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PAGE SIX
THE FARMER.
By L. T. Travis, Molena, Ga.
Lord Byron said “Man’s inhumanity
to man makes countless millions
mourn.” The great poet never wrote
a truer sentence than that. The world’s
inhumanity to the farmer is what I
want to write about. The working
man that feeds the world, clothes the
world and makes all institutions pos
sible is down trodden, oppressed,
neglected and almost despised. In the
time of peace he propels through all
kinds of adversities and conditions
the old ship of supplies that feed both
the poor and the rich.
The rich man fares sumptuously
while the working man’s children
beg for bread and are denied the other
necessities of life. I have seen him
(the farmer) go into the field at sun
rise while the dew was upon the grass,
cotton and corn, while the birds began
to sing and with a manly heart ami
a noble and honest endeavor follow
the plow from end to end until the sun
was high in the heavens go down to
the branch put a board under his knee
and sip from nature’s spring, the wa
ter of life. As you see him coming
from the spring with his overalls on,
his face covered with perspiration,
buoyant in spirit, jolly and kind, with
a pleasant word for the passers by
the thought comes in your mind that
he is the pillar that this republic rests
upon and makes it great. In his brain
there lurks no plot to cheat, wrong
or defraud his neighbor, but in his
heart he carries kindness and broth
erly love.
In the time of war he drops his
plow, kisses his wife and children,
shoulders his gun and marches out to
fight for his country. He puts Old
Glory upon the ramparts of the enemy,
brings victory and glory for his peo
ple and quietly retires. These are
great men and the world should rec
ognize them as such, but the appalling
fact is that they don’t think for
themselves. They are deceived. They
allow the man that wishes to prosper
by their labor to think for them, dic
tate their politics and in some degree
advise them. They are told that they
must be democratic regardless of ev
erything else. There are thousands of
people that voted for Alton B. Parker
in the last presidential campaign just
because they took him to be a Demo
crat. The prominent man in nearly
every election plays a part too. I would
not vote the way the prominent man
is going to vote just because he told
me to, neither would I vote a Repub
lican ticket nor a Democratic ticket
for the reason that my father or grand
father was a Republican or Democrat,
but study the questions, principles and
issues and find out what the candidate
stands for and vote for the man that
has your interest at heart and the can
didate that wants to assist you and
show you how to be free and inde
pendent.
The farmer needs to be educated
and taught to cope with the world.
AU the other classes of people are as
a rule more intelligent than the farm
er. But thank God they are waking
up. The ray of hope is breaking in
the east and sending its rays across
the fields of adversity and oppression.
They are learning more. They take
daily papers, magazines and keep
up with the times. The R. F. D. serv
ice has revolutionized them. They
are in touch with the world's happen
ings and events. They are begging to
know what is against them and who is
Farmers’ Union ‘Department
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“GO AWAY; THE WO RK’S LATE NOW.”
From Fort Worth Telegram.
against them and their interests.
The consumer is entirely dependent
upon the producer, then why can't
the producer get a fair and legitimate
price for his crops and an honest and
lawful compensation for his labor? It
is because the consumer with unlim
ited capital seeks to monopolize his
crop, keep the prices down and crush
him. One of the most important du
ties of the farmer is casting his ballot;
before his ticket carries the name of
the candidate in the box he should
have every reason to believe that
that candidate is his friend. Ar
tificial means can be used to lower
the prospect of the farmer and he
should elect men that will stand be
tween him and all enemies to his
interests.
Every farmer should read this maga
zine. It is the magazine that he
needs. It will teach him how to be
free and independent. Its editor is his
friend when they NEED him. His
great speech at Cooper Union will thor
oughly illustrate that. In his speech
that night in New York before thou
sands of yankees he says, “I do not
speak for the lordly magnates of class
legislation. I do not speak for those
who for one hundred years have stood
at the door ways of national legis
lation begging for special favors. No!
The men whose cause I would plead
are the men of the mine, the mill,
the shop and the field. They are the
obscure toilers who in the time of
peace send pulsing through the veins
of commerce the rich blood of pros
perity. I am not ashamed of these
men. You will not find them as a rule
housed among the luxuries and ele
gancies of life, hut in the humbler
walks where men are still earning
their bread by the sweat of their
faces. No, I am proud to speak for
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
these men and proud to proclaim their
creed.”
