The Brookhaven leader., 1890-09-04
MIssIssIPPI's PROBLEM.
How 1t Is Viewed by q Con-
sentative Man of Illinois.
Some other interesting Reflectfons-Ap.
plication of Improved Machinery, &c.

WATAGA, Ill, Aug. rs, 1890.
Editor Brookhaven Leader:
DEAR SIR The LEADER Of Au-
gust 7th containing your interview on
the Suffrage question was read with
special interest. You and your pa
per are truly leaders, but / fear you
are so far in advance of your people
that they will but feebly hear your
voice.
Your views on the sanctity of the
ballot and the right and qualification
of the voter are away up to the front
and are correct, and hope the people
of Mississippi will adopt just and
honorable methods for all voters. AS
you say, "all sensible men, no matter
what may be their peculiar views
touching the liquor question, must
recognize the fact that the great over
shadowing issue to be considered by
the convention is the race problem or
suffrage question" | have no doubt
it is the only cause for the call of the
Convention at all. And l see by the
various methods brought forward in
the discussion of this question, the
prevailing idea Is circumvention,
whereby the white man shall do u
majority of the voting, regardless of
numbers. Mr.. Campbell ought to go
and do like Edward Bellamy-sleep
113 years.
But l hope your Convention at
Jackson will not so far try "nOt to do
it," as to make themselves the laugh
ing stock of the world. The eyes of
all English-speaking people are turn
ed just now toward Mississippi.
One thing wanted to say and near
ly forgot, and that was, that the De-
mocracy is so fearful of the centrali-
cation of power in the government,
yet | see in the Southern States,
where one is nobody if not Demo-
crat, the work of Capitalization has
progressed farther than should think
Democracy would tolerate.
Our county had less population in
1880 than in 1870, and the rural pop
ulation is less in 1890 than in 1880.
There is good reason for this. I'M
proved farming machinery has done
it. Farm products have actually
doubled per capita in 20 years.
Our population in 1880 was SO, 344;
now it is 1882. Galesburg in 1880
had 10,15S; now, 15,204-a gain of
5000. What is the cause of all this ?
Why, nothing but protection to our
industries. One man now cuts and
binds Is acres of oats or wheat in a
day. One man puts it in shocks of
II sheaves as the machine leaves it.
One man plants IL to IA acres of corn
in rows both ways in one day. One
man plOws 4 acres day and harrOws
40 acres a day in preparing the land
for planting the corn. The threshing
machine threshes from 1880 to $500
bushels of oats day, and stacks the
straw with the aid of two men on the
straw stack. Charge, II cents per
bushel. The corn shelter shells 1900
bushels of your corn in one day. Hay
is loaded by machine and drawn up
into your barn and dropped just
where you want it, no matter the
length of the barn, by one horse.
Manual labor is being largely done
away with on our farms hence we
can sell grain, etc, cheap; yet our
lands are dear-$5O to $75 an acre.
Manufactures build up Galesburg,
and so they do Chicago, Peoria, Quin-
cy, Aurora, Ottawa, Freeport, Elgin
and dozens of other towns in Illinois,
as well as other States. Look at
Chattanooga, Tenn. When l was
there in 1874 it was but village.
was also in Birmingham, Ala, in 1875,
a small village then. Admission was
not thought of.
1t has been very hot here and a
great drOuth prevails. Our crops are
fair. Yours truly,
RANSOM RARCOCK