The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-10-22
bese sslF.saine monopoIists who control

THESE tSll-cuitlS ttiOthVHOunto WnO ONHtAOA
the great trunk lines to the East, and who
play with the values Of nations agricul-
tural crop as boys do with coppers--pitch
and toss. The men who can find room
around a small table 50 far as numbers go,
for consultation and agreement, by which
they practically and literally nix the price |
Of every bushel of grain in the West, are
men not to be disposed of in paragraph, |
and until greater power shall meet them
and conquer them, there can be no eessa-
ton to their extortionate demands which
will be more than temporary truce.
The writer's theory of the remedy 10 be
sought in this crisis is thus explained:
but no possible change in rates of
freight which can be reached by State leg
islation,' Mr.. Grosvenor writes, by pres
sure of public opinion, or even by mirac-
ulous Characterization Of railway mana
gers, can do as much good as the removal
of unjust and unnecessary burdens now
imposed by the tariff The tariff re-
moved, a multitude of roads now crippled
by the excessive cost of operating, would
compete for the Western traffic. 1t Is
not extravagant to say, he writes, that
a reduction of iron 10 the price OF lS60-at
which the furnaces increased and the mills
made large proits-would add one thous-
and millions TO the value OF western farms,
: by consequent reduction in the cost OF
TRANSFORMATION alone. This he regards as
! the only remedy the farmers can attain.
] But on this question political parties, he
I adds, can never be formed until the W est
4 learns that it can elect a President without
the aid Of Pennsylvania Among the far
+ mers there is little diversity Of opinion on
: this subject, but they shrink from crap,
: ping with it only because they are afraid
Q of politics" This, Mr.. Grosvenor holds
{ is their great mistake. I'm due time they
will learn that the less they have to do
e with politics the more it hurts them.
4 The grave responsibilities of self govern
1t ment cannot be shirked by any class of cit
y liens. Ii IS IN the nature OF
e things that, If people entrusted with the
+ power of self-government do not take care
y to govern themselves, somebody else vii
&c govern-and plumber them.
Politics, to the average American, il
d simply some phase of partizanship. To
take an interest in politics, is simply un
. derstood TO be attacking one self blindly
TO some party and obeying its ductum
Of and this same misunderstanding ha,
brought this country TO the position it now
/
whose statesmen are simply jobbers in spe
ID cial legislation. To this end no class o
a people unwittingly lent themselves NOR,
y than the farmers either by active or de
mt voted by partizanship, or by silence or
of studied skirking Of the resposibilitie
"a of citizens. A day in the hay field or a
n the thrashing machine, has been counte
~ of far more Importance by many, than ex
ok ercising the right ofsuffraee. This apath
as, as. has cost them dear, Another element
aw which could be handled by any demagogu
md with money and with whisky was Away
II" ready TO cast itself wherever was to be toun
EN- the most money and the strongest whisk
'ef So long as the farmers persistent
arv refused TO know anything more about pol
: OF ties than was given them by the general
! oi ties OF campaign speeches. highly SeaSOne
re with personalities, and studiOusly devOi
go, of anything relative 10 the political econ
IA. my of the nation, so long the farmer
men vote was also in the control of any dem
'P' gogue in the land Not that there has n
rev always been a very large class Of tarme
who could mark straight turrow aero
their land and still turn over in their mine
the vital issue of the day. But this h;
''' not been enough these men thought MOI
his than they spoke, and, guiding their ov
-, lives seldom sought to influence other
Now they must come to the front, and
to earnest work undo the result of form
ugb negligence Not as partiZans must Il
farmers take up the great questions
and the DAY, but as patriots let them all uni
the for the common good There need be
hair splitting over questions of State era
." and diplomacy. and expediency; none
sor, blind but that they can see the despera
, o., peril into which, through supineness, v
have driited and none so dull but tn
they can feel that the only saving remec
rom is ia the hands Of the tarmers-in the
ring action at conventions and at the ballot-bo
,,,. Put only good men in the field and the
elect them. Drop partizanship and put yor
, to votes on the purest and best men to re
h. resent you not only in your Legislatu
and in Congress, but also in smaller ofici
1ese positions, for with our election system it
for the lesser officials who make OF mar Il
greater ones We are encouraged to b
the lieve that the farmers are moving in Il
At is right direction at last Not a mail b.
-, brings rs proof that the awakening is ge
''' eral and spontaneous. and that Il
s to organizations of the Patrons of IIu
49,, bandry is bringing into close commuu
cation the farmers of the East and Of Il
the West, of the North and of the South. III
interchange of opinions which has take
an place within the Order, could not ha,
-, been otherwise accomplished, and the T
u" suit is that the entire agricultural class a
heir being aroused to the vital necessity Of 4
III. ing something for themselves, which for
many years they have allowed others to {
Ia o for them-the farmers will now do the
the own thinking and their own voting - T,
Scythe.