The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-10-20
He Wants to Know About Several
Things that Look Queer--Mr.
Smith Interviewed.

B.-"HellO! Mr.. Devil"
D.-"Hello! Mr.. Bilkins. How are
your people?"
Bob, me an Betsy are gettin'
along fine. We've made up an kissed.
Betsy says she don'tcare if we did have
a little misunderstanding for maxim up
is so nice"
R.-"What do you think of people
who don't pay for their paper, Mr..
Bilkins?'
B.-"Well, I think they are made
of nifty sorry stuff. [ wouldn't let a
man stay all night at my house if I
knew he hadn't treated the editor
right, How is the Exposition? Betsy
wants to CO."
R.-"It is all right. The crowds are
coming in from every direction. 1t is
a big success"
B.-"Say, Mr.. Editor, [ learn that
the leadin' Democrats held a pow WOW
or somethin' in Raleigh last week.
Blamed if l don't want to know if they
done anything. Did they do or say
anything that looked like business?"
R.-"So far as l have heard nothing
was done. The anti Alliancemen just
simply decided to fight it out on the
same old platform"
B.-'Good gracious, hain't we bin
fightin' an growlin' and yellin' and
sweatin' for % years and still nothin'
done2 Hain't they ready to cut loose
from Wall street,
R.-"It looks like they intend to
ride the same old horse. Wall street
has both parties by the throat and they
propose to hold on"
B.-"Say, [ want to talk to Mir, Ed.
Chambers Smith. He is ringmaster Of
this here party circus. He is a smart
fellow, an know in my mind that he
has some good news. [ just know
that he amt goin' to run the party in
the old ruts any longer
R.-"Mr. Devil, hitch Mr.. BIkins
onto Mr.. E. c. Smith"
B.-"Hello! Mr.. Smith, good morn
ing"
S.-'Good morning. Who is that?'
B. My name is Bilkins."
Sob yes; glad to hear from you,
Mr.. Blkins. Can I do anything for
youI"
B.-"Yes, you can do a sight. I am
an old man wantin' information. Amt
you Chairman of the Democratic Elk
ecutive Committed"
SIZES, I am Chairman What is
it,"
B.-"Well, I want to know if you
folks did anything at yer meetin' last
Thursday night lookin' to the relief of
the workin' people"
S.-'"This meeting was called for the
purpose of getting the opinions of va
rious prominent men in the State"
B.-'Well, blamed if yer gittin'
their opinions has done any good. 1
tuck a bale of cotton to town Saturday
and couldn't get but $40 a hundred"
S.-"But we are not to blame for
that, Mr.. BiIkins. It is because there
is too much cotton raised. You should
diversity your crops"
B.-"What if we do Every thing
is low. Terbacker is lower than it has
bin in a long time, and the crop is
short, too. l tuck sum chickens to
town for Betsey, and had hard work to
get 1890. apiece fer them. After I
sold them a big, fine dressed Teller came
along an asked the teller what bought
'em how much they were worth. The
Teller said: Them are extra fine chick
ems; they III worth 35c. apiece If I
hadn't bin a church member I would
er said sOmethin' that would er made
the town tremble. Betsey had toiled
ter raise them chickens, an 1 had
helped her. 1 brought them to town
an got 1850. for all our labor. The
Teller who bought them made 174c.
profit on them in a few minutes. I
went and bought Betsey a nice kaliko
dress at &c. a yard, and paid for it
out of cotton money. Accordin' to the
price-$8.4O for my cotton-I paid
about 30 cents a pound for cotton me
or somebody sold last year at 9 cents"
Swell, Mr.. Bilkins, the tariff is
the main cause of the low price of
everything you have to sell. Every
time you buy a cheap wool hat you
pay Is cents tariff tax"
B.-"Blast your Is cents, and your
wool hats! don't buy a hat more'n
once in two years. If I could get 123
or 15c. for my cotton, 75c. to ST. OF for