The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-07-28

Gl6 Alliance DuU an OIL us
gruntled politicians, anxious to break
down the old parties SO that they may
enjoy the "spOils of Office"
Notwithstanding all that has passed
before Joe Hudson's eyes here in Kan
sas, he has seen nothing in the Alliance
movement but a shrewd Southern
trick to break down the Republican
party.
Once in a while he forgets himself
and calls them "cranks," "Iunatics, :"
"crazy fanatics, - and the like, but as
a general thing AIIiancemen are simply
Knaves trying to "bust the g. 0. p.
And the same judicial blindness holds
in bondage our cratic neigbbors of the
Girard Press.
The most hopeful, the greatest,
grandest movement that has come to
the American farmer during the cen
fury is the Alliance.
1t has set in action his moral and in
tellectual powers and as a result of
less than two years discipline in the
little red school house" has risen to
a height that has sent alarm to the
innermost Businesses of plutocracy.
During and after the war the farmer
committed all the functions of govern
ment to his so-called leaders.
Not that he did not take an active
part in the so-called politics of the day.
On the contrary, the farmer was
undoubtly the most conspicuous and
vociferous participant on all the
political demonstrations
taken place since the war.
He was simultaneously anu =.
ingly after the irresistible rebel brig
| diers. and his hearts desire was to
once more follow to the field some
warlike lord" wipe out once and for
ever the whole pestiferOus brood, whom
a mistaken philanthropy had permitted
to live.
They sang "Marching through Geor
gia," voted their ticket straight, and
went home with an idea that they had
saved the country.
Now all this is a matter of fact had
no more to do with genuine politics
than it had to do with squaring the
circle, or finding a way to the north
pole.
Politics are the policies a nation APP
plies to its economic affairs.
Finance.
Land,
Taxation,
transportation,
Are leading economic subjects, but
the farmer was too busy looking after
the poor down trodden niggers in the
Louisiana String District" or too
happy singing "John Browns body,
to trouble himself about such insignif-
can't things as these.
He stood idly by and saw the Shy
locks of the world gather in Washing
ton and year after year call in the non
interest bearing greenback, toss it into
the furnace and see in its place a gold, |
interest bearing bond, itself payable in
gold, come forth,
He was warned by Thad Stevens and
the Peter COoperS of the day, but all
in vain, the bloody shirt charmed him
more than the gold bond frightened
him.
He stood idly by and saw hundreds
of millions of acres of the public domain
pass into the hands of giant corpora
tiOns.
He stood idly by and saw the income
tax taken from the rich and oppressive
tariffs put upon the poOr-himself IN
cluded.
He stood idly by and saw the trans
%portation interests Of the country pass
with almost the rapidity of a dream
from small corporations into the hands
of the most powerful cabaI that ever
existed on earth.
He stood idly by and saw every con-
ceivable industry combine into trusts
for the sole purpose of making him pay
tribute to their merciless rapacity.
He saw great cities, and m~illionaires,
and multi-millionaires increase and
multiply and was rather inclined to
feel proud of it,
The merciless high prices for what
he bought with the low prices for what
he sold, began in time to fall on him
and brought Shylock to his aid,
He mortgaged his farm.
Amid all the dazzling splendors of
an ever increasing national wealth he
was getting poorer,
When the time come he could not |
paw off his mOrtgage-he had it re-