The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-06
LETTER FROM UNCLE JOSH.
FIDDLER's CREEK, Feb. %.
No. 4.

40 SOU olOnO Wy LILY hlOoluO dAOOl
the Deacon had gone out, / pondered
the parting words he gave me, care
fully, and tried to prepare myself so
| could hold my own, the following
evening. My mind was fixed in the
belief that it was only through politi-
cal action that the farmer could ever
right his wrongs, and l prepared my
self to maintain that position. The
followingsevening came and found the
Deacon again in his chair at my fire.
side.
/ knew very well that he would stay
the whole evening without once men
tioning politics unless opened the
subject. So l said, "Well, Deacon, I
have been thinking over all you said at
parting last evening, and would like
you to explain more fully your mean
ing of that remark, about farmers
needing more brains and less poll
tics"
81 mean just this" says the Deacon
-''that all the politics in the world
will not raise the price of the grain
we have to SELL Are the farmers in
Iowa any better off after all their
Railroad Legislation than they were
before ?-not one whit. Now, Uncle
Josh, | am going to do some plain
talking. 1 can afford to do it, for am
independent of all political parties as
you well know, for you know that |
have nothing to do with them. You
have urged this discussion upon me.
1t is not my seeking. | prefer to let
these things drift. I can stand it if
the rest can. 1 do not believe in the
Alliance, nor it's principles, for / know
that no party can stand on any such
grounds. No single class of men ever
before attempted to legislate for them
selves such utterly selfish schemes.
With them, it is the farmer first and
the devil take the rest. Do you think
that such a gigantic wrong as that
can prosper? never. The movement
will be an ignominIous failure. The
whole scheme has been worked up by
appealing to the prejudices of the
masses. l have yet to hear of one al
lance speaker or political haranguer,
who ever had good word to say for
eastern people. ---.--45. -ss.
They Willy every nan who happens
to ba-vy a -ssclidars ad4ss afvas u, 49,
east.
They search the English language
for abusive terms, to apply to people
who have none but the kindliest feel
ings towards the prosperity of the
West. The more vile the epithets
they hurl, the more are they ap-
plauded.
These alliance people talk and act as
though their whole aim in life, was to
put under their feet, all who are not
farmers. Now, Uncle Josh, do you be-
lieve such party can triumph in the
long run? Surely not, because it is
dishonest. Have you ever known
either of the old parties to legislate
against the farmer or any other class
of citizens ? most assuredly not. Ii
would be the death knell of any party
undertaking it, and that will be the
fate of the Alliance-mark my words
You have said that protection robbed
the farmer. | do not advocate pro
lection except as temporary expedi
ent. When the time comes that thu
western states have as many factories
as the eastern and middle states, &C
cording to population, and the west
ern farmers have market at thei
own doors for all they have to sell, an(
the question of wages, as between Eu
ropean and American mechanics ha
reached a more equitable basis, no
by very much lowering here, but al
advance in Europe, then shall believ
that the time for free trade, had come
But this is all in the line of politics
which we can safely leave to take car
of themselves, but we will discuss i
one of these days fully. / want to tel
where the trouble with the farme
rests. Heis behind his fellow citizens
in the race for wealth, and the onl
way for him to get ahead, so he is toll,
by the knot-headed stump speakers
who, to man, are after an office, i
to form party, carry the day througl
sheer force of members, then legislat
for themselves. The leaders in thi
crusade. are not quite idiotic enoug
to pf Jmise to raise the price of wheat
but they must promise something, S
they promise to force the whole cOur
try, i. e. the U. S. Government, t
loan money to the farmer at l or pc
per cent. and take for security, graf
in the warehouse, where the rats ca
run off with it. This is sample of
score or so of so-called schemes" t
help the farmer.
/ tell you Uncle Josh, this is not til
course the farmer should pursue. III
should study the signs of the time
take lessons from the more successfl
classes; the latter do not bother muc
about politics; their study is, how
make money, and it is an honorab