The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-06-30

minds what is related of an old rat
The poor old fellow, feeling his end
approaching, called all his children,
grandchildren, and great grand-chil-
dren together to give them his farewell
blessing. He advised them, among
other things, to rest content with plain
food, and not to sneak about stealing
dainties; that for himself he would re-
tire from the world to spend his last
days in peace, and then, bidding them
goodbye, he wiped tear from his eye
with the end of his TAIL Ere long one
of his grand children, regardless of his
good advice, ventured forth upon a
rampage and found his poor old grand
father in the middle of large Cheshire
cheese. The moral is left to the reader
to make out and apply. Aye, indeed,
it is against such mems pecuniary in
terests, that handspring of their ener-
gies and highest visions Of their dreams,
to do otherwise and does any one sup
pose, for an instant, that the selfish
greed for money is going to halt, in the
least, through any consideration to-
wards those who lay them golden eggs?
Unlike the foolish husbandman of ira
dition they are too cute to kill the
goose so long as they have such host
of geese metaphorically speaking) out
of which to squeeze golden eggs. No,
indeed, they will do nothing to injure
the breed, but will do all they can to
increase enriching birds.
Unless we check this diabolical power,
which is increasing with more than
geometrical progression year after year,
the desperation of the masses ere long
will be such that another French reign
Of terror will be the inevitable result.
Unless this head-long enrichment of
the few, which is surely and steadily
sapping the liberties and very life
blood of the many, is checked, Robe
spheres, Murats and Daltons will spring
up with their guillotines. and then woe
be to those who have caused such des-
peration on the part of the long g-suffer-
ing masses.
But how are we to deal with this
mighty, ,soulless power that confronts us
I'D stave off the horrors that will ensue
unless we act in time? How get rid of
this huge, gangrenous excrescence on
the body polite without the terrible
alternative of bloodshed? The remedy
is easy enough if we will only apply it.
We have it in our own hands, and it
consists in thevery self-same cause that
brought about these evils under which
we languish, that is, the supineness of
the people in being fooled into submit
ting so long to such a yoke, and surely
the people, now that their eyes are be-
ing opened, can undo what they have
so disastrously to themselves permitted
to be done. Yes, we have the power
of alleviating our grievances without
blOOdshed. Those who are the most
concerned in such blessed consumma-
tion can realize their aims and avert
internecine strife by the use of a blood
less weapon at the polls. Unanimity
of the industrial elements, agricultural
and mechanical, all of whose votes
united are surely numerous enough
and to spare, can, as sure as there is a
God in heaven, accomplish bloodless
revolution at the ballot box. We will
then achieve the double blessing of
Tightening the burdens of crushed
humanity and stave off the terrible re
suits of vengeful revolt. Like the bar
rons of England in King Johns time,
who drew up their demands against
oppression in the shape of their magma
charter, that groundwork Of English
liberty, and forced the tyrant to yield
to it's exactiOns, so must we formulate
our great charter of demands and rights
for the money kings to sign and seal at
another Runnymede. 1t will be time
enough to proceed to extremitles after
they have failed to obey our behests.
Allow me to conclude with a query
Is it not about high time in this day OF
mundane existence, A. D., 1891, that
those who ventilate themselves on
monetary questions should come to
some sort of an agreement upon the
definition of money? Everybody who
expatiates on the subject feels called
upon to define thing that has had a
tangible, practical existence for thou
sands of years, so that, amid the mental
bewilderment thus engendered, fnan-
cial dunderhead is completely fabber
gasted in trying to make out, whether
! or not. this nOndescript mOngrel mon
strosity belongs to or can be classified
in the animal, vegetable, or mineral
kingdom. Adam Smith, Ricardo,
Mills. Dew and other economic experts
have in vain endeavored to define OF
place this hybrid of a hippo-griff in
a light at all satisfactory to now-a-day
dabblers in the science. The dumb