The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, August 23, 1894, Page 2

£ t. They are envious the mer-! chant, but ought not tobe. Statistics | show that out of every ADVICE FOR THE FARMER, 100 mer-! PLAIN TRUTHS ANI SAGE chants uinety-six fail, thiee bold GOUNSEL GIVEN BY GEO. [their own and one wakes money. N. ALDREDGE OF | While the farmer lies down to re- TEXAS. freshing sleep that poor merchant is rolling and tumbling all night | trying to find eut how to meet his Light Thrown on Populistie) pi. anak p out of bankru Fallacies. | Why, they are envious of the wears a@ !counter hopper because t THE PEOPLE'S PARTY INIMICAL | Standing collar and nice shirt front; TO EVERY INTEREST OF and if they knew how h land} THE AGRICULIURIST. twisted to get in that 1 shirt frout, they w him, and not hi eb Democracy the Friend. is Farmers’ True just the frout. But the reason why | the farmer is the most prejudiced} mun in the world is because he does not travel, that knocks the prejudice out ofa mau. That Judge George N. Aldredge deliv ered a very able address upon “The Farmer in Politics,” at Sherman, Tex., on June 23. It was not only full of unanswerable logic, but of sound doctrine and the very best! because they did not know anything advice to farmers. The text follows on tenel, tien: We thought they in full: had blue stomachs and blood as cold Ladies and Gentlemen: I want) ag a snake, and they thought we had to say a few words personal to my-| proiled nigger for breakfast every self before I begin my argument. I 2 morning. But after the war the am not here today in the advocacy | Northern people came South in the of any man for Governor,and I don’t intend that the public shall know who my choice is for Governor. Now when I get on the subject of free, unlimited coinage ot silver you may think my remarks are meant for this man or that man, but I have no man in my mind. Iam here to discuss principles and methods, and not to abuse any man or to tear down any map, and in making this speech in Joe Bailey's district I want to say that he and I ace the best of friends; that I have great admiration for him and whatever I may say here today 1s not directed against him. I have been invited to speaks here and I have come here to do so This is the only speech I will make in this campaign, and I want to tell you all I know while I am on the witness stand. I will leaye Dallas in three or four days for the summer. I am going to say some hard things to day, but I want you all to under stand that I do not say them in ma liee. I never carry my political views to the extent of personal malice. My subject today is, “The Farm- er in Politics.” Sam Houston said, “Ifa man can not abuse friends, who can he abuse?” Iam a farmer myself. I have alittle farm down in Ellis county, and was raised on a farm until I was 21 years old. I have picked cotton until I had the toothace in the back, and can plow as straight a row across the field as auy of you, and have worn several hoe handles slick chopping cotton. I married ‘a farmer's daughter. So I have the right to abuse the farmer. Now, I want to call your atten tion first to this fact, that a farmer is a stock holder in the government; he is a capitalist. Government; when reduced to analysis means land. All others can get up and leave; the banker can take his money and leave; the merchant can take his goods and leave; the doctor can take his pill bags and leave; the lawyer can take his library; the laborer can take his muscle and leave, but the farmer is anchored to the earth. He is the hope of the country. If you were to draw a line around New York, Pittsburg or Chicago, and take away the power of the general govern- winter and the Southern people went North in the summer, and we found then that they were both pret- ty clever sort of people. Another thing is that he is talked to by demagogues and politicians in away that would make a wooden man prejudiced. You have not heard the truth from any public speaker in twenty years; but you will hear it today. They get up before you and tell you how down-trodden the farmer is; how the legislation of the country las been against him. Do you know that every two years you go to hell} about election time just as regular aga jay bird does every Friday? The candidate hxs to send you there in order to bring yeu back and there- by muke himself a very Muldoon in solidity with you. They tell you about {the legislation against the farmer. I defy anyone of them put his finger upon a single live statute in the statutes of the United States or in the laws of Texas that is inimical to the farmer, except two, the tariffand the pension Jaw and those are just as unfriendly to every Those are the two leeches that are sucking the life’s blood out of the country. Here