxation IN some
form upon the people of the United
States. 1t is theory which grossly
misconstrued and perverts the pow
ers of the government, paralyzes in
dividual effort and destroys that
spirit of self-reliance and independ-
ence which is an absolutely essential
qualification for good citizenship In
tree republic. IT. IS not only de-
moralizes the people, but if persist
ed in will convert the government
itself into a patriarcbal despotism
with absolute control over the fin
ancidl, industrial and personal in
terests of its citizens. The farmers
of the country have been taxed so
long for the benefit of other classes,
and have seen so much legislation
tor the aggrandizement of corpora
tions and syndicates, that their pa
thence is exhausted, and finding it
impossible for the time being, at
least to abolish the system which
has oppressed and despoiled the
the greatest industrial interest of
the country, they are now demand
ing that the very policy which they
have heretofore denounced as un-
just and ruinous shall be applied to
them, or rather part of them, for
no scheme has yet been suggested
that would operate alike upon all
the farmers.
That they have been oppressed
and despoiled by unjust legislation
must be admitted by all who have
given any attention to the subject,
and when they see measures favora-
bly, reported to Congress to tax
them still further for the purpose of
raising money to pay subsidies and
bounties to wealthy steamship cor
pOrations and to the producers of
sugar and silk, which are among
the least important of our domestic
product, it is not at all strange that
they should become more dissatis-
fed than ever, and urgent in their
demands for relief; but no evil can
be corrected, no wrong can be
righted by increasing it magnitude
and extending the scope of its oper-
ations. There is but one effectual
remedy for the evil which undoubt-
eddy exists, and that is to reverse
the policy which produced it.
THE SCHEME EXPLAINED.
The demands made by the farmers
IN some parts of the country have
been formulated, and at their re-
quest bills have been presented in
the House and in the Senate which
many Of them think will afford the
necessary measure of reliet. | need
not undertake to state all the de-
tails Of these plans, for whatever
the particular provisions of the
measures may be, the whole scheme
in it's general form and design is
vicious in principle, and if adopted
would prove in practice ruinous to
every interest it is intended to ben
fit. The plan to which you allude
in your letter is to establish what
are to be denominated SUBJ
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