The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-15
THE OLD STORY AGAIN.

the mischief with the business inter-
ests of the country" In a recent
article on the politics of Wisconsin,
the Pioneer blames the grangers
with the prostration of business in
that State. This assertion is not
only untrue, but is supremacy abb
surd. Every tolerably we'll inform
ed person understands that prostra-
ton of business is general through
out the entire country. Wisconsin
is no exception; nor are those states
in which the influence of grangefs is
unimportant any better off: Why,
then, blame the grangers with the
misfortunes of that single locality?
What is it that occasions similar
condition of affairs elsewhere? The
Pioneer knows perfectly we'll that
the existing depression Of business
is caused, first, by our abomiHable
financial system, the invention of
New York usurers, who were invited
to attend the sessions of the con-
gressional finance committee in 1865
and who prepared the present bank
ing law. Of course, they framed a
law that would operate favorably to
their own interests and prejudiclally
to the public welfare. Secondly, by
the insane policy of contracting the
greenback currency and compelling
the people to use bank currency
which annually costs about FL per
cent. No people in the world can
afford to do business and pay such
usury for their capital; hence, no
more of the bank currency is used
than the actual necessities of society
demand. All kinds of business are
depressed, and those branches in
volving works Of improvement are
almost utterly abandoned. Thirdly,
by the reckless extravaganza and
dishonesty of railroad managers, who
borrowed European capital ostensi-
bly, to build railroads, but spent it
largely in aggrandizing themselves,
and thus brought the entire railroad
building fraternity into discredit.
The policy of the grangers has
been, from the first, to restrain ex.
travagance, discountenance dishon-
esty, and produce reform in our f.
financial system. Instead of exert
ing a coinmunistic and revolutionary
influence, they have been eninently
conservative, and it is to them and
those who act politically with them,
that the country is indebted for
avertiny greater calamities than any
we have yet suffered. What would
have become of this State, by this
time, if our railroad companies had
been permitted to continue charg'
ing three mills per bushel per mile
for transporting wheat, as they die
in 1870? Would not the entire
agricultural community have been
ruined? And would not the loca
business men have been involved il
the general disaster? Most Ger
tainly, such would have been thu
consequence, and many Of the bust
ness men saw it, and, uniting will
the farmers, helped to prevent it
The suit of Blake, ct al against th'
Winona & St. Peter railroad com
pany is proof Of this. That wa
brought by the business men o
Rochester, at the instigation Of tn
Board of Trade. The act was incit
ed by the Federal Union newspaper
then in our control, and the farming
community sustained it. We wer
all interested in preventing the rail
road company from robbing u
poor. .-.......-
Ifthe Pioneer-Press had any rel
utation to lose, it would be ashame
of this twaddle about the granger
r,,ininq the railroads: but unfortu1