Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-12-20
THE ORANGES.

Those who oppose the beDe6cent
objects of the Patrons of Husbandry,
play, as a trump card, the very foolish
charge, that it is secret political or
ganization. That it has its signs and
grips, it publicly ayows and therefore,
makes no secret of its existence; that
it must, in one sense, be political, is a
necessary consequence of the ends it
aims to accomplish. 1t cannot break
down monopolies, nor secure cheap |
transportation without giving to its |
efforts the sanction of law, and to OBJ
tain this sanction it mus. elect Federal
and State representatives who will en-
act the laws necessary to give effect to
the purposes of the organization. This
makes the Oranges political to this
extent, and without being so, the or
ganixation would be more than use
less.
But the danger to the Oranges, lies
not in their inherent political nature,
but in the tendency to become parti-
zan in politics; and whilst they do not
attempt to interfere with the party
predictions of its members, it is of
vital importance that they shall be
unit, in sentiment and action as to the
political means by which their common
purposes are to be accomplished. 1t
requires no argument to prove that
party spirit would be fatal to a COM
bination that limits itself to the re-
dress of certain grievances, that have
grown out of INSTRUMENTATION and
unwise legislation. The practice of
the government, for years past, has
been to foster Capitalization of power
and capital and to make the producing
classes subservient to capitalists,
spectators, middlemen and non-pro-
ducing sharpers. This miserable and
corrupt policy, whilst it looks alone to
the great producing classes for the sup
port of the government, rewards them
with ceaseless oppression and grinding
poverty. 1t is for the correction OF
these crushing wrongs, that the farm
ers are organizing all over the country,
and instead of receiving the sympathy
Of the good men of all classes, the
leaders and organs of speculative rings
affect to see in the movement, DANCE
rous political combinations and sys-
tematic war upon all non-producers.
But the farmers are not alarmed by an
opposition that seeks noteriety rather
than the respect due to honest efforts
for the general welfare-an opposition
that invites retaliation, instead of seek
ing to make the most of revolution
melted by long continued wrongs and
stimulated by fixed determination to
right them.
European governments based upon
the idea of central power, and backed
by the tyranny of capital, produced
the communists, who, with more pas
sion and zeal than discretion, SO far
outraged laws and social rights as to
cut off all sympathy, as well as faith
in the justice of their cause, and as
Stunning to be reformers, they became
criminals. The same causes here,
have produced the farmers movement.
But, they approaching their power
when united, and aetuated by clearer
perception of what is due to themselves
and others, have inaugurated revolu-
ton, upon the basis ofequal and exact
justice to all, and employs for its sue
cess, none but moral and legitimate
means. The world has long known
that the wealthy, in towns and cities,
have not created their fortunes by
the sweat of their faces" but by
shrewd speculations upon the labor of
others, and by keeping up, in crowded
populations, the system of cheap labor
and dear bread. Wherever this sys-
TEN prevails, labor and production are
the basis upon which capital builds
its vast accrctions of wealth. The
rings that are coming money out Of
the products of honest labor, denounce
the Oranges as dangerous innovators
upon established commercial order,
and the organs of these rings circulate,
with added imprecations, the false
charges suggested by sordid selfish
ness.
But the farmers understand the mo-
tives of the opposition, and will be
stimulated, rather than discouraged by
such efforts to turn them aside from
the good work they have undertaken.
Though we are not a Granger, the
Oranges have our warmest sympathy,
and shall have our services to the ex-
tent of our limited capacity.