Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1892 — TO TEEFAFMERS. [ARTICLE]

TO TEEFAFMERS.

From Kctftlwnd Enterprise. Brother Farmers:—ls there any other cla-s of people, who have a greater interest in the welfare of their country, or in the' perpetuity of good govern inept; among men than we hive? ••* The only use we have as human beings for-any govern men i, is the safety of life, liberty,”-arid the protection cit our properly. Life c-..uufb litsi because it is most pieions. Everything., else will a man give for his life.” Brother farmers! Tere aregovernments among men even in this day and tiori, that do not protect either the life, the liberty or the property of the- citizemu But our lives are secure as far as law can make Jhem so. ‘Murderers there were from the iiLginiiiu <■' ” ■. F"Liberty comes next to life, and that also cannot be prized lightly. Liberty as individuals to do what we choose to we do not trespass on anothvrs rights, our law is bound to secure us protection in. Bui is not bound because it is the lair- to do for us anything else. And when we assert —as..some_d.0 > , —that the government shall do this, or do that, the government is not bound to do any And unless i cau be showjp that the doing of this, or that thing, will inure in good to every citizen, and every citizen alike who may wish to avail h | of the bene-. hl, Ulen the government is not only bound t.tL'do it, but has no just-lighi wither moral or legal to do it, because the government represents —as far as law is concerned -T*il the people in a collective capacity, and everything it has, whether of property or power, or any thing else, is the joint property or franchise of all and could not for tluii reason bemused for the benefit or advaniage o . a part. The powlr does not rest with the government to transfer one jot or tittle of my, or your fractional interest in the property or franchise of this government to any one else, nor to divide, nor to surrender, or dispossess, or in any manner alienate, or abdicate pover, possession of one dollar of money, or one acre of ground, or the personal services of an agent, or an officer, for the benefit of any one; or any number of ones —less than the whole, unless full compensation is hi ad e therefore.

Our government—so the constitution reads—was formed to promote, the general welfare. Chois'‘Ge neral Welfare"!” It is as much the ragged tramp on the high » ay —if he is lawabiding—as it is Vanderbilt. It is the old as well as the young, the foolish and the wise, ft is the decendants of religion-: persecution three hundred years ago, as also the oppressed of Europe that take refuge with us to-day. It is the great whole who have come out of bondage, through the Bed Sea of a common sacrifice of patriotic blood and treasure, the fruit of a common suffering' And who shall undertake to tear down or break-up this common ownership of blood-bought '’privileges? Here is where the only common ownership is not one oFtangible property—as the term is commonly used—but is one of yet greater value, as much greater as principle is greater than pelf; common or general privileges common liberty, common protection , the general welfare, the common defense.

The organic law says, to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility could it be insured without justice-provide for the common defense? Every expression used in the preamble which set forth the reason for forming a government is because the general good will be promoted by it . —L But the time is come, “and now is” when certain men—wise or otherwise —assert that the functions of our government are, or should be, entirely different They have set forth to the world their grievances, and published their demands wherein they assert that this government shall do certain

things for certain persons, which persons are not by any all the people. * They demand that the government shall loan money to certain persons who are but a part of the people. I hey require that government shall build warehouses for certain persons who are only a part of the people. They demand that the govtTnmenlLshall advance money on farm products to certain persons who are only a part of the people. Each and every one of these demands would require the government to tyke money or property which belongs to all the people—and which, the government only holds in trust for the common benefit—and use it for the benefit of certain persons who are only a part of the people. Why! the only fault tfitese men,' or anyfound, or can find against the government administration of affairs, is that some act has been done by which some few persons have been fovored at the expense of the whole people. '■ AVe havem this country over for ty-fi ve I Ittntsnll(l persons held in durance, who have meddled either with the life, liberty or property of some one else,and who have not regarded the law. The government, in its capacity of lawmaker is required to confine such people wlu-ie they will do the least harm. .. 1 :.IiZLI

It was said of the “devil” that if he conspired nguim-t himself his house could not stand. If our goyefnment shall play fast and loose, or in any manner disregard the oi gaiiic jaw by using the prop erty of this people, or in any manner infringing upon their liberty to do anything not unlawful and not a ties pass on the rights of others, or shall in any manner conveit the property of all, to the benefit of a part, does not the State itself then become a criminal, and committing a misdemeanor against the peace and dignity of her own realm ? The moment we ask the State to interefere, or in any manner attack the rights of others, we t hereby invite the same attack upon ourselves, our property, our rights.

Many there are whose property an be covered up, but not so the farmer; our homes and all we possess are exposed to pillage by the lawless; the torches of comm unifem and anarchy are struggling to be lighted in our land. There is an organized effort to place the Earmers’ Alliance on that side.

The good name of the farmer as a law abiding citizen is being blurted about by a lot of sore-head politicians who care no more for us than any one else, only to use us as a ladder on which they may climb to places of profit which they could not get on their own merits, and which they hope to get, through the belief that the farmer

is not posted as to the province of law under our form of government. Eet us show them, brother farmers, that we understand the character of the government under which we live. That while other governments may be run for the benefit of a part of the people, and that part the least needy, that our government is for all. We owe it to ourselves as men of average intelligence, to sit down on political schemes that have in them anything in favoritism for anyone; even though the favored ones be ourselves.

We have in this land a few who want the earth. We have also a few, yes quite a number, who want no individual ownership in property. Let these two classes offset each both are alike dangerous us as a people. But we have, thank God, agrect mass, an "overwhelming majority of hard working, industrious citizens, who love this government of their fathers, who can measure something of the cost of its procuring from the prosecution of the Hugenots, to the triumph of free labor, and not the least among these are the farmers—the thoughtful, the

honest, the conservative, the law abiding, patriotic farmer. Let us be wise m counsel, seeking only our country’s good, determining where justice stands in legislation, and standing, by her I side, help to guide safe y tire shrpl of State on which we all“musT ride to a common fort of good or evil. Corporations wliich get their life from the State through the law, should be controlled by the law, and made to In dill their contract to the people; and prevented from practicing extbiLon by unjust charges for services rendered the public. TAnd let “Uncle Sam” be to us as a people Uncle no more, ,but General Utility Sam. There is one more demand that we ought to make on the legislative department of our government and that is, that the people instead of a caucus shall rule. This demand should be made not in our interest, but in the interest of good government.

King Caucus is the one thing which prevents being done, that which was intended should be done in the very origin of our government; that is, that the wish of the majority should be the index for legislative enactmefat. Let it be no longer an excuse for the law-maker who fails to obey the instructions of his constituents, that he was overruled by the Caucus. Let the legislative districts each count one vote in every legislative’ body, and the majority of those votes dictate legislation as far as the popular branch is concerned. And if the Senate choose to sit down on the popular will thus ex- • pressed, let them look to their seats which may soon be warmed by more worthy men.

WM. W. GILMAN.

N. F. Jenkins will give his illustrat ed lecture “The Saloon Tree and the Fruit it Bears” April sth. Admission free. A silver collection will be taken at the close of the lecture. The lecture is made under the auspices of the W. C. T. U. The place of lecture announced later. Phillips Dramatic Co., at the Opera House to-night, in the farce Comedy Kathleen Mavourneen; Friday eve. Black Diamonds; Saturday eve. The greatest of American Dramas, Uncle Toms Cabin. Come and see a good entertainment and get the gold watch. Lawes. We have laid in a handsome .ne of cloth top shoes in lace and button. Also a line of low shoes the finest in the land; come and see them. Hemphill <fc Honan."