Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-08-30

cumulations would be impossible. however
successful or however enterprising a man
might be. That was true in their genera.
ton. But now, by manipulation Of stocks
10y taxing the productions of agriculture in
their transit from the farm TO the market ,
10y employing men in large numbers 10 work,
and taking the profits Of their labor in man
uiacturing; 10y taking advantage of or
cvading the laws relating 20 the importation
OF merchandise; 10y evading the internal
taxation which the wants Of the country i'm
posed by loaning the money received from
the government without interest at enor
nous prohts-nay, by buying aud selling
the indictment Of the nation itself by sub
sides and grants Of special privileges by
law by the power of association of capital
under the forms Of laws by any and every
way except hard labor we see many hun.
dreds, ave thousands, Of colossal fortunes,
such as in other countries and ia other times
were only the result Of the long-contnued
nurture Of wealth locked up In single fam
lilies for generations. Indeed, all special
legislation tends TO make the rich richer, and
necessarily, by comparison, the poor poorer
&" In fact, our system of incorporated
wealth has brought back the laws OF entail
and primogeniture, with all their most odious
features. The property Of a husband in
vested in the stocks Of corporation, bars
the widow Of her dover and enables the
father, because his property is in stocks
which are under the care aud perpetual d.
rection Of others, 10 give fortune 10 an i'm
beetle son, which, without these legal pro-
vi'ions--which keep IL productive for his
use-would have been distributed In the
community by his follies or dissipation.
"Our legislative acts Of association give
another advantage to capitalists and TO the
accumulation Of wealth which the laws OF
primogeniture aud entail never did They
so aggregate capital that it can escape the
eye Of the tax gatherer, whether state or ma
tional, and thus work practical inequality
and injustice in taxation. While we boast
and the boast is true if the laws could be
honestly and efficiently administered that
all taxation is equal yet, as we have before
seen, the land and farm stock lie out under
the eye, while moneyed capital by the very
provisions Of the laws which aggregate IT,,
conceals itself in a thousand forms so as TO
be wholly beyond the reach of taxation"
These are weighty matters that are
brought home to the farmer in these words
Aud the most striking Of all, to us, is the
TACT That under TINS system OF special legis-
lation, the advantages promised to agricul-
ture by the increase Of manufacturing in
dustry are completely nullfed, so that farm
ing is universally at lower cbb in every
community, just in proportion as corporate
enterprises establish themselves there This
is not what we have been promised, or led
to expect. 1t is not, We firmly believe, what
would naturally result, were it not for these
special ddcan'o0e' given 10y special legislation,
to these corporations.
1t is the duty OF farmers 10 study and in
vestgate these matters, 10 post themselves
as to the facts, TO discuss them in their meet
ings, and so to use their votes as to prevent
the passage Of unjust laws, and to secure
the speedy repeal Of every law that works
injury to the laborer The farmers are able
to do this if they will They, with the
other workingmen Of the country, have the
porer to do it, Have they the intelligence
aud determination to thus secure their inter.
ests, and those Of their children