THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONPOLIES. 525 



end of the season that themselves, their wives, and 

 children are worn and discouraged, and have not ac- 

 complished as much as had been attempted or expected. 

 Why? Because they have worked like oxen and not 

 like men, and have depended on muscle alone instead 

 of making it an auxiliary of the mind, and they treat 

 themselves to the luxury of a good, long, hearty growl 

 at members of all other industries for combining tc 

 oppress the poor farmer. They growl at the shoe- 

 maker ; they growl at the merchant ; they growl at the 

 railroad; they growl at the commission men; they 

 growl at everybody and everything that lives by using 

 its wits in sponging, cheating, and oppressing the hard- 

 working farmer. This horde of cormorants are growled 

 at, whined at, and snarled at, because they filch from 

 the farmer his hard-earned dollars and live in luxury 

 and ease thereon. Speakers at agricultural and political 

 meetings, and writers in agricultural papers repeat these 

 complaints, and ring the same charges over and over 

 again, in season and out of season, until themselves and 

 most farmers really believe that the tillers of the soil 

 are the most industrious, moral, intelligent, hardwork- 

 ing, abused, persecuted lambs in the world, and every- 

 body else are wolves, seeking whom they may devour. 

 " Now. as one who was born on a farm, reared on a 

 farm, has spent the flower of his days on a farm, and 

 still earns his bread by tilling the soil, I know my 

 brother farmers will forgive me if I do not follow in 

 and repeat this strain, but tell plainly the naked, disa- 

 greeable truth. Many of these complaints are true, 

 and we ought to be ashamed of ourselves that such is 

 the disgraceful fact. Here is a class of people exceed- 

 ing any other in numbers and wealth, and claim- 



