Year: 1873

Z.
From an address Deliuered by s. n. Smith
at a Picnic Of Farmers Associations, Green
County, III.
II LABOR.


There is an argument, it it may be called
such, which have used frequently, and
which intend to use here this afternoon.
I said that when travelling across the
country to Winchester, to make that speech
of the 7th, that when I saw those small,
Door homes, scattered all over this beauti-
full land, and saw that they were surround
ed with immense corn fields and immense
shocks of grain, [ also saw another thing,
that the men who handled the products of
that farmer who was occupying that poor
dwelling, were living, in splendid mansions,
life of ease and luxury. and l said there
was something wrong there, and would
right it by giving to the dweller in that
hovel a fair share Of the products Of his
labor, and would level that hovel up to
the palace. That was what l said.
never said or limited what was charged
with. l never had an agrarian thought in
my life. I would not level the palace
down, but would level the hovel up.


WEALTH HAS COME FROM PRODUCTIVE IN


DUsTRY.


Now, bear this in mind, that all the
wealth Of the world comes from productive
industry.


WHEREIN THE EVIL LIES.


The whole wrong lies in this: We are





those who handle them are getting too
much. Col. Colman has shown you what
it costs to get q bushel of corn or wheat to
market from where he lives in Missouri,
and we all know what it costs here, and
that we pay three-fourths of the product Of
our labor to get the other fourth to market
If this is so, who fixes the price upon your
labor? What have you to say in regard to
its price, any more than did the slave of
the South, in the days of his worst estate :?
We are, in fact, in condition of slavery,
unless we can control the price Of our own
labor. If you fix the price of my labor,
you circumscribe my actions, and fix me to
ity for rest or recreation.


WHO HAS IT?


Again, it has been ascertained that the
increase of wealth, accumulated through
productive industry, in the last seventy
years, exceeds that accumulated during
the whole previous existence Of the human
race; and that the last twenty years have
exceeded the preceding fifty as much az
the fifty did the whole preceding period.
This is undoubtedly due to the develop
ment in agriculture and the arts and
sciences, and other modes by which we
can accumulate wealth faster than we did
under the old systems and before railroads !;
but who has got that wealth !? If it is in
the hands of those who produced tin our
hands-theh it is where it should be: but
if II is in those Of men who produce moth
ing, then it is where it should not be, and
we have been wronged.


Take Commodore Vanderbilt, for exam
pie, and suppose that twenty years ago he
was worth five million dollars, and that TO-
day he is worth eighty. Now, how has he
accumulated sixty millions in twenty years
Mark it, he never earned dollar is his
life, and yet he has gotten into his hands
sixty millions in twenty years. I must
stop right here and not say another word
on the subject, for here is sufficient proof
that there is something wrong in this busi-
ness, owing to which this man has accumu-
lated 50 much. How did he do it? Has
he rendered an equivalent in the service
he has performed for us in Transporting
our products to market, or has he not
That is the question. If he has not, then
we have been wronged Of just 80 much
money.


PRESENT ABSURD SITUATION.


But here comes the difficulty, which some
folks think is insurmountable, and they
laugh at the idea that you are going to fix
price upon your labor, and say that some
body else must do it. Think moment.
When you ladies want calico dress, you
60 to dry goods merchant, and if you
find an article that suits you, you ask what
is the price. Suppose you were to say to
him, you would give him 9 cents yard
for it, when it cost him II, do you imagine
yeu could buy that print at that rate? Do
you not know you would be hootod out OF
the store? And yet, does he not act so to
you when you say, ~ want you to take
some of my butter, product Of my dairy, in
exchange for this print 20 He says, in
reply, 81 will give you so much for the
butter" Did you ever think Of the posi-
tive Righteousness, to say the least Of it,
Of the position in which we place ourselves


BUT THE FARMERS ARE IN DEBT.


But they say we cannot thus fix price
upon our products, because we are in debt.
and they say we must sell anyhow. That
is the smartest thing they have said, be-
cause, the fact is. we are in debt. They
meet US and say, "You cannot hold your
corn, because you are in debt" and l ad-
nit it. Then here. comes the question,
Was that debt necessity or could we, by
some economy, somehow, have got along
without making the debt or mortgage on
our corn and pork. which is what we do
when We incnr these dehts for reaners