Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1882-10-21

ton OF tne WOrlu that those who manu-
facture clothing, implements, &C., are
justified in lcvying taxes most grievOus
and unjust upon those who manufacture
food. They are made the beasts of burden
of society. Instead of additional honor,
there is positive penalty imposed upon
the growing of bushel of wheat or an
ear of corn. Disguise or sugar-coat it as
YOU NAV it comes to this-that the bread
giver is under the ban. People effect to
| favor him, but in truth they use and plum
! der him. Yet the value of this class is
almost equally great in the maintenance
of our political institutions as TO the feed
t ing of our bodies. The very nature of
/ their business tends TO make them con-
servative and independent. They cOnsti-
tute the safest repositories of theories of
freedom, the sccurest Wardens of laws
and order. No strikes, no communism,
no riotings or incendiary burnings can
arise or continue among the homes of the
| farmers. Sudden changes in church or
state, and all experiments, new or start
| ling, have small chance with them. It is
well worth the while OF our best thinkers
To inquire why things are thus with the
man of the fields, and why it is his i'm
( portance Is not more esteemed. There is
something wrong with the constitution of
I
! Is it in our legislation? In part it un-
doubtedly is; though, after all, with us
| legislation but follows public opinion.
Public opinion must therefore be correct
! ed.
'To the farmers of America, therefore,
i say you can shape this opinion and
mould this legislation. You are in a vast
majorty. The free landholders of this
! country can do anything they choose to
! do. The remedy is in your own hands.
/ TO be led as you are by the small handful
| of other classes reminds me much of a
! great and noble horse made 10 perform
/ with docility the will of little child.
| You know not your own power. You
| should remember that the benefits derived
/ from that principle of political economy
/ termed the division of labor are cOniihed
exclusively to the art OF production. The
! division of knowledge is quite another
/ thing indeed. If you contine your knowl-
! edge to those things pertaining to your
; art alone you are nc the mercy of others.
| The agriculturist must look beyond his
fields if he would hold his own. He must
acquaint himself with the methods Of trade
! with the changing conditions of produce
ton in all lands, and with the fluctuating
! influences which control the markets of
/ the world. Agriculturists must enamel
! pate themselves by education, by organi-
zatiOn, by combination. They will have
/ this to do if they are to hold their own and
reap the fruits of their own labor. The
manufacturers promote their interests by
/ close and effective association, the banks
/ combine extensively and defensively, the
( railroads pool against their customers and
/ smother competition, and the merchants
/ keep the best talent of their profession i'll
organized boards constantly on the out
/ look for the interests Of trade. In truth,
/ the tendency of the age is 10 the conccn-
/ tratiOn of wealth, power and business con-
/ troll in the hands OLA few, and to SyStema-
! tie all departments of affairs under great
/ central heads. The agricultural classes
must combine also to meet and defeat this
state of things both for their own pro-
lection and for the public good. AS they
! now constitute the chief conservative eiC-
ment in our politics, So they must act in
trade. The only successful way to fight
! the evils of Capitalization over any one
, department is to organize in like manner
, Il rival department. When capital be-
! comes sufficiently powerful to successful
I ~ cOnSprc against the laws of political
economy, the monopoly can only be de-
strOyed and the blessings of competition
restored by counter combinations. The
farmers of every county III the United
/ States should have Il local board of intelli-
/ gencc, and every State Il chamber of az
] ricullurc, composed of their abeSt and
most active men. There isanother matter
( to which the attention of the farmers
might well be called. Much Of the class
/ legislation of Congress and the States is
procured by that Kind of importunatc So
/ licitation called lobbying. Disreputablc
as it often is, and disagreeable as it al
ways is, it is yet 50 effective that all those
interesting classes who desire some legal
! advantages over their ucighhorS invarid-
( bly, resort to it, and seldom resort III vain.
Ia all my experience as a legislator L be-
! licve | have never vet met L man fresh
| from the fields in the Hobbies with Il bill
or project in behalf of his class. 1t would
be rarity indeed to see in Washington 4
single delegations of farmers or farm Ia
/ borers to protest against taxation which
| robs both of half of their earnings. whilst
! YOU can see twenty such any day from the
! benefciarieS OF that legislation, urging,
arguing, impOrtuning, and by 4 hundred
questionable methods promoting their
schemes of plumber. They thus suffer the
cause of agriculture to be judged or af-
icctcd without Il hearing. Labor, too,
suffers by the same default. 1t never
comes 10 plead Tor lt>cIl, ana lnere Is al
ways Il grim hIlmor about the idea of his
employer begging Congress for permits
sion to pay the laborer higher wages.
! When men demand nothing the world
presumes they want nothing; when men
mare no complaint, it is natural to sup
pose they are satisfied. 1t is just as nat
ural for Legislators to grant the requests
OF those who are constantly clamoring.
Not that | would be understood as saying
farmers never complain. The truth is
they complain more than any people on
earth. They are forever growing, but
they do not growl in the right way or on
the right questions. They do not crys-
talizc their grievances into political action,
but let them al evaporate in mutteringS.
Nevertheless, with all my soul l hon
or these men of the field; with all my
heart | love them. OF all the sons Of men
they live nearest to God, and in most di-
rect dependence upon His benilicence and
wisdom. | cannot help the belief that in
consequence of this they are more upright
unselfish and better men thar any other
class"
Editorial 5sreViticS.
There is comfort in the fact that al
though the United States cannot lay claim
=. .a1a to 81.