The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1892-01-22

for this s simple Oar public action Is, II
general, through limited communities A
a1its, And in Tie rural sections, the farm
ing elsss holds undspated szsy. TIE
fzTrcsrs shape opinion there aid the pnb-
lie sentiment Of the country districts i The
sentiment Of tie farmers Of those districts,
While II the cities greater variety Of call
ing make this pre1ouiu2Dce OF = single
class more rare. Farmers have ; right.
therefore, TO regard themselves IS = class
in politics. and the public hzs : right TO
expect from them as . class, important
%yyser IN securing those reforms which
must speedily come il this government Of
cure Is 10. 10 fall By the weight Of its Owl
~oorruption- Ii Is No exaggerztion TO say
that the farmers OF this country constitute
the bod. guard of the Republic Il il n0s
50 long since every loFal eye Was strained
10 watch the ebb and flow Of sentiment ia
the rural districts with tie CONSCIOUSNESS
that tie very existence Of the Union de-
pended upon the faitDfulness OF these
plain people" And if the farming COM
munities can be brought c0ntentedly 10
Acquiesce in the corruption which eharac-
teiizes our public action to-day, the history
Ct tie Republic may soon be written.
|. is not my purpose Il tell farmers what
they need 10 relieve their calling from that
depression which has almost paralyZed
their efforts for several years. Intelligent
farmers ara themselves more capable Of dis
corning evils which particularly affect their
interests, and Of deviting remedies for
them. But since the only relief they can
ever get from public action, must be By
public opinion working through the vari-
Gus channels of government, my object is
TO urge them 10 cleanse those channels so
that public opinion may have = chance 70
act; and TO suggest certain points, on
which, ia my humble judgment, they
should bring the pressure OF public senti-
ment TO bear. They should no longer be
content TO be az once the tools and the
victims Of the swine who fstten al the pub
lie trough. They should cease TO listen
with bated breath, as some brilliant. bold
faced demagogue, tells them that their sal
walton depends on his Advancement. They
should resoluteiy refuse to follow any would
be leader until he proves his right 10 lead.
Farmers i'll be respected when they respect
themselves When they shall be governed
By their reason and not By their prejudiees,
we shall see more wisdom in their acts.
In public matters, the farmer should be
seif-reliant, and should put the preten-
sions of his would be teachers to the test
OF reason. His own brains are as cheap as
any. There is, fortunately, no tax laid
upon their use, though the farmer often is
heavily taxed because of his neglect to
use them. It takes more brains success
fully TO conduct a farm 10 these hard times
than TO distribute the patronage of this
state. More average ability will be found
In any promiscuous gathering OF eighty
one farmers than will be seen in our next
general Assembly. There is no reason,
therefore, why farmers should accept with
| child-like docility, the oraeular dsliverance
! Of men no wiser than themselves. There
is every reason why they should be eau
, tious Ct endorsing policies that may need
apology. Their proper attitude when con
sidering our so-called public leaders, is one
of d~istrust, and they should keep in mind
the apostolic injunction 10 prove all
things. hold fast that which is good"
They have good reason to doubt the wis
| dom Of the average Statesman" The
past is one record of mingled bluuderiDg
| failures and successes. Through inatten-
ton or inability they have in many in
stances failed to guard the peoples inter-
ests. You have witnessed the ruinous
shrinkage Of your farm values, due in no
small degree, to the over-stimulus
through government encouragement "f
western development, and to-day you are
compelled through government created
agencies yourselves to pay for bringing
western products to your own doors TO
compete with the labor of your hands.
The settling of the true relation of gigantic
corporations to the public, is one of the
great problems of the near future, the So
luton of which will call for the highest
degree of " Isdom and which seems TO be
beyond the grasp of the volunteer states
manship Of today. Whatever that solu-
tion may be, whether or not it shall be
some form of government regulation or
control it presses for consideration. II its
far reaching effect upon the COM
mercial and agricultural interests of
the east, the matter Of freight
discrimination overshadows 10 importance
the issues of the tariff, yet while all phases
of the latter are continually forced upon
our attention, the former is generally ig-
nored. Farmers have a right to suspect
the capacity of a craftsmanship which
| grasps at high public position but which
shuns a great question of state. Every
dollars worth of watered railroad stock on
which We must pay interest to the end of
time, every public franchise granted with
out reservation of the public right of future
advantage and control, is evidence of the
failure Of our public guardians to protect
the public interests. Every visit of the tax
gatherer sees your earnings depleted to pay
unnecessary cost Of state or local govern
ment, while men who could scarcely earn
a decent living, if thrown upou their "
resources, draw annually from the public
purse, the income of from one TO two-hun-
dred thousand dollars. | need not d " ell
upon details. The facts are plain to all.
You may wonder that things take the
course they do. You may think it strange
that in spite Of the Election of such excel
lent men as you sometimes choose TO local
and state offices no improvement can be
seen, that your burdens grow more heavy
and your prospects of relief more hopeless.
The explanation of this retrogrsde condi-
ton Of your public affairs may be summed
up in a single sentence. II is because the
various organs Of government are not re-
sponsiye to honest public sentiment. And the
mission Of the Ne. jersey farmerin politics
may likewise be expressed in q single
phrase, and this is TO bring our officials,
from the highest TO the lowest, into touch
with the virtue and intelligence Of the
state. Where there is not q direct and hon
est relation between the people and their
public servants, bad government springs up
Ike weeds upon fallog ground. Abuses
follow Oh a system Of defiance Of tie popn-
alzf vii, a. tie hight the day. From the
dawn 81 history irresponsible power has
bred corruption, and there is no exception