is a little book published by authority of the Populist party call ed the “Seven Financial Conspira-} cies,” giving the seven monetary} statutes of this country, and the last one of these acts was passed before the Demoeratie party ever got "nit, power. It is not only the candidate and} the demagogue of the country that is making the farmer prejudiced, but it is the newspapers also that to once his | other man as to the farmer. are doing it. Do you know that a ma- jority of the newspapers of this country are run strictly on your pre- judice? They dare not tell you the truth. Why? your pre- judices are so great you would not allow it. Ifthey did tell you the truth you would stop taking their papers and starve them and their wives and children to death. A news- paper editor ought to be the ablest man in the land and the most hon- est, because he has more Because influence than all the preachers in the com- ment, which means the farmer, these munity. But he can not be when cities would be sacked in less than a you will not let him be. Sometimes week. Thomas Jefferson said that/] think there ought to be one news- large cities are sores upon the body paper editor in a county, and he politic. The hope of this country ought to have the office for life on a are the farmers of America. There good salary,and then make him give fore I want to tell you plain truths| pond in the sum of $100,000, con- today, and I can afford to do it, as I! gitioned that he will not be a dem- am not a candidate for any office on agogue and that he will tell the the face of the earth, and before I! truth, instead of trving to fool the get through will say that I am not.| farmers and live on their prejudices. If you will just keep your seats I) What you want in this day and time will drive more nails into my politi |i a man who will fly the Democratic cal coffin in two hours today than flag, but carry Populist principles forty men can pull out in a year. around him, and consequently that The farmer is the most honest) i, the kind of men you have. man in the country. Now, that} The fellow at the fork of the sounds mighty like flattery. but you) creek is in the saddle and he is the waite a little while, I will change my| man who is dictating the finances of tune. When I am trying a case in/this country, and in a great many Dallas and have right and justice on | cases he would not know a finance my side I alwaye pick a jury of/if he metit in the road. Are our farmers, because I know that they| Congressmen standing like faithful are honest and will respond to what | sentinels looking out for the dangers they believe is right. He is honest|ahead? No. Instead of doing that because he is subject to less tempta- they are leoking back at you, to see tion than the man in the city. He! where you are going to hit them. J A great |list party. many times he has on no shirt at all;|by plank. In the first place I object! New York that is the reason} the North and South went to war—| nen are today, and I wish there wes some way to work them with blind bridles so that they could not tell what was going down here. When Methodist Jim turns loose his Johnstown flood of words at the forks of the creek the yell with which they greet him ‘is echoed in the balls Why: if Methodist Jim were to advocate the ou of Congress. | killing of every red headed man in the country there would be ut ours bills introduced into C to have them killed. I waut to talk to you about the) new party of this country, the Popu- I will take it up plank to that name “Populist party.” That is cheap demagogy and clap-trap. |The People’s party.” Did you ever | bear of a party that was not the peo ple’s party’? Don't it take people to make @ party? Here is the platform: jand Fre interests of ri the same; tl that you far and you day lat organi farmer : banker or is the very that was _ to the Hay Jand the foll wers of Herr Mos swe, the Populist party, are with the boys” Another i | the time has come when the railroad own the peo uk: “We beheve that | : ; | corporations will wn the rai bound to | ple or the peop! O, yes: jown the railroads roads.” y are \It declares that the ‘union of the Now, there are | labor forces of this nation, this day | but two ways to own the railroads. consummated, shall be permanent) One is to buy them and the other is and perpetual.” Why organize la-j to steal them. jbor against the other interests of |to do about it? You this country? Dves labor need any! them, becaus: they cos 1,000.00: the strongest non-political organiza | of actual money in the world. What to-day so strong that the question is not “how much can we get,” but “how much will we leave to capital.” } They dictate terms themselves, and | the only bridle put upon them is put/away up in the clouds. by themselves. The question} have not got the money, you refuse with them is as to bow much they} will leave to capital so as not to de- stroy the plant. 