The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-06-14

benefited, and the prosperity of the
state much advanced.
SPEAKING of Vermonts great inter.
ests and opportunities, it seems strange,
when it can be done at comparatively
small cost, that Lake Champlain re-
mains unimproved as a channel of con-
tinental commerce. A ship canal be-
tween the st. Lawrence river and
Champlain, and between Champlain
and the Hudson would give to Ver-
mont immense advantages. AS she
now is, she is side-tracked in the worlds
commerce. She is an interior state.
But few millions expended in that
work would put her into the very cur
rent of the worlds traffic. Her advan-
tages would be equal to those of Maine,
and the whole state would be remod-
eled and exalted by the flow of that
great tide of business passing by her
territory. Why not? Why not? Will
anybody tell?
WE shall hail the day when farmers
feel themselves to be business men, in
terested 10 all matters connected with
the worlds progress. None are really
more interested in that than the men
who feed the world. 1t is the duty of
every farmer to magnify farming, and
the interests of the farm. Just so far
as we develop our farming, and our
selves, just so far shall we take our
rightful position in the eyes of the
world. All the dishonest schemers in
the nation are interested in keeping the
farmer Ignorant and helpless. The
farming vote, if intelligently thrown,
would make impossible hundreds of
villainies now practiced at the expense
of every honest, industrious citizen.
The best ally of e1ch schemers are the
farmers who unGervalue their own bust
ness, and their own position in the
world. Even the farmers organizations
fall, almost hopelessly, either under the
direction of self-seeking demagogues,
or of men incapable of the intelligent
direction of popular thought and
action. What are the farmers organ
izations doingto-day, right here in YER
mont? Who hears anything from
them? The strongest appeal does not
stir them. We have been hoping
against hope that one word, at least.
might be ELECTED in the matter of dis
honest dealers in farmproducts. If
anything is going to be said and done
about it, to any useful end, it should be
done promptly, early in the season.
We should have all been discussing the
subject during the winter In no way
could the grange so effectually have
aided itself, and promoted its nominal
purposes, than to have accepted our
offer of these columns to discuss that
subject. Thousands of dollars could be
saved to our farmers by decided and
united action in regard TO this single
matter.
The intelligent and practical editor
of the Maine Farmer says "Looking
over three or four carloads of western
horses, lately received at one of the sale
stables in this state, and knowing of
others, and that the weekly sales from
four or five centrally located stables
amount to nearly two hundred head,
we were forced to look upon this as a
bad condition. 1t is bad because over
against these sales must be set the fact
that there is hardly farm barn but is
filled with trotting- bred stock, and
hardly community but has surplus
for which no market is open. While
these western horses are selling for
1925 to 1915 per head, others as old,
costing more to grow, and with added
stallion fees, are being offered for from
800 to $l25." -
Is not this quite paralleled right here
in Vermont? Hundreds of our farmers
have fooled themselves and wasted
their time and their money in trying to
breed trotters, The results have been
thousands of horses unstable for any
purpose. The very idea of New
England sending West for horses is
sickening ,-especially when we find
New England full of horses that nobody
will buy. This is what our agricul-
tural fairs,' with gambling attach
ments, have brought us to. This is
what demoralizes our boys, and sends
them to the cities, "because they can
not stand the dullness of the farm"
The unwholesome excitement of the
agricultural boss trot" has spoiled
them for the farm or any other honest
work.
PROFESSOR BUDD, of the Iowa Ag-
ricutural College, writes us: "We