, 1873-03-28
tion, Mr.. 8. Ar Smith, tho Secretary OF tho stato
Association, iaHuod

bloomington tho 1sih aud 10Th mat, completed tho
s ss's o s7ry soy sd
tho sta.o no farn,ers' clubs gratgea, or ouor aareul-
ea arnar IN @ a sS % r9E a TS 4 m
eomoA nocsHary by concentration OF our Htrcnah, 10
sSis r. tue osr
tiot q oher staca, especially Of tho Northwest
ho!sns conventions aud forming sssos.a.ons nm.iar
they may call for nncossary legislation In reforming
eebmsos nnd fsgalatng BY proper lAws tho rates o
| Btatca. N"'''N''o
Tho advantages to DO derived from joint no.
ton becamo ut onoo apparent to every ono.
Moasuros wore Mt onco talkou for
| THE ORGANIZATION OF cLuDs
IN evory toWnnhip, county, mid congressional
District smaller clubs to liavo closo at}ilin-
tion with tho common lloaa. Each lnrgor organi-
zatton was to bo nlado up OF I. cortain percont-
TIE first district organization was fornlod iii tho
Fifth Congressional District, with headquarters
ut Froeport. The slxtconth Diotriot was tho
second to movo. Otl,ora followed In too groat
| n,1mbors to admit OF enumeration. Tho 1neot-
irga were at irst attorug but incronsed in fro
| luoney, until thoy became Of moro than daily
| OCCURRENCE.
! ORGANIZERS AND ORATORS.
". q. Flagg, President OF tho Btato ABsocin-
tlon, engagod activeiy in tho work Of orgnnixa-
| ton, speaking w]leravor lo waB able to 10 proa-
ont. D. M. Horton, Vico Prosidont from tho
Sixteenth District proved an efficient orator, mud
Carroll County sent into tho field D. ". Dano,
ono Of ia most persuasive speakers. @. @.
Dnoll, OF Whitoailo, continued tho labor 80 vol
] begun at Kowaneo. Whitosido County was fur
man Of culture and eloquonco. Other gontlemon
who havo been prominent ns spenkora mud or
ganizors arc J. II. Nowel, legal representative
| "A 1r16 nf Nnu0
u monbor Of tho Legislature; Amos Bay-
age, Representative from Kankakee; lilo
lion; A. j. aroyer Jamea Creed, Of Marion;
Primo, Of Poutiac; Sidney, L. Morghn, Of Pom
tiao. brother Ut tho late Rnilroad Conlniesinnor;
J. B. Funk, Of Livingston, ono OF tho largest
farmora n' H. II tho ststo r. Nicloaon Ct Franklin,
Dornb1azcr, Of tue Twelfth Congressional Dis
trict; and j. 3. PortcrAeld, Of Sidney, Cha1n-
paign County. Most Of those gentlemen con-
tnod their exortions to tho vicinity Of their own
homes, although few, among whom was Mr.
| John II. Bryant, Of Princeton, brother Of Will
INN Cullon Bryant, tho poot, lont all lila onergics
to tho cause, speaking occasionally where a,,ch
service was noedod. ALI farmers OF the State,
in my way notable for woalth. intelligence. or
moral worth, aoomed moved by one impulso to
| work for tho common cause. Tho masses moved
rs ono man toward tho samo end The foeling
| OF opposition to monopolies was not confined to
| ID oil villages and towns Of tho State shared in
| It. No cauao Inns eyor been aavocatodby my sot
or class Of mon with greater unanlmlty Of fool
tpg, or poraistenoy Of purpoao
Tho question Of freights was one that could
! only bo remotely reached by tho courts.
| TIE Rate CHARGED PER MILE For PASSAGE
! presented d moro tangible point Of attack. Tho
Legislature laad tlxol tho maximum at cents
mile, aud the people In certain localities resolved
to pay no moro. Travelling at thls price thoy
"n1p1va ACCORDING 70 LAW"
THO subject cana t,p for discussion at Bloom
ington, but tho Convention took no official action
on 1t. A. fow membors asserted thoir riEhk
to ride according to Legislative onactHont
III returning to tuoir homos from bloomington,
and wore not oio,tod from tho trains. For q
| time tho fcoliug Of tho people toward tho ronds
| took only this form Of opposition Tho contrea
Of operation woro in Mclean, Livingston. Cham
paign, Marion, Johnson aud Bureau countios.
| The plan adopted was to travel in parties SO
largethat they could not be ejected by any force
| at tho Immediate command Of tho conductors.
Inaividuala occasionally tried to "rido accord-
ing to lnw," INT gonYe4rally received ~, summary
forty.two farmers. who rode to n convention at
inw," attempting to return in tho Harno. legal
manner, wero brought faco to faco with fifty
stalwart railroad employees, and DR., stotson, Of
Noponsot, "cavod," paying tho difference be-
twoon tho legislative rate and the monopoly
rnte into the landa OF tie conductor. Narra-
ing for the newspapers at tho time.
The attack upon this woak point Of the
onemy's dofonseg Inns coased for tho proacnt
| ONLY 70 ne RENEWED
u1lloHs tho Legislature speedily find remedy
Tor tile alleged grievances. In tho localities
whero the 8 cent way was moat hotly waged,
clubs grow and multiplied, moro rapidly perhaps
than anywhere else, except in Fulton County, to
; which tho credit Of originating tho farmers
movement is principally due.
l THE GRIEVANCE OF TILE FARMERS,
as expressed il many ways nt the various meet
:. ings, n1ny be briefly expressed as follows:
The farmers Of Illinois complain
That they aro especially at tho nercy Of mo-
Ihat, while tho price OF farm-proluots ia ro-
tauccd to tho minimum, tho prices OF Ill esgen-
tial articles OF consumption remain the game
That they pay for farln-machnery, through
tho Intervention Of midllc,nen, 300 or 800 per
cont more tllan is Just and reasonable;
That tile railroads rcfuHo to u1oyo far1r1-
products, except at e1orDitant rates Of car
Tint tho railroads discriminate injust1y in tho
traafer of freghtn as rfsgarma m locsoy
right OF tho Legislature to regulate freight aud
passenger tariffs;
That tho Legislature declines to enforce its
That nlesnbers of Congress- aro too bpsily oc-
cuplea with schemes Of peraonal again md asg:
gra1,dizeuont to heed tho cry Of tho people;
That remedy for tlloso ills through tho courts
Is rsmoto III point Of time, aud seemingly in.
possible in fact;
That a protective tarir is unjust md III.
jnrions
That the railroad companies have deprived the
people Of all prorriotorsp in tho railroads,
which tho people paid large BUNS Of money to
build;
That tho courta base their decisions in respccl
to railroad eAseH Oh tho doctrine Of "vessel
rights" which tho farmers Delioyo to ho an mr.
rant huulbug.
'EVNDlMG The REVENUE LAWS.