Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-11-20


Like that which age In its autumn knows. Anon.
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., on the "Gran-
ger Episode"
Ii is the fashion now to denounce every
one who ventures to think and say that our
financial system is based upon wrong princi-
Piles, as dishonest. A man who prefers a
uniform national currency, instead of the
mixed currency of greenbacks and bank
notessand ventures to utter his views in
thief and robber. 1t used to be the same
way in regard TO slavery. And few years
ago, when the farmers joined to resist the
aggression of great corporations upon their
interests, most of the Eastern newspapers
held similar language about the matter. But
time sets all things even. It is too patent a
fact that dishonesty and swindling are rife
to-day mostly in those high financial circles,
the organs of which speak of the people who
vote against their plans as communists, re-
pudiators and socialists" 1t is not by the
wild doctrines of extremists that the Just
and widespread dissatisfaction of a great peo-
pie is to be judged. The men who used to
assemble and burn the Constitution annually
in Massachusetts,, in the old anti-slavery
days, were used for a bug-bear as long as
possible; but slavery is dead. Kearney and
other like ignorant fanatics, Butler and 9th
err self-seeking demagogues, may still for
some time be available as scare.crows, but
the sober will of the people must eventually
prevail and when great wrongs are righted
at last, there will be general aoquiescence
We find in the last issue of Scribner's
Monthly a pregnant commentary, brave
illustration of the point we make. The
editor Dr. Holland, in an article upon rail
roads, writes thus: O. In the United States,
the mad race of railway competition, with
its determinations against localities and in
dividuals, and the high-handed acts and de
meanor of railway officials, produced the
granger laws of 1873" (The article is a re-
view of Charles Francis Adams, Jr's. recent
work entitled Railroads their Origin and
Problems.O "Mr. Adams regards these
granger laws as necessary snubbing-post,
at the time they were enacted, to the domi-
neering spirit and the coarse jobbery and cor
ruption that pervaded the railway corpora
tons." DIR. Holland adds that as the gran
ger Legislature " has been commonly regard
ed in the Eastern States as akin to highway
robbery" he thinks it well to quote para
graph on the subject from Mr.. Adams book,
and we here reproduce the same paragraph
"Of the granger episode little now needs to be
said. That it did not originate without cause has
already been pointed out, 1t is quite safe to go
further and say that the movement was neces-
sary one, and through its results has made solu-
ton of the railroad problem possible in this
try At the time that movement took shape the
railroad corporations were, in fact rapidly assum-
ing aposition that could not be tolerated. Corpo-
rations owning and operating the highways of
commerce, they claimed for themselves a species
of immunity from the control of the law-making
power. When laws were passed with Il view to
their regulation, they received them in way
which was at once arrogant and singularly njudi-
cous. The officers intrusted with the execution
of those laws they contemptuously ignored. Shell
tering themselves behind the Dartmouth College
decision, they practically undertook to set even
public opinion at defiance. Indeed, there can be
no doubt that those representing these corporations
had at this juncture not only become fully edu-
Gated up to the idea that the gross inequalities
and ruinous determinations to which in their bus
mess they accustomed were necessary in
eldents to it, which afforded no just ground Of
complaint to anyone; but they also thought that
any attempt to rectify them through legislation
was gross outrage ON the elementary principles
both of common-sense and of constitutional law.
In other words, they had thoroughly got into their
heads that they, as common carriers, were in no
way bound to afford equal facilities to all, and
indeed that it was in the last degree absurd and
unreasonable to expect them to do so, The gran
ger method was probably as good n method of
approaching men in this frame of mind as could
have been devised, They were not open to rea-
son. from the simple fact that their ideas of what
in their position was right wrong, reasonable
or unreasonable, were wholly perverted. They
were part Of system founded on error; and that
error they had been accustomed to look upon as
truth. The granger violence was, therefore, need
full to clear the ground. This it did; and it did it
in way far from creditable to those who called
themselves grangers."
The last sentence must be looked upon as
a saving clause put in by one who began
by denouncing the grangers as "highway
robbers" and is compelled at last by the
logic of events to admit that 8" the granger
method was probably as good method of
approaching men in this frame of mind as
could have been DEVISED" and that the
granger violence was, therefore, needful to
clear the ground" What was this "granger
violence? 1t was neither personal violence
offered to railway officials, nor was it any
violence upon the property OF the railways,
1t was simply what has been called violent
legislation. 1t consisted of laws passed in
the usual manner by farmer legislators, and
enforced in the usual way, being contested
by the railways in every court, and finally
affirmed by the Supreme Court OF the United
States. The violence, far from creditable
to those who called themselves grangers,"
consisted only in the crudeness and the I'M
intelligent, but honestly meant, character of
some of the regulations, which worked more
marin than good, and were subsequently
amended. Now we submit that as these
Western farmers had a necessary job TO do,
of the most urgent and immediate import.
ance to their own interests and as is now
admitted, to the interests of the whole coun-
try as well, the gentlemen who stood off and
rallied at them as highway robbers, instead
of coming TO their aid in the difficult task,
do not look very well in the attitude of
throwing final stone at them in this way.
And let us draw little lesson for the
times, right here, from these experiences. 1t
does not become the "party of culture" the
"gentleman's party" or whatever it may
like to call itself, to spend its breath
simply in Safeguarding the popular move