CHAPTER V. 



AMERICAN FARMERS CLUBS. 



AT THE TIME OF THE REVOLUTION. 



While eminent citizens of England were seeking, by 

 every legitimate means, to foster the interests of agricul 

 ture, a corresponding class in the then infant States of 

 America were not idle. Manufactures at that day were 

 comparatively unknown, or only in their infancy. Then 

 the foremost men of the nation were farmers, and derived 

 their revenue directly from the soil. Of those engaged in the 

 various professions of life, many still clung to the pursuit 

 of their youth, and gave their farms their personal super 

 vision. A large proportion of the heroes of the Revolu 

 tion left the plow for the battle-field, and when the war 

 was over returned again to their peaceful art. 



Those, indeed, were days that may never again return. 

 Then there was no swindling, no stock jobbing, no Credit 

 Mobilier, no open buying and selling of votes, no fine art 

 of lobbying, no overshadowing monopolies. The offer of a 

 bribe was scorned, and the tempter held up to public in 

 dignation. If the first American bribe-taker, the traitor 

 Arnold, could have been secured, he would have swung on 

 a gibbet higher than Haman. 



Alas ! how changed. In this day of fraud and corrup 

 tion, we see the bribe-taker and the swindling and drunken 

 (62) 



