The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-29
EDITORIAL MOTIFS,

1t is expected that State Lecturer
Seawell will take the field at an early
date and push the work Of re-organ
ization. Only a man with the true
Alliance grit" and determination (and
a country doctor at that would have
worked in the billiards and snows of
last winter as he did, and when he
does start out good results may be ex
pected.
Secretary Root is pushing the Phil
ippine war. He has Issued orders for
raising ten additional regiments, thus
giving Otis an army of 60. 900. 1t is
not intended that any Of the volun
teer regiments now ordered shall re-
main in this country as reserves, and
every effort is being made to get
enough transports to get all the vol
unteers to the Philippines before the
end of December.
The fifth annual report Of the South
ern Railway, issued a day or go ago,
shows the gross earnings for 1899 to be
$25 ,353 CSC, an increase over the earn.
ings for 1898 of q 257, SAT. The oper
ating expenses for the year were
$17 356, 355. os compared with $14. SOL
8O4 for 1898. an increase of 81 854 400.
The t otal net earnings for the year were
IS 325 900, as against IS, 942 $50 for
1898, an increase Of 81, 383, 448.
The popularity of Edwin Markham's
magnificent poem, The Man With
the Hoe" is undated. The Double
day & Mcclure Company, of New
York, is now engaged in printing the
fourth edition of Mr.. Markham's vol
ume of poems. though only two
months have elapsed since the first
volume of the work appeared in the
market. This is an evidence that the
people are thinking of the weighty
problems which Mr.. Markham han
dies in 80 mastery a manner.
In the following paragraph, Toe
Western Recorder, religious paper of
Louisville, KY, strikes the nail
squarely on thehead. HOW much Ion
ger7' it asks, ARE the taxpayers going
to submit quietly to the expense OF the
junketing Of so many Commissioner
In two years, according to the papers,
twenty one Commissions have been
sent rowing over the earth by the AID
ministration with an aggregate mem
bership of 100, and at an aggregate ex-
pense of more than two millions of
dollars. This is a nice way to give
friends free trips, but what is the
limit"
Eiitor Click of the Hickory Times
Mercury, says: Prof. Emery was
present at the State Alliance and gave
the brethren much information on the
subject Of commercial fertilizers He
is the best posted man on fertilizers in
the State, and can be relied upon in
what he says about how to apply it
and its results. He is indeed the far
mer's friend. He should be engaged to
visit every county" And the Mercury
merely voices the sentiments Of thou
sands when it says that were he to
leave the State the loss would be ire
parable. We sincerely hope he will
remain in North Carolina.
1t is stated that Secretary of Agri
culture Wilson, of President McKIn-
ley's cabinet, will probably visit this
Safe 900 We hope the report is
true. Mr.. Wilson has conducted the
affairs Of his chce in a manner salts
factory to the people Ct the entire
country. Even those who disagree |
with him politically honor him because
he has not carried politics into his
office, but has earnestly Iabored for
tie improvement Of the agricultural
interests of the country. Under the
management Of J. Sterling Morton the
eff &c sank into ~disrepute, but Mr.. vii
sons work commands the admiration
Of the grea5 farming classes of America.
Two weeks ago we published a very
interesting aud thoughtful article from
Mr.. E, NJ. Cole, Of Moore county, in
which he made some important sug-
gestions as to how to secure the legis
lation the people 30 much desire. In last
weeks issue Ia our 'Thinkers' depart
ment under the head The Proper In
itiative" we published an article rec
ommending the same idea. We have
also received q letter from one of our
readers, which we publish in this is
sue, strongly endorsing Mr.. Coles sug
gestion. These facts go to show that
the people are almost ready for such a
change as that which Mr.. Cole sug
gests. We are sure that in some shape
or other his plan should be adopted.