The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-02-06

every struggle an expression OF an
sfchy. IL hss thrown its isfuepce With
the poWers that be. no matter IL the
powers were Nooarch, master o. Nam
mon. The abolition Of slavery in the
United Stafes,- says Dr. strong. was
uudou bsedly due TO the influence Of
Christianity. But IL won no honor or
gratitude 10 the church. IL l. .
significant fact, that mcsf OF the men
Who have thought to reorgAnite society
on . more Jus; and frssernal basis have
been out OF sympathy with the church
or positively hostile to it, And he
quotes Principal fairiaiTa n a. .ing IN
London: There 10 one thing I pro-
foundly feel-the way in which
churches, taken as . whole. have allow
ed the industrial classes 10 grapple al
most unaided with their problems, To
fkht unhelped their way into their
liberties and rights There IL no sad
der comment upon the church than
this: THE foremost leaders in social
reform, both in Europe and America,
have been churchless and creedless--
The few who control the currency
and create panics at will have the
power To all the land with idieness.
cheApness, and hunger; Ia make the
20 htutS Va ocotSs X
divine bounty and human industry
impossible through the destruction OF
prices and values; TO transform all
mortgages into deeds: and To sweep
away without compensation the accu-
mutations Of all classes, and the con-
crete toll of millions. However legal
lied, the result is none the less heart
less robbery, progressive impoverish-
ment and certain slavery. For when
men lose their property, they lose their
independence; and when through loss
Of the fruits Of past or present toll,
they are brought into subsection TO the
will OF another, what are they but
slavesy Ii Is process that affects all
classes.
A prosperous agriculture is Gods
only firm foundation for the hexlthful
building Of other industries. 1t is the
only sure basis OF national prosperity
and peace. "The small land-t wner,"
said Mr.. Jefferson, lis the most precious
part of the republic" But the small
landowner is being swept away in
democratic America by the same cruel
process that crushed out the proud
yeOman of England. The census tells
the story of our progress towards ma
ton Of tenants and domestic and for
eign landlords. DIR. Strong quotes
David A. Wells as saying that il is the
growing opinion of authorities in the
United States and Europe that the
only possible future for agriculture is
to be found in large farms, with labor
organized after the factory system.
What then shall become Of ~ bold
yeOmanry, it's cOuntry's pride?" This
question was answered q year ago by
Mr.. Fred. Perry Powers in words like
these: 1.-The American farmer is fol-
lowing the English yeoman into ex-
tinctiOn, and the creation of landlord
and tenant classes has already made
progress here. Evolution
in agriculture is giving us, instead of
one GLASS of farmers who were stimuli
taneOusly landlord, tenant, and la
bOref, farmers of three classes perma-
nently distinct. The POpulist
movement Of the day is the beginning
OF the dying struggle of race Of
farmers who supplied most of the faith
ers of the republic; who were for many
years the controlling power within it;
but who are now losing their land, and
with it their political weight. =
The Agricultural population of this
country will in fifty years be poor and
made up of hired labOrers on
great estates, of tenants, and of pro-
prietOrs of small patches of ground
which they will cultivate with a spade,
and of whose produce they will eat
only what cannot be sold. This
means the three agricultural classes of
the owner who lives in the
city and enjoys the revenues formerly
distributed among considerable num-
Der of owning farmers the tenant who
has increasing difficulty in paying his
rent; and the farm-laborer who gets
not quite enough food to keep him
thoroughly nOurished, and who is at
tracted to the soil, not by any law of
serfage, but by the iron law of pow
erty, ignorance and lack of spirit"
This is sad picture. 1t was not paint
ed by one of my political friends. 1t
comes from the other side. l sit by
my fireside and read it, and look ST.
lently into the eyes of my children.
Such is the doom that startles the
farmer, holding many acres or few.
And what promise does it hold for in
1ustries built upon his? Such is the
prospect of the country. The rural
population see it and feel it. DO you
wonder that they are restless?
10 enforced abandonment of farms
is added voluntary desertiOn by men
IN desperate search of living OppOrtu-
mites. Where population is massing
already with frightful rapidity, these,
200, crowd the cities-centres of hu-
nan wretchedness and princely splen-
Tor; of colossal wealth and kingly
power of churches built and supported
oy those that have no fear of God or
owe for man; of magnificent churches
hat have no place or gospel for the
poor; of churches where crime goes
in high and ungodly pa
rons, which yet set the pace for the |
clergy of a nation; centres of ignOr-
lnce, of intelligence, of corruption,
md of political influence that controls |
With increasing sway the destinies of |
'ur country. The wholesome infiu-
'nce of a strong, intelligent, and pa
riotic rural population gone, whence
comes the healthful new blood for the |
'ity's regeneration? What becomes of |
democracy, of civilization, of Christi
nifty in this last Western empire, the
lope of the freednOm and righteous
less of the world?
Thus confronted and knowing no
way but organization and
to check these destructive
OnditiOns and tendencies, some farm
rs came together on grounds of pur-
st patriotism and Christianity. For
he common welfare, with the motto
4 peace and good will. the Farmers
Alliance has sought to remedy politi-
al and social evils by popular politi-
al education. But in our struggle for
reedom and humanity, what has been
he attitude of the church toward us?
las it helped US? When members OF
he Farmers Alliance, sterling men of
christian integrity, contending for
teral DemOcracy-beyOnd which lies
narchy or servitude-have been de-
ounced as communists and anarchists.
as 1T not rather taken, even here in
'0rth Carolina, the side Of the con-
cienceless professional politician
gainst US? Clergy and religious
ress Joined the newspapers (Which
y. Atkins pronounced the most con- !