The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-27
QUESTIONS FOR FARMERS AND
TRUCKERS.

Tor the Consideration OF Tillers of the
Soil.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
The trucking season now far Rd-
vanced demonstrates to the farmer in
unmistakable tones the necessity for
| CO operation.
This season more than others shows
how utterly helpless they are-how en-
tirely at the mercy Of commission men
and officials who handle their products.
Is there any wonder that farmers as a
class are becoming poorer every year
when they will not avail themselves of
the opportunity offered them to CO.
operate together8 They might become
a power in the land and dictate their
own terms. Has a ''great delusion"
been brought upon them that they are
so regardless of their own interests2
Will they continue to contribute more
to the affairs Of monopoly and the up
building of rich corporations than to
their own interests while their own is
in a languishing conditions Do they
think more of the children Of the plu.
tocrat than of their own9 Judging
from observation we might answer all
these questions in the affirmative.
Probably it has MT occurred to some Of
them that the only privilege allowed
them in their own affairs is to do the
hard work. When that is done their
rights and privileges cease. The result
of their hard work musS be turned over
to a we'll organized system whose busi-
ness it is to make the most out Of it for
self. OF course every advantage is
taken of disorganized condition and
lack of system on the part of the farmer
and he is the one that loses and suffers.
What protection has the shirp3r of
produce against dishonest dealing9
A little girl who packed strawberries
for a gentleman enclosed a dainty note
in one of the baskets with her name
and address and request that the
finder report to her the price paid for
that particular quart. The answer
was soon received which said 35 cents.
When returns came in only cents
was the price named.
A gentleman followed his beans to
New York and saw them sold for
double the amount that returns showed.
A farmer shipped a crate Of fine
fowls to market and became his own
detective; went along with them and
bought them himself at 40 cents each;
he returned home and returns were
sent him in few days for 18 cts. each.
Now, brother farmer, do you pro-
pose to protect yourselt7 If you are
protG cted you must do it yourself.
There is no such thing as one profes-
sion protecting another. The govern.
ment, with all it's generosity, will never
throw a protectorate around you as it
has around the Cubans, especially
when your supreme Indifference would
indicate that you do not wish it.
Now you must have protection, and
the only protection you can possibly
get is by co operation. No one man
can protect himself. Then where is
the refuge9 What is the matter with
the Farmers Alliance9 Its business
features are we'll appointed and we'll
executed. There can be no valid oS-
lection to it as farmers organization.
Some say it went in to politics, but this
writer has been in it IL years and
knows that is not true. Some have
withdrawn who went in for political
purpose. When they got cfice or got
they got out. Others
went in and stayed in as long as they
could skin dollar out of the Alliance
or the members.
Now the politicians, the dead BEATS,
and all who went in for unholy pur-
poses have got out and We can promise
a clean bill Of fare-R healthy organ1-
cation. There are many good men
though who were once Alliancemen
who should come back. It is easy to
find at least one good man IN every
section who yet loves the principles OF
the Alliance and has the good OF the
Order at heart. Let one such in every
interest himself and get
The brethren together and start the
work.
The Alliance beat the brains out Of
;he iute bagging trust years ago. Now
you have the plow trust to fight, to