Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-09-04

Continued from An page.)

lone but little good The farmers should
have official protection against sellers of
worthless fertilizers. In this state this
work began some twenty four years ago,
when Professor Johnson Of this college
analyzed various commercial fertilizers on
sale in this state and showed the dishonest
character of some Of them.
As regards a comparison between farm
labor and other labor, the farmer is at
political disadvantage. lie works mainly
in an isolated condition. In towns, on the
contrary, laborers meet for discussion.
Philosophers are plenty; every day you
may hear plans for reforming the govern
ment. righting the wrongs of society,
making scarce money abundant, and hard
times easy. These form parties, and let
us see what their attitude toward agrcul-
tural capital and agricultural labor is.
1t is curious that in these the farmer or
farm laborer is scarcely ever considered
as II Nottingham When an eight hour
law is passed the farm laborer is excepted.
When talking about capital the farmer
himself is classed with the bloated bond
holder who has no rights Il city work
ingnan is bound to respect. For years
have watched this curions phase of our
political life in its relations to agricu ure,
and it continues to surprise me. Notwith-
standing the fact that in every state in the
Union, without exception, the number Of
farms is increasing and the average size
of farms is diminishing, and that this has
been the fact during our whole national
history, there is a continual cry from such
politicians as if The very opposite were the
case. Even this very month at political
convention in northern state This city.
ED. PAIL called to nominate state
officers one of the orators of the occasion,
as reported by the newspapers, warned
the country that under the present condi-
ton of things we will end in IA landed
aristocracy us they have in England and
Ireland! And another orator. we are told,
wanted to insert II plank into the political
platform to the effect that it should be Il
criminal offense to export or sell any
grain or flour to any foreign country! |
introduce these merely to illustrate some
of the causes which impede and hinder
the aid and protection our agriculture
should have ut the hands of our Legislators
and as an explanation of why the class is
not more powerful in politics."
The professor gave considerable tten-
lion TO inland transportation, and q por-
ton OF his paper we give verbatim:
With the question, said he, " OF in
land transportation and the fight (for such
it has become in some places) between the
farmers and railroad rings will not seri.
ously NEEDLE. feel entirely unequal to
grasp and discuss the subject or to suggest
a feasible remedy, believing it to be one
phase of a much wider question, the solu-
ton of which lies in the indefinite future
The theory of our government has been
that the greatest food to the greatest num-
Der would be secured by giving the widest
freedom to private enterprise, whether of
individual or associated action. 1t has not
been the function of our government to
provide work for the laborers. goods for
the merchant, a mule and forty acres for
the lazy, transportation for the producer,
and wealth for everybody. These were TO
be acquired, ifgot at all, through the labor.
exertion and frug llity of the individual,
and to secure it the individual and the cor
porated company has the widest liberty of
action. Our success as u people and a ma
ton has been won under this principle of
government. The most prominent feature
of the business world to-day is the organ
lied action of capital to do what is beyond
the power of individual enterprise. To II
great extent private corporations now do
what in other ages would have been by
governments only, if indeed done at ali.
Corporations can dig canals, build rail
roads, open highways for commerce which
+, governments themselves dare not attempt.
Nj fa f.tp rip
a gigantic scale, the beneticent intent to
mitigate the losses caused by fire and even
death is made u business by insurance
companies managing enormous sums of
money. National finances, even, are not
stronger than combinations of banking
corporations. Our cities are lighted by gas
companies, and often the very water to
drink is by water companies holding fran
chlses. Such organizations OF capital are
now necessity. They have grown along
with our modern civilization and have be-
come an essential factor in its future
growth; without them we would retrogade
But with the growth of any good thing an
attendant evil always develops with it, II
correlation of growth us inevitable in the
organism of society as in physical organ
lsms, and how to repress and control such
evils which are correlated with essential
or durable benefits has been the great po-
litical problem of the ages.
Now | believe that the coming conflict
in our civilization will be fight of the
people to define and limit the power and
prevent or diminish the expressions of Or
ganized capital; or ut least certain kinds
of great corporations, of combinations of
capital founded on legal enactments crea-
ted by laws made by representatives chos-
en- by the people, managed and controlled
by the strongest business intellects the
world now knows; defended by the most
eminent lawyers whose services are in the
market. We all of us feel the power of
these corporations, sometimes most I'M
comfortably so. We all of us see individ-
ual cases of wrong and oppression by
them, sometimes very definite but often as
vague, yet not the less actual. We see
that some one or some class may be OPP
pressed without being able to either right
the wrong or TO lay the blame on any one
man whom we can call to account. Our
laws, our traditions and our instincts are
for the protection of our property and
earnings from violence. We have officers
to catch and courts TO try and prisons to
pah'oh ohS UNIV, IAO. bul Shtl tuI tIlC lOD-
Der with almost vindictive severity, but
we see life's earnings 90 through IL
scoundrelly insurance company or dis
honest railroad company, and we are pow
erless either to redress our wrongs or to
punish the oppressors. We all feel that
rs yet there is no practical remedy applied
We feel, TOO, their strong hand (and not
always gloved hand either) in every
state legislature, and mutterings all over
the land show Il widespread fear that
even now their power is more than II
match for the national government Itself
We see this as II great cloud rising all
along our political horizon with omlnous
portcnt of a coming storm. AS have said
/ believe this will be the next great con
guest in the general history of progress.
1t may not be SO bloody rs some that have
gone before, but it will be u hard and Bit
ter struggle. That time will solve it. and
the race take a long step ahead, believe ;
when such organizations shall have their
powers so confined and controlled that they
will be, rs they ought to be- the beneficent
servants rather than the cruel masters of
the producers. The transportation matter