Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-11-16

Hartford, Conn, Nov. 13-The fea-
ture of a recent session of the nation
al grange, Patrons of Husbandry,
was an-address by President Charles 5.
MClen of the New York, New Haven
G Hartford railroad Mr.. Mellen said
in part:
The prejudice excited by dema-
gogues and politicians against corpor-
ations has now reached a stage when
others are suffering. The burden
which has rested so heavily upon cor
porations and those charged with their
affairs so long, is being distributed;
other oxen are being gored and the
community will soon have its own
troubles to worry about.
when we awake it will appear to
have been a costly dream. When we
have mended the smashed furniture,
the broken crockery, We will lay by
for a time and accumulate the
wherewithal to repair the waste Of
our debauch.
1--WE may not think quite so well Of
ourselves for some time; our leaders
will not look quite so large in our eyes
again. But we forget quickly, and If
we can only forget the whole misera
ole business after we have paid the
bill and have well learned our lesson,
there will be a measure of compensa-
tion not without its value.
I'VE have uncovered some nasty
places. We have instituted some re-
forms. We shall live for time upon
knowledge rather than assertion and
try and rehabilitate upon plain diet.
'All knowledge is expensive. We
must not demur to paying our bills.
We can now reflect upon the causes
for all our excitement. We can see
that the remedies could otherwise
better have been applied; but we were
impatient-we wanted to do it day
before yesterday in the Strong arm
brass band fashion, and we have done
it, and we are going to have time now
for contemplation of our work and
consider whether we went about it in
the wisest way, or whether our tenn
per got the better of our judgment
and our leaders took advantage of it
and made the process unduly expen-
Slve-more than was intended.
The railroad men of the days of
the rebate, now so unpopular, were
Of the character of the times in which
they lived and did business. They did
the best they could with the condi-
tons surrounding them, and, up to the
time of the practice being forbidden
by law, are as little deserving the
harsh criticism of the present day as
we ourselves shall be of that Of the
generation which will in turn succeed
us and doubtless wonder that sup
posedly sensible men should have
known so little of the proper course to
pursue.
students then will there be who
will show what we should have done.
Journalists will write of the loss to
humanity through our not knowing our
business, and lectures will draw les
sons from our shortcomings, that the
young may learn how different results
might have been had little of their
superior common sense been available.
Men of another generation, whose
greatest power of accomplishment
win be their power to tell others how
to do what they are unable to do
themselves 1--WE have many of the
class always with u.s., will again make
ri 1ngn fhnip hn0hG
and later their money (as so manv
o. you have been doing lately, un-
til necessity eliminates them, takes
the swelling from their heads and in
duces them to put nonsense and plati-
tudes and such leadership aside for a
spell to resume life in the way that
viii bring prosperity akin to that great
prosperity of few years ago, which
We are even now beginning to look
back upon longingly, wondering if We
are again to enjoy it in reality or only
rs a remembrance.
Reformation by fiat has been pain
full and unstable since the beginning
of time; has caused more suffering
aud loss than the evils sought to be
cured. Reformers generally are much
more companionable and engaging
after the lapse of few hundred years,
when the seeds of their sowing have
had time in which to germinate and
the ground in which they are sown is
better prepared to produce it's crops.
Good intentions of honesty of pur-
pose are better pleas to address to
succeeding generations than to those
who suffer in the present, though
bearing the burdens of arbitrary and
headstrong efforts to change the meth
ods of conducting business, which,
though far from satisfactory, have at
least the merit of being the result Of
evolution, the struggle of humanity
since the beginning of the world.
80 he losses in value, credit and for
tune in this country since the begin
ming Of this year have been greater
than occurred as a result of the Civil
war. Many were in distress who
thought themselves but a short time
s'nce with a competency. Those who
still have competency are in distress
through lack of credit to obtain mon
ey to carry on work so necessary at
such a time, to give employment to
those who must otherwise feel the
plLch Of hunger"
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