VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 1 29 



to work and make Congress understand that the people want it. The 

 time has not yet come in this country when a lobby is stronger than an 

 aroused public sentiment. It does not take much to whip an army that 

 is asleep. Let simple justice be done our farmers in this matter. They 

 have deserved it. The farm has given to the country the great bulk 

 of its statesmen. The master minds of the professions, of finance and 

 of trade have come from the country. The farmer boys whipped the 

 regular soldiery of Great Britain in the Revolution, went down to the 

 silent city by thousands at Shiloh, in the Wilderness and at Gettysburg 

 and upon every battlefield of the nation proved their love of country by 

 their blood. 



Nobody ever heard of farmers defying the law. They are the 

 respecters of law and its defenders. They should be alive to the rights 

 as well as to the duties of citizenship. A farmer ought to know the 

 details of the business. He should obey the law. But. more than this, 

 he should make himself felt in the making of the law. He is not a good 

 citizen unless he does. He is part of the law-making power in theory, 

 and he should be in fact. One ward-heeler can sometimes make more 

 noise and command more influence than one hundred thousand farmers 

 who are "too busy to fuss with politics." This government cannot be 

 safely handed over to professional politicians. Many of these gentlemen 

 are entirely worthy of respect and confidence. But this is not an 

 oligarchy. The fountainhead of government in this country is in the 

 homes of the people, and there should be life and interest there about 

 public questions. 



This government will become ideal when every citizen performs all 

 his duties as a citizen. When that time comes there will be no 

 "problems of municipal government," questions as to how the people can 

 be protected from public robbers. The rascals are not in the majority. 

 When every man takes part in the primaries of his party, all parties will 

 nominate men of character for office. If this is not true, government 

 by the people is a failure. 



In conclusion, we want in the States food laws which shall stop the 

 sale of foods and drugs that endanger the public health, and which shall 

 compel all food products to be sold for exactly what they are. In the 

 nation we want the strong arm of Federal authority used to stop inter- 

 state commerce in all forms of food except those which are wholesome 

 and honest. The farmers of the country can bring about these results 

 if they will exercise their power. 



Professor Hills. — I want to say amen to every word but one that 

 Mr. Adams has said this morning. Speaking of preservatives, he 

 said they were a God-send to the thriftless and the unciean. Those 

 things come from perdition, and not from God. They are not God- 

 sent for the thriftless, but perdition-sent. Dr. Wiley states that thus far 

 there have been no experiments upon babes, but, nevertheless, there 

 came to my knowledge, and I speak earnestly, because I know her and 

 know the father, I have known of an experiment upon a babe with 



