FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 117 



As a consequence of singing that and other songs, the flood of immi- 

 gration began to come to our shores. It struck our eastern border like a 

 tidal wave, and recoiled on the Pacific shore, and in consequence, in every 

 city of any importance, all over the United States, we have the Irish, and 

 the English, and the German quarter, and every other quarter but the 

 American quarter. 



One of the foremost educators of his day, Ira Mahew, said that our 

 schoolhouses were the arsenals wherein were forged and made those pub- 

 lic and private virtues which insure the perpetuity of this government. 

 If those words were true, and I believe they were, and are, what ought to 

 be the position of the farmers of Michigan today with regard to their dis- 

 trict schools? Superintendent Pattengill says that the little red school- 

 house is the conservator of our liberties, and if that is true, the teachers 

 Who go into those schoolhouses ought to be American citizens. We 

 thought so at Lansing, and we passed a law that all teachers after arriv- 

 ing at the age of 21 years, should be American citizens. We passed 

 another law, that the flag of our country should be displayed in every 

 schoolhouse. Some thought that was an unwise thing to do, but in 

 view of the fact that we have so many different nationalities besides 

 Americans here, it seems to me that it is wise to place it not only before 

 the children, but so they can see that old flag in front of the schoolhouse; 

 and I would have it enshrined in the heart of every teacher and pupil so 

 that a spirit of loyalty shall grow in every schoolhouse in the State of 

 Michigan. We passed that law, not for the sake of the money it was 

 going to expend, but that we might build up within the hearts of the 

 children in Michigan a love of country and a desire to see its principles 

 vindicated. 



On the whole, I believe that the legislature of Michigan tried to act 

 for the best interests of the people within this great State. No law is 

 better than the moral sentiment behind it, and it is a duty which you as 

 agriculturists owe to this great State, that you be not only law abiding 

 citizens yourselves, but that you insist that everyone else be law abiding, 

 and if a law is wrong, there is the easiest way in the world to get it 

 repealed. 



DISCUSSION. 



K. L. Butterfield: The farmers have been expecting the legisla- 

 ture to send them certain things they wanted, and usually those things 

 have not come. In some cases, as in the instances mentioned tonight, 

 the farmers have gone for the measures themselves, and then they got 

 what they wanted. An illustration was given of what can be done. The 

 signs of the time all point to farmers' organizations, and to a larger 

 share of legislation which is not class legislation, but for the benefit of 

 all. I have been attending the State meeting of the farmers' clubs, 

 where the topic of taxtation was the only thing discussed. It was dis- 

 cussed with intelligence and earnestness, and it seemed to me that it is 

 a sign of great awakening among the farmers when these organizations 

 get to working along legislative lines, and in an intelligent way. 



There are two words that occur to me; one word is organize and the 

 other is concentrate. I do not think there is any use in toying to get legis- 

 lation, without first organizing thoroughly. There is no use in trying. 



