INTRODUCTORY HISTORY. 7 



have" been discovered, throughout the length and breadth of the 

 land, by those who were interested, those who sympathized, to 

 be the politician and the demagogue ; but the discovery pro- 

 duced little or no effect. It remained for the farmer himself, 

 after several ineffectual attempts, to solve the problem, and in 

 so doing challenge the respect and admiration of the thinking 

 world. The solution of this question, and the demand for its 

 enactment into law, have no parallel in all history. It is an 

 uprising of the conservative element of the people, the brain 

 and brawn of the nation. It is a protest against present condi- 

 tions ; a protest against the unequal distribution of the profits 

 arising from labor in production ; a protest against those eco- 

 nomic methods which give to labor a bare living, and make 

 capital the beneficiary of all life's pleasures and comforts. It is 

 a protest against continual toil on the one hand, and continual 

 ease and comfort on the other. It is a protest against forced 

 economy, debt, and privation to the producer, and peace, plenty, 

 happiness, and prosperity to the non-producer. 



The farmers have learned the secret, that organization, unity 

 of action, and continuity of purpose, on their part, will in the 

 end unite all sections, enrich all communities, and make every 

 citizen equal before just laws. Intelligence to organize, fellow- 

 feeling enough to unite, and manhood sufficient to stand firm, 

 are the necessary requirements to bring this about. Organiza- 

 tion is now the order of the day. It is the motive power that 

 rules and guides the world. Without it the best of causes will 

 not succeed, while with it the worse cause may prosper for a 

 time. In the great struggle of life, as society is now constituted, 

 organized evil must be met with organized good ; organized 

 greed with organized equity. In the combination of kindred 

 forces lie the astonishing results of modern undertakings. 



Individual enterprises are at a discount in the commercial 

 world for many reasons. The individual may die and the 

 whole business pass necessarily into the hands of those less 

 competent to direct ; or the individual may make a false move 

 and thereby jeopardize the entire venture through an error in 

 his single judgment ; or, again, he may fall under the influence 

 of bad habits and wreck the business through neglect or fast 

 living. All these contingencies are impossible with an organi- 



