Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-11-11
Grnngers In Politics.

cash SYST m iu Vie transaction ul business
they declare distinctly that in public affairs
their only desire is indirectly. and 10y a
moral influence, To- eudeayor to secure honesty |
aud economy in the public administration.
TO all these principles we give hearty
and mequiyocal appreciation. Nothing can
Dee more desirable than to see the agricultu-
raj class seek its own elevation 10y improve
ments IN knowledge and in the practice of
all the details Of their art. as well as a fuller
recognition Of their rights as the most nu-
merous class of citizens in the republic. |
While they seek to inform themselves in the /
ant and science Of their profession. and to |
take q more active part in public affairs, |
through a better acquaintance with the true |
principle, of financial and political economy /.
every other elias, in the commonwealth must |
feel only like wishing them God speed, for
every class must share in the benefit. which /
they thus secure for themselves Every
citizen and every class is helped 10y that |
which contributes to the permanent better |
ing Of the condition of any other class.
But while the theory Of grangerism is
good 10 practice it is exposed TO dangers
which were easily foreseen at the outset by
men Of experience The secret element Of the
society, while nqucstionably source Of
strength and band Of cohesion, j, also a
serious danger inasmuch as it enables the
power of the order to be- controlled 10y few
men, whose secret motives may OF may not
be in accord with the ayowed principles OF
the order or with the individual wishes or
interests of its nou.oiicial members.
We know that those who contributed to
the introduction of the Patron, order into
Vermont had not the most distant idea Of
making it a political institution. They
aimed simply and sincerely at a realization
Of the programme of improvement which the
order put forth, and which was felt to be
needed here in order TO make farming pleas
ant and profitable enough to retain upon
our farms the better elias, of young men that
arcreared there.
SO long as the order was weak in numbers
and increasing but slowly, these principles
were adhered TO- and the results were all
that had been anticipated. And even now. in
q great number Of the oranges the original
principles are cherished and honestly prac-
iced.
But when the usefulness and acceptability
Of the order had become so evident that it
began to increase rapidly, few political
hacks conceived the idea of capturing it, in
MD Of certain personal schemes Of their own,
looking not at all to the good OF the farmer,
but solely 10 their own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and
the accomplishment Of certain reyenges dear
to their viudictye souls. To certain ex-
tent they have been able to use the order for
these ends, but we do not believe their in
auence has led to any results that are calcu-
lated to please the individual members of the
order, who are free from like selfish aims, or
10 bring any advantage whatever to the farm
ing community.
As illustrating this point, let us see what
advantage is likely to accrue to the patrons,
in their capacity as agriculturists, who have
contributed to the defeat Of Judge Poland IN
the second district. We will admit that he
was not an ideal farmers candidate. lie is
a lawyer lie has not shared, to any great
extent, in the class-feeling which the pat
rons movement has developed among the
farmers he has perhaps not appreciated its
force, nor conceded its Justice, or its advan-
tage to the community at large lie is apub-
/ lie man Of the old school. Throwing aside
the personal aspersions cast upon him, as be
meath the notice Of any decent man, we take
| this to be the head and front of his offending,
in the eyes Of the "farmers' movement"
When they sought to unite upona candidate
of their own, though as grangers they were
violating their principles, they We're yet con
sistent as political farmers. In gathering
gently and intcllgibly as third party. But
when they aud their brother boilers from the
White River Junction Convention met, and
they found that they were not only in the
minority, but that the majority faction was
not merely Indifferent, as the Judge was
assumed to he, but bitterly hostile to the
farmers movement, openly declaring that
under no circumstances would they help to
elect Mead, what, we ask, was their situation,
and what their obvious duty as sensible
men Was it not either to secede from the
seceders, aud adhere to their candidate
through thick and thin, or to drop out of the
canvass altogether until they could rally
sufficient strength to make a new and indie
pendent start Such seemed to be the view
of their constituents as shown 10y their vote
for Mead, which very nearly represented the
voting strength Of the oranges. But the
leaders had no such idea. They sold out to
Denison, aud so discouraged the rank and
file that at the second trial the granger vote
went en- mdsse to Denison.
Now, we ask, what have the grangers got,
in their new representative, likely to adj
vantage them as farmers, or promote their in
terests as grangers? They have exchanged
one lawyer for another, confessedly not his
equal, professionally. They have got one
republican politician in place of another OF
more experience anationalreputation and ac-
knowledged influence in the national councils
II their new representative never pocketed
even temporarily, q "salary-grab," it is
equally true that he has never had a chance
to do so, In fact he is an untried man, and
all the grangers now know about him, is that
they have no claims upon him whatever,
other than those they have in common with
other voters of the Republican party They
certainly cannot call upon him to support, in
Congress, any of their special objects,
whether in reference TO railroads, banks, or
any other so-called monopolies, to internal
improvements or to the promotion of special
agricultural interests. So far as his opinions
are known on these points he regards the
views Of the grangers with indifference or
contempt. lie is as far from sympathy with
the farmers movement as with the demo-
Gratis, And what, in any form, have the
grangers 10 show, of which they can be
proud, as the result of this first venture in
the field Of poltiesY Have they not been
ploughed with, simply for the benefit Of
certain selfish politicians? H.
The END NOT YET.-ln a fit of disap-