The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-04-06

It all on, there mas Deen, on Gne
side of humanity, in response to its Cry
of distress, the great hand of Him who
cannot be served together with Nam
mon.
Let us notice two or three of the
manifestations of this movement in our
own land, in order best to catch its cen
trail truth.
I need not elaborate to you the
of the birth of our labor organi
cations. You know how our great in:
dustries began to fall into the clutch of
that demon born thing, monopoly.
You know the great staples and neces-
saries of life found themselves caught
in its all, embracing grasp. You know
how it ever widened the reach Of its
power until it had laid its hand upon
everything that God had placed in the
world to minister to human want.
And then you know how capital went
on with it's aggressions and, having
prostituted our judiciary, handicapped
our political system, and made, by it's
bribery, our national legislaturea thing
of mockery for the world, sit en-
trenched itself behind the deepening
powers and privileges which govern
ment gave it, and the countless ram
parts of it's money, bags, and opposed
to the vague but earnest onset of the
people, the power of the trained phal-
anx and the c~onscienceless strength Of
the mercenary," forgetting that some
day the great American heart, burst
ing with religious wrath, would tear
down every barrier which it might
build and challenge it with the voice of
the people, which is then the voice of
God. And the people suffered and
grew strong until finally, when for
b~earance had ceased to be @ virtue,
they came together in organized form
in n mighty move against oppression.
And thus the labor organizations are
but one of the manifestations of our
great general movemement-a move
ment of the great common people in
vindication of their sovereign rights.
Indeed, the crusade for the elevation of
the common people finds it's working
base, its chiefest factor and expression
in modernla labor organization and these
organizations, if I mistake not, are the
muster grounds of an army as pure
and patriotic in its motives, and having
as noble a cause, as did ever that which
followed Washington, or in our own
times, the patriot Maceo.
One remarkable thing about the la
Dor organization movement was the
part taken therein by the farmers.
Seeing the advantage which combina-
ton gives, they came together into the
organization first of the Oranges and
then of the Farmers Alliance. This
is indeed a most significant fact. When
the rural part of its population becomes
aroused a nation may we'll scrutinize
it's condition. The farmer, slow to
wrath, is the very genius of avenging
destruction when once his passion is
aroused. What has he done in the
past 2 Three times when liberty de-
manded it has he captured and held
with his horny hand against every at
tack Of baron, lord, and peer the CAPT
tai city of England. It was the farmers
of France who, leaving the country
where they were subject to unequal
taxation, and focking into the tester
ing cities, brought about the great
French Revolution. 1t was a body of
American farmers who, with heels
tarred down to liberty and right,
drafted in old Mecklenburg the first
declaration of American independence.
The farmers heart is the home of
freedom. He will be the throttled
bond servant Of no man. He has
never known servile obedience to
earthly potentate or power. Witness
the revolving and triumphant farmers
of England and France, and the Amer
lean colonies pledging their lives, their
fortunes, and their most sacred honor
to the quest of fleeing Freedoms trail.
Witness now, if you will, five million
embattled farmers, banded brothers in
a common cause, against an odious in
dustrial oppression.
And now I ask why these farmers
have united Why, for that matter,
have all other laboring people united 2
Did they have no reasons Is their &C
ton devoid of a valid causes Just as
much without a cause as were the men
of the Netherlands who revolted
against the Ubiquitous oppression of
Spain; just as much without a cause
as were the barons of England who
Rrested from tYrannical old King