The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-11-04
IN OHIO.
President Polk Meets With a Hearty
Reception--Ris Speech and
y How it was Re-
ceived
Special Cor. of The P OPPRESSIVE FARNER

Special COf. OI he Z OGhEee1NE EAhAhA
COLUMBUS, O., Oct, 26, go.
Col. l.. l.. Polk, President of the
Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union, was with US some thirty hours
in this city the latter part of last
week, and on Saturday afternoon at 2
o'clock he spoke to the farmers #
Franklin county in cur new and ele-
giant Board of Trade Auditorium.
need not add-for it is e~UpeTfuous
to do so-thag he made a grand speech
full OF facts, logic, pathos and sound,
substantial reasoning and to the de
light and satisfaction Of the farmers
present, He vas greeted with ap
plause more than a score Of times and
listened to with riveted attention from
first to last. Our Mayor in Introduced
him in a happy and cordial manner as
the representative of millions OF farm
ers, who are getting together to
compare notes and discover just
what the matter is. This, the Mayor
said, "was a very sensible and indeed a
patriotic mo i've, and he remarked that
some times we city people get ahead
of you financially and the great cor.
porations seques rate and absorb the
bard earnings of the agriculturists
through various modern methods and
devices lot readily seen or undef stood
oy the average of mankind, though
cunning and devious, the disastrous
results follow as surely as if taken by
marauders."
TIE Mayor then introduced Col
Polk, whose noble sentiments for fra
ternity and brotherhood between the
North and South, especially among
the farmers, created The warmest re
spouse from the audience.
For many years | have argued for
and advocated nOn-partisan politics. |
have much regretted the sectional ami
mosities that. have occurred on the
eve of each election, promoted by pro-
f~essional politicians, who had no other
interest but a selfish one to obtain
Office or aid others to do so. Thus
we have drifted along under party
domination, the caucus decree and
sectional reverberations from the ros
trum, fighting the war over and yer
for twenty years. The subject has
become thread oare. People have fin
ally, through great peril, become
aroused to the situation and the farmer,
in particular, is getting "onto" the
schemes and realizes what a fool he
has been. The MORTGAGE and come
other things have at last got him into
a thinking and positive mood. He
has struck the "last ditch and the
Irregular ticket" the " boss and the
" boodler" can't make as much i'm
preston on him as of "yore." He
has found out a thing or two. The
farmer has made the discovery, though
a. the eleventh hour, half past, that
all is not gold that g~litters, and that
Heaven smiles on those who help
themselves" Twenty FIVE years it has
taken TO reach this sublime reality
among the farmers of he United
STATES, and | thank heaven the port is
in sight.
1t is a great pleasure for me 10
state, land this our sentiments is the
chief object of this letteI) that all over
Ohio there is a responsive feeling
growing to shake hands with the good
people of the South and to make them
feel that we have a common interest,
a common heritage and a common
destiny.
Brother Polk has given the fra
ternal feeling a grand momentum in
this city and State. Such Farmers
Alliances as We organize in central
OHIO beats anything credited to the
" Jews" and l want to say to our
farmer friends and brethren in the
South that we are with you and for
you and propose to continue on the
Farmers Alliance platform. We are
on the right tr Ack at las and | thank
God for it. Stand toy, 1er, work to.
gether and vote toger 'er. There is
no power on this cont:nrnt that can
successfully oppose IL united efforts
and demands Of he American
farmers. Take the farmer out of
our social and economic affairs and
this country would, be "worth a
shuck." When he is c united out the
country is gone. The man who can't
see this has never read b story. When
the we'll to do, independent, educated,
industrious farmer becomes a renter,
a tenant and a serf, then we may look
for the vandals.
JOHN w. HALL.