Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-09-26
WHERE IGNORANCE is BLISS.
[Continued from first page.]

Shall we be self-taught? The self-taught
man is the best-taught. We do not need to 60
to school or college for selfteaching. Use your
eyes, ears and reasoning powers. If you don't,
you will be as blind as moles. The moles are
able to dig and burrow in the earth, and mar
traps them. The eagle is only brought down
at long range. He scars iu the sunlight.
An ignorant farmer is no better than mole,
and the exploiters of wealth trap him as easily
as the farmer traps the mole-aud the trappe-s
use the politician and the government.
If the merger trappers can use the govern
ment to trap farmers, why is it that the farmers
cannot use the government for protection? In
my opinion, the farmers should go into the
business of trapping politicians. There is both
fun and profit in trapping.
But, now, am on forbidden ground. have
been in Kansas over thirty years, and in all
that time, the politicians have sung the same
old song to the various farmers organizations,
viz, to "keep out of politics." recall when
the Grange was organized, and how some of
the farmers talked about "souless corpora
TONS" To large extent, the Grange died
a-bornin The main object of the organization
was lost sight Of. Politicians trapped it. The
original intention of the Grange was a social
school for the study of any question that con-
cerned the human race. Somebody introduced
the study Of politics, and the study proved to
be so attractive that the politicians became
alarmed. l. is the old, old story.
Factions and quarrels dissipated the order
until it got down to the condition of an invalid
that hovers between life and death. If the or
eanization had been maintained, and its organ
ization carried out, to-day, the farmers OF Amer
lea would have been one of the greatest powers
on earth.
The Farmers Alliance had worse expert
ence. The politicians have RACED the founda
tons of its existence.
Factions and quarre!s between men whose
interests are identical belong to the dirty, de-
graded type of that detestable old bag known
as Ignorance.
How infinitely wiser to have kept up the
Grange or Alliance, and have perfected the or
eanization In that case, we could have met
and conquered any enemy of our class or inter
est.
Briefly, there is no such thing as bissful ig
norance.
Go with the historian to Egypt, Greece or
Rome, or with the traveller to Africa, India or
China. Learn the lessons taught i'll the pages
of their books, and you will find that there is
no safe ground which can be occupied by igno.
rant people, either in the old world or the new.
Where there is no light, the masses perish, for
the sweep of the despoiler of labor is fatal to
civilization
But why dwell upon the past Its time and
opportunities have passed. If the highest wis
dom--the wisdom of foresig ht-was lacking, ex-
! perlence, the most convincing of all teachers,
must now take charge of the school of the lu-
ture effort Where stand we, to-day? Shall
farmers strive for universal organization? Shall
we erect universities for self-teaching and
build bulwarks for self-protection? Such is the
dictum of both the wisdom of foresight and
the teachings of experience Eternal vigilance
is the price of good government. Good govern-
is the citadel of civilization. The architects
are intelligent voters. The interests of the
great common people aud the schemes of modern
commercial brgands cannot be reconcied.
If the price of watered sock goes up, the
price of labor goes down. The more tax, or
the more unequal the distribution OF its burdens,
the greater the productions of wealth. If mo-
nopolies own the politicians, our government
will be administered in the interest of few
men. Laboring people must own the govern
nent or perish.
am not pessimist. If were, would no,
H., 1,o-, 70 dnu mnnd tale the advice off ed