The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-05-29
The Grange and . Commons
wealth. W

attention OF farmers 10 tne uuIicS OF
the present, with a cleared up con-
viction of those duties, and of the
vast importance of qualifying our,
selves to set about them now, it is
necessary, first of all, to post up. the
history of our fathers common
wealth, which they established with
hearts of steel and gave to us to
maintain. Do you, citizen farmers,
who may, or may not, be members
of some farmers organization, hold
yourselves now ready, and there
fore qualified, on occasion. to leave
your crops and focks and herds so
skillfully raised, diligently earned
and frugally cared for, to take your
position with every other class in
the representative bodies common
to all and to make your voices heard
there, as the gravity of the occasion
shall demand, followed up manfully,
in open convention, with your vo-
calized vote, individually called, as
in Congress, and should be every
where in this Union)? or, do you
propose, by your modestly retiring
habits, to content yourself with
minding your own business, man.
aging and controlling labor and ma
chinery on your farms, diversifying
your crops for home consumption,
and commercial supply as well, to
make yourselves homes in the free
air of heaven, continually purified
and counterbalanced by dividing
breath and vitality between veget-
able and animal life? Do farmers
rightfully and wisely aspire to es-
tablish experimental farms, agri-
cultural schools and professorships,
farmers insurance companies and
Oranges, under all requisite care
and fostering protection of our leg
islative bodies-'state when it ought
to be, national, when it must be?
And you that have organizations
specific and therefore limiting your
councils to branches of business, the
advancement and protection you
have taken heretofore as wholly at
your own control, SO far as-legisla-
ton can affect you-have you found
nothing to do in devising "ways and
means" whereby we can say to un-
restrained commerce, now swiftly
absorbing the profits of farm in
dustries, "Thus far shalt thou go
and no further?" You are intelli-
gent men; "men of thought and
men of action;" men of business en-
terprise and spirit; men of will and
decision; men who will not take
from the president of o-day re-
fusal, in words at least, to take care
of the peoples interests and redress
their grievances. Then why not
organize on constitutional plat
form broad enough and strong
enough for farmers North and
South, East and West, all over this
Union; to unite their strength, de-
velop character, establish co-opera-
ton, systematic methods, protect
industry, equalize taxation as far as
possible, prohibit special privileges
and class legislation, abolish sine
cures, prohibit mixing of all shoddy
and adulteration in all articles of
commerce offered to consumers,
regulate state and interstate com
merce, and the carrying and con-
voyance of persons and commodi-
ties on all public highways strictly
in accord with call rights of ALL"
and equal protection to each and
every citizen in person, character
and property? Put stop to wa
tering the stock of all stock COM
panies whereby the people are to-
day directly and indirectly held in
suspense of commercial shock by
gambling adventures. So, too,
protect the ballot box against ignor-
ance, Intimidation and bribery as to
prevent the government by the peo-
pie, who bear the burdens, passing
from under their control into the
hands of political aspirants whose
greed for position, pelf and power
amount to rapacity.
Farmers Of these United States,
during the late struggle against sep
aration we settled no fundamental
principles of free government. All
those principles had been clearly
and Enthusiastically defined and an
nounced to the world in that radical
manifesto written out by that great
statesman of Virginia, Thomas JEFF
ferson, ratified, signed and declared
July 4, 1916. It was Thomas JEFF
ferson who wrote another great de-
claration of equal value to be needed
because sadly true. Commerce and
slavery have destroyed every nation
that ever existed within the worlds
history. The South withdrew to
hold slavery intact; the Government
abolished it to reinstate the Union,
and the whole country is saved
from worse disasters. Slavery has
died that free labor may live and
let live. That struggle was Sec
tional, between two systems of la
Dor, while commerce waxed fat
over both. The next struggle is
universal throughout the whole do
main, interlocked and bound with
bands of iron from ocean to ocean
and lakes to gulf Wiuchesfey, ~
Husbandnan.