86 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



If manufactured wool is threatened with free importation, the manufac- 

 turers send a lobby forthwith to Congress, and woolen goods are protected. 

 Yet raw avooI is free. The only remedy is for farmers to work together, to 

 organize, and see to it that their rights are looked after. Let your boys feel 

 that agriculture is honorable. Send them to our Agricultural Colleges, 

 rather than to Military Academies. Give your girls, through our Granges, 

 social life, and they need not blush to be farmers' girls. They will learn to 

 appreciate the men of the country, and be justly proud of belonging to the 

 best aristocracy — that of the land. 



Pres. Willits: I am looking for light on this subject. Tweed said when 

 he had stolen his millions, '' What are you going to do about it?" Wm. 

 II. Vanderbilt is ciedited with exclaiming wlien reminded of the rights of 

 the people, " Damn the people!" It is all very well to meet and talk about 

 these things, but the question is what can be done in the case. The farmer 

 does not fix the prices of his products. How are you going to manage it 

 that he shall do so? In 187-"}, I was one of a commission appointed by Gov. 

 Bagley to revise the constitution, and yet, when we submitted the amend- 

 ments, you buried them so deep Gabriel's trumpet would not raise them. 

 You talk about corporations. That constitution placed restrictions upon 

 them and you voted it down. Our constitution provided against consoliila- 

 tion of competing railroads, but the railroads evade the provision by leasing, 

 thereby having all the benefits of consolidation. The revised constitution 

 provided against that, and you voted it down. 



One hundred years ago, London had no lighted streets, and men went 

 about nights with lanterns. The ordinance provided against any one being 

 out after a given hour without a lantern. It was evaded by having lanterns 

 but no cand'es. So the ordinance was amended by requiring lanterns with 

 candles in them. It was again evaded by having unlit candles. So it was 

 again amended by requiring a lighted candle. It took legislation three times 

 to get the ordinaiu^e so that it would hold water, so to S])eak. 



So with this corporation legislation. Up to this time there has been legis- 

 lation and evasion, and too frequently the people have not sustained the 

 legislature, or the men who have sought to limit and restrain, and I confess 

 that I am discouraged. It is a ditficult subject. We cannot get along with- 

 out corporations. Know what to do? The individual charges you for half 

 way across Grand Kapids what the corporation will take you half way to 

 Jackson for. Give the devil his due. Don't kill off corporations, but con- 

 tiol them. Fire is a good servant, but a bad master. So of corporations. 

 As to discriminations. I had the pleasure of voting for the Ileagan bill, in 

 Congress. It provided against charging more for a short haul than a long 

 one. Nevertheless, in so doing, might you not make other difficulties ia 

 curing some. Organized capita! is the principle of the age and we can not 

 go back to Chinese methods they have no corporations. Instead of steam, 

 men transport and are beasts of burden. As a consequence they have no 

 poor-houses, a few rich men, but for all that we don't want to go to their 

 methods. 



Beecher says if our foresight was as good as our hindsight, we would all 

 get rich. So of land giants to railroads. When they were made, we all 

 favored them. Any company will vote a tax to gain a railroad, and when it 

 comes to paying the tax they growl. So as to giving lands to railroads. 



Hon. Geo. ¥. Richardson: President Willits has just found liimself 

 swamped with the question as to what is to be done. It is a difficult 



