The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-12-13
Oklahoma Letter.
ALvARETTA, Ok, Dec. i, '94.
EDITOR FARMERS UNION:

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This portion of the Cherokee outlet.
and all Of the eastern half. is nice
rolling prairie land, with frequent
streams. most Of which are fed by
springs, with some scattering timber
along the valleys. The western half
is largely timber, but is good farming
and grass lands. On the extreme
southwest. we have some mountains.
one Of which is called the Gloss noun
tain, and is covered with cedar tim
ber and belongs to the government.
Most all of the land in the Strip. ex-
cept the reservations. are taken up by
settlers and claims are becoming quite
valuable, selling from one hundred to
one thousand dollars, and near the
cities worth much more. We have a
fine climate: The summers are warm
Of course, but the heat does not effect
one here as in your country. The air
is much dryer and have most always
enough of it to be pleasant. The win
ters here are not cold like in the
north, though we haye some cold,
windy days-from one to three days
at time. We have a small grain
country, and no doubt a gool fruit
and vegetable country. AS to the
citizens, We are made up from Kan
sas, Missouri, Texas, old Oklahoma,
some few from Iowa, and in fact, a
few from nearly every state i'll the
union, and generally poor people, as
no others, as rule, could get land
here. All are very hard up. as moth
ing has been raised here to sell.
All farmers have some wheat sown
and it looks we'll. Only now and then
YOU can see a school house in travel
ing over the country, and no churches
at all, except in the towns. | think
we will have prosperous county
here in few years-when get our
farms in cultivation and star: in stock
Some of my friends in Missouri
wants to know what l have done with
my Democracy since coming here?
as l have voted the Peoples party
ticket. Of course | had been voting
the Democratic ticket all my life, with
few exceptions, but now changed my
vote, because | had been voting
against my own interest and in favor
of those who are making slaves of us
as fast as they can. We have been
promised great things if we would
only vote the Democratic ticket. We
stayed with them until we gave them
all they asked, and they have failed,
utterly failed. Now we want to
change our government affairs. Finan-
cially we demand Il national currency.
safe, sound and flexable, issued by
the government only, full legal ten
der for all debts. And we don't want
any national banks. We want the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
and gold at the rate Of 16 to l. We
want the circulating medium increas-
ed to not less than $50 per capita.
and more if need be to carry on the
business of the country. We demand
a graduated income tax, and believe
that the money of the country should
be kept in the hands Of the people as
much as possible; hence we demand
tha. all state and national revenues
shall be limited to the necessary ex.
penses Of the government economl-
cally and honestly administered. We
demand that postal savings banks be
established by the government for the
safe deposit of the earnings of the
people and to facilitate exchange.
We further believe that the govern
ment should own and operate the rail
roads. telegraphs and telephones for
the good of the laboring class of peo
pie and the general government, and
many other things; in fact. take the
platform of the Peoples party as a
whole. When poor man reads that
platform and studies it without pref
udice. he cannot deny it being what
We of the west. south and north need
and must have sooner or latel. and
the longer it is put off the worse for
all. remain