Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-05-07
MATTERS.
BY J. N. CROSS.
To the Editor OF the Ledger.


u county papers, oc-
casionally, a few notes pertaining
to F. & L.. Union matters and
kindly ask you to publish
my communications If you deem
them Of sufficient interest to your
readers.
G.. w. Beal and Congressman
elect KEN, of Nebraska, will stop
off at Laddonia next month, on
their return from the Cincinnati
conference, and Mr.. KEN will adj
dress the F. & l.. u. of this section
of the county.-Laddonla Herald.
The Northeastern States are be-
ing rapidly organized by our ma
tional officers. Ohio and New
York have already completed their
State organizations with a large
membership. There are as yet no
signs of that premature decay SO
confidently predicted by those
whose sympathies are not with US.
The County Union was separated
from the cooperative Insurance
Association at our recent meeting,
a committee appointed to revise
the constitution and the President
ordered to call a meeting of the
association in Mexico on the oath
of May. The revising committee
will meet in Mexico on Monday,
the 18th inst.
All the monopoly organs like the
Iowa State Register were enthusi-
astic tor the Kansas City conven-
ton until it declared its sympathy
for the great common people and
then their disgust was unbounded.
1t seems impossible to get up a
great convention in the West that
does not take the right side of pub
lie issues. 1t is amusing to see the
old wooden guns of the monopoly
kick.-Iowa Tribune.
Whatever criticisms may be
passed upon the various farmer
organizations for the principles
they advocate and their ultimate
designs in securing legislation af-
fecting the welfare of the pro-
ducers, certain it is that it has
already accomplished a grand work
in the way of education. Never in
the history of our country has
there been such an eager desire
among farmers to inform themselves
on all the leading issues ofthe day.
Farmers are reading and talking
more than ever before, and the re-
suit of this education is a general
movement to attempt to remedy
the wrongs under which the pro-
ducers have been laboring, and
which are accommodating with an &C.
CELEBRATED speed which threatens to
annihilate the independence of our
farmer class. To keep abreast
of the times it is not only neces-
sary to know how to raise a crop, but
how, when, where and under what
conditions to dispose of it, and the
study of these questions have
brought out many others which have
a direct bearing upon those named,
such as the tariff, money values,
transportation facilities and trusts
and combines. These questions
are being discussed from every
standpoint and ere long we hope to
see the banner of Justice" waving
alike over all.
The existing laws and the con-
ditions of our systems of tariff and
finance are propitious to the for
nation of trusts and combines,
which are operated for the sole
purpose of ''squeezing" the con-
sumers. In fact, we need no longer
apply any soft terms to these par
asites upon our body polite, but
refer to them as "conspiracies,"
for such a term briefly explains
their intent. Their purpose is to
restrain production and force up
prices beyond a reasonable limit
and add to their net profits the in
crease, all of which, is done at the
expense of the consumer. Besides
the Beef & Pork Packers, The
Standard OIL and many other noted
combines, we give below the names
of a few more of recent formation:
Mines and mining, embracin TO-
600 square miles in the Mononga-
hela valley coal region.
Chinese laundries-New York.
Lead-conneeted with the Stand.
ard Oil Company.
Wheel Co.-controlling about 80
per cent of the wheel manufacture
ing business of the country. In
December last they raised prices
70 per cent.
Breweries-contlol oiled principal
ly by English capital.
Whiskey-s35, 100000 capital.
Exporters.
Texas Refrigerator Co.
Natural gas.
Gas works-$5O, OOO, 900 capital.
Exporters.
Binding Irvine, threshing ma
chimes, watermelons, manufactured
ice paanufa irou mi1la col1u1oid