The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-11-19
FROM MISSISSIPPI.

too much importance can not De
attached to il. Then if it is our
greatest interest, it ought to pre-.
dominate. Other Industries should
bend to it, and in considering what
is the interest of agriculture is con
sidering the welfare of the whole
country. Stephen A Douglas said,
agriculture has found larger
field for the exercise of the intel
lectual and moral energies in this
country than in any other IN the
world, it is settling up our new
States and Territories, gives EN-
pigment to the work shops and
furnishes products which are the
basis of our foreign and domestic
commerce., it Stimulates every spe
-cics OF industry, and is the parent
and support of them all.
How then can any people or ma
ton prosper unless they promote
that great interest, agriculture, in
which one:half of the people are
employed and upon which the sue
cess of the other half is dependent?
There is no principle of political
economy, no question of public
policy, no consideration of statisu-
cal facts, ne new development of
scientific knowledge which does not
come home to be measured in its
Influence upon the results Of the
farm. Then there is no occupation
in life that so much needs the fos
tering care of the Government as
that Of farming. ..:s... s.....
Now, Mr.. Editor, why is it that
this greatest of all industries re-
ceives so little fostering care by the
Government? | know no better
reason than that given by the great
Henry Clay, who said "The yeo-
many OF a country is the safest de-
pository of public liberty and that
they ought tc retain a prepon DER
ating influence in the councils of
the Government" Do they do it?
Who are our Government council
ors? Bankers, lawyers, &c, and
But very few farmers.
We have to cast our eyes around
to discover the fact that distress
pervades our whole country. Our
lands have sunk in value since the
war nearly or quite 70 per cent.
Every class of society feels it. We
may not be suffer ng for the COM
mon food OF life, but moral and pc
cnniary distress is if possible more
poignant, it plunges its victims into
hopeless despair, it poisons, it par
alyzes all useful exertions, it falls
with great force on all who are en-
barrassed and there are but few far
mers out of debt with no CONNER
cial value on their farms What is
the cause of this wide spread dis
tress, OF this deep depression stamp
ed on the public countenance? The
cause of our moral and pecuniary
distress must be human causes and
they can not be charged upon the
people in their private or individual
relations, for the farmers raised
enough last year (188O) to feed our
own 50,000,000 people and sent off
surplus of over 5000, 1000, 900 worth
of farm products to foreign coun-
tres. 1t is said That so per cent.
of all the taxes are paid by the tar
mers and 80 per cent. Of all trans
portation are paid by the agricul-
turalists. Thus you see other in
terests occupy a controlling inf1u-
ence in the affairs of our Cover
ment and are concentrating power
and wealth in the hands Of the few
at the expense of the interest and
general prosperity of the many, in
fact capital is monopolized and po-
Iitical combinations are frowning
on the hands that feed them and
together with capital and covetous-
ness are rendering oppression more
oppressive by degrading labor and
bringing the tillers Of the soil into
disrepute-by extortion and as
sumption of power husbandry, the
hope of the world, has been dsre-
garded. And this, Mr. Editor, is
the prime cause. Where then is
our remedy? In union and CO OPP
Grafton of ali the tilIers of the soil.
With three-fouths of the voting
population engaged in the various
branches OF husbandry, if every
one was true to himself and the
good Of the country all the evils Of
which we complain would be speed
lily remedied. But it is useless TO
talk unless we mean to act. If the
farmer of the whole country will
unite and act with US in carrying
out the Grange principles and be
determined to take our places in
the race Of the worlds progress and
to assert for ourselves a position
which will enable us to keep pace
with all other classes, giving hus-
bandry the front RANK among the
communities OF the Nation, then,
and not till then, will exact justice
be melted out to all classes, and then
our Government will resume it's
primitive purity and our Cincinnati
fuses will govern the same, "then a
shout of Joy will make the welkin
ring and a halo of glory will crown
the mission of the Grange a great
blessing"
Fraternally, T. A. DoDsoN.
Days, Nov. 5.
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