The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-11

Wv NV hhON ubOul anu tb-Nthy
shall not try. Most of those present are
farmers, it is true, but they are also Ameri-
can citizens, to whom nothing concerning
the welfare of the State, or of our race, is
without interest. 1t is not my purpose on
this occasion, therefore, to present an elab-
crate essay upon any branch of farming
but instead it is my purpose to give brief
talk, mainly uron few public questions of
the day, more or less in their scope invOl-
ing the interests of agricuturalists, and
without any admiXture of political
partisanship. If you should happen to
agree with me in what may say, shall
undoubtedly esteem you all as men OF good
sense, and if not, it will be fair case in
our Vermont courts for divorce, on the
ground of incompatibility of temper, and
there may he for me some comfort in be-
lievng that your Board of Directors made
great blunder, either when they invited
me, or when they invited you to be present.
But your society offers no premiums for
great blunders, and so they are never to be
repeated.
POPULATION or THE RURAL DISTRICTS MIST
BE MAINTAINED.
The ascendency OF agricultural interests
will most surely, as | have thought, pre-
serve our free institutions. To induce men
to embark and remain in the pursuit of az
rculture, it has seemed to me better to Sc
sure for ii home market by protection to
manufactures rather than to waste one-half
or more of bulky products on long journeys
in pursuit of consumers, and far better than
to conquer fifty provinces, after the man
ner of Great Britain, to he held for no
other purpose than for what can he squeez-
cd cut of them by trade. When the popu
lation of the agricultural districts shall be
outnumbered of that of cities and towns, or
be ignored in governmental politics. the re-
public of our fathers will vanish, and no
more will it be said, Length of days are
in her right hand, as in her left hand riches
and honor"
In feudal 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
political or moral excellence, and are too
frequently most conspicuous as centres of
wealth, and by being ruled by those the
least scrupulous in its requirement. They
hereafter will be made so small that they
cannot 60 through it on the road to para
disc
Tho population of the city of New York
in 1870 was 942, 1902, of which 40, 4S4 were
foreigners, and its debt and the cost of
maintaining the city government is now
greater than was that of tho national gov
eminent in the times of Adams orJackson,
with population OF over fifteen millions.
am not prejudced against cities Of indus
try, of solid merchants, of arts and arti
sans, nor even against the natural growth
and legitimate spendor of commercial cities,
but it is an alarming fact that they now
appear to be growing almost throughout
the civilized world at the sole expense of
the country. Increase of population in
one direction means depletion in some other
and, economically considered, the idle
pomp of cities is largely supported by the
laborious frugality 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 Shakspeare's - Tempest, "-PrOspero,
Miranda. and even Ariel,-oiten dwell in
cities, yet haser characters, like Caliban,
Stephano aud Trinculo, seem there to~be
immensely more numerous and most at
evidences of elegance and refinement, but
they are also crowded with brutality and
with those who toll producing moth
ing. Every winter to more or less the al
tentative is presented free-bread or free
fight. While wealth obtrudes in many
colcrs its sham coats of arms, the ragged
blazonry of poverty vainly invokes conceal
ment.
In the country the field is large and the
laborers are too few. More, many more,
could here be employed to the advantage of
themselves and of the world at large.
Property is more evenly distributed, and
beggary is a decayed art. The winter finds
reasonable wants supplied, and leisure for
accustomed intellectual pursuits, and for
"Those thoughts ina wa.der through eter-
nifty"
Here culture, moral, mental and religious,
takes start. From this training differ
ent standard results-a greater purity,
peace and order. Every town Is gymna-
stun of democratic self-goyernment but
the administration of municipal govern
ments, where rotund aldermen abound, is
getting to be almost satire upon republi-
can institutions. Offices are not filled by
the fttest men, and even the bench is
sometimes occupied by the worst. A con-
gresham from the city may take risks in
the credit mobilier, and his constituents, if
they should not applaud, might feel, per-
haps, that they could beat at the same game;
but, if from the country, the bush (pardon
the world, never fails to scourge the culprit
back to private life.
New York only has been mentioned, but
there are other cities tagging only little
behind. The population of Paris was less
at the revolution of 1889 than that Of New
York in 1870, and all France was ruled by
Paris then us now, and no more surely I'M
der the old regime than under the republic
or empire. But Frenchmen could COM
bine inside of the metropolis, but good men
outside could not.
London is larger city, it is true, and its
political power is of no significance, eX-
cept what may be welded by the clubs and
the press. Power in Great Britain is steal
ing away from the hands OF the aristocracy
| to the House of Commons just so fast as
| the popula; 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 ever like
ly to occupy the place of the French capi-
| tai, 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 culture, and the best men, take
back seats, and no part in the adminlstra-
ton of their affairs. To stay away from
the polls has become a chronic habit, for
which the notable Tilton-ic remedy pro-
posed is, that women shall be allowed to be
present That would be, no doubt, an at
tractive remedy, if they would all come
but they seem unwilling to surrender thelI
present actual sovereignty for future doubt
full equality.
The fundamental idea of the founders oil
our government was, that the best men
should do their share of the work; but, II
only the worst participate, may not early
decadence be justly apprehendedT Gar
the strength and purity of republican IN
situations look in the direction of densely
| crowded cities for support and preserva