Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-01-28
COUNTY MEETING.
=. 4 l.. L. of Audrain County Have
an Open Session Mt the curt
Hause-Largely Attended.

The f. & L. U. of this county
has been in session in Mexico for a
couple of days and last week had
an open session at the Court
House. Although 1t had only
been advertised in the evening
papers, q large and appreciative
audience was present. Mr.. l. j.
Sims called the meeting to order
and introduced in Il few approprl-
ate remarks Mr.. George Washing
ton Drinkard, tie orator of the
evening. Mr.. Drinkard is lecturer
for the first Congressional district
of Missouri and Is also on the Ma
tional staff of organizers. He Is
thoroughly posted on all matters
of interest to the order. He thor
oughly understands the work in
every sense ofthe word. He made
a most Interesting speech and
among other good things said:
The first object of the F. & L. Union
is to strengthen and unity all classes
of labor. First the farmers, because
they are more numerous than all other
industrial classes combined. Second,
they produce more wealth and pay
more taxes than all others combined.
These considerations entitle them to
lead in the great crusade of reform.
We are teaching not only patriotism
and loyalty to principles of ouf gov
| eminent. but the higher and nobier
one ofphilanthrophy which recognizes
| the brotherhood of man. Our organ
iZatioD is a defensive and not an of
fensive one. The only kind of fight
in which humanity a righttully Ell
gage. Therefore we make war on nc
legitimate enterprise or profession.
but we will discriminate between
Iegalized robbery and just and fairly
| conducted business enterprises The
business man of Mexico need not feal
| the F. L l.. Union. 1t is fighting com
bines and trusts that are robbins
farmer and merchant alike. We come
| anxious to strike hands with the busl
ness men of the towns and with then
make war to the death against gian
monopolies created Dy fiat of law. w
know of your tribulations, brothe.
merchant, and what 'makes the sill
yer thread among the gold" tina
crown your brow to-day. 1t is be
cause the farmers are hard up ant
cannot pay those little bills prompt.
and you toss upon your pillow at tn
noon of night, thinking of hat littI
due bill in thirty days. To the Al
mours, the G0ulds and Nanderblits
we will say, you will be allowed t
enjoy your i'll gotten gains as long a
you live, but the system that enables
you to accumulate your millions mus
be uprooted as q deadly Cpas tina
would smother and destroy free in
situations.
Men are entitled to what their labo
creates and what their business sa
gacity can accumulate, but when the.
combine and invade the sacred pre-
cinets of Government and seek to turl
its mighty powers against the masses
we meet them and say, Glands oil;
this is the heritage ofall the peoPl
you shall not manipulate and run i
in the interest of any class or section
We stand upon the threshold of on
homes mortgaged though they be; on
wives and little ones are behind Us
the example of our fathers is befor
| Us, tIlC ~ C. II tLl HoIlh l. oBOh AS
"AIl Switzerland is in the field,
She cannot fly, she will not yield.
The speaker then proceeded to shoy
that monopoly and despotism wer'
the same; II could not live withou
the other; separate them and they die
as surely as would Eng and Chang,th
Siamese twins. He cited history, sd
cred and profane, to show that monOE
oily had destroyed every great natio
that ever disappeared from the famil
Ofnations.
He said that special privileges an,
franchises had, in thirty years, gather
ed over half the wealth of the Natio
into the hands of thirty thousand of ii
citizens, and into niue states, viz tn
six New England states, New York
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, wit
less than one-fifth of the country
population and less i'll Biographies
area than Texas. Or this point h
said the Billion Dollar congress wa
due to the influence of the manu-
facturers who received protection b
the collection of large all
the money shark who would find tn
people stripped of money by excess
i've taxation. AS remedies, we d
mand the repeal of the National Bank
ing law, the supplementing of our gol
and silver until our per capita circuls
tion reaches $50. He then said tina
this would enhance the value of all Ia
borers' products and thus reduce a
debts and salaries. He then gave tn
following statistics from Audrain cour
ty to show how the manipulation c
finances robbed the farmers:
You shipped AZ, 1850 head of hogs i
1881. Through money stripgency, tn
big four, Old Hutch and the rai,roa
companies, the price of pork has de
clined more than one dollar per huT
dred in face of the fact that Europe j
starving and former restrictions arert
moved. This means a loss of $50, 92t
You shipped 1920 head of cattle on
per hundred shrinkage means S162
900 loss on cattle. You say they haven
declined that much. Well, if the abov
vampires were destroyed or their pow
er for evil crushed you would rea
iZe more than n cent per ID, advance
Horses and mules 4,220. Twenty pc
cent. decline in prices = loss
SS4, 500 aggFegatingS332, $40. Your couI
ty expenditures in 1891 were S33 81
You see after running the gauntlt
you are minus a sufficient amount I
run your county ten years. That
the way your wealth goes that make
millionaires of monopolists and nicke
aires of the masses. He also shove
that the Order was political, but noI
partisan; religious, but not s~ectarial
todaying To no party or church.
MarmadHke will Run For Goyernol
SWEET SPRINGS, Mo, Jan. o.
The Herald this morning announ'
ed that Darwin W. Marmaduk,
brother of the late Gouernor Ma.
msduke, and warden of the Stat
penitentiary during the latter
administration, is a .candldat
for Governor.
The young lady referred to j
the LEDGER yesterday as being sue
a onfand,l srDa ~ +ha A1.