Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-09-23
farm and Garden.
Address of Hon. Justin =. Morrill,.
POPULATION or rT RURAL DISTRICTS MUST
~ MAINTAINED.
prnvrnrp A. mn nan rAm.

w MAINTAINED
The ascendency Of agricultural interests
will most surely, as | have thought preserve
our free institutions To induce men TO en-
bark and remain in the pursuit Of agricul-
ture- II has seemed 10 me better to secure for
it home market 10y protection to manufac-
lures. rather than TO waste one-half or more
Of bulky products ON long journeys in pur-
suit of consumers, and far better than to con-
qucr fifty provinces. after the manner Of
Great Britain, to be held for no other pur-
| pose than for what can be squeezed out Of
them 10y trade. When the population Of the
| agricultural districts shall be outnumbercd
/ 10y that OF cities and towns. OF be ignored IN
| governmental politics, the republic " our
| fathers will vanish. and no more will il be
/ said Length Of days are in her right hand,
! and ia her left hand riches and honor"
/ IN fcudal ages. it is true, there were free
/ cities which had some Of the features of
modern free governments. IN later times
/ however. they are not our best examples Of
I political or moral excellence. and are too FIRE.
/ quently most conspicuous ~ centres of wealth.
and 10y being ruled by those the least scrll-
/ pulous in DO, requirement They have no
dread that the eve of any needle hereafter
will be made SCI small that they cannot %
through it on the road to paradise
The population Of the city of New York
100 1870 was nine hundred aud forty-twO
Thousand two hundred and ninety-two. Of
which four hundred and nineteen thousand
fourhundrcd and eighty-four were foreigners;
and its debt, and the cost Of maintaining the
city government is now greater than was
that OF the national government in the time
Of Adams and jackson, with population Of
over fifteen millions. am not prejudiced
tstft ,f
of arts and artisans, nor even against the
natural growth and legitimate splendor Of
/ commercial cities, but it is an alarming fact
/ that they now appear to be- growing, almost
throughout the civilized world, at the sole
I expense of the country. Increase of popula-
/ tlun IN one direction means depletion in
/ some other, aud economically considered. the
I idle pomp of cities is largely supported hy
/ the ahorious trugaity of the country. This
/ tendency is the great evil of our age; to live
/ grandly without work. Although the pure
and refined creations, such as we find in
! Shdkespeare's " Tempest" - Prospero. Mi
randa and even Aricl,-often dwell in cities.
/ yet characters, like Caliban. Stephano and
/ Irnculo, Seem there TO be immensely more
numerous aud most at home. Modern cities
contain marvellous evidences of elegance and
refinement, but they are also crowded with
! brutality aud with those who toll nut-pro-
ducing nothing. Every winter to more or
less the alternative is presented; freebread
or q free-fght While wealth obtrudes in
many colors its sham coats Of arms, the
ragged bazonry of poverty vainly invokes
| concealmeut
In the country the field is large and the
laborers are too few. More, many more,
could here be employed to the advantage of
] . . h.,
erty is more evenly distributed, and beggary
is a decayed art. The winter finds reasona.
ble wants supplied, and leisure for &C.
custoned intellectual pursuits, and for
Those thoughts that wander through eternity"
Here culture, moral, mental and religious,
takes q start. From this training differ
ent standard results, and greater purity,
peace and order. Every town is gym
nasium of democratic self-goyernmeut but
the administration OF municipal govern
ments, where rottmd aldermen abound, is
getting to he almost a satire upon republican
| institutions. Offices are not filled by the
iittcst men, and even the bench is some.
times occupied by the worst A congress
man from the city may take risks in the
Credit Mobilier. and his constituents, if they
should not applaud, might feel, perhaps, that
they could beat at the same game but, il
from the country, the bush pardon the
word) never fails TO scourge the culprit back
to private life.
New York only has been mentioned, but
there are other cities tagging only n little be-
hind. The population of Paris was less at
the revolution of 1859 than that of New
| York in 1870, and all France was ruled by
Paris then As now, and no more surely under
the republic or empire. But Frenchmen
al q
good men outside could not.
London is a large city it is true, and its
political power is of no significance, except
what may be welded 10y the clubs and the
press. Power in Great Britain is stealing
away from the hands OF the aristOcracy to
the House of Commons Just so fast as the
popular element can be introduced by the
extension OF the right of suffrage. The
British aristocracy proudly retain their titled
privileges while slowly retreating from
power, but the French, though their titled
privileges are lost, still clutch power.
We have no single city that is very likely
TO occupy the place of the French capital,
and the representatives of many cities are
able, upright and estimable men. but our
cities are multiplying and growing daily,
already embracing millions of our population,
and the great complaint is that men Of cul-
ture, and the best men, take back seats. and
no part in the administration of their affairs.
To stay away from the polls has become a
chronic habit for which the notable rilton-c
remedy proposed is, that women shall be al
lowed to be present. That would be- no
doubt, an attractive remedy, if they would
all Gomez but they seem unwilling to surren-
der their present actual sovereignty for fu-
ture doubtful equality.
The fundamental iIao nf th. f,uudar, az
our government was, that the best men
should do their part of the work but, if
only the worst participate, may not early de
cadence be justly apprehended? Can the
strength and purity of republican institu-
tons look IN the direction Of densely crowded
cities for support and preservation Yer
mont, whose rural population is diminishing
year by year, is deeply interested in the
proper solution of these questions. The
voice of cities, after all, is the accepted in
dex of the public sentiment of their respec-
tive states. We hear of Rome but never of
Italy,
The remedy is, so far as we are concerned,
for farmers to make agriculture more attrac-
tive and more profitable, by profounder study
and more scientific practice, by more faith
and more good works, and by such public
policy as statesmen may properly sanction,
! t'Hulnb 10 hhlelu IL from neglect ana secure
to its golden harvests golden rewards.
Our hills and valleys will be beautiful
forever-some of them grand-bnt they can.
not he productive and beautiful without skill
and work. | am indebted TO one of our
western ministers for the following incident /:
A Vermonter had, by tough bard work and
some skill, made hilly farm productive,
and then sold it to an easy, slow-going man
from another state. Within few years
thereafter he met his customer, who bitterly
complained of his bargain, and who wound
up by exelaiming, +" | think there is a cuss
ON that place; cannot account for it in any
other way 81 have no doubt you are
right" the Nermonter responded, there is
a c,iss ON it, and ii is lazy cuss, IL have
noticed it ever since you went there"
\ fine crop, like fair maiden, must be
won 10y labor of love;
Knowing that NATURE ueyer did beiray
The heart that loved her"
Neither q fool or lazy man should stay
in Vermont hoping TO thrive, and. so far as
know, they do not. II is well known that
in the aggregate amount Of agricultural
| products there are few states, Ia proportion
to area and population, which equal our own;
but we ought to challenge the very highest
competitors, and, like the Young prince of
olden time, refuse TO play with any but kings.
BY such manly ambition we may keep and
even increase our agricultural population.