Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1910-02-10
Some Facts as fSee Them and
Know From Expesience
and Observation.


Just and unfair demands of the land
owners. This meat agitation is only
a forerunner of worse things if the
wrong is not ferreted out and righted.
For thirty years labor has been leav-
ing the fields of agriculture and flock
ing to the cities, towns and public
works. This is we'll known fact.
Now there is cause why labor did
this. l happen to be one of that class
that left the farm and certainly
ought to know why did it. / did it
to escape the iron heel of landlordism
and to enjoy little the labor of my
hands and frankly say l prefer agri-
culture, being raised on the farm, but
the landowners exacted more than l
cared to give so l came to Tracy City.
Twothirds or half is too much rent
for one man to pay and not allowed
any stock, so contend and believe.
Driving men from the farms by un-
just and unfair exactions is the real
cause of the trouble. l want to be
honest and truthful and 1 can't believe
the so called trust is the culprits.
have sense enough to know there are
three things absolutely necessary for
the human family: land, air and
water When you deprive them of
these you destroy them.
Deprive as large number of human
beings as there are in the United
States of tilling the soil together with
the large number who still live on the
farms and do not make enough to do
them and you can readily see what is
the matter.
Landowners are certainly RESPONSE
BILE and had rather let their lands lay
idle than to give renter fair deal.
Are there not in our country hundreds
of acres grown over with weeds all be-
cause the owners wanted lions share
and then grumble and growl because
you didn't make more? We have
good many compulsory laws on our
statute books, but we need just one
more in the interest and for the benefit
of the human family, and that is a
compulsory agricultural law, compell-
ing land owners to till their lands or
sell them. All food must come from
the soil and as such no man or set of
men should be allowed to curtail food
stuffs at his own discretion. If there
is anything that really needs regula-
ton it is that of agriculture. Each
state should enforce the cultivation of
the soil whether it pleases the owner or
not. We are swift to regulate rail
roads and other enterprises, but the
main and chief concern that all the
world depends upon we let alone, al
lowing landlords to squeeze and grind
the whole country. l don't like the
boycott business. It's dangerous, and.
if followed, will produce anarchy soon
er or later. A strong compulsory law,
rigidly enforced, will soon heal our
ills and do away with the abuses of
They've abused their
freedom and privileges and brought
about serious condition of things
that is almost world wide.
The Government is blindly trying to
correct the evil by attacking the meat
packers, but until men are given a
fair showing on the farm and treated
like human beings, conditions will not
improve but gradually grow worse.
The land will yield an abundance for
all the people and that is what is lack
ing
Why, did not some of the leading
farmers in the South openly try to re-
duce the acreage of cotton in order to
raise the price of that staple? Certain
ly they did Yet these same gentry
will plead innocent of injuring the
country. See what the tobacco raisers
have tried to do. Well, if they at
tempt to DO this with cotton and to-
bacco in order to raise prices, we do
not have far to go to find the authors
Of the high prices on the meat. Driv-
ing men from the farm by exactions
they couldn't stand and not allowing
those tenants who remain to have any
stock save COW and calf has reduced
the meat supply nearly half. Old men,
guess, remember when every family |
put up enough meat to do them. How
is it now Just the reverse. The land |
owners have been fondled and petted |
until they are the spoilt children of |
;he nation. They cried out for a dog
aw, tick law, and God knows what |
else they will want: No one knows. |
Politicians toady to them, the Govern
nent puts bandages on her eyes to
xeep from seeing their high handed
conduct towards the rest of humanity,
md their depredations towards the
,ame. No nation and people can pros
Der that is deprived of the use of the
and. Landlordism has been gradual
v closing the doors until half or over
,aIf of the people are not food pro-
iucers. Shall we suffer our country
% become Irelandized and our people
% be brought into bondage to land
ordism2 / hope not, yet the tenden-
y is that way. Why should brave
md heroic people be made to pay
ribute to landlordism, the curse of
he world and of all nations, system
hat had its birth in the most ungodly |