The Opelousas courier., 1892-01-23
COrrespOndemce.
Editor COURIER:

Editor COURIER:
/ am a Union man and have been from the
start. AT first | thought it meant a sort OF q
farmers club, where we could meet and learn
something from each other; learn new meth
DDS and be generally benefited from eaeh
others experiences, which is a mighty good
thing itself. But as soon as we began to pick
up grains and think a little. and the papers
rbegan to print things about us, i found there
was a great deal moro in our reach than |
first thought, and as these new ideas came
into my mind, / liked the Union better aid
began to feel the farmer was something after
all, if he would hump himself and hold
up his head. | guess people on the outside
felt the same way by the way they first tried
to Town us, and afterwards give us tatfy'
Well, | reckon | was like the rest of the
Brethren when found this out. | got to"
big for my breeehes and felt like tackilu' the
world by sections. But a few bad shots have
convinced us that "haste makes waste and
as experience is the only school in which we
farmers get an education, the Lessons we
learn come very high, but we don't forget
them. We started out with our sights raised
too high at first. We were like the Negro
who attempted to cover his corn crib, and
started to put on the shingles from the comb
down, and it wouldn't work. A little com
mon sense has brought us down to the caves
and we are now %shingiing up. While. we have
made a heap of mistakes, we have learned
some sense as we went along, and while 1t
hurts, no man ever had too much experience
of the right kind. 1t does a heap of good i'll
the end.
One great mistake we have made is that
we have sent men to the front who ought TO
be in the rear. This was no sense or nothing
to be expected from men we have seut to
plan and direct us who have been dead fail
ures in their own affairs and their lives. A
man who can't attend to his own business is
not likely to make a success of somebody
| aIcaIs Wa ho vo inc fhia kinH Tf mnn mn the
front to-day, my Brethren, and lots OF you
know it. We have another class of leaders
who'are just as bad, if not worse. After Sc
curing power and place at our hands, they
| put the interests of the Union behind them
and pushed their own interests. They have
axes to grind, and they must have been very
dull indeed, if we who turn the crank, may
judge from the tug it has taken to send it
around at times.
Last summer the Union men made a trade
with a lot of kid gloved gentlemen who
called themselves anti-lottery people. Now,
l have no objection to the Union opposing
the lottery, for | am an anti to the backbone
myself. However, the feeling is all my own
and of home manufacture, and l like it so
well that | am not going to try and force
it on anyone else. / will vote against the
amendment, and l don't care a hin of beans
how you vote, and if you vote the other way
l will not think one bit less of you, and hope
you will be as generous with me.
Well, our leaders, as / have said, made Il
trade and it looks like a good trade, but /
have my doubts about it, as the men we
we're trading with look like the very ones we
were taking off our coats to wrestle with.
But as our head men were smarter than me-,
I did not kick. / laid low and kept quiet,
and intended to hold up my part of the trade,
Though | admit that when Guice, Clayton
and others objected, felt like showing my
heels in a small way. Though, as Mr.. Ad-
ans was our leader and ought to know best,
I let her slide, but still, as my wife says, my
mind told me it was not right, aud hoped it
would turn out right. but it didn't. They
pampered us and kept US down, but when
the time came at Baton Rouge they bulld0zed
Adams and broke his back, at the same time
breaking every promise made to the Alliance.
What they gave Adams and Pickett was for
Adams and no earthly benefit to US. The
Union was left to dance in the hog trough,
the ants having gobbled the feed. But We
have learned one thing, b is ne yer to eat
hot soup with a short-handled spoon when
the devil is our partner.
have been q Democrat all my life, but |
don't know what | am now it Is so split up
and nv feelings SO divided. / am an anti,
but cannot vote for Foster, for he was put
up by that rotten crowd who cheated us in
Baton Rouge. / like McEnery but | am
afraid he is with the lottery, though his let
ter was clear and fu:l of good talk.
/ see the Third Party people at New Or
leans have called a convention for Feb. 18th,
to nominate a State ticket. | like their doc
t~rine-ssthe Alliance, first last and all the
time,' and maybe the farmer will get a
chance to show his hand yet, al
though the antis did sit down on us. So /
will wait, and if they keep clean hands and
put the farmer on top, I will be found knock
promise less and do more for the farmer.
ANTI HYPOCRISY.