The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-01
The Farmers Awakening to the
Brewers Imposed High Tariff

Ii
, can citizens are going to override the
stupendous folly Of "A system of taxa
ton levyink tribute regardless oil nat
ural boundary lines no one cares 10
say: that the Republican party IL miti-
eating the evils of th,s system, con
trary TO her own wishes. just so iar
as the growing enlightenment or thel
people compels, j am careful In say j
ing: that the Democratic party Is
going the hog" TO the furtherest
extent she dares. all her connivinS
captains will deny; that you and H.
whether Republican or Democrat. are
paying an internal tribute to GER
tain corporate interest considerably
In excess of what we levy on our
neighbors across the seas, not ac-
counting the cost OF collecting thel
same, IL verified by the one fact that
certain protected manufactures are In
excess of the kindred wares import
ed, and a further evidence of thisl
enormous tribute we are paying those
holding the reins of our goveTnme mt
Is our expectation of protected goods. !
l declare to you that it is the spirit
of democracy swaying the temperance
movements throughout oar country.
Now let no one think that | say 1t Is
the spirit of the Democratic party
for | am expecting as much from one
party as the other--what ii is pressed
10 grant The democratic spirit
swaying the Anti Saloon League OF
our country is altruistic and wherein
it's measures and teaching seem To fall
short Of this altruism it is because
they are moulded to the vision and
keyed To the ears of the thousands
wishing The dam of that day towards
which our aims and prayers trend. but
who are willing to contribute In sac
rifice to gain the desired end, not one
tenth of the gain that Will he theirs
when that wished fer day dawns. or
so much of little of the loss now
being sustained and grudgingly
borne because the vice of legalized
intemperaIlce is fettered upon nv Be
Gauge YOU and J. desire IL entirely
illegalize the liquor traffic solely as q
question of right and wrong properly
adjusted. let us not-laN -anNn-thls-
hiRA- standard In any given election
r. part Of the electorate deciding
an, wet and dry election will be gain
ed OF lost to us according to the dis
creiton used in our approach. Shall
our wisdom and tact surpass the
sagacity of the liquor interests?
The time Is ripening for the tenn
peranco move in the country. The
time IL ripe for us to move because
the liquor people are on the move;
and this movement is driving the
countryman to open his eyes. He has
to open his eyes when the Illicit sale
q liquor Is to the front. to the rear.
10 the right. to the left Of him. He
| must strike on every side and crush
il at one blow. The farmer Ia car
ing nothing for the national revenue
accruing from the sale of liquor made
| illegal by local option, he neither sees
nor feels this levy in the laving Of
! in the expenditure. The plea for
| State revenue would never Induce him
! to vote wet We're the State already
! dry and when you so gain his conf
, dence that you can convince him To
| a certainty that twenty-three cents
/, per capita Is more than our State
| tax on the sale of liquors he VIII
! in the majorities of cases vote dry
The general State tax and municipal
revenue pave no streets for him and
builds no schools to his seeing.
Il There Is today a state OF unrest in
tha country. South and West. akin to
! the labor disouietude of the manufac-
n turing and mining districts. This state
of unrest is due to an awakening,
and the awakening has certainly not
thus far set itself determiningiy to
!. reach any definite goal anywise altru-
istic. This unrest throughout the coun-
i try district is not that any one lacks
bread or that the many have not
enough to spare, but it il because the
farmer is discovering that our artiti-
cial distribution of the products of
!, labor rewards another than the pro-
n Queer the lions share" and so long
as human nature Is unregenerate, re-
|, sentiment will arise at any imposition
real or imaginary. The farmers dis
, satisfaction is not of that socialistic
resentment to all things and persons
more fortunately cnvironed than his
| or him. But he is very much dis
) satisfied at knowing that some one is
getting, either directly or Indirectly.
3 something that is his. or that some
one Is taking advantage of him.
= have been an officer In farmers or
CARNATIONS for some years and ! DIS
, cover that the average farmer Is but
slowly interested in any project to
, better the calling generally. but is far
! more alert at hearing the near-way to
gain an advantage over his fellows.
= My negroes excel me in the sagacity
; they display in handling my mules,
and so do the liquor interests excel
the temperance people In their ma
nipulation of the countryman's senti-
, ments, preiudices and crankiness. II
, You are half SO wise in your genera
; ton as are the Republican and Demo-
Cratic ofiiceseekers or the whiskey
politician. you are going to land the
countrymans influence against A.
quor. He can be told OF liquors many
drawbacks to- hts material prosperity,
Il ffow IT. is dcnnraffzfng the negro and
rendering him more worthless. That
many negroes and some white people
are making subsistence, and that
| right under his nose, by the sale OF
liquor while he is sweating for his
livelihood. He can be told that the
cost to the government to protect and
nurture this vice Is double the bride
the government gets, and that he pays
the difference to balance the sheets.
But never tell him, no, not once
! do not intimate such u thing that 1t
Is a duty he owes God, his country
and himself He already knows he
Is delinquent to this duty and Is ready
to resent any reproof, although he
he one of the parties bettered there
by. Leave the moral preachments to
the church as her great duty and car
ry forward with the wisdom of the
) serpent and the harmlessness OF the
dove civic Righteousness In the en-
actment and the administration of the
law. Since when have you known
either political party to give the peo-
pie their wish. even when expressed
by the ballot? Did Mr.. Morgan or
Mr.. Rockefeller climb into their seats
| of Dictatorship by asking the Deopie