Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-04-21
Farmers TO the Front.

Many are opposed to the agricultural
press taking part in politics. In country
like ours national wrong can only be
righted by votes. We think an agricutur-
nj paper should look after the interests Of
the farmer in every department-produc-
ton, domestic economy, and political
rights. Its mission does not end with
the production of crops The agriculturist
must be assisted TO secure the good results
of his labors. We want more farmers in
our national congress and fewer and sim
pier laws. This we can only obtain by
nominating and electing honest farmers
in the place Of lawyer politicians. In the
earlier days of the republic many farmers
were sent to congress, but now we find
few farmers among our representatives.
A lot of scheming lawyers are sent instead,
who tinker with the currency, and make
the laws so obscure and technical that a
common man cannot understand them. 1t
is time that the producing class made its
influence felt.
Yet farmers have acted so stupidity in
the past as to excite the pity of their
friends, and the scorn and derision of
their enemies. As long as they vote for
and send TO congress men who care moth
ing for their interests, and who are ready
TO serve any cause that can command the
most money, they need not grumble at the
actions of their representatives; it serves
them right. Hereafter let farmers prove
themselves men.
1t is thusly that q correspondent frees
his mind in the Journal Of Agriculture,
and we are reminded by it, how much and
how often we have seen in the agricultural
papers, concerning the farmers wrongs,
his expressions by the other members of
society; how much he IS kept down and
deprived of his rights and privileges; his
honest simplicity,a the rascality, general
and individual, of tho other occupations.
notably lawyers and public men. But we
have noticed that the rub of the matter
was, that more farmers should be sent to
the legislature and to congress, and made
public officers by virtue of their sterling
honesty and ability, which should foster
and cherish the general good, and moi
tinker with the currency or enact "obscurc
and technical laws" Now it so happens
that these very men often have schemes o
their own, relating to currency, fixing low
rates of interest, making no debts collecta
BILE by law, increasing the amount of cir
culation, Or the legality of the nationa
bank notes. These, with them, are mat
tiers of public importance and benefit, bu
other views held by other people ar
schemes, rascals who are ready to NOV
any cause for money.
If anything in the world could sickel
and disgust the sensible people of othe
occupations, and farmers too,with farmer
as class, it is this ridiculous assuming
and parading of the greater honesty @
farmers, and their consequent greater fit
ness for holding Office or making laws
and very much of such trash comes fror
men conspicuous from their failures n
farmers, who have no end of talent fo
talk which they mistake for ability, an
are hungering for office, which thei
acquaintance know they are incapabl
and untitled for filling, and hence thei
bowls. Farmers are just as homes
and no more so, as any other class {
people, and if one doesn't believe it i
him act year or two as "lister,' and
may get some new ideas on the subiec
And right here some more "tinkering''
needed either with the laws or with Il
public morals. We wish we were wi
enough to devise some way satisfactor,
even to ourself,to equalize taxation. No
man who has COW, land so poor he car
run in debt has to pay taxes on every dc
lar he is worth. while a mana farmer to-
worth anywhere from thirty to fifty thou
and dollars, takes out his stock because
is owing enough to do so. This =" listing
is a great thing; if you don't believe
try it.
So in most of this fine talk of "farme
to the front, the advancement of farr
ers," etc.. means as q general thing, n
that they raise better crops, or till bett
and more economically, or read and e
pertinent more and more carefully al
critically, and that some uneasy, disco
tented, shiftless, make-believe farmt
wants some Office which the general go