The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-08-04
THE REFORM MOVEMENT
AS Seen by Young Man Just Out OF
College.

ulS uOIII6 lIOIu COlICSC IAc1NC A1CUA OIiO
great pleasure and advantage Of read
ing your bold and outspoken paper,
and, though quite young man, after
having my whole nature aroused and
excited by reading the bravely-eX-
pressed opinions Of the farmers OF
North Carolina, l cannot refrain from
asking a small space in The PROGRESS
sIvE FARMER in which to pour out my
self in advocacy of the grand farm
ers' movement. " The oppression OF
the laboring class, caused by these hell
born mOnOpolists and trusts and syn
dicates, Wall street, money kings and
all that hideOus gang who hold the
reins Of government in their hands, is
something to cause an lll-taXed and
suffering people to cry out for justice
and the right. The producing class
have not been tanned into submission
by an administration Of equal rights to
all and special privileges to none as
they should have been, but baited and
aggravated into sayageness and stub
bornness. They have q right to be as
stubborn as a bull. The OK that has
been making the mighty dollar jingle
in the pockets of the tyrannical few
has assumed the speed Of electricity
and the power of steam and with the
horns Of justice and right, railroad
kings, trusts and all that crowd of tax
eaters had better throw down the
bloOd-red flag and hoist the snow-white
banner. These politicians (0 that vul-
gar herd Of men who, far from being
qualified to be the directors of the
great movements of great people, are
not fit to turn wheel in the machine,
may ask, 1chy all this h1te and cry
about nothing? They are badly gone
into darkness and have strayed fer off
from justice, if such be their quer
The little cavils of party are not
heard where freedom and happiness
are felt" When liberty and freedom
and happiness are enjoyed, when Ju.-
tice is enthrOned to wicld her sceptre
over city and country, over North and
South, over East and West, hill and
dale, 6TOi:er and broken, rich and poor,
over this entire God blest land of ours
then and not till then Will all this lar
gan Of influence and party and oppres-
sion be swept into the recesses Of deep
oblivion. Our political bosses would
do we'll to get their houses in order.
/ Their house yet stands, it stands as q
mOckery of its former grandeur; but
let me say that it stands in the midst
of the ruins that have been made by
dishonesty, fraud and -discharging
of the duties Of Office. We are upon
the very brink Of some great mutations
in political and economical circles
But there is one thing that will stand
the mutations Of time. Justice existed
before the fabric of this old earth was
woven together. 1t has come down
centuries welding indisputable sway
it will Outlive time itself. God has
given it to us for lamp unto our feet
and with the breath of the Divine ever
tanning it into living flame, it lives in
the breast of every true man. When
this old world shall be burned to ashes
then will this queen, Justice, meet us
at the great white throne to stand as
our advocate or as our accurSOr, But
am wandering somewhat. Another
question that forces itself upon us is
the extravaganza of our government
Can we, as American citizens, look on
| as disinterested spectators and see our
money wrung from the hands of those
who make it and need it worst? As
long as Rome, theprOud mistress of the
world, respected her women, wor-
shipped her goddess of honesty, sacri-
feed to the goddess Of Justice, paid
due attention to economy both political
and social, and kept her temples Of law
sacred her history was a record Of
progress and advancement. But as
soon as she became extravagant and
began to Oppress the poor labOring
peasants by a too heavy tax to support
her greedy, fashionable lawmakers,
her time-hOnOred institutions crumbled
and fell Such has been the history of
nations; such will be the history Of
America unless men Of undaunted
courage backed by a people of noble
and brave intents put their shoulders
to the wheels of the reform cart whose
shafts are kept from running into the
ground by the eternal principles of JUS
tice, truth and right, and push her into
the city where success waits to crown
them Can we afford to allow Ameri-
can labor to be the most heavily-taxed