Year: 1873

THE FARMERS AND TIE RAILROADS.


Whether the movement of the Farmers at
the West in their Oranges and Associations
will accomplish the end they seek is very
much a question. Much depends upon whether
it is intelligently managed and develops some
reasonable theory of adjustment of conflicting
rights and interests, or whether TIE farmers
allow themselves to be caiOled by one or
the other of the great parties and
used in the interest Of politicians
and demagoyues. The movement is an cx-
tensive one, is based upon real fact, and is
formidable to both parties. 1t has large pos
sibihtes of useful service before it; and yet
its course is always along the brittle, crum-
bling edge of failure. The careful analysis of
the motives underlying it, the plan of opera
tions, and its future prospects, as given IN
THE TRIBUNE correspondence, throws more
light upon the subject than has been
received from any other source. The distinc-
ton between the Oranges, which are branches
of q secret organization of q social rather
than political character. and the Farmers
Associations, which are strictly political, must
be kept in mind in considering the scope Of
the movement Doubtless the two play into
each others hands, and, though different
orcanizations have substantially the same
personael That the Associations which
have n political character have very
crude and undigested notions, and are disposed
to make short work of what requires serious
thought, sound philosophy, wisdom, experience
and craftsmanship, is plain enough from what
has become public Of their action and from
their published utterances. That this raw and
undisciplned material will re reached out
after by the. politicians of both parties is as
certain as that some men live by politics, and
that votes are essential to political success.


With all this the chances are that great good
will come out of it, and in some even indirect
fashion the movement be productive of benef-
icent results. Not by any means in the imme-
diate manner and by the short processes which
the leading spirits of the Oranges and Associ-
ations place so much dependence on. The
nroblem is too complicated, the antagOnisms
are too violent, and the whole business is too
closely interviewer with our social bust
ness and political relations, and with all
our habits of thought and life, to admit Of any
such sudden solution. 1t may do for the
tricky and designing demagogue to promise
such an easy adjustment, and by catering to





masses engaged in the movement, manipulate
ytbem to his own uses while he fools
them with idle and mischieYOus ex-
periments. That is not the business
of the true patriot philosopher, or phi
lantbropist This disturbance arises out Of a
real and substantial grievance, though the
cause of it may not be what the illogical vic
tim of it thinks it is, or its cure be in any
such duackery as he hastcns to adopt. His
trouble is great deal deeper than he thinks,
and his cure not half so easy as he imagines.
The encouraging symptom is that public atten-
tion is drawn to the disease the danger
that. in the unthinking and hasty meth
ods of treatment by demagOgues and
ouacks who are eager for employment
and still more eager for fees, the disease may
be aggravated instead of cured. The present
phase of the movement is, organized and con-
eolidated capital at a clinch with undisciplined
and unOrganized. but profoundly angered,
labor. The country cannot afford that either
party should go down in tho tnssle, and yet
they wrestle together in a mortal hug, the
blind Ajax of labor not praying even for the
return of sight TO see his fOeman's face.


From such a mortal hug what comfort can
we takef Why, simply this 1t is only the
world-Old question between Drawn and brain,
labor and capital. 1t strikes as fairly, ,'squareIy
in the face. Labor now il at undue and un-
fair disadvantage. 1t sweats and tolls and
staryes while aggregated capital rules tho