The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-06-17
WE MUST HAVE "A CHANGE OF
BASE.
Petitions Will Not Do.

We hope sensible farmers will
neither be frightened nor disturbed
oy the silly bowls of partisan papers
and politicians. Each side is trying
to make it appear that the Farmers
Alliance is a diversion in favor of the
other. This is no new cry; it has
been raised by the same fellows every
time a particle of independence has
appeared among the people. No mat
ter what the politi ians and political
parties have been guilty of, if any re-
spectacle number of people have pro
tested against it, this same cry has
been raised on both sides, as is raised
now. A man of so much as an in
fant's thought must know that neither
is true. 1t is not the purpose of the
Farmers Alliance to strengthen or
weaken any party; it is not its pur-
pose to create a new party, but it
does care for the welfare of this
country; it cares for the liberty and
independence of the people; it
cares for the success of agriculture;
it re for the development of the
great industrial interests of this great
nation; it cares for the rights of honest
toll; it cares for equal privileges and
simple justice. To an understand e
of these and a proper defense of them
it proposes to educate the people. To
break the powers of constituencies
knaves and plunderers, it proposes to
direct its energies. This independence
we claim is precisely what the Revo.
lutionary fathers fought for. What
m Atters it whether the tyrant that
rules and RODS US wears a British
crown, or sits upon a throne of party
caucus ? There never was a more re.
lentless tyrant than caucus, and never
a more relentless robber than those
who live upon u prejudices. This
power, we confess, it is our purpose
to break; this robber we propose to
convict, and enable the people once
more to feel that they are free men
and that their right to do as they
please extends to their voting as we'll
as to other things. But let it be
distinctly understood that we are not
trying to build up any party o to
tear down any p srty.
Brethren, have you forgot what
Boo. Ingersoll said in his conven: ionsl
speech in the city of Chicago? 1t
reiterated the sentiment and gave
voice to controlling partizan politics
when he said:
"The labor to raise raw material is
ignorant labor, but the moment the
raw material is worked into fabric,
fashioned into beautiful shapes, that
requires intelligence. Consequently
the greater the number of industries
we have in the United States the
more intelligent u population will
be. Ordinary labor is always cheap.
Labor commands a price in proportion
that the mind is MKT with muscle
in the proportion that thought is min
gled with effort"
These assertions were received with
loud and boisterous applause by an
audience representing an individual
wealth of over one thousand million
dollars, and it is fair to presume that
farmers of this country still hold and
will ever retain the distinguished po-
sition accorded them by Ingersoll
while the bullionists are in power.
You can never, while yours are the
only products doomed to pass inspec,
ton in the markets of the world. ex.
pect to be placed on a mental plane
with the man who "fabricates " three
cent-hog into ffteen-cent salt, paint
and paper canvas bacon, or "fabri.
Gates" the heecy coat of your focks
Is cents per pound and returns it
beautifully fabricated with the cast.
off relics of a departed age, rejuvinated
by the shoddy mill and an "intelli.
gent, industrious mind process" pc.
culiarly fitting it to your and your
children's backs at the small sum of
So per pound And so you may go
on through the whole catalogue of
your productions, and will find s.
self scooped from one half to three
fourths of the value of every article
in most scientific methods, and the
more "mind MKT muscle, and
thought mingled with effort y on the
part of the other fellow the less emol-
uments will be left to reward your
energy and efforts in your struggle
for your daily bread, and the more of
this kind of mental calibre you submit
to the more your social and political
grade will be lowered.