Year: 1874

Y GO, 1874.


Farm Journals and Politics.


A correspondent Of the Western Rural
published at Chicago, one Of the great
agricultural papers of the United States,
writes: W


For the first time in the history Of our
country, the farmers are associaing for
the purpose of becoming better informed
as to their private anG public interests.
They are aware of the fact that they have
not been sroated rs well as they should
have been and are combining to remedy
It.


1t was to prevent the middle-men, or
those that live by trading. and by trans.
porting the products of labor, from max
ing e1horbitant profits that the great
movement, now known as the Farm
er's Movement" was commenced. But
no sooner had the farmers begun to in
vestigate the causes of tho hard times
that have been slowly but steadily in
creasing all over the country than they
began to discover that the politicians
were even worse enemies to them than
were the middle-men. As a consequence
the farmers, in several of the States of
the Great West have entered the politi-
cal field and smashed the states of the
hitherto all powerful political ring-mas.
ters. The interference of the farmers
In politics has caused great commotion
among the politicians. They know full
well that, should the farmers unite and
act together as class, they have the
power to rule the nation. They are,
therefore. anxiously studying the Farm
ers Movement to zee what the farmers
intend to do. In those States or locali-
ties where the Democrats are in the ma
jority, the Democratic politicians fear
the movement lest it should injure their
prospects for Office. In those States or
localities in which the Republicans are
in the majority. the Republican politi.
clans are naturally opposed to the farm
ers interfering in politics lest their
chances for obtaining public position
should be diminished. But, on the
whole, in the nation at large, the Demo-
cratic politicians are more favorable to
the Farmers Movement than are the
Republicans, mainly because their party
is in the minority. The Democratic
press and politicians generally are dis
posed to look upon the movement in a
patronizing manner. In fact, they are
quite willing that it should become a
grand political movement, always pro-
vided that it acts as an ally Of the DEM
ocratic party, and aids it in obtaining
power.


The Republican press and leaders.
seeing that their party has control of the
nation. are on the whole anxious to have
the farmers avoid the political field
They know full well that the movement
can do their party no good and may do
it incaleulable injury. The great organs
Of the Republican party are, therefore,
continually warning the farmers not to
allow their Movement to become politi-
cal, and they denounce allthe leaders of
the farmers that propose to make it po.
litical. as broken down politicians and
political demagogues.


Politicians may as well understand
that, whether they like it or not, the
great farmers Movement will become
political. It is necessary that it should,
in order to put down the corruption that
now everywhere exists in political cir
cles. If the American people are indeed
capable Of self-government, the time has
now arrived for us to prove it, for as yet
it is an open question, as glance at the
situation of our country will clearly
show.


And we clip from the editorial COL
umns the following paragraph:


With respect to the Oranges and their
political action, there is no restriction
placed upon individual Patrons acting
politically in just whatever manner they
think proper. It is true that the dis
cussion of politics is forbidden in the
Oranges. So is the discussion of relig-
ious matters; yet We have not heard of
any neophyte Patron being required to
renounce his form of worship as pre-
liminary to joining the Order. On be-
coming Patron, the farmer does not
surrender his political birth right and is
not hampered in the exercise of it.
It is now too late in the day to discuss
whether the Oranges are likely to oper-
ate for the advantage of the farmer or
not. All this was discussed two years
ae 20 and would be in course of discussion
now if the Oranges had not taken the
bit in their teeth and run beyond dis
cussion. For good or evil, the die is
cast. and they are already the contron-
ing power in several Of the States.


Also this:


What we were among the first to
maintain. and do still mai ntain, is that
the promptest, and only effectnal, rem
edy for the corruption in Office which
is the prime source of the farmers
wrongs is FOR the farmers themselves to
take the matter in hand. and put honest
men in Office in place of the present in
cumbents.


- Parties wishing to attend the
Masquerade on Monday evening as spec
tators can do so, unmasked, by first pro