Elbert Hubbard a while after the
presidential election in which Mr. Wat
son was defeated made the statement
that the deefated candidate was one
of the greatest men of the age and in
time to come his statue will have a
prominent place in the great cities
of our country. God grant it. But
the people should show their appre
ciation while he lives, while his eyes
can see and his ears can hear.
The Farmers’ Union should congrat
ulate themselves in securing such a
man to help advance their cause. He
is doing his best to show them the
way from bondage to liberty. Every
working man whether in the field or
shop or store should take his maga
zine and learn that he is their true
defender.
With such a leader the Farmers’ Un
ion should grow and be cemented in
one purpose to better their condition
and obtain their rights that justly
are theirs.
Climate and conditions favor them.
Henry W. Grady said that this was
“the fairest and richest domain of
this earth.” Truly that is so and we
should be free, prosperous and happy.
ADDRESS OF J. I. H. BROWN,
President of Richmond County Farm
ers’ Union, at its Meeting at
Goodin’s Chapel.
Our order is still a babe in swad
dling clothes. It needs the careful
watching by tried and devoted hands
lost some poisonous or destroying
agent should sap its life. The Grange,
a glorious organization for the farm-
er, founded by noble men, in a few
years spread over the country with
astonishing rapidity. In our own state
of Georgia its objects and aims were
ahead of the times. The latch-string
to its doors was too easily pulled. Too
many designing mercenaries enter
ed, and consequently in a few years
it went out of existence as far as
our own state was concerned. But
I am glad to tell you that it still grows
and flourishes in some other states
where the farmer has been better
trained, better educated, land better
tilled, and where no factor nor mer
chant can lay hands on one of these
sons of the soil and sap, “Hold! I own
a piece of you.”
In a few years after the demise of
the Grange in Georgia, the Alliance
rose up, like a bright star, in the state
of Texas. The star was brilliant. Its
light was dazzling. Its rajs were
seen and felt over our entire coun
try. But that bright star soon ceased
to shine —its light went out; but it
left behind the potent power of its
rays that found a lodgment in the
hearts of thousands. It changed the
current of thought; it gave a new
impulse to farm life; it advanced the
cause of education. What was the
cause of the failure of these two grand
organizations? Not because the prin
ciples upon which these two organi
zations were founded were not based
upon truth.
“Truth crushed to earth will rise
again,
The eternal years of God are hers.”
What then was the matter? Why,
the entrance to these organizations
was too accessible. Party politicians
crept in, and many other objectionable
characters were admitted who had no
earthly use for the Grange or Alliance,
only to secure its influence for per
sonal and mercenary consideration.
They came to pull down, not to build
up. They were after party political
preferment. They wanted your vote.
After they got it they had no further
use for you, and turned you loose as
a clod-hopper and a hayseed. If we
desire the perpetuity of our present
noble order, The Farmers’ Educa
tional and Co-operative Union of
America, we must keep party politi
cians out and all other objectionable
characters. I want every local union
in Richmond county to look to the
security of its doors. In one of the
darkest days of the revolution Gen-
Washington gave orders to place none
but Americans on guard. In 1877 I
was a delegate to the state agricultur
al society at its meeting in Milledge
ville, when Gen. Colquitt (a purer man
never lived) made his retiring ad
dress as presiding officer. I distinct
ly recollect that part when he said:
“Farmers of Georgia, lovers and de
fenders of the farm and soil, look
well to it that, while you are dress
ing the vineyard, while you are bus
ily engaged at work in an Industry
that feeds the world, you do not forget
how stealthily public corruption com
municates its poison, and on the de
cay of private virtue, riots in suprem
acy. Keep alive on all our altars
the fires of patriotism and of an ex
alted morality. American liberty has
a last refuge in the devotedness and
unselfish patriotism of the farmers of
the land.”
Do not understand me to say that
I advise you to pay no attention to
politics. There is a big difference
between politics and party politics.