The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-06-21

ONT ObCWI 116 O68B6 Oh O~Ou05CbGSU6 10
only one Of the assets Of the New York
and New Haven Railroad Company.
which chooses our legislators for US;
and those whom it does not buy be-.
forehand. il buys after they are herel
Long before the election IL has its
agents in the field, looking out for the
nomination Of Senators and Represen-
tativee, so that withits persuasive in
duences,' added to it's moral suasion.'
il seldom fails Of o working majority.
But il by accident it should be q little
short, g few thousand dollars dis
tributed where It will do the most
good will open the eyes OF country
members to see things in q new light,
so that either way the Company is
always in q state OF calm repose. So
notorious is this control Of the Iegisla-
ture, that members of it make no mys-
terry Of il among themselves, and in
deed boast Of it. One Of them, chuck.
ling over il, said to q friendof Mr.. -
that "a farmer who came from the
country to the legislature was q -
fool [I omit the profane word which
he used to emphasize what he said,l II
he went home with q mortgage on his
house or farmr A fool indeed il he
did not carry home in his gripsack
bills enough to tighten the burden that
was hanging heavily on his declining
yearel A corporation "a aford to be
generous, when ID has millions to spend
and one million would be ample to
provide for legal services and other
services necessary to complete con.
trolI' Butno Wonderland it was with
a cringe Of shame for the state OF which
he was an inkabitant, that my friend
had to confess that q foreign corpora.
ton was it's master and g%overnorI
Am I telling tales out Of school to
cast shame on the good name Of old
ConnectiCut9 Are the people OF that
State Of q lower moral grade than those
Of Massachusetts, By no means. On
the contrary, IL I were to pick out
from the six States Of New England,
the one that has the most u~ncOrrupted
Puritan blood, I think I should choose
Connecticut, for Maine and Massa.
chusetts, and perhaps Vermont and
New Hampshire. have q large infusion
Of the Canadian French. But the peo-
pie Of Connecticut have not b~eenspoiled
by any foreign mixture. AS their vir-
tues are their own, 80 their weaknesses
are their own; but the whole body Of
the inhabitants are not to be stigma
tized because men who are poor. and
who work hard all their lives to carr q
bare support for themselves and their
children, cannot resist the glittering
temptation Of thousands Of dollars
dangling before their eyes, all to be
had for a single votel
Nor is Connecticut the only State
that is owned by q rich corporation.
Here in New York we have nothing to
boast Of. One has but to visit Albany
in the winter when the legislature is in
session, to see that it is very docile in
the matter Of Legislation on some points,
while vehement in declaring its high
standard of righteousness On others. If
the statement Of those best informed
be believed, the corporation that runs
it's Empire State Express through the
State runs right over the legislature at
its will. The upper Hudson swarms
with leeches which draw blood from the
swollen veins Of the rich corporations,
whose huge bodies stand out with fat
ness. Sometimes they vince q little,
but soon learn to take their 'leeching'
quietly, instead of provoking their tor.
mentors. and so running the risk Of q
public expoeurel
Is it any better in Pennsylvania
One man is said to carry the Iegisla.
ture in his pocket, q confession that
would be humiliating if he were q
Daniel Webster, and a man Of the high
est integrity; but in this case the man
who is said to Town" Pennsylvania, is
openly charged with being a defaulter
to the State, as having taken the pub
lie money TO the amount Of some two
hundred thousand dollars, and appro-
priating il to his own use-an ACCUSE
ton that has been repeated again and
again in the public papers, but to
which he has never deigned-or dared
Ito make any reply. And not only
does this defaulter demand his own
election, but gives orders to the legis-
lature to elect as.his colleague a man
with no reputation whatever; and that
over the head of one of the most dis.
tinguished men in the Commonwealth
And this is our toasted Republican