5 ers 2 you going to steal them? Well, they could issue bonds. No, when you speak of bonds these Populists get up on their ear, and that takes them Well, you on to issue bonds. Now, what are you going to do ubout it? They say we will take the middle course: val hundred years ago labor-j just set the printing presses running | rot 4 cents a day in England, jand we will stamp $100 and $1,000 we will It has maintained itself during the} prisoner asked him what he was in| hardest times and against everything. | there for. He said: “For borrowing | Why organize labor against the bal-/ $15 from a man.” The other prison- | i What are you going! au not buy | political organization? Have net they! 000 and there is only $8,000,000,0) 0} tion in the world? Why, they are!are you going to do about it? Are! back. Another t if you are go- kin barn for the k the old lady ing to have a pr I don’t nt to take the farmer und all go naked a: tlles. Ifw farmer, ou, on ber ow the othe iren to i are going to have that lay eaten up by the ardi » the let the lawyer bottle take it there; let the ent 5 tb big eno s check in the govern f you can find a barn to bold it—well, it is not necess because if ry ta putitt you le vutside zon earth eau | were to would throw the The idea of ad- estate run up train off the track | ministering rance jhe shall g ito pay premioms for insurance he | does not get, exsoptin the coutin | geney of a total los:! But Iam not here after insurance men k } mand the free and unlimi ld at legal ratio of 16 to 1.” ke out, and “We de ed coinage the Here is the next plan ae present |eratie camp on that propsition and I don't want any Democrat to get mad until you hear through. | Just wait till I te! me you know that I think that word | “free” catches a great many people. They think it is something like “free lunch,” something for nothing. Now I want to take up the argu- ments in favor of free and unlimited audi the laborer ran away, the first | bills, and we will bale them up and/coinage of silver. The first is, that time lL was whipped, the second | pay for the railroads in baled hay—| gold has enhanced in value. If gold time fe was branded. To-day how | goat fodder—it would not be worth | is the measuring quality, and it bas is it? Libor is better paid than it) more than that. That is like the;/enhanced, everything has gone ever was in the history of the world.| fellow who was in jail. Another;}down in value. If a merchant's yard-stick is thirty inches long every thing in his store he measures will be too short. If his weight too light Now we bave a row in the Demo-lit. you what I think lof it, and then jump on me. Do ance of the people? | Tsay that ifa man moves into al strife between neighbors, he enewy to that neighborho political party attempts to array one class against another it is an enemy to its country. They s: is an/ | “The poor | Well, he| Isn't this | Who is going to man is getting poorer.” has a right to get poorer. country? keep him from getting poorer? That is not the question. The question | What wages is he getting aud} what will his wages buy? He is get- ting more dollars to-dey thun ever in the history of the world and the laborer ean buy twice as much to- day with his dollar xs he could twenty years ago. The next plank is: * Wealth belongs to him who creates it, and every dol- lar taken from industry without an equiyalent is robbery.” Now, there is something peculiar about this plat- form. Every time they announce a socialist doctrine ‘they add some- thing on to it to give it a good fare- a free 1B: well, just as you ladies who give your children castor oil put whiskey in the bottom of the cup to take the; taste out of the mouth. “Wealth belongs to him who creates it.” Does it?’ I thought that Jabor and capital were partners and that they made a joint investment and that eaeh took | its proper sbare of the wealth creat- ed? But they say no. They sey that labor must take all. I hire 2 man to build me a house. He creates wealth. Now they say that he must not only take my money for building the house, but take the house, too. You hire a farm hand for $20 per month and he goes out and works a year for you and you make a good crop and make a profit on his labor. The Populists say, “This man created so many bushels of corn, so many bushels of wheat; and so many bales of cotton: they are wealth and the wealth a man creates he er said: “They can’t put you in jail for borrowing money.” ‘Yes,” he neighborhood and begins to stir up|replied, “but { had to knock him | down three times before he would lend it tome.” Thatis what they propose to do with the