Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1894-09-06
THE HARD TIMES.

W.
Gov. Tillman Of South Caroline Out
lines Their Cause and Cure
Among the views Of governors OF
different states on the future OF our
country, published in the New York
Press, is one from Gov. T'llman OF
South Carolina. Elected as q demo-
crat. most pronounced opponent OF
any new party in 1892. his change Of
views in this respect within few
mon this is suggestive. He is an earn
est, aggressive fighter, and will do
his share towards uniting the south
and west He says:
why should this be time OF ma
tional loss and Encouragement? The
crops OF the country were never more
bounteous, the harvest more plenti-
full. Why are troops necessary In six
or eight states to hold strikers In
checlse Why is the army Of the un-
employed reaching into the million?
1t will take too long to anewer, ex'
cept in the briefest possible way.
Condensed to q sentence 1t Is: Be
cause the American farmer is prac'
tically In the poorhouse. And the
coveted home market around which
a Chinese wall hes been raised by the
protective tariff, is virtually de-
stroyed, starved. Wheat and cotton,
our two staple crops Of export, are at
or below the cost Of production. There
IL not enough money in the country
to move the wheel Of commerce. or 1t
is SO unequally distributed that bust
ness is stsRnated. The farmer has
nothing left with which to purchase
the products OF the artisans and
manufacturers, and these are idle in
consequence
THE congestion Of the money--what
there is in the country-at q few
centers In the east and the system OF
banking which makes this possible,
the war on silver; the blind greed OF
the multi-millionaires to wiring more
ill-gotten gains from the masses; the
laying tribute on agriculture for tho
benefit of the manufacturers, and then
muzzling 'the OK which treadeth out
the corn" by an indequake supply OF
currency-these are the causes for our
present condition.
"The politicians and newspapers
OF both the democratic and re
publican parties are equally re
sponsible. What Harrison and the
epublicans could not do, Cleveland
with q combination of mugwumps SO
called democrats and republican,, ha,
brought about Coxey's army. like
the march Of the fish wives on Yer
sailles, excites only ridcule and con
tempt. But 1t 10 sad to think tha'
the most conservative force In oui
country to-day-its backbone In wal
and its greatest reliance now-ths
agricultural masses, sympathize fully
with Coxey's i'll clad, half starved
tsttered trAmps. =.
''whence will relief come? twill
come when the people Of the agricult
ural states, driven to desperation b.
the imbecility, treachery, debaucher,
now rife among our public men a
Washington, forget the differences o
war and the quarrel over black slave
vote together to emancipate the whit
slaves, OF which we have many mil
lions-slaves Of money.
1.-The southern democrats and tn
western republicans populists an
democrats can not and will not remaii
long apart under existing conditions
. The "word of cheer" which send I
you Is that these farmers are doinI
some desperate. hard thinking. The.
viii vote later to redress thei
wrongs, and even up with the thieve
; who now control congress and pre-
, vent any measure Of relief "Whor
|. the gods would destroy they frs
make mad" II the representatives
congress from the middle and easter
4 states are not mad. then / an yer
: blind. The pendulum has swung 10
/, 70 one side. Let plutocracy bewar
when IL swings the other way
= Newspapers 1t the south have almos
Q Lost all influence ever the agricultur.
\ Masses When the northern peopl
lose their faith in their RESPECTIVE
party organs the masses will vote Il
n Rether, and the day OF relributio
will come with . new dawn OF fre'