Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-02-05
The Farmer in Politics.

DIR. Sturtevant, the Scientific Farmer 0or
he and his paper are one), has reached that
stage at which every writing farmer sooner
or later arrives-a disgust at fancy farming.
He says We have too much fancy talk
about agriculture in New England. Our
principal takers and lecturers, when they
meet in public, advocate fancy rather than
profitable farming They talk of intensive
culture in cases when the whole value of
the crop grown would not avail to pay the
bills which would be necessitated to be paid
in order to carry out their recommendations.
They talk about everything that
necesstates expense, because spending other
peoples money to produce perfect results is
very fascinating. I" Talks talk, but
it takes money to buy land as our grand
mother used to tell us, and she lived in
Nantucket, and knew" We are glad the
Doctor has got along to this point. He has
been greatly helped in the journey, we imag-
inc, by the criticisms of his contemporaries
on his weedy corn fields, for he says d" They
talk of clean fields, when clean fields mean
loss and a few weeds allowed to grow means
profit" We congratulate him. We learned
what he has so lately learned, years ago,
when, being about his age, we were truck
farming near western city, and tried for a
time to have perfect fields and perfect crops,
but soon found that they meant loss, while
few weeds and little lower grade of prod
ucts meant profit. 1t is just so, Brother
Sturtevant--still, don't let us haze too many
needs! And, by the way, the last January
number of the Scientific Farmer is the best
yet. We wish every one of our readers
would send in their dollar TO 43 Chatham
street, Boston, and try it this year. Blame
us, if you don't get your moneys worth.
But what has all this got to do with "The
Farmer in Politics." Not much, but we are
coming to that now. Our friend has got
sick of fancy farming, but not yet of fancy
politics, if we are to Judge from the follow
ing little sententious paragraph "The
| farmer should consider himself as citizen,
not as one of class in the community. The
farmers interest in good government is the
same as that of those employed in other
pursuits. Don't seek or accept office, then,
as a farmer, but as man don't legislate
for the farmer, but for the community don't
vote for a man because he is rich or is poor
because he is a farmer or a lawyer, but be-
cause he is the best man to represent the
common interests of all"
Now that is what we call fancy politics
| and thin at hst nha Co. 81 n
consider himself both as citizen and as one
of class in the community Let us look al
the thing in the light of history moment
First, in the constitution of our English
ancestors we had the king alone, who was
supposed to represent all classes of his sub
jects. But the nobility forced recognition
and place in the government. Then the
rich land-owning commoners demanded anC
got share therein. Following them cam'
the commercial aud manufacturing interests
as they got stronger. And now the working
people are banging at the door, and must b.
let in. The history of constitutional gov
eminent teaches that no class has its right
granted or fairly considered until it take
part in the government itself as class
The other classes will all scrouge and goug
and override it until it does. Just so will
the farmers in this country. We never cal
have the agricultural interest justly treate'
. without a large representation of intelligent
able farmers Gust such men as DR.. Sturte
vanU in our legislatures and in Congress.
We don't want them there to Cypress an
other class. We don't want them to forge
their duty to the whole country. But W
I want them there TO see to it that othe
classes, in their selfish haste for favors d
not tread too hard on the farmers toe,
Therefore, we say (until selfishness is bar
ished from the earth), let the farmers TAX
care that the interests of their class hav
numerous and able representatives in all on
legislative bodies. Not necessarily ths
, these representatives should all be farmer
e but that they should understand our int
ests as class and be true to them, and sc
that they are not selfshly or carelessly ell
croached upon by those who more particl
|, larly represent other classes of our fellow
| citiZ ms,