railroads— knoek them down and then pay for them with baled hay. You must not only pay for the railroads, but you must pay the running expenses, too. beeause if they are strong enough to buy them that way they strong enough to vote free riding and free freight. Not only that, but it will take 1,500,000 government employes to run the railroads and the telegraph and other things that you want to How are you going to change the administratios? will run in this country. You might as_ well | try to change the orbit of the earth. Another plank: “We demand a national curreney. flexible.” currency. safe. sound and Safe, sound, india rubber Now, how any man can believe free, unlimited silver at 16 to lis safe and sound I can’t under. stand. I think that was put inasa joke. SUB TREASURY IDIOCY. They say in the latter part of that piank: “We demand the sub-Freas- ury plan of the Farmers’ allianee, or some better system.” They don't know what they want; they want a sub-Treasury or something else; if there ia anything lying around loose in the country they want it. My wife told a servant girl one day that she bad a job for her, and one of my little boys cried an hour because she would not give him the job He thought it was something to eat. This is like the Populist party; they want everything. They are the hungriest things on earth except a young mocking-bird, and he opens his mouth so wide that he turns himself inside out every time he hears anoise. Sub Treasury? Yes, they want a sub-Treasury pumpkin barn in every county in the United be} must take, and thus be must take! States. It is a trust; that is my first the wages and the stuff, too.” If|objection to it. The people of this the farmer makes a profit on that! country have been denouncing trusts man’s labor itis robbery; and the}for the last twenty years, and yet only way he can keep out of the/here comes this Populist party and penitentiary is to have failure in his| puts the cap sheaf on this stack crop eyery year. Here is an old/of infamy by demanding a govern- man who has slaved his life away| mental trust. My second objection and has saved enough to come into | is that it is a boycott. You put your town and buy himself a little store cotton in the government barn and and live on the rent of it. They say, boycott Kansas, and Kansas puts no, he must give that up and go out/her bacon in the barn and boycotts and work each day fer the three/you. Not only that, but the United is as full of prejudice as an egg is of | Did you ever drive an old lazy mule | meals he eats that day. Socialism is! States would be beycotting the meat. The farmers have an idea! that was always looking back to see|what it is. You farmers can take world, and we can uot presume that that a man don’t work unless the| where and when you were going to|that if you want it. “If any will not| the werld would be just as big fools aun abines on him while he is doing| him? That 1s the way our Corgress-| work, neither shall they eat.” Social-|/and as mean as we and not boycott everything that he weighs will be the weight too light, and if I show you a single article unaffected scarcity, that has not declined in can price the gold enhanement argument Has labor deteriorated? No. Avy scareity? No. Dr. Coleman formerly of Dullas, told me that the best board he ever got in his life was in Ashville, N. C., fifty years ago, and that he paid a dollar a week for it. Now. here today board cost $4, 5 and $6 a week. Now, recol- lect, if the standard is wrong every item must have gone down. Whisky and {sobacco fwere cheaper twenty years ago, even if you take off the internal revenue, than they are to- Bacon; has that declined? Seventy years ago Sargert S. Pren- tiss came down from Portland, Me., to Cincinnati, and refused to live there because bacon was selling at 3 cents pound; he said he would not live in a town where they sold bacon at 3 cents a pound, so he went to Mississippi. Dairy products—Your wife gets more today fur the dairy products than she ever did. You cau not milk a cow by machinery. Manu- factured things are the cheapest. You remember that 4,000,000 bales of cotton was a big crop twenty years ago. In 1892 we made 9,000,- 000 bales ef cotton, and that is why cotton went down to 7 cents. But you buy more with that 7 eent cot- ton than you did when you sold it at 10 cents. Now it is machinery that has cheapened these things. When I was a boy I drove a gin and sat on one of the levers and a little nigger on the other end. Then there was & man at the gin stand and one that toted cotton to him—four of us in all. We gioned three bales a day. Now two men gin thirty bales a day, fifteen apiece, when I only ginned! three-quarters of a bale thirty years ago. Why alittle girl of 10 years! old today will stand at a loom