Year: 1873




turned against the railroad corporations.
and this was read at the farmers meet
ings amid unbounded applause. This
sort of thing will answer for time, but
soon nothing short of the earest az d
most conclusive reasons will be found TO
justify the new organization or to give


I permanent influence. The latest eff
fort in this line that we have met with
is the Fourth Of July address of Mr.. s.
NJ. Smith, the Secretary of the State
Farmers Association Of Illinois. After
dwelling upon the history of the move
ment its causes and incidental features,
Mr.. Smith makes three points. The first
is the educational character and effect
Of the clubs and oranges. They have
brought the question at stake directly
home to class of men who are peculi-
arly liable TO let little things drift and
to settle down in the feeling that " what
ever is, is right" This reason for estab.
fishing the clubs is good so.far as it goes
that is, it depends upon the validity
and Importance of the object of thus
gathering the farmers into special or
CARNATIONS and drilling them to act in
concert.


Secondly, Mr.. Smith declares that the
movement means an entire independence
IF all past political organizations. He
says: II we carry out this declaration
We shall make move that ill eventu-
ally free US from tyranny worse than
that from which our fathers emancipat-
ed themselves by the war of the Revolu-
tion )" aud, with an enthusiasm quite
mlllenial, he adds: "The greatest and
most important victory that we shall
achieve in this battle for the right, will
he to throw off the shackles of party,
and stand forth enfranchised freemen,
acting upon higher principle than that
Of voting for men who have no better
recommendation than that they belong
to our party" This sounds as beautiful
ly as the word Mesopotamia," did TO
the good old lady when it was spoken
by her favorite preacher; and perhaps
it Is quite as meaningless. As we under
stand the matter, all these Oranges have
recently come out from two old parties,
if they hare come out, and probably
they are not very much changed from
what they were before. We see that
many of the leaders were formerly ac-
tive politicians. and they keep up very
much the same sort of activity now. As
tor voting for men who have no better
recommendations than that they belong
to our party" we notice the new party
is acting already precisely like the old
ones. Its adheIents, of course, will say
that their candidates have better rec
ommendation than that of belonging to
their party, and that is just what the Re-
publicans and Dem Gratis always said Of
their candidates. In short, this political
pretence OF the new organization is
transparently specious. In a State, for
instance, like Iowa, where the Republi-
cans carry every county and almost eve
ry township. what can any other party
accomplish that they cannot? At best
the new party can be but local one,
founded on single and temporary issue.
If it should prove to attain to a more
comprehensive character, then it would
have all the despotic habit of subordi-
mating individual freedom to partisan
Interests which is now charged against
the old parties. Here is where the cat
lies under the meal tub.


Thirdly, Mr.. Smith refutes the asser-
tion that the Farmers movement means
TO make the railroads carry freight at
loss. Such an absurdity and injustice
as that was not imputed to them by any
sensible men, but if the charge bad got
abroad it was we'll to correct it. 1t is
meant that the CO porations shall do the
fail thing toward the producers and the
other interests concerned. This is the
whole object of the (non-political) farm
ers in this matter, it is very easily told,
but how TO bring it about is the rub.
That to tegistate is not quite SO effectual,
is apparent from the experiment already
Initiated by the State OF Illinois. The
law which there went into effect last
week, regulating fares and freights on
pro rata principle, has created breeze
among the farmers Of Iowa. When the
latter put their produce on the lowe
railroads which run into Illinois and
connect with the Illinois system, which
principle is to rule? The Railroad Com
missioners of Illinois have decided in
such cases to make no exception in favor
of roads coming in from other states
which adds to the prices paid by the
farmers of Illinois, and they retort with
the decision of an Iowa court to The eff
feet that freight contracts made in Iowa
to any point in Illinois, over roads op-