Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-05-30
9gritnltaral Department.
The Farmer at the. Present Junoture.

The Farmer at the Present Juncture.
One cannot witness the movements Of our
troops without perceiving tha; the patriotism
of the farming community is fully represent
cd. The well expanded muscle, the firm tread,
the quiet air, the unassuming, modest, but de-
termned expression, all indicate that the far
mers in large numbers, are among the defeu-
ders of the government, the Constitution and
the laws against the most wicked and unnatu.
raj rebellion that the sun, which has brewn-
ed their honest faces, ever locked down upon
Everybody knows that they are hard to be
drawn from the fields of Ceres to those Of
Mars On none bat extraordinary occasions
can you draw them from the field Of their own
peculiar, beneficent triumphs Yet now they
Come-have come ever since the stars and
stripes Of Sumter suffered q monentary de.
feat from brutal onsat, with unrighteous ODDS;
and still they come, and will come, till the
last rebel shall save his life by doing just what
he eiamOrs to do-gersrA himself, but accord
ing to tie Constitution and laws of this great
country, uadlVlded, peaceful, and happy
NortherA farmers are knows to be, on oil or
dinary occasions, the slowest to be brought in
to the battlefield and the hardest to be driven
Olt cf 1t. They have done nothing to bring
on this unholy strife, but they will not set up
the preposterOus claim that they may be neu-
tral and do nothing to hush its Internal roar
Because they did not let tho monster in, they
will net claim that they are excusaJle in doing
nothing to cast him out. Southern politicians
call the working farmers mud sjI5. As indi.
eating the essential relations of agriculture to
the body polite, the aPpcl!atioa IS Just, and
the working farmer may congratulate himself,
that while he upholds the state be lives by
Vittuous industry and not By stealing The
snecF implied, is only part, and but small
part, OF an into.eraba arrogance that has been
played of by trai,orous tongues and rebsl pres.
ses, till we have long since learned that it is
better let alone than needed Some things are
more offensive the more you stir them. But
mud s5tly or what not. the farmers ara at this
moment the hope Of the country. Even south
ern agreultuTistS are not half as much in fault
for this horrd rebellion as their political
SolouoGs. Could they have been permitted to
vote on tie question Of saving or destroying
the government Of their and our fathers, what
has cUmc to pass, would not have haPpened.-
1t is not they who have uourizhed for twenty
five years an accused, dark lantern, secret
sign, watchword conspiracy, which has now
broke cut in open rebellion. Sonth rs North,
the men who grow the entire staff of life and
oil she subsidies OF nations wealth and
greatness, are the last TO bring the country in
to trouble and viii be The FIRST to help is cut.
South as North, the farmer will be the first to
retract, when he sees that be is in the wrong
There as here, they will be in for hanging the
traitor cause Of all this turmoil, even though
that cause lie thirteen inches below his neigh
bor's neck. Just now too many of the honest
cutiyators are D.sad; too many are crushed
By poor white trash, led on by political dCna-
gogues, and dare not speak; and too many are
temporiZiG-. Every dog must hare Lis day,
and so JEFF. Davis and his miaioas override
the honest culti7atoF Of the soil jaat at present
and baste to e9Dsummate mischief Quickly.
knowing that it is n0T or never With them
that they can Illustrate the benehcent iEstitu-
tons Of ills country. Their time is short
Northern farmers are awake to the perils Of
all that endeGTs their countTy and their home
SoutEe'n planters will set stand by the gov
ernment, SO sure as there is God in hoaren,
and light, truth and justice on earth. The
mud s5as Of our g!oriOGS,fabrc are not immoya-
bic mud siIis, not dead logs but liyikg souls
Ihey are uoTing today We have no war Of
the North against the South-N0rth, South,
East, and West are armiag against rebels
Farmers north, east, south, and west will hang
traitors wherever found If our nearest neigh
bor north shows himself { traitor against the
government Of our fathers, the farmers here
mean to hang him; and why should they hang
him any the less because blatant in another
section. We ere bound 10 love and to save
the whole country, and consequently to hang
traitors any where Our first hope is in God,
our next in farmers uorth. and next in those
soutA. This is not one OF those cases in which
agricuturists are to be equally divided, aud so
neutralizcd. They are ready to fight, and be-
fore three more weeks Of confusion are gone,
they will be fighting On the same and the
right side
But We write to say that farmers have more
Important mission just now than fighting, even
on the side Of generous, popular government
against the helsh ambition that would make
two countries Of one, and blot oat the glorious
old " Z Pluribps Ingm for the sake Of more
otieeS. The farmers nrc now looked to, not
only to make short work Of the war, ruthless
Iy thrust upon, us, bat to arrest famine dire
fGl equally at least to South as to NORTH
England and several larger European countries
will give but two thirds of crop this year
There will bC the wastes Of war there as well
as here. OUr southern brethren will not
raise half food enough this summer for them
selves, so intent are they for and agcjal trail
tors, Let the loyal farmers serve Mars every
where, kut let them see to it, that service of
Ceres is not neglected at home Brother SOL
derS and farmers, grow all the food you can.
1t will give you good cash return and it will
prevent world Of misery. if you can supply
tlre North and make up for the southern and
European deficiency. ...r