and turn out more cloth in a day than all tbe women in justice preeinet could | turn out during the war. Now you farmers sit on your sulky plow with awhite umberalla over you anda pitcher of ice water by your side and when you go to harvest your crop is gone. day. that the yard stick is too short or im- lum remedy? I suggest two. Stop migration;let us go out of the x When this young we said we were the asylum business country was of the oppressed people of the world, ted t we have too many of them; we have and we in m in, but today too much competition with the la- boring people of this country, and 1 think we have enough people here, and we let us stop the immigration can depend on home enterprises for the With all our protection there is not a dime of protection in it to the laborer. Then! this McKinley bil We ‘ought to have the whole world for a ce market. The commerce of the world lis done just as you old citizens here did when you traded with Jefferson, Tex Youtook over your wagons ‘loaded with wheat and brought {them back loaded with lumber, and \if the wagoner could not get a load both ways he did not go. Itis the }rame way with ships, We must not have a tariff law that will keep them from loading their ships on their re- turn trips. They will not and can ‘not do business without a load both ways, must it | just as you wagoners used to have They can not take our wheat and our cotton when we will not take their manufactured goods. But we are told there is not enough em- ployment for labor in the country. I have given you tworeasons for that and there is an additional reason, and it is that the Populist party and the Coxeyites and the bomb throw- ers are all agitating this country un- til capitalists are afraid to venture out. Capital is the most timid thing in $the world. If the people are standing around talking about tak- ing it away from the owner,the own- er will just keep it away from them. I knew a fellow once who was shear- Aun old gander came and he thought it would be a to neck and the mule’s | | and they have ing a mule. along good idea wrap that gander’s tail with the too light There can be no excep-|same string. He did s0. The com- tion to these propositions. A single|bination moved with alacrity, and exception destroys the argument, |every flap the gander made expedit- ed the mule. The mule was brought home in a wagon, and the gander was distribuced along the route. Now that is the way with the agita- tors they are the authors of the evils if they will shut up and quit their devilment we will have prosperous times, aud not un- til they do quit. Now we get to the next argument with reference to silver. They say that silver is the poor man’s money. Well, the poor man needs and ought to have as good money as fanybody. Then say that this is the debtors’ mouey. Now, will you please tell me who the debtors are in this coun- try. I have a nigger at work; I pay him $15 a month. debtor all the time except the very minute that I settle with him. The contrac- tor is the debtor of every man that works on his building until the very minute he settles with him. Now you say the bank is the creditor. Not a bit. They are the debtors of the men who deposited their money there. Of course they are creditors of the people who owe them, but as their deposits exceed their loans they belong in the debtor class. Take the railroads; what are they” Why the railroads are the’ debtors to their bond holders and belong to the debtor class. But you say we will pay off the bonds in silver. No you won't. The bonds are wade payable in gold. Then the next argument is that there is not enough gold in the country to do the busi- ness. Why the world is producing gold as fast as it is producing peo- ple. Do you know that there is one- third of the buman family that do not use gold orsilver. Only 3 per cent of the business of the enlight- ened world is done with money of any kind. You sell your cotton to the cotton buyer. He gives you a check and you take your check to the bank and the bank gives you credit for it. You gotothe grocer and give bim a check for what you owehim. He takes your check to the bank and gets credit for it. The next day there comes a draft froma New York merchant on him which is paid by the bank and charged up to him, the home bank draws its they complain of. T am his you drive a big machine in there, and it absolately does everything except eat the biscuit. It is not the draft on its New York correspond- ent and sends itto the New York merchant, aud he takes it to the New York bank and gets credit for money, but it is because machinery it, and this is the end ef the trans- has cheapened production and over-| action, and not a dollar used. Sim- Continued on next page, , Stocked the market. What is the * a5