The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-06-25
The Farmery, Political Movenent.

The Faymers' Political Movement.
The Indiana Farmers' Convention, in SEES.
sion at indianapolis on the 10th inst,
adopted the following platform:
As q Farmers Convention In making this
call, and presuming to enter into competi-
we should give 10 the world our reasons as
well as the remedies we propose for the
wrongs OF which we complain. Starting
then with the maxim that our government
il founded on the sovereignty and the con-
sent OF the governed, and Its purpose Is TO
protect the property and enforce natural
rights, we acknowledge the broad precept
that difference of opinion Is no crime, and
hold that progress toward the truth is made
by difference of opinion, while the fault lies
in the bitterness Of the controversy. We de-
sire proper equality, equity, and fairness,
protection for the weak, restraint upon the
strong; in short, justly distributed burdens
and justly distributed powers. These are
American ideas, and the very essence of
American independence, and to advocate
the contrary Is unworthy of the sons and
daughters Of an American republic. For
our business interests we desire to bring
producers and consumers, farmers and manu-
facturers, into the most direct and friendly
relations.
We wage no aggressive warfare agaist any
other interest whatever. On the contrary, all
our acts and all our efforts so fur as business
is concerned are not only for the benefit Of
the producer and consumer, but also for all
other legitimate interests that tend to bring
ing these two parties into speedy and
economical contact. Hence we hold that
transportation companies of every kind are
necessary to our success that their interests
are intimately connected with our interests,
and harmonious action Is mutually advan-
tage0us. We shall, therefore, advocate for
every State the increase in every practicable
way OF all facilities for transporting cheaply
to the seaboard or between home producers
and consumers all the productions of our
country. We adopt II as our fixed purpose
to open out the channels in NATURES great
articles that the life blood of commerce may
flow freely. We are not enemies of rail-
roads, navigable and irrigating canals, nor of
any corporation that will advance our in
dividual interests. But we are friendly to
all laboring classes, but we hold that all
class legislation whereby these original and
common elements or the proceeds of the
same enhanced by intelligent labor are per-
verified from their original design, made to
enurc to the benefits of non-producers, is
wrong, and subversive of the purpose of
good government; that all able bodied, in
telligent persons should contribute to the
common stock, by useful industry, sum or
quantity equal to their own support, and
legislation should tend, as far as possible, to
the equitable distribution of the surplus pro-
duets.
If these propositions are true, our govern.
ment is wholly perverted from its true de-
sign, and the sacred names of Democracy
and Republican are the synonyms of despot-
ism, and the parties represented thereby, as
now organized, are engines of oppression,
crushing out the lives of the people. We need
only to point to the facts that in this benifi-
cent country of unlimited resources, with
the land annually grooming beneath the pro-
ducts of human effort, the mass of the peo-
pie have no supply beyond their daily wants,
compelled upon unjust conditions in sick
ness and misfortune, to become paupers.
Pauperism and crime are the perplexing
questions of all modern statesmanship, and
it is with these we have to deal. How far
these evils are connected with the abuses
inflicted on labor, our superficial statesman
ship seems not to perceive. Chattefslavery
has been abolished, but the rights and re-
lations of labor stand just where they did
before the emancipation, i'm respect TO the
division of its products. The difference lies
only in the methods of abstracting the re-
suits, and concentrating them in the hands
of few capitalists. Capital is now the
master and dictates the terms, and thus all
laborers are practically placed in the same
condition of the slave before the emancipa-
ton. In thus placing them, the interests of
fight the battle in unity if they will succeed.
What, then, are the instrumentalities by
which these wrongs are inflicted?
!. Banking and mOnied mOnopOlies, by
which, through ruinous rates of interest, the
products of human labor are concentrated
in the hands of nOn-producers. This is the
great central source OF these wrongs, in and
through which all other monopOlies exist
and operate.
2. Consolidated railroads and other transit
mOnopOlies whereby all industries are taxed
to the last mill they will bear for the benefit
of the stockholders and stock jobbers.
8. Manufacturing monopOlies, whereby all
small operators are crushed out, and the
price of labor and products are determined
with mathematical certainty in the interest
of the capitalists.
4. Land monopolies by which the public
domain is absorbed by few corporations
and spectators.
5. Commercial and grain monopolies, spec.
ulating and enriching the bloated corpora.
tons.
its original purpose, and, as far as possible
to remedy these evils and remove their re.
suits, first, by abandoning the gold basis and
establishing a monetary system Oh the faith
and assurances of the government, and adapt
ed to the exigencies of legitimate commerce
To this end the circulating notes of the ma.
tional and State banks, as well as all local
currency, will be withdrawn from circulation
and paper currency issued by the govern.
ment which shall be a legal tender for the
payment of all debts, public and private,
duties on imports included, and declared
equal with gold the lawful money of the
United States. This currency or money to
be interchangeable at the pleasure of the
holders for government bonds bearing a low
rate of interest, say 3.65, the government
creditors to have the privilege of taking the
money or the bonds at their election, re.
serving to Congress the right to regulate the
rate of interest on the bonds and the volume
of the currency, so as to affect the equitable
distribution of the products of labor be-
tween money and non-prOducing capital and
productive industry.
2. BY paying the national debt in strict ac-
cOrdance with the laws under which il was
contracted. Gold where specifically prom
Used, but all other forms of Indebtedness, in.
GLIDING the principal of the 500 bonds,
should be discharged at the earliest option
of the government in the legal tender cur
rency of the United States, without funding
it in long bonds, or in any way increasing
the gold paying and untaxed obligations of
the government.
" Resolved, That we are in favor of the
Office seeking the man, and not the man the
Office. That we will endeavor to select men
to fill the various Offices who are honest and
capable, without regard to former political
opinions That we detcst bribery, corruption,
and fraud in obtaining votes, either by the
use of money or whisky, and will not sup
port any man for Office known to be guilty Of
the same, and that we are opposed TO elect
ing any man to fill the same Office more than
for one term, in succession, from the Presi-
dent down.
"Resolred, That we uncompromisingly con.
denim the practice of our public officials in
receiving free passes from railroad mana.
gers.
/" Resolved, That we denounce the action
of our Legislature and Representatives in
Congress and Senate, for the increase of
taxes, fees and salaries, and we will use all
honorable means in our power 70 reduce the
taxes, fees and salaries Of all, to reason.
able basis.
90 Realized That we dema nd n reduction of