The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-07-25
The Movement Against Protective Robbery =

The Movement Against "Proteetve-Robbery"
Nothing ike definite coherent order was
ever evolved out OF chaos in the twinkllng
Of an eye. The world was not created in
a day, nor in six of them. Civilization,
such as it is, came not out Of universal
barbarism as the sudden result of some
statutory enactment; but is the result of
inconceivably long struggle between inf
nitely various forces of desire, reason and
necessity. And for the coming higher civ
ilization and more perfect humanity, in
which all men have an indefinite faith, the
world must await the slow but sure effects
of the like causes.
Herein may the agriculurists of the
great Mississippi basin find sure founda-
ton for their hopes of relief from the slav-
cry of the monopoly system which is grind
ing them into the earth. Protective
and preventive legislation can do them
no good are certain, on the contrary, to
augment the oppressive evils Of which such
legislation has been and is the cause
Laws providing punishments for acts of in
justice are necessary, and will be, so long
as injustice shall be practiced and the
highest usefulness of such laws will be
found rather in the certainty of their exc
Cution than in the severity of the punish
ment But for justice, government is an
unnecessary evil all that justice needs or
demands is freedom There is no truth
better established by reason and experience
than that which teaches that the longer
the >tatute-makers direct their efforts to
the prescription, regulation, restriction or
protection of supposed justice, the long
er will the people who live under such laws
-. IN. a -
injustice
There are encouraging indications that
the minds Of the western agriculturists are
coming to the comprehension Of this vital
matter, In recent letter, Mr.. 5. VI.
Smith, secretary Of the Illinois State Farm
ers Association, writes rs follows
This after ALL Is the true state Of the case:
When slavery was rampant in our land, no decision
could ~ had from our court- IN favor Of freedom
50 now, when railroads arr omnipotcnt; when
their in-idtous corruptions are pervading every
branch Of our government. our courts can find no
precedent for decision on the broad ground Of
right and justice. but must Quibble for thr wrong
Advanced public opinion very often htIp- udgc- Ia
decide for the night. Let ~ continue 10 advance
This opinion, Only radical measures viii help u,
and II We fail 10 accomplish our ends by such, LET
u establish another such precedent A. was made
IN Boston harbOr a century ago.
We should be IN full sympathy and accord with
all organizations that are working for the zane
end. We care nothing for means only a. they are
tributary TO ends. Remember that the only saliva
ton Of the agricultural interests the only safety
for the individual interest- OF the farmer j. in
union u interests and union OF action BE a. radi-
cal a. you may, you cannot be more radical than
the emergency demands
But the true radicalism, which goes
straight down to the root of disease. and
proposes TO 'cut it up by the roots, was
proclaimed in a resolution adopted by the
farmers convention in Rock Island county
to one Of whose members Mr.. Smith let.
ter was addressedl. The Rock Island res
olution Is an undoubted indication OF pro-
Rrcss in the radical and right direction II
is in the following words
"Rss0irsd, That our Senators and Representative
600 Congress be- requested and instructed 10 use all
honorable means to secure repeal Of the duties on
lumh- ?, salt, pig-iron. iron aud steel rails and
those articles which enter largely into the con.
-iruciinu Of lake and sea-gong vessels and agrcul
tural machinery"
Mr.. Smith states a truth which every
farmer, and all other men who would Is.
cape from the slavery Of the monopoly
power, must accept when he declares that
only radical measures will help us.
What MIR. Smith may mean by the phrase
radical measures is not indicated, but
what the phrase III reality means is indica
ted by the Rock Island resolution. Radi
cal measures are, Of course, measures that
gu % the root or foundation principle Of
the matter The whole monopoly system
from A TO lizard, has its root and gene
SIS IN the protective system social
ed in that practice Of paternal govern
ment which would remit men to the con
dition of child-like dependence enforced by
the teudal government Of the middle ages
This paternalism, this feudalism, this sys
tenn Of spoliatiOn and rapacity based OF
the lying pretense Of protection, beinl
the producing cause of the monopoly slav
cry, must be uprooted. Only radical ac
ton will accomplish the result desired, anC
the more radical the action the better
For in this war for Radicel Reform on tn,
basis Of free principles, the reformers ar,
certain TO find arrayed against them all tie
tremendous power of tie rings into who's,
corrupt hands the political power of thi
country is fallen. The Pig-iron rings, th,
Calico rings, the irredeemable Shin-p plastic
rings, the Tammany rings, the Credit Mo
bilier rings, the Salary Thief rings, tn,
Tax-Eating rings of every name and the
Monopoly rings Of every grade and eharac
ter, will be arrayed in solid line on the sid,
of that medieval bourbonism whose max
im is: Protect the master and the mas
ter will protect the slave this foundation
principle Of that protective system" s.
long and yehemently championed by tn
late DIR. Greeley, in the principle whicl
radical retormers must either fight am
overthrow, or submit to be "hewers O
wood and drawers of water" for govern
ment-protected monopoly. There is II
other alternative The question in ii
whole length, breadth and depth is a pc
htieal one 1t is in the political arena tina
the battle must be made, for it is man
testify vain to expect that courts will prC
nounce void laws made to create monopc
lies, and TO protect spoliation and rapaC
ity upon the many for the aggrandizemer
OF the favored few 1t is not only polit
cal question, but the most important an