The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-09-02
NEW MOVE MENT AMONG
FARMERS

by Scott F.. HERSHEY, pub ished in the Midland
The other day l was casually walk,
ing along the street, when a friend
standing in a doorway called me in,
and invited me to look through the
establishment in which he was a
book keeper. 1t proved to be the
printing house of the National EconO-
mist, the official organ of the National
Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union I was surprised at the mag
nitude of the growth of a paper, the
existence of which | barely knew.
And | was amazed at the magnitude
of the movement represented by this
paper. l had known that for several
months there was quite a sir among
the farmers of the land, and that they
had a publication here at the capital.
Beyond that | knew little. Within
twenty minutes a new world had
opened to me. l saw the most posi-
tive evidence of one of the greatest
revolutions in thought and legislation
that has yet come to this country.
Here is a paper of sixteen pages only
fourteen months old, and has $4,000
paying subscribers. For a conserva-
tive, solid sheet, this is perhaps IN
precedented in the history of Ameri-
can ne wspapers. This rapid growth
indicates the immense and startling
spread of the powerful organizations
for which it speaks.
| was told by the manager of this
enterprise that the Farmers Alliance
was strongest in the West and South.
Texas has the largest number of mem
bers and Kansas comes second. This
increase is by the thousand per week,
and now and then a swell tide rolls
over a certain section and ten thou
sand new members will be enrolled in
a single week.
There is, beyond all procedure a
flood ide of thought, conviction and
action rolling through the agricultural
communities. The farmers of the
land think th9y have been imposed
on by all sorts of cunning sharks.
They think the laws have inadequate.
ly protected them. They think they
have been defrau led by the moneyed
combinations against which they have
protested in vain. They think their
interests have not been preserved by
legislation. They think they have
been betrayed by legislature and Con
gress, which are most always under
the domination of lawyers. And to
sustain these complaints, like the
ancient yoemen Of our country, they
make an appeal to facts. They claim
the soil is just as fertile as in years
gone by. They claim they toll just as
hard. They claim they economic as
carefully. They claim they exercise
even more care in the choice of seed.
Notwithstanding these facts, the value
of farming land has been slowly de
creasing, and the bottom is not yet
reached. And they protest against
becoming a class OF serfs. Their case
is strong and they make it out well.
Their complaint that Congress is
often nothing more than a legislative
power to be.ray the peoples rights
and money to overpowering monetary
combinations, is at times quite G >rrect.
They do not forget the terrible indict
ment of Oliver P. Morton ia which he
sa d:
"There is gathered around the CAPT
tai of this nation a gang Of pirates
who have driven this government into
the most preposterous acts Of bad faith
and legslized robbery that ever OPP
pressed a free nation since the dawn
Of history"
A similar state of aft IRIS is about to
prevail now. The Pennsylvania rail
road, through it's attorney, introduced
into the House a bill TO graDb that
party public streets and parks in this
city, for whish the company does not
propose to pay anything. The value
of this public property is len million
dollars. 1t belongs to the whole peo-
pie Of the United States. But because
members of Congress are paid prince
ly price to work and vote for this bill
they are willing to defraud the people.
Atkinson, of PenDsylvanis, and BU-
chanan, of New jersey, Are straining
hard to give this bill a good run.
Their constituencies are largely farm,
ers. This movement now in Congress
is nothing short OF a moral outra &c on
the farmers and they ought to know
it.
The present movement among the
| farmers is a birth of the times, whose
mother is necessity. Its growth aud
prosperity lie in the very genius OF
events political, and conditions agri
cultural. The fealty Of the agricul
tural classes to justice, right and pa
triotism is a record of history. The
very best movements in political econ
omy have always sprung from the
farmers.-Kansas Agitator.
I'll n Al,