The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-01-03
ruy FARMERS GETTING RIGHT,

since ,hc questions raised by the rebellion
have been settled, Is no longer able 10 io.io"
radicalism in its cOrruptions and flnahclal
windings and tariff denominations, but plants
itself upon the Independent and solld grouhu
of free trade and reform. 1t thus becomes
naturally and without design, an advocate anu
eyponent of the cause of the antrmonopoiisS
and farmers of the west, and from its adVanc'
ed position in the maintenance OF those great
ideas which are now uppcrmost Win INC lai
mcrs has a right to instruct and advise them
With this in view we commend, as worthy OF
their respectful attention, to our farmer read
ers the following remarks OF the E~"t"g
Past ON the proceedings of the Decatur Con
vention
The farmers, If we may judge from the
proceedings Of their convention IN l'lihois,
reported in our telegram OF Saturday, are get
ting wiser with time They are beginning 10
discern the real causes of their distress. Al
the outset they laid it all to the railroads.
which, as oppressive monopolles, they pro
nosed TO hand over to the government Tor DIS
cipl,ne and correction. But now they see
that the railroads are not the only ohenders
Indeed. in their resolutions the railroads are
scarcely mentioned, while the tariff, political
parties, politicians, unjust taxation, ana an
illreguatcd currency, come in for due share
of condemnation.
| This is an evidence that having reflected
upon these subjects, they are no longer dis
posed to rush blindly in one direction, and
without considering all the bearings Of their
case. In dissolving their connection with
the old political parties they simply anticipate
what will be the decision of the whole cOun-
try. Those parties have no longer any vltali
ty of principle, and are held together by ira
dition, or prejudice or ''thc cohesive force Of
public plumber" AS for the democrats, they
departed long ago, on the very eve of the war
and what is left Of them are few ghosts that
90 gibbcring about the streets here in the
East, or trying to get up now and then, when
some mixed election turns out not so bad as
| it might, CHASTITY smile. The Republicans
are incompetent to grapplc with the living
issues of the day, and have no policy but the
drifting policy, which may bring up here or
bring up there-nobody seems to know
though to us the outlook is in the direction
of bankruptcy and long years of paper-money
huctuation and deluslon. We hope better
things for them, but as yet do not see the signs
of promise.
In quitting the cid parties ana setting their
faces towards that freedom Of industry to
which the old parties have been traitors, the
farmers show truer perception OF what their
real interests are than they have hitherto cX-
pressed Protection, which has done nothing
for others, has for them been anything but
protection. Mr.. Grosvenor's question, Does
e protection protects they can answer cmphat
ically IN the negative. Their sad experience
I, proves it to be spoiation and not protection
The pretended protection vouchsaied 10 corn
wheat, rye, oats and potatoes, in the prOduc
ltion of which we have no rivals, is seen to be
what it always was, a sham. The loud prom
ises OF IA broader home-market for agricutu-
. raj products have failed, while the foreign
markets have been TO no inconsiderablc eX-
ness to the fact that agricultural products
have increased most rapidly in periods of low
duties, while they decrease no less rapidly in
periods of high duties. At the same time,
while they are falling off under high duties,
the manufactured articles for which they eX-
change, grow more expensive. The farmers
get less for what they have to sell, and pay
more for what they have to buy. The scesaw
of prices is one tina. leaves them always on
the lower sIde Of the balance. We are not
surprised, hea, that they should cry out
against protective tariffs, but We are surprised
that any of them should have been bambooz
led by trick so transparent and so ruinous
for so long a time That their eyes are at
length opened Is II subject of congratulaten
for the whole country, because their industry
is the most Important of all, and the very
prosperity of it is u matter of profoundest con
Germ for all.
But the farmers have coupled with their
new departure certain fallacics IN regard to
5 the currency, which, if not corrected, will de
= feat the best results al which they aim. When
they advise legal tender money, convertible
J. into bonds at Il low rate of interest they pull
I" down with one hand what they have just built
up with the other. The best money for them
, is real money, honest money, money founded
Upon value; money which is money for all
and everywhere. The only effect of a paper
currency is to swell prices todisturb The mar
I kets. TO stimulate speculation. and b. bring
about periodically crisis in which nearly
Ieyery kind Of industry goes al a. % 20 the
wall.
| Mr. Amasa Walkers letter addressed b the
Icsnyention, tells the whole truth in single
sentence. Farmers products mainly are
sold at gold prices, while al thai the farmer
consumes must be purchased al currency
prices, which are from twenty five TO seventy
five nor cont hirhpr" If they are IN debt il