Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-03
Illinois Farmers in Council.

Stirring Resolutions Ag ainst Mod
ern Feudalism,
| Producers VS.. Carriers-Western Prai-
ries against Wall Street.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL, April 2.-The' in
coming trains of last night and this morn
| ing brought considerable accessions to the
Farmers Convention, which meets here to-
| d. Y, and nearly all the counties in Nolthern
and Central Illinois are represented. The
attendance from the southern part of the
! State is not so full, but there are numbers
| of representative farmers from that section.
| The convention met in the courthouse at
10 A, NJ, and was called TO order by W. g.
| Flagg, President of the State Farmers As
sociaJion, who briefly stated the object of
| the convention, aud nominated Hon. VIM.
| NJ. Smith, Of Mclean county, Speaker of
| the Illinois House of Representatives, for
| temporary President. In taking the chair
I he stated that he was in full sympathy with
the meeting, whose object, he understood,
was to give to the representatives of the
! peO PIE now assembled in the Legislature
such an expression of the views of the farm
ers of the State as they cannot fail to un-
derstand. Secretaries were elected, and
committees on credentials, resolutions and
permanent organization were appointed.
a delegate from Peoria county offered a
resolution urging the passage Of the bill now
before the Legislature for the construction
of a lock aud dam on the Illinois river, at
Copperas creek, but after some discussion
the temporary chairman decided the reso-
luton out Of order. The only significance
of the discussion on the resolution is in the
disposition evinced by a large portion
the delegates to confne their deliberation
and action exclusively to railroad matters
Political, or not Political?
D. W. Dame, a prominent farmer of Car
roll, addressed the convention, detailing
some Of the grievances of farmers and the
alleged impositions practiced upon them,
not only by railroads, but by other corpora
tions aud monorolies, and urging the aDili-
ty of farmers to relieve themselves by con-
certed, united action. Referring to state
ment which had been made that the farm
ers' movement had an underlying political
object, he declared that if that was so,
there was an excellent precedent for the
laying aside Of minor political issues when
a principle affecting the welfare of the en-
tire people was at stake. He believed the
people who were suffering from The oppres-
sicn Of moEopolies would not permit the
cry of politics TO sever them from theiI pur-
pose. The members of the Legislature
should take the responsibility of passing the
legislation necessary in behalf of farmers
upon their own shoulders, and not throw it
upon the farmers or upon this convention.
The Country Entering a New Strug-
gle.
E. Harris, of Lake county, next address,
ed tho meeting. He assumed that the
movement had a greater object than the
reduction or equalization of freight rates;
that indeed, the question of the discrimina-
| tion of freights, was the least of those in-
volved. II was a struggle between the peo-
| pie and the monopolies of the country, not
only the railroad monopolies but all others,
and one in which the actual liberties aud
rights of the people were involved to as
! great an extent as in any other through
which the country had paased. That the
struggle would be, though not in partisan
sense, political one was inevitable. The
people should elect men to represent their
| interests and those of the corporations.
The courthouse being found too small,
the convention adjourned for afternoon
session at the State House.
The co invention re-assembled a. 2 p. NJ. in
the hall of the House of Representatives,
the House having adjourned until to-mor-
row to allow the convention the use of the
| hall. The body of the hall was completely
! filed with delegates, while the galleries
were crowded with spectators, including
many members of the Legislature, who ap
peared TO take a great interes. in the pro-
ceedings.
The committee on credentials reported
that 73 of the l02 counties in The State
were represented by 291 delegates. The
committee on permanent organization re-
ported for President d. w. Davis, with
| Vice Presidents from each congressional dis
trict.
An attempt involving numerous motions
and much desultJJy conversational discus
sion was made to separate the regularly ac-
credited delegates from the spectators, but
finally it was tscisly agreed that al per-
sons should be allowed 10 remain upon the
| floor, leaving to the sense Of honor of II on
delegates to refrain from voting upon any
| questions which might come before the con-
ventlon. f-r
Speech of GOV. BeVeridge.
Governor Beveridge appeared and spoke
briefly upon the subjects which had drawn
the convention together. He referred to
the various interests that were in existence
in the State, and which combined TO make
up its prosperity. All of these interests
demanded and should have the nourishing
care of the State, and no one crippled or
oppressed for the benefit of the other, He
recognized the Importance to the State of
the farming interest, the greatest indeed of
all, but the railroad interest should not be
crippled. The interests of the farmers
and the ralroa IS were really closely
identified, and one could not flourish
without The other. He however recognized |
the fact tha- the railroads had been and
were now exacting from The farmers extor-
tionate prices and making unjust discrimin-
ations in freights, thus gripping the best |
interests of the country, and there must be
found remedy for these evils. But, be |
continued, the people are not to make war
upon the railroads, to abolish them, but |
simply to bring them under the proper con- |
troll of the people through their representa- |
tives. Applause and cries OF "Fhat's it,"
''we want more roads."1
The Governor then proceeded to the con- |
sideration Of the proper remedy to be ap- |
piled, and in this connection he took occa- |
sion to say that be believed that the |
Legislature now in session had given their |
best efforts to a solution of this question. |
He believed they were honestly trying to |
serve the people in this matter, but it was a |
fficult one to manage. Referring to the |
decision of the Courts, that the charters of |
the iilroads were contracts between tie |
uacn:a and the cOrpOratiOrs he aroned |