The Placer herald., 1874-01-17
IHE CHANGERS AND IHE PEOPLES IN
DEPENDENT PARTY.

The movement Of the farmers in organ
izing for mutual protection, is one that il
now attracting attention all over the eoun-
try. The rapid growth and the importance
it has attained in the unprecedented short
time since the commencement, is astonisl,-
ing, and It bids fair to be an irresistible pow
er in the United States before the next quad
rcnnisl Presidential election. 'nG3aH
No movement has ever been inaugurated
which had for its object the reform Of great
er and the intended remedy more merit.
The farming interests Of this country are
our predomina,ing occupations; We are de.
cidedly an agricultural people; Cur great in
terest is agriculture, and our exports are
agricultural products, and every interest and
every occupation in the country dep nds up
on the success and prosperity Of the agri
culturalist. 1t then follows that when the
farmers are doing well. and nre prosperous,
the country is prosperous. When the farm.
ers are thriving all other interests are tl,riv-
ing, and when the farmers are oppressed
then all other branches Of industry are more
or less sagnapt. %
Capital has always been striving TO make
labor its Legitimate tributary to its corpulen,
Golfers, and no kind Of labor has been sucl,
a prolific source Of wealth to them as tIla,
employed in agriculture, and the amount of
Toll exac,ed by capital from farm labor ia
enormous, and it is calculated to keep farm
ing in state of subserviency to capital.
A brief reference TO few of the means
employed to put the farmers under tribute
To ~ l<
The first essential to the omplishment
Of all their ends, is to get control of the
government; then follows tie passage Of
laws suited to their peculiar object. Some
Of these laws may seem fair in "theory,"
hut in practice they are always suited to
their peculiar wants. BY these means they
have been enabled 10 get all the best farm
ing land in the country for nothing or for n
mere nominal price, and then sell them TO
farmers for high prices, the very lands
which by inheritance belong to them, and
take a mortgage on the land, and when he
has to borrow more money to put in crop,
and there is no law regulating it, he is OBJ
ligcd 10 pay usurious interests. BY the aid
Of high protective duties. cap talists are en-
abled 10 collect enormous prces, not only
for everything they consune in their fami-
lies, but also alI their machinery used in the
cultivation OF his farm. 1t is constant
tribute to capital and wealthy corporations.
Aggregated capital has controlled sacks
and sacking, which has become tariff on
farm labor 10 the tune of many millions.
Transportation, not only on railroads, but
all other means Of conveyances, incl ldi,g
ocean transportation, has been monopolzed
into system of extoriion intolerable to the
farme of some Of :he far interior States,
and very oppressive on ALL These evils,
together with high salaries TO officers. aud
the corrupt administration of public affairs,
AID consequent high taxes, has brought
about state of things that call loudly for
reform, and which eliminated in the organ-
zation of the farmers as distinctive body,
with the express determination Of remedy
ing the foregoing wrongs.
And, almost simultaneously W th the or
ganizaiion of the "Grnngers, was That OF
the "People's independent Party" about
the same element, and for the same purpos-
es. One is private and the other is public;
the one attended to husbandry, the other to
political matters. Their object and purposes
are one and the same. They are truly syn
onymous terms, and work in harmony to
accomplish the same end and they are 20
insep"rably connected that the former could
no, wholly succeed without the latter.
Most of the grievances complained of
have their source and origin in, government,
and it is there where the heavy blow will
have to be dealt. vac p.
AS the Oranges do not propose TO ineddle
with politics, it is essential to have patty
wholly il sympathy with the movement. n
party wholly under the immediate control Of
Ibe farmers themselves, and hence tie ceces-
sity Of the Peoples Independent Party.
When men al newspapers profess to be
with the Oranges, and then contend than
they must SUPP ort one or the other of the
old parties. aud make them honest, we are
forced to believe that they are bad counsel
ors, and when papers protesting sympathy
with the farmers iraduce and abuse the Sac
ramenio U,.ion and Gov. Booth. who have
done more TO arrest the onward course OF
corporations on the just rights Of the farm
ers ilan any other score Of men and jour
mails, then we know them to be playing the
demagogue. It is in fact lip service, where
no good can be done, and at the same time
throwing obstacles in the way to check its
onward course. Let farmers aud grangers
watch as well as pray.