Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1896-09-25

| people St2rEeQ, Willie liie hiiIS
feastcd and kept reserve or
surplus Of wheat by a liberal IS
sue of Royal orders or bonds
warranted to produce wheat and
nothing but wheat!
At length, when the people
had been driven to the last eX-
tremity, and a famine prevailed
in the land, even the king S
bonds were refused for wheat by
Mammon & Co, unless he would
also put in pawn his crown, his
sceptre and his throne
And then the eyes and ears of
the king were partially opened
to his Frustrated people crying
for the re-opening OF the mills to
corn. "We donot care for pound
caker' shrieked the people.
"Give us corn bread lest we
perish in the midst of our abun
dance !"
But the sleek Mamnon with
his portly professors, his bloated
bankers, his greasy scrlbes, and
his lusty lawyers, talked all day
and night to the king: "These
ignorant and half educated
people do not know what ails
them, nor what they need,' said
Mammon & Co. "Besides, they
are hired to starve themselves
and make all this outcry by
these fellow who raise such enor>
nous crops of corn. The corn
producers alone will be benefit
ted by opening the mills to corn.
Just think what all enormous
pile of money they will make if
corn be again allowed as a bread
stuff We, on the contrary,
know all about grain and bread,
and from Our position are utter
ly unintcrested. We neither
grow nor grind anything!'
Except the people and the
king = interjected the kings
fool.
Scorning the unseenly inter~
lection, Mammon & Co., went.
OH: "The people foolishly say
that they do not want pound
cake, and clamor for corn bread;
but we who know, Oh, king, de
clare to you that corn bread is
injurious to the digestion, fit
only for hogs, and that pound
cake, as our experiences proves,
is far better for human food. 1t
is true that the people say that
they can get no pound-cake, that
it is beyond their means, is
scarce, &c. Yet as we can testify
conclusively, there is plenty of
pound-cake, for We have got it!
Yes; we have abundance of
pound cake, and it is only a pop
ular delusion which inspires the
cry for ash-cake and corn-pone;
for if they can't buy our pound
cake how can they buy corn
bread?"
Ouoth the kings fool:
The more grist the mills grind,
The more mouths it will fill"
"Besides," ," continued Mans
mon & Co., still scorning the
fool, chow can your majesty find
it in your heart to deprive us Of
our monopoly for the benefit of a
dirty rabble? ?"
"That, to be sure" said the
king, would be conclusive, but
for the consideration that if the
body perisles, what will become
Of the head? l am the head of
Felicia, the people are the body
Of the State; already I find it al>
most impossible to supply my
self with necessary wheat; all
ready | am in bonds TO your
masters of wheat, and now you
tell me Imust pawn my sovcrigne
ty to get further supplies.
"Weil, you thus force me to
feel that l and my people are one;
to remember that the public
mills do not belong to me alone,
nor to you, but to the people;
and l at once re>open the mills
to corn believing that it will be
much better to live, even on
ash-cake, than to starve myself
or people in an effort to make
poundcake the sole staff of life. "
Mammon & CO. retired dis
conhted, venting dire threats of
ruin and revenge; but even they
could not reverse the laws of
trade, Of supply and demand.
And soon it came to pass that
bread SO abounded that even the
poor did not lack for wheat,-it
being found that the best ass
surance for pound>cake is III the
free and unlimited supply of
corn meal for ash>cake.
He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear.