1/8 AMERICAN FARMS. 



depend altogether upon the numbers who turn out. An- 

 tecedents do not count with these. At such important 

 times a half-holiday is usually granted. " Election day ! " 

 " Hurrah for Edgar Thompson ! " " Hurrah for the age 

 of steel ! " This great army of toilers march and record 

 their votes in support of the majestic power of capital. 

 Their numbers decide the state of the poll before the 

 ballot closes. The friends of monopoly gather in crowds 

 around the booths, the opponents disappear, capital 

 wins ! " Hurrah for the hammer ! " " Hurrah for 

 patriotism and progress ! " A daring sceptic may have 

 the hardihood to wait the sheriff's decision, and upon 

 this outburst he very well suggests that it would be 

 better if they could hurrah for " liberty, patriotism, and 

 progress." He would be told that "the man who cries 

 'liberty' is an enemy to his country." The daring op- 

 ponent might well retort that, " at the back of all this, 

 there is a despotism which will one day crush us all.'' 

 He would be told •' " If you don't like your country, you 

 had better get out." " Hurrah for the age of steel ! " 

 " There will be a grand dinner and an illumination 

 at the factory ! " " Hurrah for Mammon & Co ! " 

 Farmers of America ! You have against you an or- 

 ganized enemy that requires a solid union of your whole 

 strength to combat, or you are most surely undone ! 



Though far from believing in unbridled liberalism, or 

 rather the extreme of egoism, I think there can be little 

 doubt that Mr. Herbert Spencer is correct in his claim 

 that one of the most alarming tendencies of our time is 

 the encroaching power of Parliaments, and the willing- 

 ness with which the people are surrendering one pre- 

 rogative after another to the control of legislators. By 

 such yielding up of the management of concerns, which 



