Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-01
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY. /. Is

A. S. MORTON.
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY. l. 1885
ALAS FOR THE FARMER!
That Patient Friend of the World, the
Farmer, has hard time. AS long as he
stays at the handle of the pillow, clad in
coarse clothing and sweating over the
spring planting. which he concelves to be
attending to his own business, he is
berated for lack of interest in public af-
fairs and want of public spirit. AS soon
as he puts on his Sunday clothes and at
appointed delegate, he believes he is ex-
pected to take part in public affairs, he is
denounced as politician in disguise and
cudgeled. Lately, the Farmer of Virginia,
partly through interest and partly through
persuasion, resolved for the first time in
twenty years to call himself together in
convention and try what his common
sense could devise to improve the condition
of his State. Much of the backwardness of
the State had been laid to his charge and
he had been urged by the press of Virgil
MIA, without regard to politics, to come
out and help. Dressed up in his best, with
bis thoughts intent on the welfare of the
State, he bids farewell to his family, not
without anxiety, and gets over the fence
into the main road. He has hardly touch
ed the ground before our Republican
nelghbor, the ValleY Vsrginia1a, collars him
h lid hoIo
about in the most sanctuary manner.
This astounding reception to a man who
had been invited, nay pressed to leave his
home, and give some of his time and the
results Of his practical experience towards
the general effort to recuperate the old
State. induces him, between the blows of
the Virginiaa s bludgeon, to ask what he
has done to merit it? The answer shows
that his Sunday clothes have been the
cause of his downfall, for our contemporary
tells him:
ssA number of the ssilk- glosed' style
were there, 1.-THE Farmers Convention in
Richmond but farming with them was a
secondary consideration. They were pres
ent for political purposes. The more
prominent and persistent speakers we're
political aspirants.
Worse yet; besides being no farmer, but
politician under the guise of Farmer,
he has intefered with matters of which he
knew nothing. Hereis something that he
did:
There was, also, great deal OF cheap
gush gotten off about railroad discrimina
tion against local produce aud 10 favor Of
through freights, and in reference to i'm
migration. This was a fine field for the
''friend of the people" to score a point.
1 To denounce the railroads and demand a
reduction of local freights, without know
ing or caring about the effect, or whether
it was possible. consistent with the exis-
tence of the railroads. to do so, was
theme admirably adapted to the genius
and compass of the average Bourbon poll
tician. They never examined the annual
report of railroad company to learn its
working expenses and receipts, and the
profits returned to the stockholders.
There is not company in Virginia that
is declaring dividend.
We don't know what our friend the
Farmer will say to this whitening charge,
but the VINDICAToR, having invited him
to meet in convention and being much
pleased with all he did there. must be al
lowed to put in good word for him in
depreciation of our neighbours wrath. 1t
may be true that the Farmer has never
examined the annual report of a railroad
company" but if it is, it is also true that
he has not lost much information by not
doing it. The history of She operations of
a railroad company are not found an its an
qual report. The side speculatlons of
these corporations, in mines, grain, man
ufactuIes, and watered stock, which cause
the burden of which the Farmer COM
plains are never stated in annual reports.
The railroads all nuke net earnings, but
they cannot make enough to pay dividends
and their heavy interest, and they never
will. 1t don t need an ''annuai report"
to let the farmer know how much the
local discrimination Injuries him. he can
find that out in his crop report. The
sound theory of building up the country"
is perverted by their building up the big
cities only. Thirty years ago there was
one village between Stanton and Char
lottesville. and there is but one now. Rich-
over bare country to get there. Not
only does this through freight Giscrimina-
tion fail to build up little villages that
have signs of life, but it dwarfs and
chokes down those already started. The
great lines Of road are strings with big
buttons at each end. This is what
the people Of the country complain of.
The ssBourbon Politician may be an
unsavory person. but he is an in
finisely better companion for the
farmer than the Republican Monopolist.
The people are looking into this matter of
|railroadipg in politics and law, and the
Republicans have just lost Michigan by
| that spirit of inquiry. For The last five |
years the decisions of the Republican
Supreme Court of Michigan have shown |
Iof nineteen to one. This spring the Re-
|publicans nominated Judge Cooley, of |
that court, for Governor, and instantly |
there appeared the record Of this nineteen
Ito one. It did more to defeat him than
even prohibition and the Democratic can
Republicans. The monotonous adherence
of the Republican U. S. Senate; of the Re-
publican q. S. Court, and of the Repuhl-
ean party generally to the interests of
corporations and railroads has made a
leep impression on the American people
and created feeling not revolutionary in
is character, but of anxious, earnest de-