Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-14
THE FATE OF THE FARMER
Is the Honest AvocatiOn on the De-
cline?
The Paper Read Before the Recent
County Institute by N. l.. F'ranipg---
The canal Resolutions.

the County Farmers Institute at Milan
last Friday was that OF Mr.. II. L. Fran
ing. of Milan. on the decline Of the
Farmer" 1t was freely discussed and
awakened great deal Of difference OF
opinion and much exchange of thought
followed. The paper is published IN
full;
When the untuiored savage natures
eldest child first occupied the earth and
freely roamed where be would. and took
ms he wished, his wages were the full
amount that bis strength and cunning
enabled him To gather from the elements
OF nsture-the earth. the sea, the air from
which all productions are originally |
drawn. 10 those primitive days ere yet
the soil bad been parce,ed out TO indi |
vidual owners, and before the accumu-
lated earnings OF by~gone days and
ripened into capital. each was bis own
employer and his wages, fixed by nature,
were the full product of his toll. IL, |
then, natural wages are the undivided
amount that the energy and skill OF man
brings forth, II follows that whatever
adds to this sum Increases natural wages.
too. From the time man first exerted
energy TO satisfy his wants his constant
endeavor has been TO obtain the greatest
amount for the. smallest expenditure of
time and strength; this desire so naturally
leads him to exchange the products OF
his own handiwork for that OF Others
whenever he can profit by 1t that in all
lands and ages il has required artificial
laws to keep him from 1t. The desire to
better our condition by free exchange is
as natural as our breath, 1t prompts the
child TO trade his marbles for horn; the
Indian TO barter his furs for string of
beads, and calls into being all the mar
velous instruments and tools OF trade that
have helped to civilize the world and
minister 10 the wants Of man. The idea
OF owning property instinctively carries
with IL the consciousness of right to use;
to sell or 10 barter as the possessor shall
see At: and until that privilege shall be
obtained: until man, moved by svarice
and greed, shall no longer seek for mean
and selfish ends to deny this freedom to
his fellow man; until that day comes
human liberty will be still dream. Yer
ily hath il been written down that from
him who hath much, little shall be taken,
and from him who hath little shall be
never fully understood this text until
studied the philosophy of farming. Since
the world began the tiller of the soil has
been q subordinate. Often has he been
slave. There has always been somebody
TO lord it over him and make him prey
to seltishness and arr1 Tbs Do9i t it6staadng
the agriculturalist has invariably excelled
In numbers and in physical strength. The
American farmer has been regarded as an
exception. He was supposed TO have
turned over new leaf in history. In
the earlier days of the republic with the
title to the soil which was our main re-
source and reliance, he was the master.
Socially and physically he stood at the
head He was rich by comparison. and
remarkably intelligent. He realized his
superiority and woe To the man that gave
him offensel So strong was his position
that 1t appeared to be invulnerable. The
man who fifty years ago would have pres
dicted that the farmer could be super
ceded In the control of affairs among us
would have been set down as crazy or
malignant. And yet it is today guess
ton whether. after all. he is to be an ex-
ception to the general lot Of the earths
cultivators. He has certainly lost posts
ton. II cannot be seriously claimed
that no now holds more than secondary
place. In public affairs he is no longer
first consulted. he Is hardly consulted at
all. Financially. in comparison with
others that might be named, he is poor.
and in social life wherever fashionable
standards prevail. he has been uncere-
moniously relegated to the rearmost
seats.
Nothing perhaps more pathetically
testifes TO his declension that the attend
ance upon our leading schools and uni
versities. From fifty 20 seventy-five
years ago at least two-thirds. If not nine
tenths, Of their students were farmers
sons. large, brawny and braiDy fellows
who wore homemade clothes and prac~
ticed rigid economy. One such speci~
men within the writer's recollection,
walked sixty miles TO his institution, not
only carrying his necessary belongings
upon his back, but driving before him
one OF his fathers cows whose milk was
TO assist In sustaining the body while the
mind was drinking at the classic font.
From the schools the rustics entered the
learned professions, divinity and law. and
pushed their way to the first positions in
the land. But now the country BOY APP
pearing in garments hOme-spun and
homemade and setting up to be his own
housekeeper. would be a (rard dDis) at
any one of our first,class seats of learn
ing. He would have hard time Of IL
among his companions OF fine, feathers
and fine ways. Our colleges get their
students from the cities and towns. The
sons of gentlemen so called, crowd the
learned professions, while the farmers
boys, who. weary of their fathers occu-
patton and decide upon change. enter
the trades, become railroad employees.
hucksters and the smaller shopmen.
Socially. they 90 down instead Of up.
But more significant change Is TO he
seen in our legislative halls. Here the
farmer once predominated. He not only
made, but he executed the laws. The
first president Of the United States was n
farmer. SO was the fret vice president.
OF tho first ten presidents eight were
directly interested in agriculture; not
only has the farmer largely retired from
congress. especially from the upper
branch, where his place has been taker
by the millionaire, manufacturer, the rail-
road msgnate and the lumber king. but
he he is rapidly disappearing from tn,
state Legislature where he once reignet
supreme. The New England states used
TO be almost soldly agricultural. but the
roster OF their present senates shows sever
manufacturers and three manufacturers
lawyers to two farmers. So slow hal
been his educational progress in public
matters in the recent presidential cam
paign-which was VIGOROUSLY cam
paign Of ''boodle"-seem to have con-