The sun., 1897-01-17

ened OF tho nation. who boast daily that they
are the pillars of throne and altar and cstab-
liehed Institutions in general, who are hOUdhlU
and suttsfdc ionstihig and cdblnctfdhig. moi only
fought for the kaniH hill and voted for II, but
were proud and are proud OF their action. Not
only this. hut they are sending out their
speakers by the score to defend KanltZ's plan of
plunder and to engage others in the work Of de;
agents OF the Farmers League Sone'of them
receive regular pay of s., so day; others
WORK on the condition that they receive
convert to the AgrHrinn creed. This agitation
Il carried on by the Farmers League ut an eX-
peNe OF Sl"5OOO annually When one consih-
ers the smalness of the territory that the speak.
ers traverse, and the cheapness OF living and
travel In the German empire. he can under
stand how active Ia the campaign carried on by
the popnli,t barons, counts, and princes.
vcals the fact thar the present onslaught on tho
produce exchanges. and the proposal To levy
tribute on the untitled classes by means of a
kanitz law, are hut incident. OF con;
filct when the Agrarians seek to extend
all along the line Of present business
life They are react onnry; they hate the
improved methods OF lniustry they sigh for
the times Of the small artisans and the guilds;
they find the great department store an out.
rage on humanity at large: they declare thRt
the big factories threaten the political and
physical existence OF the nation. To them u
crime and u fully organized trust the consum-
nation of all wickcdne.s in latter day inercan-
tile life. Industrial life has been slipping
further and further from the right track. they
think. for the last ftv wears. perhaps ever since
the French revolution. aud II Is the dnty OF the
Agrarians to drag II back. nj least as far Us Ger
many II concerned.
II II conceded generally IN Germany by all
except the AgrariRns themselves that tho
Agrsrian agitation has been more or less mat.
ter OF mortgages from the outset. IL I. IN Pgus-
sla ms IL l. in Kansas. IN SaNony hs In zebra
the landowners who have plunged into debt
are the loudest Populist or Socialist shouiers;
they are tie ones VINO long most earnestly for n
dchnsed currency. who invelRh most bitterly
against the money power" who scoiI most
furiorsy at the bankers, who run OF most reCk.
lessy after any new scheme which they think
may relieve them Rt the expense OF tho
hated capitalists A. the Radicals aud Social
Democrats have puntrd out repeatedly. tho
majority Of the counts and the barons who cry
their time In Berlin and spending their money
lhvishly at the Union club or tnter den Lin.
den while their estates are left to deterlornte
under the care of hired overSeers. The Social
| Democrats have said eplgrammatcallv, that
| the farmers devote themselves to working the
| land and the AgrariAnB devote themselves ia
| working the farmers.
The Populist Agrarians OF Germany are
| especially interesting to Americans because
| thev are at the bottom OF all the agitation ~
Germany against American agricultural prod
| ucts. They are the most ardent seekers after
| trichinosis In American pork and Texas fever
| I'm American cattle and they are the first Il
| raise AN outcry against American timed goods
| In fact. they find nothing good In any agrcu
| tural product that comes out or America, AM
| agitRtc without ceasing. Mt court. In the thbi
net. and In the Reichstag to Law obstacles In th'
| way OF the whole German mericHn trade 10
| grain and provisions. Their idea is prohibitori
tariff on everything the American farmer grows