The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-07-19
FARMER AND THE RAILROADS;
THEIR INTEREST IS COMMUNAL

struction placed upon the address OF
President Finley Of the Southern Rail
way, made before the Tennessee bank.
srs at Chattanooga recently, the append.
ed communication and letter in regard
thereto, win be found of interest.
To the Chattanooga Times:
In the address Of President Finley, Of
the Southern Railway, before the bank.
ers in your city a few days ago, he made
an appeal to all patriotic men who re
alize the dangers of further attacks on
railroad property to secure an "organ-
lied sentiment fostered and promoted
by the sound business men of the eoun-
try, against the propaganda of destruc-
ton which some politicians have inaug-
urated now, as they did a quarter Of q
century ago under the old grange" ma
MIA. Now the point is, grange" refers
to the farmer, and it seems he had a
mania whatever that may BEL and
that he acted the fool about twenty-five
years ago and let the politicians run his
business for him for a time. Yes, I re-
member something about it. You may
not, Mr.. Editor, being, perhaps, a young
man. II have lived over half a century
and was a voter over thirty years ago.
But it wal an actual fact. The polite
ians actually got into the farmers wa
gon, rubbed soft soap all over him, took
up the lines and drove him over the
smootbest roads around Nashville, in
sisted that they should take immediate
possession of the State Capitol and all
the public offices ito be filled by the
drivers. But while gaining speed and
enthusiasm at every jump of the flying
steeds they realized the need of reinforce
ments and sped to the western division
of the State, where more enthusiasm and
aid were secured. Then "on to East
Tennessee was the cry. And on they
came. But the speed had been so vio-
lent and the drivers 1.-THE politieians)
so reckless that when the procession
reached East Tennessee the steeds were
weak and the farmers wagon worn and
squalling for grease" and not enough
could be secured to enable it to proceed.
Thus the farmer was left. Politician
took to the woods. Farmer with a long
face views the situation, and decides
then and there that his business is a
big business and that no politician is
capable of running it successfully and
that he must study and think for him
self. And, to his credit be it said, he
has been doing so for several years. He
now reads a daily paper and looks after
the public welfare. He is represented in
the Legislature of the State and his voice
is heard and his vote is used against i'm
morality, intemperance and oppression
and for public schools, agricultural col
leges, experiment stations, good roads
and all kinds of public improvements.
The majority of our last Legislature was
from the farming and stock lines of bus
mess. : Many farmers were placed on
important committees and if any act
was passed to the injury of the rail
roads, we did not hear of it. In fact,
Col. Robert Gates, Of the L. & n, in
his address before the East Tennessee
Farmers Convention ut Knoxville, in
May last, complimented the State Leg.
~islature composed largely of farmersl
and the farmers in general for their lib
eral attitude toward the railroads.
And at the close of his address Pres
ident Fl. B. Clay thanked him in behalf
of the conventidsl for his expressed in
terest in the farmers and assured him
that the farmers were not in favor of
the government ownership of railroads or
railroad ownership Of government" NJ.
V. Richards, who also made an address
of great interest, as a representative OF
the Southern, assured the farmers that
their interests were considered mutual
and not at all ~antagonistic. We will adj
nit that the farmers were organized to
some extent and are looking after their
interests more closely than formerly.
Yet, Of the 1000 members of the East
Tennessee Farmers Association. | do
not believe there is the least %antagonism.
We do not, therefore, understand why
President Finley should call on the pa
t~rjotic" and sound business men, such
rs bankers, merchants, manufacturers
and promoters to organize against the
politicians who seem to be working the
so-called grange mania" The Tennes.
see farmer may have been a fool once,
but that was long ago, and | assure you
he has learned much in recent years, and
Is doing much more reading and some
deep thinking for himself, and while he
hoes not claim to have learned it all, he
will try to be fairly represented.
Fl. +. REYNOLDS.
Vice President East Tennessee Farmers
Association, Dayton, Tenn.
To this communication President Fin
lev has written the following letter:
1Washington, d. G., July 1, 19o7.-H.
{. REYNOLDS, Vice President East Tennes-
The truly good man is he who is not
,nly good in the sense of being efficiently
good for something, but who has Gods