The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-04-29

ton of wealth on the one hand, and
such a rapid congestion OF poverty on
the other, has wiped out the great
bulwark of liberty in this country, to-
wit: the middle class of people. L
say that, to my mind, is the most
alarming feature in the case. In al
ages and in all countries, the mldoie
classes have been the stay and oul.
wark of civil liberty"
SMALL MEN IN CONGRESS.
"Do you find, in your contact with
public men, advocating your measures
and views, that such class is composed
of very large or very small men 1
mean intellectually"
"When l was a boy, he answered,
81 read very frequently IN my Scnool
books about statesmen; but | notice
in the current literature OF the day
that term has become almost obsolete"
"And still the remedy is with the
people"
"The remedy is with the people.
Party spirit is to-day the bane and curse
of this country. You may go to the
Capitol and watch the average Con
gresham, and truth and candor will
compel you to say that his official
course is governed chiefly by the con-
sideration as to how any measure
which may come up will effect his
party. Partisanship is not necessarily
antagonistic to a high grade of states
manship by any means; but when
everything is subordinated bipartisan
ship, [ think there is very little states
manship back of it"
wHACK AT SENATOR INGALLS,.
"What would be the effect of a
movement to unite the two great Sec
tions of the country 2
General Grant and Lee declared
at Appomattox that the war had
ended. There are many men, North
and South, who were not present to
hear that declaration, many who die
not avail themselves Of the opportun-
ity Of standing under their respective
flags and showing their manhood;
they were quiet, docile citizens in
these times. But they have been
blatant, valiant soldiers ever since.
They have resorted to every method
to keep ablaze sectional animosity and
sectional strife in the American heart.
I went to our meeting at St. Louis
carrying with me the conviction,
which | have entertained since the
close of the war, that if the people,
apart from and independent of the
influence of designing, demagogical,
sectional agitatOrs, could get together
and shake hands, the Union would
be, indeed and in truth, restored.
When we Of the South met the North
western farmers at St. Louis we
found that they felt the same way and
were as willing and as anxious to
meet US as we were to meet them;
and no one clause in our Constitution
was received by our order more
warmly than that which declares that
we will discourage all sectional strife.
So far as the Southern Alliance men
and the Northern Alliance men are
concerned, we have but one name,
we have but n country, we have
but one flag. And he%nceforth, if
the members be true to their obliga-
ton and true to the best interests of
the country, the sectional agitator
will be consigned to merited oblivion.
| do not know what Senator Ingalls,
may think about that, but it is true"
H PROTECTIVE TARIFF.
"Let me ask you: Does the tariff
in any manner tend to affect the con
dition of the farmer n way or the
other? What is known as the high
protective tariff system ?"
eyes. We believe it to be morally
unjust to the wealth producers of this
country"
"And you would advocate what 2"
"a reduction of the tariff to a basis
required by an economically and hon
estly administered government. We
do not believe that this government
can, with any show Of justice, tax one
class or one interest to build up an
other class or another interest. We
advocate n claim only an open field
and a fair chance"
"In other words, a tariff imposed
to meet the necessary obligations of
the government economic ally admin
istered and no more p
"No more. That is as far as we
believe the government has a right
to go without doing injustice to
some, and we do not think the gov
eminent ought to do wrong"
"Do you believe in the imposition
Of an income tax ?"
"That is a question that 1 have no
doubt will come up in the near
future"
1t is not now being agitated by
the Alliance 2"
"No, it is not being agitated.
Tl--- 81 Ill., -