The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-12-09
A FEW WORDS OF A PERSONAL
! NATURE.

A TIME HONORED custom re.
n quires that any 4 taking upon
himself the duties of an Editor, shall
intimate to the public something of
the purposes and intentions which are
to actuate and guide him in the dis
charge of his grave responsibilities.
It will not be amiss, therefore, for me
to make the usual personal and ex
planatory observations at the thresh
hold of my entrance upon the duties
of nay new position.
AS to my qualification for the duties
OF journalism, the readers of The Pro
GREssIvE FARMER will be able to Judge
after the lapse Of a little time. l may
say, however, that l am conscious of
an earnest purpose to be use
full to the great constituency of the
paper; and if application and pains
taking industry can enable one of
my hum ole gifts to serve them &C
ceptably, 1 do not despair of earning
the good opinions of those for whom
| shall write and labor.
1t may, not unreasonably, be asked
what qualifications for conducting a
journal devoted to the interests of
farmers can a man possess whose life
has been, Tor the most part, spent in
the Gospel ministry? To any who
may ask this question, [ make this
reply:
[ was brought up on the farm, and
have performed WITH my OWN hands
every species and kind Of farm labor
known 10 the people of my native
State. | understand the hardships of
farm lie, from an actual experience
OF them; and l know about the limi,
tations placed upon the manhood of
the farming classes by partial and I'm
fair laws. [ have not forgotten the
hardships of my own early life upon
the farm; and l have not suffered my
self to drift out of sympathy, for so
much a one hour, with the class in
which | was born.
Furthermore, I am thorough y in
sympathy with the principles and aims
of the FARMERS ALLIANCE. | believe
that simple justice, to say nothing at
all Of mercy, requires the execution
Of speedy reform Of both State and
national laws, in the interests of the
farmers of this cguntry. l must not
be misunderstood l could be
induced to write a line or utter a
word in advocacy Of the enrichment
OF the farmers at the expense of any
other class Of my fellow citizens.
Such advocacy would be the advocacy
of class legislation; and l hate class
legislation even as | hate its author
the devil. l say | am in sympathy
with the principles of the Farmers
Alliance. The questions that relate
to the embodiment Of those principles
in actual laws. are questions of method,
and they are to be solved by the wis
dom of practical craftsmanship.
[ want to say, once for all, that !
am a Democrat-have never been
anything else. But that statement OF
my political faith must not be taken
as an admission, on my part, that !
wear the collar of any self appointed
clique Of political bosses, in or out OF
Office. When l say | am a Democra'
l mean to be understood as saying
that am the friend of that theory OF
government which locates all the
rights and powers of just government
in the people themselves. In my
opinion, all the people are better,
greater and grander than any part Of
the people.
My hand is unused to holding the
Editorial pen; and l take it up with
much of distrust of my W powers
And were it not for the fact that
am conscious of an earnest wish anc
purpose to use it for the good of oul
tolIlng American citizenship, 1 should