THE GROWTH OF GRIEVANCES. 201 



to get along, and pay the interest on the mortgage, large or 

 small, as the case might be, on his farm. If he had any 

 thing to sell, say a load of wheat, it was taken to market. 

 The merchant was asked, &quot;What are you paying for 

 wheat ? &quot; He might think the price offered too small, 

 but the next dealer was asked, and the next, and the. next, 

 and the price was always the same. Here was a combination 

 a monopoly, if you choose to call it so by which, two, three 

 or a dozen country merchants ruled the price of produce in 

 the town. The farmer might sell or not, he was not ob 

 liged, there was no coercion ; for could he not haul it back to 

 his granary? But if he did, what then? Haul it back 

 once more, and take the price offered, at last. 



Here and there, scattered far or near, were individual 

 farmers, who had educated themselves to business habits, 

 had regularly read the journals devoted to their interests, 

 and had kept a close account of the profit and loss of the 

 farm. This exceptional class, when prices were low, held 

 their grain, and, when the market was right, sold in bulk, 

 buying, perhaps, of their neighbors to make good the quan 

 tity contracted for. Here, again, was another monopoly, 

 and a legitimate one, which simply illustrates the advantages 

 of educating one s self to his business in life. The enterpris 

 ing farmer was coerced into this course, from the fact that 

 no means seemed available to enable him to co-operate with 

 his fellows for a more general good. 



THE GROWTH OF GRIEVANCES. 



By and by, a few individuals in a neighborhood would 

 form a Club or Society, to discuss their real or supposed 

 grievances, and systems of cultivation ; gradually, newspapers 



would find their way into the homes of the members ; and, 

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