Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-02-09

all unite together to benefit themselves b.
controlling the inventive genius, the natura
advantages, and the government, of the coun
try. BY this means il has become possible
for men TO accumulate in a brief life-tim'
the most colossal fortunes. Only a few day
ago man Qsaac NJ Singer died, possessed
of some fifteen millions Of dollars, extracted
from the laboring interest by a single mo
nopoly in few years. This great fortune
wrung mostly from the poorest class OF our
laboring population, the sewing woman
benefited not even the possessor, who used
1t only ne means Of gratifying his own
lusts, and dying left it to be divided be
tween four different women, with whom he
had lived at different times, aud their nu-
merous children. That sum would pay for
fifteen thousand homes, such as hardly re-
ward the toll even Of a careful workman, at
the close of well spent life. While those
four dssolute families riot in such abun-
dance, the hopes Of fifteen thousand other
families lack the chance OF a just fruiton.
These mllionaries are to I've counted by the
hundreds already. Where is the man who
will say that any one can fairly earn mil
lion dollars by the best service, or that a
million dollars is any mans fair share Of the
wealth the world now owns? VIII Mr..
Banister say it? The circumstances and
the laws under which such aceumulations
are possible and common, are wrong, and
need amendment. They would need amend.
ment even If this great wealth were not ag-
gressive, nor grasping for more. But when
its possessors are like the daughter Of the
horse-leech when the greatest accumulation
only stimulates to greater; when the posses
sors Of money in their greed place every
right Of the citizen and every safeguard Of
the nation at peril-it is the right, it is the
duty of the press, the pulpit, and every pat
riotic citizen, to raise the alarm.
As for the sins of the laborer, be they
many or few, they do not limit his rights,
his privileges, or his duties as citizen.
They can never be made the excuse for in
Justice to him. If it were attempted, it
would soon be found to be a rule that would
work both ways. For Of the two, consider
ing their relative positions and advantages,
the rich are not less given to evil courses
than the poor. 1t was so in the time of
that friend of the poor and admonisher of
the rich, who said, how hardly can the
rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven r.
aud it is the same to-day. The poor have
the gospel preached to them; and just as
that gospel is a gospel Of equity, just so far
as it embodies the principles of eternal jus
tice, of equal rights and equal duties, will
the poor listen and receive it.
We cannot, in justice to Mr.. Banster,
close this article without adverting to the
glazing inconsistency Of some of his posi-
tons. lie denounces tho farmers and their
families as "fast and reckless" wasteful
and dissolute," driving fast horses, smok
ing tobacco, drinking a good deal of bad
whiskey, lounging at saloons, hotels, stores
and street corners, and indulging their sons
aud daughters in that idleness that generates
vice and crime !" and then he turns sharp
round and attacks the grange (the object OF
which is to correct these evils so far as they
exist, by improving our social relations and
fostering industry and economy as a Sc
cret conspiracy" and says that because the
farmer cannot now sell his butter at fifty
cents aud his wool at one dollar pound, he
has come to the grave conclusion that the
middlemen are set of knaves and cu.-.hroats
and ought TO be annihilated."
Mr.. Banster begins his letter by assuming
that our article was written by one who wa'
living beyond his means, and finding fault
with everybody because of the hard times
INDUCING in such frankness of criticism a
this, he certainly will not take it amiss il
we say that his article, by the exaggerator
and heat of its expressions, leads US TO sus
pect that it was written by one of thos
middlemen--perhaps a miller, who joinet
the grange in the hope that he might con
troll its trade, and, failing in that, 9TH
grange preferring to buy in bulk, at saw
ing of from dollar and half TO two dollar
barrel on -FOUR, left the society, and nov
wants 10 get even with the farmers b,
"going for them with a sharp stick" in tn,
papers. We may not be any nearer RICH
in our guess than he is in his, but we claim
that we have quite as much right, and quit,
as good a foundation, for making it.