Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-01-14
About that 81" Logic. ("

YOU use the identical argument that u
used bv the gamblers and horse racers Of l
our fairs. For you ask: is the rise
Of FIVE hundred millions Of dollars in
the price Of farmers produce stu IN their /
hands an injury TO the farmer? That ls
simply what has happened, Md that IS the
Guesl ion to be answered Now will YOU
forgive me for asking how this differ
from the claim Of the viulaters of law and
morality IL, our fairs. that be receipts II
the gate are greatly increased by their
operations? ! do not believe. as think
YOU do not. that gambling in the loEg
run increases the receipts. We both
know that it has often utterly broke n
down agricultural societies that PERMITTED
il. while other societies thai have n"l
allow ed racing and gambling (such as the
state agricultural society Of New York)
have pruspered NV. granting for HI
srke IL thu argum III ("hai do not BE-
lirve) that he farmers are for the time
sharrrs to The extent which YOU ali-gr
(q) in the pr fits Of the pro1uce gamblers
am vet II e that no eventual gain viii
accrue to hem. but rather y losS. And !
see that he commercial pres generally
take the same view of the snhi-Ct as r..
gar /. the Interests Of legitimate trade
They denuunce such operations a fatal TO
homes business.
Now. as to the point You make in refer
ence TO my opinion that these speculalurs
desire 10 keep The fa,mtr> POOR. This j.
only an opinion. bu, can give rs a reason
for it he fact thai if The far mtr> as a class
were able to hold their crops las be Chi
cago banker said) the Spectators would
find il impossb bic 10 carry on the opera
- IA
gains. For big produce gamblers ike
keene play with loaded dice. Controlling
capital by the million, they go 10 he
market through their brokers. secretly.
and buy up the great bulk of any crop that
they select fol their purpose. This hey
do - silly that the prize is little advanced
Then they make "time contracts with
other operatals. and with speculative out
sders, o. for this very class Of produce
which they secretly control. When The
contracts approach maturity it appears
that there Is little Of that crop for sale in
the mArket,-nol nearly enough TO ill the
contracts Then for while tn men who
are caught may rush around among the
farmers 10 get whist hey can 10 cover
their contracts But usually this is ST.
plainly Insufficient that no great guam.
tity is purchased bufoie they find that they
are trapped and settle with their antAgo-
ni>ts IN The best terms possible. When
this is done The " corner j. passed, but
though during the crisis the price has
been nominaliy high, the sales of the
farmers al that price have no. been large,
while the disturbance created makes a
dull market for long time after.
am well aware that not all Of the
present advance is due o speculation. ant
30 far as It is the legitimate result Of the
leeds Of o.her countries those farmers
who have held heir products will gain by
it, (c) If The bulk Of The farmers cou,d
have done his, then the gain o them
nigh have approached or even exceeded
tn sum You erroneous V suppose Them 10
have been profied. The euark Of the Chi
cagO banker simply showed and WAS quoted
10 SHOW, that lhe farmers as Il class, Were
unable, oil account OF their poverty, 10 hold
their crops. As his inability 10 hold gave
the spectators their only possible oplo i
nifty 10 buy up and mouopolize the bulk Of
the crop. (a) il would seem TO be - H.
plain as a pkest4ff that these spectators
cannot very ardcltly desire 10 see the
producers become independent. And -
the men who are. directly and in1irtc ly,
concerned in these mammoth games ar
among our very wealthiest men. conf roll.
ers Of railroads, manipulators in politics,
and kings in trade, deem it II Just and
legitimate occasion for the belief thtt in
hundreds OF WAYS they will labor to seel
producers under the harrow. Their great
profits depend upon it, and no one thinks
they will cut the ground from under their
own feet by helping the farmers to inIe
pendence. The western farmers are jI-t '
alarmed. The honest commercial classes
are also alarmed, and AS 4 matter Of new,
alone think should not be Justified i'll
not referring 10 50 great an evil and stig
mai zing il ~ il deserves. T, II.
Newport. Dec. IS.
REMAKKs.-l-et Us ret down TO hare
pan on this thing. First, you do not ap
prove Of gambling At fairs neither DO i
so we are agreed so far. | will 20 a It'll,
farther and SAY that | don't approve o
gambling At all, and will assume lha
you do not either. All right 30 far. II
gambling with cards, and betting gener
ally, one ptrty loses, and the other gain
il>t SO much That seems to he 4 ceI
statement Of fact, So il appears that some
body makes sonnet hing in gambling. Nov
don't SAY that therefore approve of gam
bliug-that doesn follow. l say som,
people get living by stealing; that rs
sertion does n commit me 10 the approx
al Of he practice.
In carefully re ding the paragraph yor
41oie you will observe that do not aIeg
anything. 1t was shown by figures quo e,
that there was in round numbers abou
that rise. We asked simply if snch wer
an injury, adding, THAT is the question
10 be answered." and We now answer. W
do not believe it is an injury but an ad
vantage-te those who take advantage .
high prices and sell at those prices. l
the farmer holds on for still higher price
the reaction may catch him and he lose b,
it, as some farmers who were offered ,
dollar a pound for wool held on for
dollar and quarter and sol for the guar
ter without the dollar.
Honest, legitimate business embrace
more classes than the farmer, the produc
er. The consumer i Just as much part,
in bonesl legitimate business, the butcher
the baker and The c4ndlestlck maker-th
merchant, tie banker, the lawyer, th
mechanic, all are parties in legilim4t
business, and on them fall largely tn
LOSES whichasrs gains to the gambler
be pric