The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-13

A1SA up 10 GuO uUble IOOb DrlQgE uIkdk
/ the Deacon and had built The reg
ular wagon bridge is quarter OF q
mile above the DeacOn's place The
stream took its name from a man by
the name of Fiddler, who by the way
played on fiddle, and who lived az
the mouth Of the creek, where it emp
ties into the river, about ten miles be
low, and where he followed trapping
for living, many years ago, when II
was as much as mans life was. worth
TO stay there. But the Indians never
disturbed him. They would come 5x
miles TO hear him play Zip Coon ON
his fiddle. This is all need TO say
about Fiddler's Creek. E is not a
post Office place, we get our mail over
at the village six miles away The
stream like all others, has its head nj
one end and its mouth at the other
Most everything else has its mouth I'm
its head, and can't see why streams
should not, but Deacon Goodwin says
it's all right and proper. He says
streams are like demagognes- mouth
the largest part OF them" It took
me some minutes TO understand lust
what he meant by that, for I was
thinking of certain Alliance orator,
whom the Deacon had called a dema-
gogue, and yet he had very small
mouth, and straight across, looked as
though carpenter had cut il with an
inch chisel, at one blow of the maIIet-
But when / called 10 mind how the
words round out of that 'chisef cuB.s
with never let up, and all in thai
duh even flow, and every idea chest
nut, / saw the Deacon's point, and
came very near smiling.
The rain seemed TO have set in to
make a day of it and / thought I
would 60 up TO the Deacon's place AND
take smoke and talk politics. Z
found him in his study, and busy OF
course, but he pushed his writing &c,
one side, saying that he had been
writing TO his brother in the east, but
was more than glad / had come UP Go,
see him, for he had been thinking
about our last talk and didn't know
but he had failed to explain some
things which may have left a wrong
impression on my mind, and if 50 he
wanted to explain and set the MATTER
right.
Well, Deacon, said /, / have been
thinking it all over myself, and TO be
plain with you, / was deeply panied to-
hear you talk in the way you did. for
you as good as advised that the An
ance turn itself into a monopoly
which is the very worst thing in the
world. The Alliance is fighting such
things, Deacon, and you know it, and
you know too, that the Alliance Is do
ing right in fighting such ab0EiRa-
lions. No, we can never think Of do
ing such a mOnStrOus thing. AT this
the Deacon laughed outright and said,
why Uncle Josh you are already
mOnOp0list. What can be more m0n0p-
Olistic than the Alliance party 1O-dayS
The Alliance itself, / mean the name
Itself, implies a compact treaty or
league, or connection Of interests
between persons, and if this does not
amount TO the same thing as mon0p-
oily, pray tell me what it does mean
Why. Uncle Josh, your Alliance viii
not admit member who Is not farm
CT. Doesn't that smack Of mOnOp-
oily Own up now, Uncle Josh. How
does ii feel TO be a mODOpOliSt? II
doesn't hurt, does 1t; don [ you rather
enjoy it :" Now stop right where
you are, said / Indignantly, you are
playing on words, Deacon, YOU know
very well that the Alliance is not a
monopoly because it does not seek To
make money out Of the operation.
Then what in the name Of goodness
is the Alliance for, said the Deacon
You have told me yourself, Uncle
Josh, that the main object Of the Al
lance was TO improve the condition OF
the farmer. and how can their condl-
ton be improved | would like 10
know, except through making more
money. You seem to think. Uncle
Josh. that business monopoly is q
terrible wicked thing. but political
monopoly is all right, but you viii not
confess that the latter is but cloak
under which to hide the former. al
though you expose the trickery of the
combine. When you admit that the
Alliance was formed for the purpose
of benefbting the farmer, and which
you know means financial benefit, if
it means anything. Now Uncle Josh,
/ believe in monopoly. There is moth
ing monStr0us about it, but politi-
cal monopoly is folly, The Alliance
made the mistake of going into poll
tics instead of going into business.
and they will fail in the former be
cause it Will not improve the condi-
tiOn of the farmer, and when he finds
that out. down goes the whole fabric
and the straw must be bhreShed
again. In my next letter / viii tell
you more of our rainy day" talk
UNCLE JOSH