274 



FARMERS 7 CONGRESS. 



understood from reliable authority that there was a 

 national convention of oatmeal manufacturers at 

 Des Moines, Iowa, and their movement was so quiet 

 as to escape the sharp eye of the reportorial stuff of 

 the Des Moines press. If you will figure the mar- 

 gins between the price paid for grain and the price 

 charged for mill products, there is no man but will 

 agree with me that those engaged in the milling 

 'business are not rendering reciprocal justice to the 

 producer of the cereal or to the consumer. 



" By legislation and by courts we have settled the 

 great principle that the public have a right to con- 

 trol these trusts, and corporations have accepted 

 that principle. What we now want is, that the 

 national and State executives lose no time in lay- 

 ing before Congress and the legislatures the evils 

 complained of, and suggest such remedies as will 

 check their further growth." 



On motion of Judge Lawrence, of Ohio, a com- 

 mittee was appointed to examine the president's 

 address and prepare a memorial to Congress upon 

 the suggestions it contained. The committee con- 

 sisted of Hon. William Lawrence, of Ohio; Mrs. 

 0. S. Foley, of Illinois ; Mrs. J. M. Strahn, of Iowa ; 

 J. F. Branson, of Nebraska ; John Stotze, of Ohio ; 

 and J. A. Myers, of West Virginia. 



The president then announced the following 

 standing committees : 



On Finance: Will B. Powell, Pennsylvania; J. 

 C. Offutt, Indiana; J. G. Avery, Massachusetts; J. 

 Quirk, Minnesota ; J. H. Baker, Maryland. 



On Location: Mrs. Ada M. Ewing, Iowa: F. II. 

 Appleton, Massachusetts ; Jason Sexton, Pennsyl- 

 vania ; D. 0. Lively, Texas ; D. G. Purse, Georgia. 



On Resolutions : William Lawrence, Ohio ; H. D. 

 Land, Alabama; H. H. Harris, Illinois; Joshua 

 Strange, Indiana; J. II. Whetzel, Iowa; J. H. Baker, 

 Maryland ; R. G. F. Candage, Massachusetts ; W. 

 M. Hayes, Minnesota; Mrs. A. M. Edwards, Ne- 

 braska ; G. A. Stockwell, Rhode Island ; D. 0. Live- 

 ly, Texas. 



After a lively discussion the following memorial 

 was adopted : 



"To the Congress of the United States: The 

 Farmers' National Congress is composed of 2 dele- 

 gates at large from each State and 1 delegate from 

 each congressional district of the United States, 

 besides a large number of advisory delegates from 

 each State. Its object is to advance the agricul- 

 tural interests of the country. At the session of 

 this congress in Indianapolis, Nov. 10-13, 1896, the 

 Hon. Benjamin F. Clayton delivered his annual ad- 

 dress and the undersigned committee was directed 

 to consider it and prepare a memorial to the Con- 

 gress of the United States. 



" The Farmers' National Congress is not a polit- 

 ical organization, but it has political objects, among 

 which are to secure legislation, State and national, 

 in the interests of agriculture on nonpartisan lines 

 by the co-operation of men of all political parties. 

 Besides this, like the Patrons of Husbandry, or 

 Grange organization, this congress demands that the 

 general policy of a protective tariff shall be adopted 

 by the Government of the United States, and that 

 the products of agriculture shall share its benefits 

 equally with the most favored of other industries. 



"The recent election for President and repre- 

 sentatives in Congress has for a time settled the 

 question that 'the most ample protection' shall be 

 extended to agricultural products in common with 

 those of other industries. This memorial, there- 

 fore, represents the requests of farmers of all polit- 

 ical parties. In view of the policy settled by the 

 recent election, the annual address of the distin- 

 guished and able President of the Farmers' National 

 Congress discusses the effect of tariff legislation as 

 found in the tariff acts of Nov. 1, 1890. and Aug. 



28, 1894. In view of these considerations this me- 

 morial asks the Congress of the United States to 

 give the 'most ample protection' for farm products 

 of the classes mentioned that is, protective duties 

 which will give the whole market to American 

 farmers. Among these productions may be named : 

 1, cotton ; 2, hemp ; 3, flax ; 4, wheat ; 5, corn ; 6, 

 barley; 7, oats; 8, potatoes; 9, hops; 10, dairy 

 products; 11, garden vegetables; 12, poultry and 

 eggs; 13, live stock for use as food; 14, some kinds 

 of tobacco ; 15, small fruits ; 16, apples and other 

 orchard fruits; 17. hay." 



Hon. A. M. Soteldo, delegate from Venezuela, 

 was introduced and spoke feelingly of the friendship 

 between the two republics. 



After the report of the committee fixing upon St. 

 Paul, Minn., as the next place of meeting. ex-Presi- 

 dent Benjamin Harrison was introduced, and in 

 part said : 



" I came here this morning simply to make ac- 

 knowledgment of the compliment you have shown 

 me by inviting me to appear before this convention. 

 I suppose that politics is barred and that this is 

 strictly an agricultural meeting. I am not learned 

 in agriculture, though I was born and reared upon 

 the farm, and whatever education I acquired was 

 paid for by the proceeds of corn and wheat and 

 hogs. It is very much the custom of the time and 

 a very natural custom it is that men of a particu- 

 lar vocation should associate themselves together 

 with a view of promoting their interests, and not 

 selfishly the interests of the few, but the interests of 

 the great class to which they belong, to study the 

 principles that underlie a successful prosecution of 

 a particular calling, and to cultivate fraternity and 

 acquaintance. The times are full of such asso- 

 ciations, and I think they should be encouraged. 

 When men engaged in a particular calling from 

 high motives associate themselves together and 

 pursue those high motives in their association only 

 good can result. But we must not forget when we 

 form a lawyers' association, or a farmers' associa- 

 tion, or an association of laboring men, that our 

 object and aim should not be wholly selfish. In- 

 deed, I think I may say that if we were absolutely 

 selfish in our purposes and thought only of our own 

 good, the good of the class and of the individual of 

 the class, we should find that good most highly pro- 

 moted by taking a broad view of things and by ad- 

 mitting to our deliberations this thought : that it is 

 not possible, for one class to be highly prosperous 

 while all other classes are suffering ; that there is an 

 interdependence in all our business and social rela- 

 tions, and that this is highly developed in a free 

 government like ours. In other words, in a broad 

 sense, we prosper together and we suffer together ; 

 we are interdependent. I think sometimes the con- 

 ceit of the farmer has been unduly promoted when 

 it has been said that he is at the bottom of every- 

 thing and that he belongs to an independent class, 

 that cities are not of much account, and that farms 

 are God's work and enduring. What would the 

 farm be without the town, and what would the town 

 be without the farm ? The cities furnish the popu- 

 lation that consumes the product of the farm, and 

 the farm furnishes the subsistence of the city. As 

 I heard a friend say the other day, 'It is the city 

 for the country, anil the country for the city, and 

 all for the flag.'' We are all rejoicing with you just. 

 now even those who have to buy our breadstuff 

 and provisions that you are getting a little better 

 price for wheat and corn than you have been get- 

 ting, and we think it is highly unselfish on our part 

 that we should be willing to pay a little more for 

 flour and meal and bacon that you should have a 

 better chance on the farm. 



" My thought is, if you think there are wrongs 



, 



