St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-07-18
The Farmers Protest.

The Farmers Protest.
They had Il novel way of celebrating
the Fourth of July at the West. The
Oranges put forth Declaration of In
dependence. in which the charges of the
original document were travrstied and
turned against the railroad corpora
tions. and this was read at the farmers
meetings amid Umhounded applause
This sort of thing will answer for a
time, hut soon nothing short of the
clcarcst and most conclusive reasons
will bc found to justify the new organi
zation or To give il permanent influence.
The latest effort in this line that we
have met with is the Fourth of July adj
dress of Mr.. :. VI. Smith. the secretary
OF the State Farmers Association of H.
imoiS. After dwelling upon the history
of the movement. its caUSes and mel
dental features. Mr. Smith makes three
points. The first is the educational
character and effect of the clubs and
oranges. They have brought the ques-
tions at stake directly home to a class
of men who are peculiarly liable to
let things drift and to settle down in
the feeling that ''whatevcr is, is right
This reason f"r establishing the clubs is
good 81 far as it gocs-that is, it de
ponds upon the validity and importance
of the object of thus gathering he farm
rrs int" special organizations and drill
ing them To act in concert.
Secondly. Mr.. Smith declares that the
movement means an entire indrpend-
encc of all past political organizations.
lie says: ''lt we carry ont this declar-
alton We shall make Il move that will
eventually free lis from tyranny worse
than that from which our fathers eman-
cipated themselves hy the war of the
Revolution = and. with an enthusiasm
quite millcnnial, he adds: The great
est and most important victory that we
shall achieve in this battle for the right
will he to throw off the Shackles OF
party. and stand forth cniramchised
treemcm, acting upon higher principle
than that of voting for men who have
no better recommendation than that
they belong to our party. This sounds
aS beautifully a. the word "Mesopota-
mia" did to the good old lady when it
was Spoken 10y her fav0ritc preacher ::
and perhaps it is quite as meaningless.
As We understand the matter. all these
Changers have recently come out from
the two old parties. if they hare come
ont. and probably they are not very
much changed from what they were he
fore. We see that many of the leaders
were formerly active politicians, and
they keep up very much the same sort
of activity now. As fOr voting fol
men who have no better recommended
ton than that,they belong to our party"
We notice that the new party is acting
already precisely like the old ones. Its
adherents. of course. will say that their
candidates have better recommended
ton than that of belonging to their par
". and that is Just what the Rcpubli-
cans and Democrats always said of their
candidates. In short, this political pre-
tence of the new organization is trans
parently specious. In Il State. for i'll
stance. like Iowa. where the Rcpubli-
cans carry every county and almost
every township. what can any other
party accomplish that they cannot A.! At
best the new party can be but local
one, founded on single and temporary
issue. If it should prove to attain to
more comprehensive character. then it
would have all the despotic habit of
individual freedom to
partisan interests which is now charged
against the old parties. Here is where
the eat lies under the meal tub
Thirdly. Mr.. Smith reflltes the asSer-
ton that the Farmers movement means
I" make the railroads carry freight at
loss. Such an ahsurdity and iIIastice
aS that WAS not imputed to them bv
amy sensible men. hut if the charge had
got abroad ii WAS we'll to correct il. 1t
is meant that the corporations shall do
the fair thing toward the producers and
the other interests concerned This is
the whole object of the (non- politicaD
farmers III this matter. it il very easily
told. hut how to bring it about is the
rub. That to IegiSIdte is not quite so
cticctual. Is apparent from the expert
mcnt already initiated by the State of
Illinois. The law which there went
INTO effect last week. regulating fares
ANA irclghtS on pro rata principle. has
created breeze among the farmers of
Iowa. When the latter put their pro-
ducc Oh the Iowa railroads which run
INTO Illinois and connect with the Hi
noiS system. which principle is to rule
that of Illinois, or that of the contract
which may he made in Iowa. The
Railroad commissioners of Illinois have
decided i'll such cases to make no cN-
ccpti0n i'll favor of roads coming in from
other states; which adds to the prices
paid by the farmers of Illinois. and
they retort with the decision of an Iowa
court I" the effect that freight contracts
made III Iowa t" any point in Illinois.
over roads operated in both Iowa and
Illinois. will he binding irrespective of
the legal rates i'll Illinois. Here il All
opening for any amount of trouble, so
that we may soon see the Oranges of
the tw" States locked in fierce en-
counter. Not much better result will
flow from amy attempt to dictate terms
expressly 10y law. The rights of all
must he secured, no favors shown by
legislation to mOnopolies. and then the
whole matter left to free competition
and the enlightened Judgment of the
masses. Boston JOHynaI.