27 



the masses from wliom tlic accumulations arc gathered ought 

 to be correspondingly increased. If the blood flows but in one 

 direction only, life will be soon extinguished ; and if the profits 

 of labor flow towards the already rich, without the proper re- 

 turn to the laborer, the laborer must soon become exhausted. 

 The merchant who assists the producer in getting his products 

 to market and consumption, is performing a service of great 

 value to the various branches of business in which he partici- 

 pates. The producer is not usually a good man to introduce 

 his products into market ; the middle man is a necessity, and 

 any effort to get rid of him will result unfavorably both to the 

 producer and consumer. But of what value to any one can 

 the man be who sells millions of bushels of grain, and millions 

 of bales of cotton, never produced, never to be produced, who 

 constantly sells but never delivers, wlio is simply betting upon 

 pi'ices, upon the providence of God and the credulity of the 

 public, upon his capacity to demoralize the market and rob the 

 honest dealer and consumer. There is now a large class of 

 men who only gamble in prices, but do not deal in merchan- 

 dise ; and when sales appear to be largest, often tlie least goes 

 into the market. These gamblers produce nothing valuable, 

 and are the means by which large numbers of people are being 

 defrauded ; they create a distaste for honest labor, and their 

 influence is greatly demoralizing. " He that hasteth to be rich 

 shall not be innocent." It is within the power of the State to 

 prohibit this mode of gambling, and to punish those engaged 

 in it, and it is the duty of the State to do this at once. 



OUR COMMERCE. 



Our country is naturally a commercial, as well as an agricul- 

 tural country, and it is for the interest of agriculture that our 



