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

erS movement III inc west lIOEi llS ucSiiiHihS
and has had principal hand in giving II
shape and direction, is the Hen. WILLARD Z
FLAoG, of Madison county, ILL., A carefully
prepared exposition of the aims and objects
Of the movement from his hand, is a thing
therefore, to be regarded somewhat in the
light of &c cdtted,u, and cannot fail to attract
attention. Such an exposition was read by MIR
Flagg at meeting, last week, in New York
city. of the American Social Science Associa
ton, and in the n. Y. Evening Post of the
22d we find the following synopsis of it:
He said that in attempting TO furnish Il
paper upon this subject he labored under Tie
disadvantage OF examining q 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 controversy which he be-
lieyed 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
dustrial classes, had been prevented by force,
fraud or cunning from extracting more Than
a substance from their labors. The robber
baron, the medieval merchant, the royal tax
gather, and the railway monopoly had thriven
but the men who had painfully toilcd in rain
and sun had seldom, if ever, received u due
reward for their labor Agriculture had been
q system of spoliation. Tho landlord the
transplanter, or the middlc-mcn robbed the
farmer aud the farmer robbed the land, so
that arid and waste provinces remained to
A. ,rh had hro han oIrv and
political economy. Yet in the great modern
discussion of labor and capital work and
wages, the men who perform most Of the Ia
Dor and constitute more than half the race had
been hardly thought of by our labor reform
ers, and did not force themselves into notice
until 1872, in the English farm labOrers' move
ment, and the farmers movement in our
western states.
AS the will and the ability to 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 telt 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 emigrans. In that region
these men comprised more than Onc-half 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 purcha3c 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
unremuneratYe 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.
tural 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-
tual improvement, and the grangers, whose
object was mutual help and social intercourse,
were appropriated, multiplied and concen-
trated upon the new work The loose organ
izations OF the clubs. the secrecy and prOhi-
bitlon Of politics in the oranges, were draw
backs to their efficiency which had been to
some extent corrected
The farmers being large class, thor in
terest was almost the common interest OF the
people OF the whole country. Hence the in
lection spread or reacted. The trade Organi-
zatons were siren ghtened, or better, became
fused together in II class organization Of me.
chanics and operatives, with broader and less
selfish purposes than the single trades union
can have. These industrial interests, cOmprS-
ing from seventy to seventy-five per cent. OF
the population, promised sooner or later to
join hands and combine In putting down what
ever seemed inconsistent with the fundament-
al doctrines of our republic. In this they
would undoubtedly receive the aid of fair men
Of all classes, and would be opposed only by
the more selfish OF the privileged classes, who
have grown wealthy at the expense of others
through legal advantages supplied by improp-
or legislation. Thus the movement which
began with the farmers reacted upon other
classes, and became hostile to existing par
ties, either dccalrnt or triumphant.
The discussion which ensued in (erreting
out the cause, OF known evils was most val.
liable in reforming abuses and in educating
the people 10 more radical and democratic
opinions than have yet been accepted by the
country. our existing system of national /
taxation whereby the consumer pays the tax: I
OF state taxation, which makes the farmer the r
great taxpayer Of the country; our inconver- i
tible currency, whose depreciation is u heavy :,
burden, first upon farmers, next on mcchan-
les and laborers, and finally on all men en-
gagged IN legitimate business; our transpor-
tahon, placed by law in the hands of mono
poles; our patent laws, whereby the many {
are individually taxed TO make few unusu. I
ally rich-all these and other abuses, dis
cussed In the ligh, of Il more intelligent and |
pronounced republicanism, tended to build
up new political organization that, appeal.
ing to the first principles OF the Declaration,
goes forward to war against privilege and
distinction.
/, seemed to be the law of American poll
tics that successful parties must organi ze on
radical principles and fight their way to sue.
cess. Success brought Quiescence and con-
servatism perpetuation and defense of ex.
isting facts, whether good or bad An.
other party, more radical and progressive,
then arose, attacked abuses and marched on
to more advanced practices Such, at least,
had been the experience of the two parties of
tl,oe Tim Ia, ratf IN M 1tnnuncoi