The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-02-11
: y af4HEN AND now
"A CORRESPONDENT of the
~. oAan Moa,,c uaun. leE -.

"A CORRESPONDENT OF the
IN Rodaoks NeVS says: sF
"There has already been too much
said about hard times, as it had q
tendency to demoralize the public.
There has been more said about hard
times III the last four months than
dttring the four dark years when
every able bodied man was in the
army fighting the. enemy and, our
mothers and wives and Daughters
were at home wearing homespun dres-
ses and homemade shoes, drinking
potato and rye coffee sweetened With
sorgum molasses, and boiling water
out of the Atlantic to get salt for
their bread" Fl a. .,a>,4. .ys, "A
True, our noble men and noble
women endured and suffered all and
more than is expressed in the above
paragraph. Why2 The answer is
found in all the fancied and3 real
wrong and grievances which plunged
two mighty armies into the horr9Ws
Of the 6loodiesto civil warsof, histogN,
Our, men staked their lines. They
endured suffering. They banished
all dread of hard times. They counted
not the comforts of life and home
against the tremendous interests at
ISSUE. They were fighting against
what they conceived to be q tyranical
government, their most hateful foe.
Their mothers, wives and daughters
shared all and dared all. They en-
gagged in war knowing the cost. and
fully prepared to pay it. They ex
pected hard times and suffering and
deprivation, and true to their man.
hood and womanhood they com,
planned not. But how is it now 2
That desolating wal ended a quarter
of a century ago. We have had
nothing to disturb or to retard our
progress as a people. We have the
finest country on the globe! We
have as frugal, enterprising and in
dustrious people IS live on the earth.
The finest agricultural country ever
inhabited by man. There is no con.
hict between the people and the
government. They now feel that
the government should be their best
friend, They have q right to expect
prosperous times. under these circum7
stances. They know that if just con:
ditions prevailed that with all these
great privileges we should be, indeed,
a happy and prosperous people. The
farmers of this greatly favored coun.
try have worked hard and have
struggled manfully and sheroically,
only to find themselves, at the end
of each year, in worse condition
than ever before They have resor.
| ted to every expedient. to >save theffs
selves from wreck and their families
from want. They, abandoned the
fondly cherished hope of LUXURIOUS
or even comfortable living and were
brought down to the desperate task
of saving home to give sheftsf Tt
their families. Ia majority Of Ameri
can, fafmets'hon1es are today2unde1
mortgage ahdIwill pass frem@stheil
present occupants unless relief sir
afforded. TheY have been htaxed,
either directly or. indirectly, until
hopeless bankruptcy stares chem in
the face. Tie iron-hand 0fad9bBAha
been laid heavly upon them3ao'Eht
products of their labor sell for,zlest
than it cost to produce them, They
cannot get sufficient money ! meet
the demands of their reduced farm
ing operations. And all this, in thil
magnificent country and under oul
boosted government. ~ 60
KsaFerilyg we have heard much O.
'hardaimessssa Let it continue to.b
heard until it is. heeded by fhos,
who can give relief, 1In. war the
expected and. Welcomed hard times
In peace tkeey1 expected and they de
mand easy iknot prosperous times
$50 long as~these. conditions. exist vii
We hear the cry. of "hard times" y.
III ~ |