Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-01-19
The Future OF the Farmer.

tends always from the many to the few, and
constant watchfulness 10 the price that a
free people must always pay for its liberties.
1t seemed that the overthrow of slavery
might have been the permanent founding of
liberty. But when we examine closely we
man efforts put forth, and their apparent
success, slavery has not yet been totally
overthrown. That gross form of slavery
which existed in our southern states was
indeed brought to an end. The civil war
had the effect to unity the institutions Of
the republic, and the south is in fact rap
idly becoming northernized. What is called
the new south " is simply the growing ac-
ceptance of northern ideas among the south.
ern people.
But northern ideas have themselves un-
dergone a change. Under the Capitalization
of wealth, by which it is possible for two
men to control, and practically to own, one
fifth of all the railroads in the United States,
and by which also we have a gigantic and
homogeneous banking system which con-
trolls both the currency and the credit of the
nation (as well as its legislation on all matters
of finance), our democratic republic is rap
pidy becoming an imperial oligarchy. Now
an oligarchic government soon works an oil
garchic structure of society, than which
nothing is more fatal to liberty or TO the
prosperity and independence of the mass of
the people. The present state of things,
however, can only be of short duration.
The majority of the people of this country
are yet firmly democratic in their feelings
and thoughts. This oligarchy of wealth
that has sprung up is simply an accident of
the times. Yet it is fearful and ominous
accident, and the position of affairs now
existing will not be changed without tre-
mendous struggle. We shall be fortunate
indeed if it be only struggle of votes.
What is and is to be, the condition Of
the farming class under such a state Of
things? In considering these questions we
have to bear in mind one extremely favor
able circumstance. This continent is yet
/ so tninly settled, and The amount Of good
farming land is so vast in proportion to the
population, that monopoly of land is as
yet impracticable. Large profits are only
obtainable through monopolies, and so far
the farming class are seriously touched and
taxed by our oligarchy only through its con-
troll of transportation and the currency. The
millionaire class has, however, through these
monopolies, possessed itself of the possibil.
| ity of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice,
wealth that in a very short time will enable
it to gather in a large share of the land of
the country, unless its power shall be broken
by an uprising of the people against it.
| Like the camel in the fable, it has got its
nose into the door, and will soon manage to
push in its whole body.
Each state has now its millionaire ring
that NEEDLES with the farmers only indi-
rectly, through its control of transportation
and the loaning of money upon mortgages
at high rates of interest. While with the
former alone it cannot utterly impoverish the
farmer, yet it keeps his nose to the grind
stone, and makes him the almost necessary
victim of the usurer, who soon finishes the
work. That portion of the profits of pro
ductive industry unjustly taken by the Van
derbilts and Goulds, greater and lesser, Of
the nation, in excessive charges for trans
portation, and then returned to the pro.
ducers in the form of loans at high interest,
is quite sufficient to reduce all, in time, to
an utter dependence upon our oligarchs
very little different from absolute serfdom.
The privileges we have granted to transpor
tation and finance corporations, ostensibly
for the general good, are rapidly making the
" bosses" of those corporations our masters.
Fortunately, those who thus get the upper
hand of their fellowmen never know where
to stop. They are like the daughter of the
horse-leech. The weight of their oppression
grows heavier and heavier. The people are
becoming like Issachar "an ass crouchinf
down between two burdens" That ass viii
kick to purpose, and free himself from hi
load, when the pressure gets a little worse
Meantime, what had we better do? Mos
of us must do as we can but the first thinl
of all which every working man who think
will do is to get out of debt and keep SO
Better fifty acres, ten acres, five acres, nay
even one acre, and a roof to cover us, that i
our own, than the best farm in the land un
der mortgage. We are having spell o
comparative ease, in which to prepare TO
the next " crisis" (only name for the oil
garchs harvest time). Let all who are il
debt improve the advantages of the tempo
rary boom" as best they may to clear OF
all incumbrance from their property. 4
man would now be justified in skinning hi
farm for while, if by that process alone h
can clear it. Why use money in makin
improvements that might go to pay deb
which, unpaid, will swamp farm, improve
ments and all Those who are hopelessl
in debt had better end their misery an
struggle by sale or surrender. Land is loy
now, but it is not going higher so long a
the market is flooded with mortgaged farm
for sale. There will be another crisis upo
us before long. Editor Croly of the Ne,
, York Graphic, who predicted the last one
J dot, says the next one will be here With
! six months. The only thing that lifted tn
! nation out of the mire of the last one wa
the big crops in America and the short crop
, in Europe during the last three years. lie
the bottom drop out of that trade (the prof
= of which is nearly gathered into the hand
Q of the millionaires already and what is
hinder another drop all round At any rat
,, the less sail the farmer carries, in the forI
i, of debt the less danger he is in of bein
swamped when the tornado breaks upo
+ him. The long and the short of the stui
= tion is that no farmer can afford TO be
debt while his profits are so cut down b
. the exactions of the middlemen, and interei
!, is 80 high on real estate loans.
= We do not believe that any good farm,
aan better himself bv emigratinp from Ma