The Ottawa free trader., 1874-05-30
w. C. FLAGG ON TIE FARMERS MOVE.
MENT.


and has had principal hand in giving i
shape and direction, is the Hen. WILLARD c
FLAGG, of Madison county, III. A carefully
prepared exposition of the aims and objects
Of the movement from his hand, is u thing
therefore, to be regarded somewhat in th'
light of er catledyo, and cannot fail to a,trac
attention Such an exposition was read by Mr.
Flagg at meeting, last week. in New York
city, of the American Social Science Associa
ton, and in the N. Y. Evening Post of tht
22d we find the following synopsis of it:
He said that in attempting TO furnish Il
paper upon this subject he labored under ikc
disadvantage OF examining very incomplete
social phenomenon with partia! eyes. This
however had not prevented adverse criticism
from men of presumed culture. in leading
eastern journals, and he was glad OF an OPP
portunity to place before an Atlantic audience
the other side of a controversy which he be-
lieved would end in another forward move
ment of the masses toward Il more complete
realization of the democratic idea IN our gov
ernment.
In all ages The agricultural, like other in
dustral classes, had been prevented by force,
fraud or cunning from extracting more than
q
baron, the medieval merchant, the royal tax
gather. and the railway monopoly had thrivcn
but the men who had painfully toilcd in rain
and sun had seldom, ii ever, received u due
reward for their labor Agriculture had been
q system Of spoliation. Tho landlord, the
transplantcr, or the middlc-mcn robbed the
farmer aud the farmer robbed the land, so
that arid and waste provinces remained to
tell the story of bad husbandry and worse
political economy. Yet in the great modern
discussion of labor and capital, work and
wages, the men who perform most Of the la
Dor and constitute more than half the race had
been hardly thought of by our labor reform
crs, and did not force themselves into notice
until 1879, in the English farm laborers' move
ment and the farmers movement in our
western states.
AS the will and the ability 10 associate for
the common good became developed, resist
ance to oppression began and positive efforts
were made for the genera! welfare. Farmers
and farm labOrers were among the last to
combine, not from lack of intelligence, but
from isolation and unwicldy numbers.
Resistance began where oppression was
most felt and where the ability to resist it was
greatest. Hence the farmers movement first
showed itself in the western states, where
cheap and fertile lands had attracted large
body OF intelligent emigrants. In that region
these men comprised more than Onchalf of
the population, instead of 30 per cent, as IN
all New England and IL per cent. rs in Rhode
Island, The production Of their farms was
far in excess Of the local consumption, and
the large surplus which sought the seaboard
had to pass through the hands of dealer and
transporter. Where not supplied by local
manufacture, the farmers wants must be met
by the purcha5c Of goods which pass through
the same hands. From this resulted high
cost OF production and low price Of pro. |
ducts, rendering the business of the farmer
even in favorable seasons
The farmers movement was based on Ger.
AIN existing organizations of the agricultur
al class. 1t generally passed by the agrscul
lural societies, boards Of agriculture and all
organizations devoted to holding fairs and the
like, for the reason that they usually con.
tained men who were neither farmers nor in |
sympathy with them for discussion and mu.
-ual Improvement, and the grangcrs, whose
object was mutual help and social intercourse,
we're appropriated multiplied and concen-
rated upon the new work. The loose organ.
cations Of the clubs. the secrecy and prohi- &
)ition Of politics in the oranges, were draw {
packs to their efficiency which had been to II
ome extent corrected.
crest was almost the common interest of the !,
,eople OF the whole country. Hence the in II
ection spread or reacted. The trade Organi- D
ations were strengthened, or better, became
used together in Il class organization Of me. "
hanics and operatives, with broader and less
eltsh purposes than the single trades union u
an have. These industrial interests, compris-
ng from seventy to seventy five per cent. of -
he population, promised sooner or later to y
DIN hands and combine In putting down what.
yer seemed Inconsistent with the fundamcnt
i doctrines Of our republic. In this they
you'd undoubtedly receive the aid of fair men
f all classes, and would be opposed only by
he more selfish OF the privileged classes, who
ave grown wealthy at the expense of others
through legal advantages supplied by improp
r legislation. Thus the movement which
egan with the farmers reacted upon other
lasscs, and became hostile to existing par,
les, either dcCadcnt ur triumphant
1hc discussion which cnsued in lerrctng
VI the causes OF known evils was most val. A,
able In reforming abuses and in educating
ne people 10 more radical and democratic
pinions than have yet been accepted by the
oantry. our existing system of national in
aXalion, whereby the consumer pays the tax tc
u State taxation, which makes the farmer the ru
,reat taxpayer Of the country; our inconvcr- IN
iole currency whose depreciation is heavy 80,
burden, first upon farmers next on mcchan- wv
cs and iaborers, and finally on all men en-
jagged IN legitimate business; our transpor Fl,
ation, placed by law in the hands of mono Go
'olies our patent laws, whereby the many ca
IRE individually taxed to make q few unusu- Co
My rich-al these and other abuses, dis ma
;ussed in the light of more intelligent and Is
pronounced republcanism, tended to build tna ~
Up new political organization that appeal a
ng to the first principles OF the Declaration, -
goes forward TO war against privilege and Cl
distinction. y
1t seemed to he the law of American poli. =
les that successful parties must organi ze on n
'adical principles and fight their way to sue y
less. Success brought quiescence and con. =
,eryatism perpetuation ard defense of ex. =
is.ing facts, whether good or bad An.
)ther party, more radical and progressive, I
hen arose, attacked abuses and marched on s
% more advanced practices Such, at least, 4
had been the experience of the two parties of 3
he country. The democratic party, denounced 7