The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-06-21
He And F etsy at Outs Again--Col Han
kins Gains a Victory.

BIN only tOlerable. Me an
Betsy are at outs ergin. I'm Twin a
terrible life"
R.-"What seems to be the trouble
this time?'
B.-"WelI, Betsy is try in to boss me
ergin. She is about crazy on politics.
She thinks everybody ought to vote the
Peoples party ticket. l thought so,
too. but I was in town the other day
an had a long talk with Col. Hawkins
(you know him, I reckinO an he
knocked it all out of my head. He
said the Peoples party was composed
of cranks, an they wouldn't donOthin'
but let the Republican party in power.
I told him that might be so, but l
reckined that the Republicans had been
runnin' the ranch yer since the war,
anyhow, an it couldn't get much
worse. I told him that when the Demo
Gratis got a foothold in Congress they
went back on their promises every
time. He said it looked that way, but
wasn't. He said as a matter of eXpe-
diency or sOmethin' of that sort, the
Democrats had to be very different
from the Republicans when they make
the platform an when they go on the
stump before the people, but when
they get in Congress they hev to look
out or they can't be reelected. He
said if we could get the President, the
Senate and House all at one time they
would make the splinters fly. Now,
Mr.. Editor, my idea was that if the
majority in Congress were afraid of
offendin' somebody all the time, the
President, Senators and Congress
would all shake until there wouldn't be
a chimney left standin' in the whole
country. If a majority of Congress
men are afraid to repeal the meanlaws
wa6e b the Republicans, then the
R| party will not do it."
r 1t seems that you were rub
Ding the Colonel pretty close"
B.-"I expect so, but he talked an
parlavered until l didn't know what
my name was, an I sorter promised
him that | would suffer for a few years
longer. Just before l left he said
"Zeke, you have known me a long
time. You know I'm your friend. I'm
goIn' to tell you on the sly that you
have been picked out to go to the next
legislature frOmyour end of the county,
an if we can't get you in for that we
will make you county commissioner"
Well l felt complimented, an decided
that maybe the reforms we needed so
bad could be put off a while longer.
R.-"Did you tell Mrs Blkins when
you got home?"
B-"Yes, she saw I was powerfully
pleased about sOmethin'. I told her to
wait until the children went to bed.
Then I said behold the next member
of the legislature from this beat
Betsy sOrter laughed an wanted to
know if I wasn't gettin' dangerous an
hadn't better go to the asylum. Then
I told her I was dead sure of being a
member of the House or a county com
missioner. She kept cool until [ told
her what Col. Hawkins said about the
Peoples party an what he promised
me. Mr.. Editor, was you ever on a
train when it went through a bridge
two hundred feet high, or in a cyclone
that stripped the earth of all the trees
an carried them a hundred miles? If
you havn't been you can't form any
idea of the re~nervatin' an elevatin'
that I got. 1t was terrific. Betsy is
mad yet. She boils over like a volcano
every time I look at her. She says
she has the biggest fool for a husband
that ever was tied to a woman"
R.-"Mrs, Bilkins has the reputation
of having sound judgment on most
matters"
B.-"Yes, I know it. You can hear
her sound her judgment three miles
when she gets mad, but I don't think
she oughter be so hard on me. Nearly
every prominent farmer in Wake
county has bin promised an Office if he
will give the new party the cold shout
der, I reckin it's the same way IN
other counties. I reckln we all get
caught sometimes.
R.-"You and every other man
should know that not one in a hundred
will ever hold any Office, and should
not allow yourselves to be trapped
with such silly promises. Partisan
nreiudice and the promise of Office has
dome O to cause politics to become
corrupt than anything else. If The