Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-28
THE Farmer At HOME AND IN

THE Farmer At HOME AND IN
POLITICS..
There is no class OF men who are or
ought to be, more conservative in view
ing political questions, than the farmer.
The calm and somewhat secluded life
which he leads, conduces to reflection
and thoughtfulness. The nature OF his
occupation begets and fosters DISPOSE
ton to look ahead of him, to
calculate and weigh. What 10
plant or sow, and when and how, are
problems thai are ever present, and
not entirely clear. Many more of as
perplexing character come to call
for the exercise of his best Judgment
and discrimination. No important
change in the manner of his farming Is
ever made without long and anxious
consideration. His best thought is given
to it, and the matter is viewed from
many sides, and perhaps the advice or
experience of others are sought to aid
him in coming to a correct decision. No
sensible farmer makes abrupt and in
cropping. When he has hit upon a
plan that brings good results, it will re
quire great deal of proof to convince
him that o radical change will be all the
better. Every exemplary farmer is
thoughtful, calculating and conservative.
He is SO by force of circumstances, and
the nature of his calling. Hence it fol-
lows that the farming communities of
country are regarded politically, as
well as industrially, as the balance
wheels or regulative factors in the econ
omy of affairs civil and political. The
inertia OF agriculture Is opposed to VIC
lent and abrupt changes IN political Or
governmental affairs. OF no class of
citizens can it be said more truthfully
than of the farmer that "he is best
governed who is least governed.
And yet, truthful as all this may be,
there are times when the farmer, aroused
by a continuation of adverse legislation
and unfair discrimination that handicaps
and worries him, sets about correcting
the evil in q manner wholly different
from his customary calm and reflective
methods. Every farmer in America has
been plund and robbed outrage
ously for more than generation by the
Ubiquitous financial and tariff legislation
fad h- of ofrio
trusts, syndicates and combines. All at
once nostrum is invented by some
political doctrinaire and is intro
duced in congress by fellow called
Pickler Of Dakota, purportlng 10 be
a panacea for every wrong and
salve for every wound. Instantly,
and without a moments thought,
as it seems, the national Alliance con-
vention at st. Louis took up and adopted |
the new born financial bantling, and the
sub-treasury scheme of the govern
ment's lending money to farmers at a |
nominal rats of interest, became an ar
ticle of political faith among farmers all |
over the West and South. No one, it |
seems, or but few of them, reflected that
the government has no money to lend;
that It is not and cannot play the part of a |
mortgage and Investment company, that !
it has no money of its own to do with It |
as it pleases, or az the interest of q class |
may prompt. If the farmers spent q 1.-THE |
of the thought and reflection on this fool |
sub-treasury soheme-whioh is in every |
way imaginable contrary to common |
sense and the genius of sound Democracy |
and good government-that they spend |
in deciding whether to plant field to |
cotton or coru, they would put it aside, |
as Quay did the force bill, or as the |
Savior of mankind did his satanic !
majesty. Why they should do so is as
plain as the way to the parish church il
they would look into it. We are pleased |
to note that the Texas farmer is looking
into It, and now hesitates to accept it
without more time to think. 1t is a good |
omen that should have great weight in
persuading other state Alliances to stop |
in their hasty career and think bit.
Let them look before they jump.