Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-04-09
FARMERS ALLIANCE COLUMN.
WHAT DO FARMERS WANT

| Rev. Il. j.. MOTIFS IN National Economist
| When people are prosperous and
happy they are apt TO take things
easy, to be content with ths .status
quo" politically aud otherwise. Blu,
when they are painfully cramped in
spite of their most dilligent exertions,
both in laboring and in practicing the
most rigid economy, they become
restless and unhappy. The last nam
ed condition is that of all the labor.
ing people Of this country to-day.
They are unavoidably restless and
unhappy-have been for years ard
are becoming more so every year as
the grip Of the money power tightens
upon them. They have cast about to
find the cause of their distress, and
the most speedy and efficient means
to remove it and give them relief, for
they are becoming irritated to the
last degree. And their efforts in this
have been rewarded, for they have
discovered to their horror and deep
modification that their chosen repre-.
sentatives in the government have en-.
tered into the diabolical schemes of
few heartless tyrants to enslave them.
These representatives forced the peo-
pie into debt by Withholding money,
and then handed them over to the
tender mercies of a company of Shy
locks. to whom they gave power to
supply the people with money on their
own terms. These men now virtually
own the whole country, for they COL
lect tribute from every source, from
every hand engaged in honest labor,
and from every business enterprise
that requires the use of money. If
q railroad is to be built heavy tribute
has to be paid TO them for the nsces.
sary funds. And after it is in oper-
alton the labor Of the country must
pay the company this tribute back
again in addition to a fair profit, to
say nothing of subordinate scheming
whereby through the watering pro.
cess all of this tribute levied upon
the people is doubled.
Farmer Jones thinks he owns his
farm and that he is a free American
citizen. But when he buys a plow,
the price must cover the legally exact.
ed tribute to the iron king and to the
manufacturer for their protection in
keeping foreigners from bringing
cheaper implements 20 his doors |;
likewise the tribute these must pay
for the use of money in their respec-
tive lines Of business, plus fair profit
to them and to the middlemen all
around. And, when this poor fool
cotton is ready for market he learns
that money, which has been made de.
signedly scarce all along. is extremely
tight. and his cotton is very low. be-
cause the buyer must put the price
down low enough not only to enable
him to realize a good profit on his
transactions, but he must also make
good to himself the heavy tribute to
money power for the use of money
wherewith to handle cotton. And 60 it
happens that while Jones dreams that
he is free sovereign American, the
wiley politician and the usurer are
pocketing all the proceeds of his cease.
less plans and labors. except just
enough to enable him to keep in fair
working condition till he can gather
another cr'p.
But Farmer Jones is now rare type;
which is easy to understand he lives
on Owl creek, in a sparsely settled
neighborhood, too far from the near
est sub-Alliance to attend, and though
he may 60 to town often he carries no
reform papers home with him. On
the contrary, the majority of farmers
and laboring people generally have
discovered the treachery by which
they have been enslaved, and are now
stuoying out the best means of carry
ing into effect general emancipation
proclamation. These unprincipled
tyrants in their mad greed for gold.
have probably over.reached them
selves. They have killed the goose
that layed the golden eggs. for their
expressions have awakened the peo-
pie to the realities of their deplor.
able condition. The laboring peo-
pie have discovered the government
robbipg them of their little property
under the sanction Of the law, and