Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-10-24
and all the daughters, adorn yourselves
and look as beautiful as you can.

~ "4SA' w WI DSoA AttOhGlOii ~
another thing. Own land if possible.
Do not rent an acre if you can avoid it..
There can be no such thing as home
unless you own it. There must be an
incentive to plant trees, to beautify the
grounds. To own a home tends to
elevate the owner. 1t gives a certain
independence. certain force of char
acter that is obtained in no other way.
Is makes us patriotic. The owner of a
home is willing to defend his home
The grandeur Of our country depends
upon the number Of our people who are
the owners of their homes. Around
the freside of home grow and bloom
the social virtues. Raise your sons to
be independence pursue some business
for themselves. Raise them to be self
reliant, to act upon their own RESPONSE
bility; and teach them above all things
to preserve their independence and self
respect.
FARMERS NOT THE ONLY LABoRERs.
Now great many farmers seem to
imagine that farmers are the only
laborers in the world. This is mis-
take. You cannot get along without
the mechanic. You are not indepen-
dent of the man OF genius. Your pros
perity depends upon the inventor. The
world advances by the assistance of all
laborers; and all labor is under obliga-
tons to the inventions of genius. The
inventor does as much for agriculture as
he who tills the soil. All laboring men
should be brothers. You are in partner
ship with the mechanics who make your
reapers. your mowers and your plows ::
and you should take into your oranges
all the men who make their living by
honest labor. The laboring people
should write and protect themselves
against all idlers. You can divide man
kind into two classes-the laborers and
the oilers, the supporters and the sup
ported, the honest and the dishonest.
Every man is dishonest who lives up
on the unpaid labor Of others, no matter
he occupied throne Or lives in
a poor-h0use. All laborers should be
brothers. The laborers should have
equal rights before the world and before
the law. And l want every farmer to
consider every man who labors either
with hand or brain as his brother. Until
genius and labor formed a partnership,
there was no such thing as prosperity
among men. Every reaper and mower
every agricultural implement has els-
waited the work of the farmer, and his
vocation grows grander with every in
vention. In the olden time the agricul-
turist was ignorant. He knew nothing
Of machinery. He was the slave OF
Through machinery,
through the science Of agriculture the
farmer has been elevated. He should
not forget the debt he owes to the
mechanic. He should remember that
all laborers belong to the same great
family.
REGULATING RAILROADS.
Another idea entertained by most
farmers is that they are in some mys-
FERROUS way oppressed by every other
kind of business that they are devoured
by monopolies, especially BY railroads.
In my judgment you are wrong. The
railroads are indebted to the farmers for
their prosperity the farmers are in
debted to the railroads. Without them
the State of Illinois would be almost
worthless. A few years ago you en-
deavored to, regulate the charges Of
railroad companies. The principal
you had was that they charged
too much for the transportation Of corn
and other cereals to the East. You
should remember that all freights are
paid by the consumer; and that it made
little difference to you what the rail-
roads charged for transportation to the
East, as that transportation had to be
paid by the consumers Of the grain. You
were really interested III transportation
from the East to the West and in local
freights. The result is that while you
haven't succeeded so well in local
freights. The exact opposite should be
the policy Of Illinois. Put down local
freights put them down if you can, to
the lowest possible figure and let
through rates take care Of themselves.
If all the corn raised in Illinois could be
transported to New York absolutely free
it would enhance but little the price that
YOU would receive. What we want is
the lowest possible local rate. Instead
of this, you have simply succeeded III
helping the East at the expense of the
West. The railroads your friends. They
are your partners. They can prosper
only when the country through which
they run prospers. All intelligent rail
road men know this they know thai
present robbery is future bankruptcy
They know that the interest of the
farmer and of the railroad are the same
We must have railroads.. What can We
do without them ? In the old times wher
we had no railroads we drew, as l saie
before, our grain two hundred miles t.
market. In those days the farmer:
didu't stop at hotels; they slept under
their wagons; they took their own food
they fried their own bacon they made
their own coffee, and ate their breakfas
in the snow or in the rain. Those WERE
the days when they received ten cents
a bushels for corn, when they solo
four bushels ofpotatoes for twenty-five
cents, thirty-three dozen eggs for dol
lar, and one hundred pounds of porl
for dollar and half! What has mai,
the difference ? The railroads came t.
your door and they brought with then