Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-02-04
For Agriculture-.-N for Agriculturists.

OF Psa's leaning miracle.
-Whniers" Snop- Bound"
For Agriculture. mot for Agriculturists.
Our gentle brother editor, who began by
charging us with stigmatizing our brother
frmers as an ignorant set because we ex-
p 'essed the opinion that our district schools
might be bettered), and whose latest indict
ment against us is that we are trying to set
one class against another because we spoke
in reprobation of the mammoth produce
gambling of Keene and other millionaire
"operators') informs his readers that I" The
prosperity of our country is a common in
terest in which no branch is more important
or its success more generally aud heartily
desired by every class than agriculture"
We have no disposition to criticise this
assertion. We believe it is true. But as it
was intended as contradiction to an opn-
ion we had expressed that the speculative
class of business men desire to keep the
farmers poor, so that they cannot hold their
crops and thus prevent the spectators from
monopolizing them for their own advantage
we propose to examine it little. We are
not quite certain whether our persistent
critic is man cunning of fence d" aud thus
simply insincere in changing the issue, or
whether he is a little bit stupid. For there
is not particle of autagonism between our
statement and his. They can both be true.
We will show how.
When agriculture is prosperous all kinds
of business, and especially the trade in agri-
cultural products, are booming 1t is
necessary condition of the prosperity of
trade, legitimate or illegitimate, that there
should be an abundant production of mer-
chandise. The spectators, especially, de-
sire large crops, not only because it gives
them great deal to " handle" but because
with large crops producers lose their control
of prices. So it is easy to see that every
class" not excepting the produce gamblers,
generally and heartily desires" the success
Of agriculture.
There can be no doubt also that in the
most aristocratic governments, where all the
land is held by small class of very rich
men, the success of agriculture is desired
The landed aristocracy of England have done
great deal to develop the agricultural pro-
duction of that country. In many districts
Of that country the crops have been quad
rupled within the last forty years. But
rents have gone up in proportion. The
landowner has been enriched, but the farmer
who rents the land is no better off. Often
he is not SO well off, as is illustrated by re-
cent interchange of chaff," reported in the |
English papers, between tenant farmer,
who had given up his farm because he
could not make it pay, and his landlord |
Says the landlord, well, Jones, how do |
you like living off Of your capital :" "Not |
any too well my lord" says Jones, but
much better than having you live off of it."
The farmer in America does not yet have |
to transfer the lions share of the products |
OF his labor to noble landlord But it |
sometimes too easily happens that rich men
may find way to assess him which is
quite as profitable to them, without being in
any degree beneficial to agriculture. For
instance, Keene and his gang bought up all
of certain choice grade of wheat that they
could get hold of at the price current many
weeks ago, and are now holding it for rise
at price higher in Chicago than the selling
rate in Liverpool. The effect is the utter
stoppage of the export trade in wheat, and |
the prospect that the European market will |
draw great part of what America has ex.
pected to supply from other sources The
farmers who sold the wheat to Keene got |
only about dollar bushe for it, He is |
holding it for one dollar and thirty-five cents |
and expects to make millions out of the |
operation. Whether he makes little or much, |
his wheat is in the elevators, and must |
be sold before the farmers wheat can |
get to market. If there is big slump" |
he may not make the millions he expects, |
but it will be worse still for the farmers |
And it is just the same with regard to pork,
lard, and every other product that these
gambling spectators take hold of. If these
big operators did not come in between the |
farmer and his market, the farmer and not |
the speculator would get the advantage of |
the foreign demand.
Now, naturally, being farmer ourself, we
are opposed to these "little games" and do
not hesitate to say So We want to see the
millions, and not the milionaires, reap the |
profits Cf any there are to be) of their own |
labors. We like to see agriculture prosper
Gus, but we want the agriculturist to prosper
out OF the prosperity of agriculture We |
want all other classes who are doing useful |
work to prosper with us. If spectators are |
useful members of society, let them prosper |
with the rest but do not let them seek vast |
wealth in way which can succeed only by |
taking just 80 much from the pockets Of |
producers and consumers, without any use |
ful service rendered in return. In our iudg |
ment, these specuations are evil and only |
evil, and just as it is the fact that horse |
gamblers will physic or poison rival horse |
In order to win race, so we believe that |
these agricultural produce gamblers will |
keep the farmers poor if they can, so as TO |
prevent them from interfering with their |
"sinful games" 1t is notorious that these |
men are powerful by their wealth in politics
and in railroad management, as well as in |
trade. They are the greatest danger of our
time and country, and it would be our great |
est pride, If we could "set the farmers
against them,' to do it. They are more
dangerous TO the republic than the old slave. |
holding aristocracy OF the south were in
their best days