Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-04-07
THE FARMERS TROUBLES.
Alliance Notes from Southern
Kinds.
The st. Louis Conference Plat
form Endorsed.
BarksdaIc the FavOritc for Con-
grcSS.
Editor Mississippi Leader:

Editor Mississippi Leader:
The years of hopeless toll drag heav
lily along to all tillers of the soil. The
late cold snap swept away fine pros
pect of a fruit crop. The vegetable
growers are damaged seriously. These
misfortunes must be borne by the pro.
ducers of these crop alone. At the
present prices cotton will not pay the
cost of production. We can raise cot
ton, but they tell us we raise too much
glut the market and thus force down
the price. Let us see. Last years
crop is estimated at 100000 bales
40 pounds to the bale would give us
&c pounds piece for every person in
the world. Out of this &c pounds
must be deducted all the cotton used
for other purposes beside clothing
This would leave less than 2 pounds
apiece. Now, the question is, if every
one could have all he needs for his
comfort, would he not consume two or
even three pounds? If he does not,
why? The answer is: he does not use
it because he has not the money to buy
it.
Give us plenty of money to do the
commercial business of the country.
aud you will hear nothing more of
r-production The great concern
of the political press and other occupa-
tons apart from farming, as to reduc-
ton in the cotton acreage, is truly
wonderful. The farmers are getting a
great deal of gratuitouS counsel in this
line. If they were half so lavish in
their advice to other professions. they
would be considered meddlesome and
even presumptuous. The physician
has his speciality, the lawyer his, and
the merchant his; but the farmer is
counseled to verify the adage, Jack at
all trades and good at none" Our soil
and climate are adapted to certain
crops, crops that are in demand the
world over, and if we have an equal
chance under the laws with other pro-
fessions in the battles of life we are
willing to take the consequences. If
one years products were consumed in
flames or sunk in the depths of the
ocean, it would cause a wall of distress
all over this country and in other
countries but if all the gold and silver
were destroyed it would not neceSSari-
ly deprive any one of as much food
and raiment as he needed. And yet
our plutocratic congressman contend
that gold shall be the only basis for
our circulating medium. Under this
system of contraction of the currency
we are rapidly drifting into European
conditions in fact, we are being be-
trayed into the hands of English lords
and dukes. | should be glad for every
citizen in the United States to read the
following 20,OO0,O00 acres of our land
owned by men holding high official po-
sitions in foreign governments 6O,OOO,-
600 by railroads controlled by foreign
capital 70OO0,0O0 by private citizens of
Europe in all 150,OOO,OOO acres, an area
four times as large as the great State
of Pennsylvania. Much of this land is
cultivated by tenants of American
birth, paying tribute to foreign land
lords and dukes of the British empire.
Statistics show that English capital
is invested in this country as follows :
In railroads S450,000,OO0; in distilleries,
land mortgages, S5OO,OOO,-
900; in manufactures, S15O,OOO,OOO; in
New York Insurance S1OO.0O0,00O, and
in California S50,000,0OO, amounting in
the aggregate to 100000. We
pay an annual interest of S1I2,0O0,O0O
At Sl.0O a day 800 days to the year, it
would take $4,000 financial slaves to
pay the annual interest, and 5,7O6,5S3
men to pay principal and interest at
the end of any given year. What has
England done for the Congress of the
United States that they should give her
the toll of so many millions of labor
ers? What do our farmers think of
the political parties that legislate such
as make America tributary
to any foreign country?
The Alliance is getting on we'll. At
the last meeting the st. Louis demands
were unanimously endorsed. Major
Barksdale is our decided choice for
Congress. Hill and Cleveland have no
boomers in this section. They are
back numbers. We want reform, polit-
ical, moral and financial reform. The
money power is behind all the evils of
which we complain, combines, trusts,
our national banking system, the sa-
loon, are all backed up by the money
power. Destroy this, and the rest will
follow.
The writer met with County Line
Alliance on 10Th inst. We had good
time. Hon. t. j. Millsaps was present
and addressed the meeting. 1t was
earnest and practical and we'll received.
This writer tried to tell them why he
was an Alliance man. There we're sew
eral lady members present to give en-
to the noble cause, and
this they did in very substantial way
by spreading bountiful and sumptu-
Gus dinner on the grounds. The AL
lance endorsed the st. Louis demands.
All expressed themselves as determin-
ed to vote for measures and principles
of all other considerations
in the future. This is right. May it
spread all over our country until we
can send men to Congress who will rep
sent the general interest of the coun-
try, and not that of plutocracy exclu-
sively. We want no more Hookers
from this district, but we want man
who is more identified in feeling and
interest with the toiling masses. We
want Barksdale.
NJ