The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-13
'r7am NEW FARMERS, MOVEMENT.

It is difficult to tell whether the farmers
Of Indiana or Illinois, through their repre-
senta,iycs, are determined to run the " far
mcrs' movement the patrons Of hus-
bandry.' etc. into the ground or desire to
show their incapacitY for legislators and
the folly of leaving the details of legisla-
ton in their hands. Certain it is. to our
mind, If they continue on in their present
course, whatever their intentions may be,
they will most cffectually succeed in ac-
completing each and al of these results.
We referred. a few days ago, to the work
ing of the law passed by the Wisconsin
legislature, brought into existence by this
same movement, endeavoring to regulate
the rates of freight transported by railroad,
and the case cited shows its incongruity
and injustice, but the farmers of Illinois
and Indiana are turning their attention
afterwards. Having succeeded III Illinois
in elevating to the bench Of the supreme
court Of the state a judge virtually pledged
in advance to decide certain cases that may
and, in all human probability, will come
before him, in a particular way, they now
sigh for other worlds to conquer. While
they confined their efforts to correcting ac-
tual abuses, to the endcavor TO procure rea-
sonable rates OF freight to the seaboard,
to the doing away with "mIddlemen" so
far as it might be possible, to the lettering
of their mental, moral, social and recuniary
condition, they were entitled to, and receiv-
ed the hearty sympathy and moral support
OF the vast majority of the people Yet
even in these endoayors, the more thought
full person could see that their proposed le-
forms were founded in part on fallaccs.
1t was evident that it must cost more to
transport grain from Minnesota and Iowa
to New York and Boston, than it would
from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and In
diana that when transported Il short dis
lance the charges must necessarily be larger
than for long distance; and that "mii-
dlcmen' could not be entirely dispensed
with but we trusted to time to correct
this, and were content.
We have been among those who have
believed that something of benefit to the
country would accrue from this "movc-
ment'; we trust that some good may come
out Of it now but we fear not. We al
ways was and we always shall be utterly
opposed TO secret political societies We
believe that they would be fraught with
more danger to the country than anything
else that we can conceive of. TIE action
of the Indiana farmers looks as if their Sc
cret society was being used for that pur-
pose. We conceive that the farmers have
as good q right to form a political party as
any one else, although we do not believe in
ITS policy. We do not believe any good
can come TO the country from class dis
tinctions class legislation or class political
parties, and for these reasons we exceed
| ngly regret the action of these Indiana
and Illinois farmers. A convention was
held at indianapolis, Wednesday, composed
entirely Of farmers, some five hundred del
cgates being present. representing nearly
IL not every county in the state, at
which political party was formed
called 4" Independent nominations fol
state officers made, and platform OF
principles adopted. We propose only to
refer to one of their declarations, and that
without comment, to show the cornerstone
of their present action, and how they pro
pose to regulate our currency After
stating their grievances, they say that they
propose TO restore the government 10 it
original purpose, etc, "by abandoning the
gold base fallacy and establishing n none
tary system based on the faith and re
sources Of the government Of the nation il
harmony with the genius of the govern
ment and adapted to the eXigenccs of lie
ting notes of national and state banks, a
, well as all local currency, should be with
drawn from circulation and II paper cur
rency issued by government which shall b
, a legal tender in payment of all debts, pub
= lie and private, duties on imports included
4 and declared equal with gold, the Lawful
money Of the United States" This re
{ qures no comment, and we shall max
I none, any further than to say that If sucl
s a doctrine should receive the support 0
/. the farmers of the whole country, the
n would have the pleasure, If they should ca
s it pleasure, of running themselves an
n the whole country. At the same time an
5 other "farmers' state convention" was i