THE FARMERS MUST AROUSE THEMSELVES. 75 



body politic, they will have none to blame save themselves. 

 The initial point upon which all this must hinge, so far as 

 concerns the farmer, is the neighborhood Club or Grange, in 

 like manner as with Unions among artisans. The latter 

 class, by the way, are still far in advance of the farmers in 

 this respect. Their organizations can make themselves felt, 

 and are growing daily in power and importance. 



FARMERS MUST AROUSE THEMSELVES. 



Farmers, you must arouse yourselves to the dignity and 

 importance of your calling. You must educate yourselves 

 to that intellectual status which will enable you to rule, as 

 you are entitled to do by your numerical strength, instead 

 of being ruled, as now, by classes in nowise your superiors, 

 save as you permit them so to make themselves. 



To do this, you must work, you must read, you must 

 think ! You must combine, and support the organizations 

 for your elevation and advancement already founded. You 

 must array yourselves in solid column, and insist, by your 

 voting power, that the law-makers whom you elect do their 

 duty, by subserving the interests of the whole people, and 

 not those of merely a class. 



A nation should be represented by its dominant industries. 

 Agriculture is the dominant interest of the United States. 

 You have the power, if you choose to use it. You represent 

 a majority of the voting power, and your productions con 

 stitute one-half the gross annual value of all the products of 

 all the varied industries of the country, or nearly four 

 thousand millions of dollars. 



The artisan should have his full share of representation, 

 and the merchant, the manufacturer, and the other profes 

 sions should have theirs. Nay, even the gambler in stocks 



