Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-05-25

rms Is fHE MAIN ubJECf OF
THE FARMERS AND LABOR.
ERS' UNION ORGAN.
lxAfION.
Farmer l. j. Sins. In u Goot.Natur-
ed Way. Hops Onto at Bet"
For Eliminating That the
order Is A reNtremite.
IL the E,iitar Of the Ledger.

10 the Editor Of the Ledger.
THOMPSON, Mo-, May 22.-DEAR
SIR: l feel, sir, that | am asking
more than I could hardly expect you
10 grant; and, knowing full wellthat
newspaper men dislike to publish
unpopular articles, and mine are
not very popular because l take the
unpopular side of some great ques-
of principles. and am unpop-
ular as an individual because |
stand on and will not sacrifice what
l believe to be just principles for
popularity and to be in the main
current of the swim. Your kindness
in the past is my only excuse for
coming to you again. l wishto say
a few words in explanation and
apology to my old friend, "U Bet"
When I read his article in the Intel
iigencer it did not raise any bristles
on me. | don't belong to that
species of animal and never had a
ring in my nose to keep me out OF
the ground, but | did think from the
account that "U Bet" gave of the
death Of the Bean Creek F. & l.. U.l
that he treated it with a degree of
levity that did make me feel humil-
lated, but | assure him that it
never aroused one spark of anger.
There is another point "U Bet
makes that caused me much thought
that is, that if a mule, horse or
cow from accident or age becomes
useless, then kill it or let it die.
That is all right. | have seen both
human beings and dumb brutes that
thought it would be a blessing if
they could die. 1tseems from"U Bet
that he thinks the F. & l.. U. has
outlived its usefulness. This is the
point he makes that is so hard for
me to understand. What was the
F. & L. L. organized for? | say, to
educate men and women on the
great economic questions that I'M
derlie our form of government and
harmonic and bring them together
on all measures that effect their in
terests as citizens and tax payers
and form a closer brotherhood in
which all would feel a greater inter-
est in the welfare of each member
in fact, a kind of kindergarten for
men and women. Has it done this?
| think there is evidence that it has
only partially succeeded. Through
its influence we have mills that are
not in any combine and are a great
equalizer of prices both to consumer
and producer. By its influence we
have an Insurance Company that is
saving its members enough to pay a
large proportion of their school tax,
; and not only that, but keeps our
t money at home in each man. pocket
until there is an actual loss, and en-
ables Us to stop sending it to great
| eastern companies that buy mort
cages on our homes with the same
money. If you think we have been
l idle turn to pages 81 to $50 State
: Auditors report and see phenome-
, nal growth of the valuation of taxa
BILE property in Audrain, Galloway,
: Bates, Montgomery, Randolph and
Monroe counties and see il you can
discover the effects Of any +. & L.
L. committees by the increase Of
taxable property. | know there are
. some that make light of this, but
when you hear this, just examine
the assessors list and you will find
f it has been increased very percepti-
| bly, under the growing influence Of
the F. Il L. U. Investigating Com.
mites. Then "U Bet" thinks some
members display too much interest
in politics. On this point I want to
say to "U Bet" and the balance of
mankind that any one has as many
rights and privileges as a citizen,
=, civilly, socially, morally, politically
and r%eligiously, after he Or she joins
the F. & L. L. as they had before.
| admit there are a few like U. S.
Hall and "U Bet" that think the
rest Of the members ought to act like
, young crows-sit with their mouths
open, and every time L. S. Hall says
anything swallow it down whether il
be bread or strychnine and say it is
very good, and if they don't then
trot around and say the Union is a
failure and has outlived its useful
ness and enjoy a kind of iendish
delight when n yields up the
fight for existence. ~ Bet" COM
!, plains that no physician would come
to prescribe remedies 70" the Union.
Now, "u Bet" did noone prescribe
cooperative trade in buying and
selling but some one said it would
bankrupt the merchants? No one
seemed to think it made any DIFF
ference whether the farmers wife