Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-21

ers who do not till their own land, amuse-
ment makers, etc. 80.
Now, L am not going to say anything
against the non-producers. 1 don't mean
it that way. They are products of civili-
cation and multiply precisely as enlight-
preacher and the school teacher and the
doctor, are actual and active benevo-
lences to the human race, and have
seen the time when banker or even an
ordinary money lender seemed equal with
woman as one of Heavens best gifts to
man. They all have their important and
necessary place, and most of them work,
and work hard.
You and 1 used to be producers, even
walked the furrow, but that was in our
Confidentially, across the palings, you
know, we both quit it, didn't we, as soon
as advancing years enabled us to shake
off the stern and compelling parental
hand? And Joined the ranks of the non
producers. Why? Confidentially, across
the palings, you know again, 1t was be-
cause we knew the reward of the toll
takers was greater than that of the pro-
ducers. True, the making of a neWspa-
per is in one sense manufacture. But
we will waive that. 1t wasn't your in
tention to be a simple manufacturer. Nor
NINE We called it a profession and
named ourselves journalists. And, across
the paQngS again, we have managed to
get a good deal more out of being nom
producers than our younger brothers who
stayed on the farm and, raised cotton at
a steadily declining price. Being nom
producers, we can talk about our own
crowd freely, can't WEI? And we need
not befoul our own nest, either. For the
non-producing crowd, the toll takers, are
by odds the smarter of tie two even If
you and | are of them They have knock
ed about more, know more, pull together,
have quicker wits, and though some of
them pray on Sunday, they don't let that
interfere with business during the week.
They are going to have their share and
more than their share. 1t always has been
so and always will be so, The laws can't
help it, Didn't we enact law in Ala
bama creating a railroad commission to
check the toll taking power of the rail-
roads? We are going to take out toll
enough to have carpet on the floor and
biscuit on the table, however greedily the
corn-bred fed producer may stare in at
the window. True we have reduced some
of the tolls, we non-producers. Discount
at the bank isn't what 1t was, nor ware
houseage, nor lawyers fees, nor doctors
fees, nor school teachers wages, nor
freight rates, nor the price of news
papers, nor merchants profits A good
many of the non-producers have been
compelled by stern necessity to reduce
their tolls, but is there a single man of
them all who has reduced by anything
like so cents in the dollar? A good many
of them have gone broke and retired into
the cool shades of bankruptcy, because
their customers or patrons among the
producers had. become unable to pay
up'@bad collections did 1t you know; but
not one, even to stave off the sheriff, has
so far forgotten himself as to reduce one
half just because cotton had gone off a
half, or corn, or iron, or coal. And how
many have not reduced at all?
Mr.. Cleveland was still drawing $50 900
at last accounts, aSAd Governor Oates
$4,000, and on down the line. Judge Por-
ter's fees are the same, and so are Justice
Haley's. Is Professor Robertson still
charging SO cents If you don't give in
your assessment on time, or has he cut 1t
down to rs cents? I used to ride on a
pass on the railroad, but other people
paid cents a mile I presume they are
still riding at the old rate DR.. Whelan
hasn't reduced the prices at the opera
house has he? Has the government re-
duced wages at the postoffice yet?
Well, as 1 said, this can't be helped
The non-producer is the smarter of the
two, and he is going to get more for less
work than the producer till the end of
the chapter. But I'll tell you what he
ought to do, in common honesty. He
ought to give the producer an honest
measure. He ought not to join in and fix
a measure called. a dollar for the pro-