Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-10-19
Thrlftlessness on Southern Farms.

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The Springfield Republican has cores
pondent travelling in the south, who, com
menting on the refusal of state legislatures
there to appropriate money for the promo
tion of industrial purposes, says
The reason why the state Legislatures have re-
fused TO make such appropriations IL that the
members are afraid TO vote for an appropriation
Of any kind The best record that man can
make TO maintain the goodwill OF his constituents
and TO insure his return, Is TO favor what IL fasey
considered an economical administration OF AZ
fairs 1t Is told Of old Nat Macon OF North caro-
lima that during nearly forty years OF service IN
both branches OF the national legislature he never
voted for an appropriation Of money for any pnr-
pose. Mr.. Ingersoll, the contemporary OF MI
Macon, once said that the old Carolinian was 80
persistently opposed to progress that, he shouiu
be drowned, II would be natural to look upstream
for his body. Mr.. Macon's ideas Of economy are
still prevalent In the south. The stupidity, for IL
can be called nothing else, OF the southern egisa,
lures, In failing to understand the Importance OF
the Atlanta exposition, is but one OF hundred
ways in which this false idea Of economy and
this Ignorance OF business show themselves. IL
is rooted and grounded In southern thought
This is no doubt true of southern farm
ers, but not of southern farmers alone. Nat
Macons can be found in most northern
legislatures. And when that class of legis-
lators do vote for appropriations it is most
apt TO be for something quite useless-some
junketing expedition like that to York
town, or some idiotc waste of money like
that of pile Of useless carved stone at Ben
nington. Would not the heroes that fought
for freedom at Yorktown and Bennington
be- much more ftly commemorated by the
erection and endowment at those spots OF
some benefcent institution, some school
where knowledge and patriotism were to be
instilled into all coming generations Of
youth Why spend millions in piling
granite blocks five hundred feet high to
"honor" George Washington in city which
already bears his name, but is deficient in
many things which Washington would de-
sire to see there, in place of useless, costly
meaningless rock-heap, after the manner of
uncivilized tribes of old who knew no bet
ter way to commemorate their heroes. Aud
now again we must see the same folly enacted
over the scholar and statesman Garfield,
who If he could speak would surely say
"If | have done my countrymen service
worthy of commemoration, let it be such
! commemoration as will perpetually help
young farmers, such as / was, to become
what tried to make myself, and thereby
have won your approval"
These further comments by the same cor
respondent upon southern farmers will also
find plenty of application in the north. 1t
will always find such wherever the people
prefer sensual and vain qualification to in
tellectual and moral ends. So long as in the
north as well as the south twenty dollars car
more easily be found for the circus, the
horse race and the rum-shop, than one dolla
for education or religion, will the following
structures be true:
Through all grades of life. in all kinds OF bust
ness, this lack OF thrift this ignorance of bushes
principles and business speed is yet to be seen
The farmers have often gone into bankruptcy be
cause they would not spend one dollar to-day t
save two tomorrow. A fence will be allowed tt
decay when opportune repairs would cost only
1.-THE as much as the ultimate building of a nev
one. gate that swings on one hinge will b
neglected until the other hinge breaks Enougl
provender is wasted about the barn to fatten a 10
| full OF Berkshires; but scrub swine at iarg,
| until thoy must Lo hastily fattonod on the bes
corn to make pork for the winter; and the mex
summer the meat is striugy and bacon must b.
bought. In the fall, pows and hoes and harnes
are left in open out-houses to be found rusty ant
stiff the next spring, and then new ones must bI
bought. A crop Of apples will decay beneath thu
trees whose owner next winter Will buy vinegar
| Manure Is left In horse lots until the stables be
come Augean, while guano for the cotton field
takes all the profits Of the crop.