Year: 1872

tion of what it will take to keep the


farmers soul and body together and


leave him enough strength to make


them another crop. Their calcula-


tiOns having been made out with


great care, they bind themselves in


writing to charge the schedule of


prices which is then made out and
subscribed to. If any merchant in


the city refuses to join the conspir-


acy against the farmer, the com


bined influence of the ring is turned


against him to crush him, and he is


branded, irresponsible and unreliable


The profession of medicine is so


crowded that they find it necessary


to pledge themselves to a given


schedule of prices, and these prices


fall with crushing weight upon the
| poor men of the country.


The number Of lawyers in every


town and city is largely in excess


of the actual number necessary to


transact all the business committed


to them. They call meeting, and


estimate the amount of business, as
near as possible, that viii probably


fall into their hands. They then es-
innate their cost of living, the
amount necessary to supply them
with every luxury-cigars and fine
liquors, the number of evening
rides they will take and the prices
of the finest horses and buggies at
the livery stables. All these ex-
penses having been summed up,
they make out a schedule of
charges, and all, young AID old,
bind themselves to adhere to these
prices. The fiedgling lawyer thinks
that his attainments and talents are
worth as much as the fully maturcd
barister who has grown gray in the
work, and whose fame is not circum-
| seribed by county or State lines.
Men of judgment discriminate be-
tween the real value of the two class
es of lawyers as readily as q well in
formed stock man win discriminate
between a fine blooded racer and a
spawned colt. The fine horse and
the scrub colt being offered at the
same price, judge will not hesitate
to take the fine horse; but the
jockey, it is true, may take the colt
to the rural districts and pass it off
for a thoroughbred racer. Just sc
the spawned or string halted lawyer
may pass himself off on the ignorant
and unsuspecting for Marshall, a
Kent or a Blackstone.


In every county towh of any i'm
portance we frequently find twenty
lawyers more than necessary for the
interest of the county. These are
supported by the agricultural and
labOring classes; and if they are
not well supplied with all that they
want, they hold 4 Convention-a
County Convention, or a State Con
ventiOn, so c0lled-in which law
yer is frequently chairman, and this |
chairman appoints a committee
of chosen lawyers, for the most |
part, to draw up resolutions eX-
pressive of the wishes of all TIE |
county, or State, to nominate a law
yer, Ostensi6ky to represent the Ia
boring men and farmers Of the coun- |
try in the State Legislature or Con
gress, but really to represent their
own interests. And these men /
when elected distribute their prac-
tice (if they have any, among those
who nominated them. In this way |
their ranks are somewhat thinned |
and the practice partially concentra
ted. If the balance are still unable |
to live as comfortably as they would
desire, they meet together and con-
cOct a plan for passing some bill
through Congress or the State Leg
islatuTe to create mole offices to be
filed by lawyers. Thus the country,
already groaning and staggering un-
der the enormous weight of taxa
tiOn, is burdened with still more
taxes to support these new offices
and the number Of offices continues
to increase until we have a vast ar
my of Office-holders and tax-gather
ers to eat out the substance of the
country. Laws are passed to pro-
mote and encourage litigatiOn-tO
encourage strife, contention and
discOrd rather than peace, harmony
and concord. For law practice is
not indigenous to a temperate and
peaceful climate, but 1ourishes best
in stormy latitudes, where discord-
ant elements disturb the public
peace.


1 think I will be sustained in the
assertion that large proportion of
all the important offices of honor
and trust are filed by lawyers. The
great agricultural ard labor ing class
es,whO pay not part, but all the tax
es, support them. These facts
plainly point to the influences which
operate with overwhelming power
against the agricultural interest 90
make it profitable.


Now, since the prosperity of
nation depends upon the develop
ment of its agricultural and mineral
rssources-since the farm is the
foundation stone upon which rests
the great superstructure of national
wealth and prOspeFity-since the
vast and pondeTOus machinery of
national government is upheld and
propelled by the bone and sinew of
the land; it is proper and wise
that Our lawmakers should be Sc
lected nom that class who are di-
rectly interested in agriculture, and
who would be likely TO protect this
great source of all national prosper
ity. This class is very scaEce in
the halls of legislation. The hard
working yeomerTy of the country /
are unrepresented; the true and vi
tai interest of the land is not repre-
sented. Hence the vast horde of
Office holders and tax gatherers.
If the taxpayers represented them
selves, every effort would be made
to curtail the expenses Of govern
ment by reducing the vast army OF /
Office holders who are fed from the
public crib, which is continually re-
plenished by the sweat Of the farm
er's brow.


Then, we should have equal. wise |
and salutary laws, of which all the /
citizens alike would reap the bene- |
fits; laws to protect the persons and |
DrODerfv of all. laws to promote /