The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1877-03-03

II
land came from the Association. The re-
suit was large Scandinavian trade.
When you find man like Ed card Oven
Greening, you can build up in some west
en city gigantic dstributive co-opera-
tive concern but you must be very sure
VI your man.
an not prepared 10 say that plans such
as those sketched in this half f-hour can
be successfully carried into effect in Tlli-
nols to-day. Yet the plans may be worth
some thought; some Of you may some day
apply them. The world can afford ID wait
TOR reform, even if we creatures of q day
cannot.
But there are fields of fco-operation open
before you, you who feed the world, you
whose crops freight trains of smnk e-grimed
cars and navles OF white winged ships.
There opens to-day before the farmers OF
the Mississippi Valley road that leads to
national prosperity, national peace, na-
tional joy. II you combine TO lead the
way, the nation will tread that path. II
is the road to free-trade. Across it. to-
day, is the Chinese Wall of a higi. tariff.
The shadow Of that wall falls athwart your
fields, stunts your grain in its growth,
makes you harves,s worth only the half of
what they might be aud Ould be, if this
blight we're out Of the way
Your interests are closely bound up with
the fortunes ~ the old world A cannon
shot across the Rhine il heard by every
wheat buyer in the United States. A fort
nights drought IN Southern Russia sends
trans "A freIght-cars hurrying te the laden
praIrIes ~ Iowa and Illinois III the Eng
ish artisan thrIves, the demand fer your
properly, the worth Of your property, in
crease. Grain grown on these rich fields
~ yours il being baked to-day in Thousands
NJ ovens between the Mediterranean ana
the Baltic. The bread made of il will be
broken to-day by tens of thousands of per-
sons who could not put their fingers on
the map within a thousand miles ~ this
city IN which we are gathered tagether.
t.4ese bread eaters all necessarily pay tri-
butte to you bread growers. They are
ready, anxious, 70 give you for bushel Of
wheat say yard NJ wooden cloth and a
pair Of shoes. But lol certain manufactur.
ers who prefer to attend to their business
ia the lobby Of Congress, rather than at
their factories, have seen ID 1t that your
government, your laws, your servants shall
thrust back the proffered shoes, and allow
for the wheat, and then they tell vou yot
are richer-richer because you haven'tg gc
the shoes
You complain Of the cost CT carryiI
your grain to the seaboard, and then VI
submit without a sign Of discomfort TIA
tart which makes every pound Of On
dearer, every foot Of lumber dearer, cry
inch Of steel dearer, every spike. ut,
screw, wheel, spring, dearer; every loomo-
tive, every car, every station dearer;svery
pound of coal dearer, every anthing
which enters into the construction equip
ment and maintenance Of this geat me-
chanlsm We call railroad, and fheu you
have thus forced railway -buildeR to sink
a vast mass of capital that might have been
otherwise employed, when You have oblig-
ed them to spend ON one road the money
that nusht have hai4t two So1petina linSa,
YOU wonder wny the Inreresv mfFenat
Al 1uld be 50 high. You are making IL 90.
When trade is free, and you can make
trade free-transportatioE will be cheap.
When rails can he bought for $50 q ton,
the freight ,hat rolls over them will have
to pay interest on only $50 instead Of on
$40 $50, $50.
Another great field for this mental CO.
ORtIdllUAs A hD uDN GhAA IL pDIALlChls HO6~
cause that word has come to mean parti-
san and these questions have no taint Of
partizaushIp. Another great field for thln
cooperation is In the overthrow of the
present revenue system Of this State and
the neighboring States. There should be
no such thing as a land-ta1. Your acres
now have a mortgage laid on them every
year, and you must buy release from the
tax gatherer. You ought never to see
him There should be ID such thing az q
personal property tax The assessor can
note every hoIse, pig, COW, sheep, wagon,
plough, you have. Down 1t goes in his
book ana down goes the tax on the top of
il. Can the assessor see inside the vaults
in a city office , Can he reach personal
property there The revenue laws of Ili-
nois are fleeclng you as You fe c. your
sheep. But the sheep cannot hlJ them
selves and you can.
A tax on railroad receipts, on banks, on
all wholesale and some retail dealers, on
insurance companies, etc ETC., would raise
every cent of revenue needed by Illinois
and you, while paying your fair share and
nothing but your fair share Of the tAKes
levied here, would never see an assessor
assessing State taxes, or collector col
lecung State taxes or 4 sheriff selling yOu
out for State taxes
There are SIX millions Of farmers in
the country. Your votes in the bal
lot-hox will weigh down sverything
else. The Mississippi Valley i've the
seat Of our Western Empire to-day,
and you sway the sceptre IN the Mississip-
pi Valley. The power is yours Ii the
frrt.fa ~ ~ "a.
you are bound BY your own blindness. fet-
tered by your own free-wll. You are
staggering under taxes at home and are
tying mllIstoncs around your necks at the
seaboard
Until Illinois has a sensible system Of
taxation, your pockets pay the penalty.
Until & ade Is free, your farms are not
free.
The sweetest songs of Robert Burns
were composed while he was holding the
plough. You plowhoders have it in your
power to make the world ring With a sweet
er song than it has ever yet heard song
that shall carol the triumph " free trade
triumph that shall bring peace and pros
perity into thousands of homes Shere now
there Is none that shall strike the letters
from labor ana unchain the benlhcent en-
ergles of capital aud that shall make this
land stronger and richer and better than
the sun ever shone upon.
Mr.. Lewis, Of Mclean, sent up the
following. and moved its adoption
Resoired- That we, the delegates TO the
Illinois Farmers Association, in convention
assembled, do heartily and 7incerely indorse
the action Of our Independent Representa-
tives IN both houses III regard 10 their action
on the election of United States senator
aud earnestly request them to stand firm.
Mr.. kimball, Of Macon, added the fol-
loving
/ 1" lu their adherence to a candidate who
represents the principles and platform Of the
Independent party, and that they stand firm
to their choice under any and all circum-