The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-10

The times of 1891 call for patriots as well as
the days of 1875. Ought we not to let these
Lives of great men, all remind us
We may make our lives sublime ~
Let us get little of the spirit of heroism
into our souls and " fight it out on that line
II it takes all summer" Large bodies move
slowly; 1t is high time to start for better
things and times; for the good the glory,
the dignity Of the state.
But shall see it in my day-will 1T come before
Shall see it with with my silver hairs and with an
When the spirit Of the land to liberty shall bound
AS the pure fountain leaps away from the darkness
of the grounds"
That the present state of things exists is not
wholly the fault of those self-seekng ones
who have gained control and dictated the
policy of our commonwealth. Not one of
them could have been elected to office or
retained in power in our rural communities
had not the farmer voted for Them or neg
lected to vote against them. The old
maxim that those may take who have
| the power, and those may keep who
can" has been lived up to better than the
Golden Rule, from the days of Cain and
Abel to the day of Cleveland and Harrison.
The party leaders have cracked the whip
and we too often have fallen into line.
They have piped and we have danced till
our feet are weary, and then they want us
to pay the fiddler. Farmers in the past
forty years have kept themselves too much
apart. Isolated, scattered and separated,
they have had too little community of inter-
est, too little unity of feeling, too little or
ganization. But the tide seems to be turn
ing; oranges, farmers clubs, agricultural
meetings, fairs and leagues have brought
the people together, have set them to think
ing and now they think of acting II, TAX
ing the full benefit of this tide in the af-
fairs of men," we act wisely, vigorously and
with tirmness; if, throwing aside all minor
differences of opinion, we unite for the COM
mon good on the main issues now before the
people, we may gain more safe and pros
porous port; may mark some of the shoals
| and sandbars so that our children be not
wrecked on the breakers of rascality. mon
opoly, aristocracy nor any other modern
evil with seven heads and ten horns;"
neither shall they be mired in the deceitful
quicksands of socialism, communism or an
| archy, or be caught at any time Looking
Backward " for the best days of the state.
There are many questions of vital impor-
lance now pending before the people of this
country; questions as to currency, banking,
tariffs, railroads and telegraph control, pub
lie land, immigration laws, taxation, and
many more that my time will not allow me
even to mention Pardon me, Mr.. Presi-
dent and gentlemen, If L dwell for a mo-
ment ON one great danger that seems TO
threaten us just now. The making of trea-
ties OF reciprocity seems to be favorite
and fashionable thing to-day with our gov
eminent. That may be all right with lands
of other ATTITUDES, whose productions we
can not raise but if it is to extend to
the people of Canada the right to bring in
their cattle, sheep hogs and horses, their
hay, wheat, oats, barley, peas and potatoes
their beef, pork, mutton and wool, butter,
cheese and poultry products, and, more than
ALL their lumber and forest productions
then the whole belt of northern farmers
from Maine to Oregon, are going to be Sc
riously injured, and will be likely to call
! rapiprOpity a fraul and h,,,,,
| bug What advantage have we to gain,
unless it be the doubtful one of cheaper
whiskey or plentier sinking fish? The
general productions of the provinces are sub
stantially the same as ours. Why should
we divide our market with those who don't
help pay our taxes? Do we owe Canada
anything, or Englhnd, either? Has not
Canada been lurking place for our enc
mics ever since its settlement? From there
came Montcalm in 1907 10 massacre the sur
rendered colonist troops at Fort William
Henry From there came Burgoyne in 1777,
with his Indian allies, to terrify the borders
| of Champlain, to beat us at Ticonderoga
and Hubbardton, and to get badly beaten at
Bennington From there in 1914 came Sir
George Provost with his 14O0O veterans
aiming at Pattsburgh and Burlington but
" he got too far from Canada" From there
| too, came the raiders on st. Adams in our
last war. 1t has been the haunt and refuge
of tories, traitors, thieves, defaulters muir
ubI6IS anu SutdhS lOT dll LIb States. w ny
should we want reciprocity with so bad a
| lot?
Then the currency question-can any of our
critics and satirists, who are so free to ridi-
Guile any political movement by the people,
tell us what right or righteousness there is
in allowing our national bankers to buy the
United States bonds at the same price as
other people and draw the same interest
and then give back to the bankers ninety
per cent of the amount in currency
without cost or interest while the work
man and farmer has to pay from six
to ten per cent to borrow money? Can
they tell us just why it is that banks
are taxed hut seven-tenths of one per cent
while the farmers taxes average (the state
over one and one-fourth per cent? Can they
tell us why $500, 900 have been spent in the
last twenty-five years to maintain what has
been called an agricultural college and an
experimental station without doing any
more real good to the agriculture of Yer
mont than has the wooden goddess of plenty
on the dome of the state house? Are the
great railroad corporations, like the Grand
Trunk, Canadian Pacific, Delaware & Hud-
son, Fitchburg, Central Vermont, and others
objects of charity that their property in
| Vermont should be taxed less than one
half as much as the farmers? Or are they
exempt as pous and charitable institutions?
These, gentlemen, are some of the things we
want to learn about, to hear talked about,
and to have acted upon sensibly ,candidly rea-
sonably, righteously. And so we welcome
you, one and ALL to our farmers conference,
hoping that some good may come from our
gathering together; hoping that we may
gain wisdom to act and vote for the best
good of all classes, that we may get enthu-
sasm enough to act vigorously and unitedly;
and hoping above all things that God will
more abundantly bless and prosper the
state and nation.
President Cotton thanked the speaker for
his address, and reiterated the sentiment
that it will not do TO fall back on the history
of the forefathers. 1t is our duty to make
history to-day. H. NJ. Arms of Springfield
was next introduced. His subject was
why Should Farmers ORGANIZED"
H. NJ. ARMS OF SPRINGFIELD.
| Mr.. Arms would answer the question as
to organization on the broad ground of rea-
sons, for there are reasons for organizing.
In the past each farmer has been territory
unto himself. Each has been pulling indie
pendently. Farming is the noblest profess
sion, but farmers have not been so successful
as others in getting the needful things of
life. This is because there has been a lack
of organization. Mr.. Arms spoke of the
success of the Franklin county creamery as