Year: 1875

evil the people, In tnelr lndlVldual ca
pacity ARE powerless, and only through
their united action as sovereigns can
they obtain redress. In some of the
States something of this has been
done, but it has been necessarily frag-
mentary and wholly imperative on
through freights. 1t is utterly i'm
practical for the several States to act
in concert through the different Legis-
latures. Isee, then,no solution of this
question for the people of the several
States, though their Representatives
to the General Government, to stretch
out their strong arm between the peo-
pie and those corporations. | know |
speak the sentiments of the people
when say we would do no wrong to
the capital nominally invested in rail-
roads. We fully recognize their ca
pacity for good, and all their just
claims, but we demand justice and


PROTECTION FOR THE PEOPLE.


But even if railroads do carry at fair
rates, still the fact stares us in the face
that transportation of heavy commod-
tiles is at least an expensive luxury,
and our true policy is to bring pro-
ducer and consumer nearer together,
and so the less transporting. We, of
the South and West especially, should
spare no pains to introduce and foster
manufactures in our midst, that we be
not obliged to transport our raw ma
terial and the manufactured article in.
We of the East, where manufactures
are many and strong, should with
equal assiduity, promote the cultiva-
tiOn of the raw material, that the ter
rible strain of transportation be les
sened. have long ago said that the
history of the world or its present con-
dition does not afford single exam
pie Of country which has remained
permanently prosperous by the pro-
duction and expectation of the raw
material, but their tendency is all the
time toward a tendency of despond-
ence and poverty. This position has
not been disputed, and, / believe, can
not be. How important, then, that
we cultivate the most amicable rela-
tions between all the productive in
dustries as only by mutual develop
ment can be mutually prosperous, and
the whole body polite to be maintain
ed in vigorous health. A thousand
years ago, learned and thoughtful
chemists devoted the energies of a life
time to vain search for the wonder
full philosophers stone, whose magic
touch should convert the baser metals
into purest gold, and thus fill the
whole world at once with the wealth
and luxury. To-day we have numer-
Gus citizens who are eagerly


PURSUING THE SAME PHANTOM.


They are torturing their poor brains
to devise some plan whose talismanic
power will transmute bits of printed
paper into countless millions of actual
money of such suitable nature that,
true as the needle to the pole, it shall
go straight to the pockets of the poor,
and, like "Will o. the Wisp," forever
evade the clutches of the rich.


1t is an indisputable fact that our
country is now seriously suffering from
a arrangement of finances. We need
not be at loss to know the cause. 1T
is a solemn reality that our country
has passed through most wasting
civil war. 1t cost us in money, time
lost, industry disturbed, material de-
stroyed, production stopped, more than
$4,000, 100000. This immense sum
. Woo IN four years subtracted from the
wealth of the country. 1t was con-
sumed and forever gone. 1t made us
comparatively poor. To bridge over
the emergency of the hour, the Gov
ernment issued great volumes of ire
deemable paper currency, which we
used as money, and thus for a time
disguised and hid our poverty. BY
using this currency our judgment of
valuables became more and more con-
fused as we drifted further and further
from the worlds standard. We totally
failed to realize our changed circum-
stances and to inaugurate cores
ponding system of economy and in
dustry, and consequently, with an
inheritance of debt, extravagant hab-
its and distorted judgment of values,
we have been necessarily drifting to
leeward. Out of the trouble there is
no royal road. Only by return to
habits of industry and economy guided
by intelligence, can we regain our
wealth and remove our load of debt.
AS an auxiliary to this we want


A STABLE AND SOUND CURRENCY


That shall be reliable measure of
values, and recognized as such by all
the civilized world. For we may gain
this truth from others and our own
history: that an irredeemable, fiuctu-
ating cum ency always favors specu-
lators and sharpers at the expense of
those engaged in productive industry.
In an Order like ours, which is still in
the formative state, it has not seemed
strange that many cases have pre-
sented themselves during the last year
which were provided for by no written
law. To meet these emergencies, it
has devolved upon me as the chief
executive OF the Order, to make nu-
merous rules for our temporary guild
ance. These have been placed in the
hands of your committee for arrange
ment, and will be submitted for your
consideration. Some cases having
arisen involving points of such doubt
full expediency that / have hesitated
to take the responsibility of making
rulings. To cover this, additional leg
islation will be needed. An amend
ment to the Constitution has been
adopted and ratified, providing for
county Oranges under the direction of
State Oranges. l am fully convinced
from visiting several States that the
widest possible difference will exist in
the organization and management of
these Oranges in the different States.
Under proper and efficient rules they
cannot fail to be of eminent value to
the Order, but if loosely and carelessly
constructed they will be source of
endless annoyance and confusion. AS