The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-04-23
LETTER FROM REV. JOHN AM
MONS.
The biblical Recorder" and the Legis-
lature.

| The biblical Recorder" and the Legis-
| lature.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
The Biblical Recorder is wonderfully
exercised over the school question.
In it's issue of March Goth it said
1.-THE school children are poorer for the
work of this legislature" In it's next
issue it partly took it back, admitting
that it ''is not literally correct" but
practically So" Now, it seems to me
that what is practically" true is ''lit-
orally" true, so that the Recorders
makeshift to get his foot out Of it, only
makes the matter worse.
For a number of months the Re
cOrder had put itself in line with the
Reform movement, if it is to be judged
by it's utterances. but there was some-
thing the Recorder wanted that it did't
get, and rs soon as the legislature ad
iourns it begins to pour out the Walls
of it's wrath-its animus is but little
better than that of the NeIcS and o.
SerUer.
Now, why all this spleen9 What did
the legislature do to arouse the wrath
of this religious journal to such pitch
that for a whole month it devotes al
most it's entire editorial space to bitter
invectives against it, and most Of them
without a shadow Of excuse.
The legislature did everything in
caucus, Notwithstanding the Recorders
mote of warning" men went into the
caucus opposed to a proposition and
came out in favor of it,; man by no
means connected with the Assembly
successfully worked for not few meas
ures, and all they had to do was to get
the votes of a majority of caucus"
Such are few specimens of the Re
corder'S charges. Now, every member
of the legislature knows that these
charges are false, not to say malicious.
If the legislature was 50 Obsequious
why did not the Recorder get in it's
job? But what was it that the Recorder
wanted9 If the Recorder knew better
what the interests of the State and its
people demanded than the peoples
representatives thought to have thrown
itself into the breach and prevented all
this ruin, and not wait till it was too
late, and then cry out, II told yOu SO!''
But what did the Recorder want9
Take its editorials since the adjourn
ment of the legislature and he that
runs may read. Had the legislature
Withdrawn all appropriations from the
University and other institutions of
higher learning the Recorder would, no
doubt, have lauded us to the sky, but
inasmuch as we did not do that, we
did nothing worthy of the Recorders
approval.
The legislature did reduce appropri
ations where they were not for the
general good of the State, but the body
was not composed of destructives; it
was not it's work to pull down and de-
stroy, but to build up and strengthen.
Thousands of dollars had been spent
by the State to build up the University
and other State schools, and had we
acted in manner to cripple and destroy
these institutions, we would have been
entitled to the distinction of idiots.
The University question was not
settled as thought it ought to be. 1
desired to see the University what its
name indicate s, but so long as it looks
to the State for support from its treas
ury, the means to meet its annual ex-
penses, it will never rise above what it
is-simply college. and nothing more
What does the Recorder hope to gain
by its course3 Will unjust criticism
of the legislature help its cause9 Will
Misrepresentation aid the truth9 Men
sometimes hurt their cause by attempt
ing too much. JOHN AMMoNs.
The foreign demand for American