The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-06-17

In the nine years 4 ldNc- oOCh 49,
tilted with the Farmers Union, most
Of the time as head or the National
Organization, | have Travelled many
thousands of miles, visited practically
every State in the Union, addressed
hundreds Of meetings and vast mum
pers Of people, have come intimately
in contact with IN or all Sorts
and conditions, and / give 1t as my
matured judgment that the thing most
the men who till the soil is the east
with which they are fooled.
And. uphappily. he is fooled ninety
nine times out OF a hundred by the
fellow with an axe 10 grind. He VINO
owns the axe puts you at the grlnO-
stone handle and tells you to turn,
mayhap making some vague promises
OF reward. And you, trusting and
hopeful. turn and turn until your
back is aching, your hands blistered
and sore. After awhile the axe gets
a sharp edge and you are told to go
your way, as the axe-Owner has no
further use for you. You insist on
your promised reward He is amazed
at your credulity and wonders where
you got the impression of anything
for your good offices.
So you gulp DOWN your d~iSappoint-
ment, rub your aching back, grease
your blistered hands and swear you'll
htNtt SttIokIC Jill VI Gill oO
help you. And you go away breathing
fire and Vengeance. Presently the next
smooth guy comes along, smiles upon
you pats you upon that YEARLY old
back. makes. a lot Of fresh and hollow
promises. and you grab the grindstOne
handle again and go at it for dear
life. And the fellow getting the edge
on his axe, grins slyly to himself, and
thinks what an easy, gullible, credu-
lous. unthinking old slmpleton you
are.
Now this may sound like pretty
harsh accusations, but 1 make them
after matured reflection and in the
absolute certainty that no living man
can refute them successfully.
You know me we'll enough by nov
TO understand l don't soft-soap, trim,
bubble or dodge. l have the deep
grained and old-fashioned idea Of
calling a spade by it's real name. 1
don't believe in damning with faint
praise I don't believe in avoiding the
unpleasant things if they are neces-
sary to handle for the ultimate good.
so, I want to lambas o o
this grievous and tormenting trait Of
character you so unhapptly possess
believing the trickesters, the man with
the axe to grind, the mean, selfish
man who pats you with one and
n robs you with the other. Hea-
ven knows, l don't van to make you
n pCSSAiiiSI " Oily 6ICdlCI cAlcHL tIldl
you are. but I a you to use your
intelligence in learning the difference
between your real friend I'M the chap
who fools you only for his own sell
fish ends.
The difficulty lies largely i'm the fact
that the sort fooling you is smooth,
plausible, smiling. genial. 1t is his
stock in trade. He tells you OF his
profound interest in your welfare, his
sleepless nights and mental travail in
studying out your problems, and, hay
ing minted them out OF his brain
agony, he C mes to offer them as your
salvation. He makes you a beautiful
speech, fairly dripping with honey AND
giden promises. All necessary fol
your complete and absolute enamel
patton is to listen, heed, act.
And you listen, heed, act, and fine
indeed that it is a wonderful scheme
for them an who presented it, bu
worse than nothing to you and you
well-being.
My dear brother. when will you pu
the boot to this type of %scoundrel
Legislative hallSa re filled with them
the kind who use you for his owl
purposes and forgets you as soon a
the returns are counted. How lone
Oh Lord, how long. will you continu
to thus blindly boost that rascal
game?
AZ l have said repeatedly. ar
normally and naturally an optimis,
but sometimes | butt my head int
this wall and almost despair Of YOU
ever waking up. Over and over tn
trick victimizes you, and no ripene
knowledge Of caution comes of you
experience. You only feel courag
and hope sink to the vanishing poin
Yet, my brother. you are in q larg
measure to blame for your predica
nmet.
In this day when progress marche
- and SrYTolN TO nG>it -~~l
when big forces combine i'm purpose
tul and genuine work Of uplifting HI
mainly in broad and sincere way
when the drone, the v~agabond. til
trickster, the migrate are bein
crowded out. are q to be known {
the last and sic easy victim of selfs
rascality?
Wake up. my friends, and show TT
world YOU know your true friend
and can tell a schemer who wants
use you for selfish intents. We al
going to see some OF these sclfs
kline out at the old tricks next yea