The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-10-23

there stands the poor farmer with
nothingf Who jan and who 7vfU
! get the most of tie annual crops of
this poor farmer while it is in trans
itW from him t the consumer, is
the question. Il can be easily seen
how much chanse he stands. 1t is
only wonder that he gets any
thing at all. Tbs is repeated annu-
ally, until hard work and hard liv
ing brings him pemature death to
end his misery. Is this picture
true? Judge for yourselves. Look
around. You will see the evidences
of extravaganza and prodigality,
both Governmental and social, pub
lie and private, spread broadcast
over the whole country. The Gov
ernment and whole people reck-
lessly plunging into wasteful and
Improbable consumption and ex-
penditure, all Of which must be
paid for by these annual products
or values derived from the toll and
sweat of the farmer. To raise the
means to support all this Govern
mental and social extravaganza, it
becomes necessary to SO shape the
legislation of the country, both
Federal and State, foreign comner-
clal treaties, revenue laws and taxes,
that all governments, corporations,
combinations and monopolies, may
be able to seize AMI appropriate
almost the entire amount of the
proceeds of agricultural labor, leav-
ing but bare pittance to support
existence.
I solmnly ask you is this to con-
tinue without any effort to check or
change it?
To check or change it will re-
quire something besides individual
effort or work; it will require COM
plete, thorough ard strong combi-
nation and organization of numbers
of people. If any one can give us
better, or stronger, one than the
Patrons of Husbandry, let him do
SO at once; but until something
better is found LEI us hold on to this
SoOd oIdCI, anu uSC II " save Jul
selves from ruin and destruction.
Patrons, the great mistake made
by the officers of our Order has
been, and is, thai there is no obi
cation where there is no salary.
This rule would ruin any organiza-
ton, and the very opposite should
prevail and be taught by us that
while man can not be compelled
to assume an office that does or
does not pay, when viewed from
an individual standpoint, still as a
member of any organization, he is
bound to assume and discharge the
duties that may be fairly and inn
partially imposed upon him at any
time for the common good of all
parties interested Further, that
when by the aggregate voice and
for the common good he is placed
in a non paying Office, then the OBJ
legation is imperatively incum-
bent upon him to either refuse
to be installed, or being in
sailed to more punctiliously and
sedulously discharge all duties,
than if amply paid lay great stress
upon this point, and urge that you
will give it your most mature con-
sideration, for in my opinion, just
here must be institututed or inaugu-
rated any successful attempt to re
form and revise our Order or socie-
ty and the civic and political condi-
ton of our country. Look around
and you will see that offices are
sought or avoided, as suits the views
of the individual and not the wei
fare of the community, and all offices,
from the highest to the lowest, are
now considered prizes to be obtain
ed by electioneering. manouevering,
chicanery, deception and fraud
This has been carried to such an
extent, that there is but little pre-
tence now made to public tone and
morals, and it is now rapidly sap
ping the very foundations of society
and civilization. The only remedy
is to establish and maintain that rule
of our Order with regard to office;
'sThat no man shall seek an office
or shrink from one; that the office
shall seek the man, and not the man
the office" Patrons, let US stamp
this motto upon the banner ofour
Order and nail it to our mast head :;
carry it into all the organizations to
which we individually belong
whether social, religious, financial,
civil or political, and demand that it
be made an irrevocable rule, and in
the near future it will rebound in
untold good to US and ours and to
DER State and country. The exist
ence and combined vitality of our
Order in the United States is no