Litchfield enquirer., 1880-01-15

r In order to correct this tendency, it seems [ to me there ought to be some degree of person. al liability on the stockholders, or at least upon those officers who have the management of the affails of 8 corporation-those with whom the public come in contact-for all la- tor claims, for any omission of statute duty, and perhaps for other things and that this
 liability should not be in the nature of pen-
 aity, but should be joint and, serveral lia- bility as upon contract.
 | You will fall far short of your duty if you
 do not put such fences and limitations into
 our corporation laws as will make it imposs-
 ble for it ever again to be said Gas it has been)
 that they are discordant and scandalously loose, and that under them had grown up cor poratlons which were gross fraud upon the
 law and discredt to the State. | ,.. ,,I THE NATIONAL GUARD. Qt .
 The necessity for thoroughly organized
 and equipped militia is beyond question. However well the peace and order of the
 State may be maintained in common times by
 the civil authorities, emergencies are 4inevita- ble with which military power alone can prop erly deal. The liberal policy which the | State has pursued in it's treatment of the Ma tional Guard, has been, in my opinion, wise | and judicious one. To 1t is due the fact that
 Connecticut stands easily first among the oth- 1 CT States. not only in the equipment and or | ganization of It's forces, but in the discipline | and morale of the different corps which com pose them. For the first time since the Ma tional Guard was reorganized in 1874, the
 maximum number of companies allowed by
 law has been reached, leaving no vacancies | for new organizations. The November muster shows that it is composed of 183 commissioned officers and'2 2, S94 enlisted men, making total of 3,077 officers and men. This is an increase | over the previous year of 632. The colored
 battalion, authorized by an act of the last General Assembly, is now organized, and ac
 counts for 274 of this increase. Of the 3,O77 men comprising the National Guard, 2, 956 are fully uniformed, armed and equipped. Of these 2,T5 enlisted men, in- cluding the colored battalion, have received entirely new uniforms during the year. under direction of the Uniform Board, at cost per
 man of little less than $25. The expenses of the National Guard, exclusive of uniforms,
 have been about $65, ,O0O. The communication tax will amount to $94, 166. .a The Second and Fourth regiments, and the
 artillery under command of Brig. Gen. s. R. Smith were Tn camp at Mantle, in August. for six days according to law, and showed
 gratifying discipline, and creditable pro6cien-
 cy in drill. I am fully satisfied that the Ma
 tional Guard was never in better condition for
 active service than it is at present. com
 mend to your attention the full and detailed
 reports of the Adjutant General and of the Quartermaster General.
 AGRICULTURE.
 It is matter of serious concern that year by year our agricultural population grows
 less and less The valuation of our country towns constantly diminishes. The produc- tive capacity of. many of these towns IS con-
 stantly becoming smaller. For the last half century, or something less--the tendency of population has been toward great centers. Business and the opportunities for great
 wealth go in the same direction, and year af- ter year the brightest and best of our young
 men and women have gone out from their
 rural homes to swell the increasing number of some more favored locality. Many have
 gone to the city. The farmers have in great degree 'gone Vest"
 That so many young men from New Eng
 land do go to the West for homes seems to me the result of transformation or of wrong theo- ries of life.
 Why should any young man from these country towns of ours go to the Far West to live 7, In almost any of these towns there are good schools. Here are churches, and the social advantages which these give post-of- fees and frequent mail; all the conVeniences afforded by having physicians, tradesmen and mechanics within easy reach indeed. all the good and convenient things which result from long established and well-regulated social organization. Why leave all these ? What compensating advantages are there in the West, especially to man who wishes to have the comforts of home, 10 rear and train up children to an honorable and useful citizen ship? There can be none Certainly none worthy of being named. The reasons most often urged are the cheap
 ness of land and the lightness of taxation. In
 these particulars am quite confident that no
 maternal advantage can be gained at the West
 The price of improved farms-that is, farms
 with buildings, fruit trees fences. water, and
 the like--is as small right here in many parts
 of Connecticut as it is in the West In respect
 to taxation, many places in the West are more
 heavily burdened than we are here. Take,
 for instance, the parts where the towns and
 counties have been bonded to build railroads,
 etc., etc. ,t a.-. ..- .....
 If any man and his wife here in this State,
 starting life on farm, will put forth the same degree of industry that would be re-
 quired on 8 farm in any part of the West; if
 they will live with the same economy, will
 undergo the same fatigue and suffer the same self -denial will wear no better dress, will in- dulge in no more amusement in other words,
 if they will live here as they would be com pelled to live there, they can certainly. build up fortune here much more readily than
 there. .
 The Board of Agriculture in this State is charged with the general duty of promoting agricultural education and the general inter- ests of husbandry; and the Secretary of the
 Board IS directed to ''inqure into the meth ods and wants of practical husbandry, to as- certain the adaptation of agricultural pro- ducts to soil, climate, and markets, and of disseminating agricultural information"
 Y Is it not within the duty of thls Board to take pains to disseminate the information that farmers can live here in New England, here in Connecticut, better than anywhere else in the country and then the further information
 which shall enable poor people of moderate means to follow the business of agriculture with reasonable profit?
 '. It costs the State some 1000 to $9, 900 to sustain the Board q include in this sum the amount appropriated for State Falr,) and it is for the purpose of enabling more people to live in the State by agriculture and of en- ablng those who are here to live better.
 In examining and refecting upon the work this Board has done in previous years, it has seemed to me they have taken course that is perhaps too high --that it is above the great mass of the people who ought to be benefited by their labors. We have had brilliant State Fairs and learned discussions, and we have had reports published, in which there have been pictures of Mir. Somebody's handsome Berkshire pig or some other mans Jersey bull; but I confess that do not see how a poor man on a rocky farm, with a big mort gage, getsVery much good of il all. a
 say; y;this in no spirit of hostile criticism. The Board of Agriculture has done and is do- ing much useful work. The experiment sta ton is valuable The service of the Board in the prevention of contagious diseases among animals has been of vast advantage. The very great majority of farming people in our State are poor or are in moderate circumstan- ces they do not own. their farms clear of indebtedness and it is these people and such as these whom the State of Connecticut de- sires mainly to aid and encourage through it's Board of Agriculture The State has no de- sire to take part in the sale of fancy animals