The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1890-10-17
THE FARMERS LEAGUE.

AhH CAhm EhS LEA0UE.
Less than % farmers were out Wedncsda,
afternoon to listen to National Lecturer w
Is. Pierce OF the Farmers League at the town
hall. The Vermont farmer always moves
slow, and the dread of Democratic ambus.
cade In the League movement, absurd rs II
is, has been worked for all 1t is worth. II Is
particularly potent In this section OF the state
because the League breaches so many things
with reference to state affairs that the RE.
FORMER has been preaching for years. They
are good things to be sure: nobody will den,
that now. But the REFORMER preache,
them; therefore they are Democratic; there
fore they must be let alone. or II any attempt
is made to accomplish them, 1t is high treason
to make 1t except in the regular old party
channels. That is about the reasoning Isn't
| it? 9NE ~
But the few who were out made up in
earnestness and attention TO the speaker what
they lacked in number. Mr.. Pierce is a wiz
ming speaker, with the real oratorical power
In his quiet way, and his subject and argu.
ment were such as were bound to be inter.
| esting. j. G. Newton was chosen to preside
over the meeting and c. d. Whitman secre-
tary. Mr.. Pierce opened an hour and half's
address with an allusion to the cooperative
milk company with which he has been at
work at New York and which, including
members from five states. has gone to fur.
nishing milk to New York City without all
the inter, ening profits of middlemen. He
divided agriculture into three fields, the pro-
ducing, relating to the raising of crops, and
the commercial relating to their marketing.
and the political. All are full of interest. hut
he would devote himself to the latter. The
point had been reached he said, when
farms. except a very few market
farms, especially advantageously situ-
ated, would not pay more than fair wages
for the labor on them. The land pays moth
ing and therefore according to every rule of
valuation known to the world is worth moth.
ing. We have reached point where it does
not pay to raise our food. The property in
our farms has gone out. 1t is the most ab-
sorbing question of the generation how this
state of things can be remedied. The troub.
lie Is not merely local or general. 1t extends,
more or less severely all over the country, is
worldwide. 1t is no worse here than ir
Great Britain (This is true. But the speak.
er neglected to make one point in that there
Is an idle aristocracy that has to be supported
from English land, before labor can get any
returns at all from It. What Is it here that
takes the place of the aristocracy?
There are various sources of the trouble.
And one is needless taxation. The money
that goes for taxes, or the wealth or the pro.
duet 1t represents, pays no dividend. Every
dollar that goes into the state or national
treasury has gone to grave that knows no
resurrection. 1t lisa waste of wealth, neces.
sary In measure, put one that needs to be
constantly guarded.
The speaker here read from Gov. Pages
message the figures and comments on the
growth OF state expenses, and said it was
one~of the things that are gnawing and gnaw.
Ing at the farmers. A needless tax of $25 or
$50 year OIL the farm means something i'm.
pOrtant In the CT llrse of 10 years. He al
luded to the subsidy policy IN national taxa.
tion that has taxed us to make and to open
lands In the far West, to give away to people
that come over from abroad to compete with
us. 1t is all In the interest Of steamship and
railway lines, and the worst of 1t Is that the
tax is unequaly levied. In New York, where
the comptroller says the personal property
exceeds the value Of real estate. the real es-
tate pays nine. .tenths of the taxes; in Penn.
syIvaaa ssyen:eighths, and md 50 on: our
Boston over taxes; but IL the modern farmer
had been In their places there would have
been no trouble. See how counterfeit vine
gar operates. knocking prices down to eight
or ten cents gallon that would otherwise be
20 or % cents; and 1t skins the average apple
raising farmer out uf $40 or $50 year. SO
with maple sugar that but for the frauds
would bring 90 cents on every pound OF II
and compound lard that makes the price SIN
cents where it ought to be II or IA and olec-
margarine whose effects we all know. They |
are all as much counterfeits AS the bogus bllls |
on the bankers note, and ought to be dealt |
with as such and would be II farmers were |
organized as bankers aud men in 0tter busl'
ness are. And the protective tariff pract.
ically farm products have their price hXed
by foreign competition while the manufactur
er Is protected up 10 the handle. 1t has
reached point where it don't pay TO skin
calf. because hides are free, while the shoe
maker is protected by 20 PEI cent
tariff. The League demands protection
for farmers as full and complete as
have, or free trade in every
hing for every body. The manufacturer has
been gorging himself on corn while the farm.
er has tried to grow fat on the cob. These
are the biggest smugglers in
he country, constantly smuggling in hired
help, contract labor in violation OF law. PRO-
lection to American labor" Is really protec.
ton for the manufacturer. The League pro-
good enough for Its purposes: II
third was formed it. would have
to be of the same material as the old.
means its plans Is TO bring the farmers to-
,ethcr. detirmine what they want and go to
he Lrimarles and conventions of the Old
parties and get 1t. from one or the other or
The only fault we find with the old
oartiesi that they haven't ground our grists;
md this Is what we are going to make them
10. The Vermont farmers want an in
dependent A. and NJ. College. They want
air taxation. They want no more corpo-
alton tax laws to be drawn up unconstitu-
ional Workingmen are thriving result that
ire simply stupendously organized effort.
That is what corporations are doing. 1t Is {
he secret OF Jay Gould's marvellous prosper. |
ty. He learned long ago better than to work
lone. Farmers must adopt the same course.
hey can. They did In the day of the conti-
entail army.
Mr. Pierce then briefly explained the or
of town leagues, then Of county ,
,agues from five town leagues, and then of
tate leagues. J. c. NewtOn.and Z. ID. Whit.
ian briefly expressed their approval and o
ague was formed with Is charter members. a
s temporary organization. j. &. Newton |
as made president. &. n. Bemis vice pres {
ent, c. ID. Williams secretary and L. w. g
argent treasurer. 2
society with the pane of "The Daugh- ri