The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-02-04
County And Town People Mutual
fnoodo,

Friends.
Some people imagine that there IL
. chasm bctw On he pcol le in the
towns and cities . d thelpcopl OF the
"a q saistzicts. Tnis notion, which
has always prevailed In the minds II
some town people and sts1e Estaiftfy
psople who hat 4 misunderstanding
VI ttS xlfe relation, is fast giving
aNat. There are many reasons why
this erroneous idea Il giving place
to CORRECT views. The many benev
olent associations have gathered into
ranks inch Ut all calliugs. Men
from the towns and rural districts
meet together aud disct,ss questions
It comm. u Interest, and the new rela'
ton tends to create . fratcrnal feel
Ing. This has q tendency to ai,ol,sil
ali distinction between town and
country.
Another thing that has contributed
to this result il the different labor or
g.uixations. The lsbofing classes Of
10th town aud country meeting TO-
gether, and the questions considered
being for their mutual benefit, fra
ternal feeling is engendered, and the
country fellows conclude, after all
that the town men are pretty good
fellows; the town men come to the
same conclusion about the cOuatry
men.
There has been in the minds Of
some,-espccially mercl'ants-a no
ton that the Alliance was organized!
to light the retail merchant, and or
that account some fHefchnnts have
said hard words about the Alliance,
and have actually abettetl the enimi
e. of the people BY bemeaning It
and incorporating its purposes
This. however, was only some mer
ehasts, and then it was the result Of
igAotsAlec If the Alliance principles
The Alliance and all farmer organ
izaticns we're instituted for the par
pose Of education and self-defenst
aga ust the Entertainments Of organ
lied monopoly. 1t is The unnccess
ary and extorticnate middieman thai
the farmers are after. 1t 10 true
that occasionally the farmers star
q cooperative store which, by being
a comptitor, antagonizes to that ex
teas the lc.:al merchant; but the mer
chants have 30 rigiss TO- fall ont viii
the farmer for legitimate effort t
abridge expenses. Merchants, wher
they quit merchandising and 90 into
any other business, come into com
petition with some other class, which
they have no more right to do thar
farmers have to sell goods.
1t is TO- the interest of merchant:
and all other classes Of people in tue
towns, who work for . living, TO pro
mote the farmers interest, for what
ever contributes to the farmers sue
cess, indirectly bcnc6ts oil othe1
classes.
The majority Of town people ar
poor; they arc suffering from higl
taxes, scarcity Ut money, extrava
gencc in governmental affairs jus'
the same As the farmer. The lcgisla
ton the farmers are fighting for vii
benefit The town people just IS muci
- it will the farmers themselves. I
Is the nionopolists-thc favored fev
land some Of them live in the coun
try ~ we'll - in town)-whosc bust
| ness the Sarmers' demands antagonizc
hut the easse Of the Dases Of tn,
| cvuntry people is the csuse Of tn
town people. and the common pei
ple'-the masses-ought to stand to
gethcr in the great 6gat for :'cqua
rihts to all aud special privileges
to none" The fight il one Of tn
masses against the classes, and no
the country people against tho tow
people. Journal of Agriculture.