The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-03-19
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attract some attention. H..
Therefore, I will ask, why are most
of our good people in eebt9 Is 1t be-
cause they don't work and attend TO
thoir b~usInessY Or is because. their
tood costs too much9 No! for echo
answers. ''that most all the FARMERS
tell us they raise their own meat ana
broad and live at home" or they
don't it is very unwise, for the cost ls
nominal.) Can't there be other causes
For instance, suppose the price OF
everything would rise and fall as u
farm nroducts rise and fall, don't you
think there would be better tlmesf
Now, you take out sc. cotton QUO
wheat. 4Oc. corn, 25c. potatoes, etc.,
and let us have cheaper clothing,
cheaper luxuries, cheaper officers, law
yers, doctors, preachers, agents; let
railroad travel be cheaper, cheaper
drummers, etc. Instead OF that every
thing else keeps up, while the proouc's
of the soil are low. Clothing Is about
the same, luxuries the same; all tne
officers get the same salaries, ana some
of them get more, and 1T seems they
keen finding room for another officer
all the time. Where does their pay
come from9 Out of Jul &c. cotton.
Whv not cut their salaries down to
half price, as cotton, ETC., Is cut
down. We have to work hard for our
products, and dress in rags; do not
enjoy any of the luxuries, and then
get half price for what we have to
sell, while these officers live on the
fat of the land, dress in the best cloth
ing, get big salaries, and ride free on
railroads, and have very little to do
except crack jokes, etc. Is this right3
No wonder there is such a scramble
ofhcesl Now, in the name of justice,
let us throw away about half of these
fellows and give the remaining half
only half wages.
Then, again: Why should u law
years and doctors get the same fees they
got in better times2' They certainly do
not work any harder, for it seems
there are ten for one, and the old time
lawyers and doctors were up with
their professions, and attended to their
business, while now you see them med
ding In politics and loafing around the
n instead of being in their office,
And just let a farmer come in town to
sell a chicken to get n half pound Of
coffee, and some of these professionals
will have an article a yard long stating
that the farmers are always in town
instead of being at work, published in
some of these nuisance sheets las l
call them) Don't let us pay them but
half price either.
Now, as to our preachers, we all like
to hear good preaching, which makes
us feel that it is the true word Of
''God," and to wish that it could be
heard all over this broad land, and be
willing to give half of earnings for
the gospel to go ven into the remotest
corner of the earth. But as it is, how
"a we pay station preachers such sal
aries as they get-and then listen very
oftento one of these highdyers and this
operate music that sounds more like
some worldly affair than praise TO
God, instead of the songs of old, that
almost lifted ones soul to heaven as
the echoes vibrated the halls of Gods
tabernacles.
Now, instead of ding-donging at the
poor farmer for his &c. cotton for for
eign missions, let us cut their salaries
down half, and let that surplus go in
that direction.
H1en again, we notice the country is
filling Up with agents-that are going
around from farm to farm, getting
their living free, and probably putting
off some humbug on the poor farmer
life insurance or something of the
kind-an to be paid with Sc. cotton.
And the railroads charge just as
much to travel now as they did when
cotton was 1Oc. So we poor farmers
have to ride in second class cars, where
occasionally a lawyer, doctor, preach
er, or some of these officers may come
o awhile to almost suffocate US with
smoke and play the disagreable in gen
eral. Why not let us ride for half
price In the ~irst-class carr I can't see
either where the freight rates are any
cheaper; and very often we lose an
article in the our of transportation,
which we either have to sue to get its
value, or give it to the railroad com,
pany. Is this right3 Let them come
down equal to sc. cotton.