FARMERS' CONGRESS. 



267 



F 



FARMERS' CONGRESS. The fourteenth 

 annual session of the Farmers' Congress of the 

 United States of America met in the Academy 

 of Music, Parkersburg, W. Va., Oct. 3, 1894, 

 where it held a four days' session. The hotels, 

 principal places of business, and private houses 

 were decorated with bunting, and "Old GHory" 

 played a conspicuous part in the stage decora- 

 tion of the large music hall. 



Addresses of welcome were made by the Hon. 

 John A. Hutch inson, as the representative of 

 Gov. McCorkal, of the State ; Dr. John A. Myers, 

 in behalf of the farmers of the State; and by 

 [Ion. W. H. Smith, Jr., Mayor of Parkersburg. 

 They were responded to by the president of the 

 congress, the Hon. Benjamin F. Clayton, of 

 Iowa; Col. Daniel Needham, President of the 

 New England Agricultural Society; and Hon. 

 J. M. Stahl, secretary of the congress. 



The president, in his annual address, said: 



It would seem that in the past eighteen months we 

 have almost reached the danger line in the agitation 

 between capital and labor. The loss to capital has 

 been great ; and the loss to the laboring man, by rea- 

 son of nonemployment, has been and will be felt 

 with greater force before the close of the coming 

 winter. The road to friendship and harmony be- 

 tween capital and labor would be short if stripped of 

 the imaginary conflict between the two. Capital 

 and labor are one and inseparable in the progress of 

 the world. The feeling within us is strong to say 

 that " labor is king " ; that labor should enjoy the ad- 

 vantages that have been wrung from the hard condi- 

 tions of its environment. But wealth is the fulcrum 

 upon which labor rests and operates. Wealth, no 

 less than labor, renders luminous the pathway of the 

 ages. Whenever a monument has been raised, a dis- 

 covery made, an achievement accomplished, a conti- 

 nent discovered, a civilization changed, or a city 

 built, capital gave direction to labor. Where a river 

 lias been bridged, a mountain tunneled, a continent 

 crossed, and a nation webbed with iron trackage, it 

 lias been by the co-operation of capital and labor. 

 The busy wheels of commerce that disturb the quiet 

 of every community, the manufacturing establish- 

 ments that consume vast quantities of products, that 

 send out every needed implement and every neces- 

 sary article for man's use, that constructs the ship 

 lines that plow deep the vast waters of the high seas 

 to every market known to civilization, are the joint 

 results of capital and labor. 



The true American laborer is not wholly responsi- 

 ble for the destruction of life and property growing 

 out of the late agitation and labor strikes. We have 

 a foreign immigration whose principal business 

 seems to be to foment difficulty, and upon which the 

 Congress of the United States should act. The pride 

 of all true Americans is to extend a hospitable hand 

 to all who would come to our shores to better their 

 condition; but we want no fugitive from justice, 

 whose purpose is to overthrow law and order. Under 

 the proud flag of this great country there is room 

 for the oppressed and the down-trodden of all na- 

 tionalities that would better their social and politi- 

 cal condition; but the immigrant that expects pro- 

 tection > under our Constitution must leave behind 

 him his political vices, and must learn to be an 

 American citizen. 



As shown by the census report of 1890, the farm 

 values of the United States were as follow : 



F;irms and improvements $14,000.000,000 



Farm products, 1^90 2,400,170.484 



Live stock 2,208,767,573 



Farm implements 494,247,467 



Grand total $19,168,185,494 



This gives to the farming element of the United 

 States about 30 per cent, of the entire wealth of the 

 nation. When we include the landed interest, with 

 all that legitimately belongs to it, we control fully (56 

 per cent, of the wealth of the republic. In view of 

 this magnificent representation of what we claim as 

 legitimately belonging to farm resources, it should 

 be no surprise that we make an effort to protect our 

 splendid interests, and that we should approach the 

 Congress of the United States with the greatest con- 

 fidence of success iu securing a respectful hearing. 

 The American fanner is opposed to extreme and con- 

 stant agitation. To him the political arena has no 

 attraction so long as the afl'airs of State are adminis- 

 tered with economy and to the best interest of all the 

 people. 



I do not mean by this that the farmer and the agri- 

 culturist should take no part in politics. We should 

 not for a moment lay aside or forget our duty to so- 

 ciety and to the Government. At the risk of being 

 called a politician, it is our duty to see to it that the 

 political atmosphere is kept pure, and that the vicious 

 classes are held in check. 



Let me beg of each individual member of this con- 

 gress that he will give the congress the full benefit 

 of his experience. 



On call of the roll of States, the following 

 were chosen as the Committee on Resolutions, to 

 whom all resolutions were referred without de- 

 bate : 



Alabama, T. J. Key: Florida, W. A. Cooper; 

 Georgia, G. M. Kyals ; Illinois, J. B. Foley ; Indiana, 

 J. T. "Offitt; Iowa, L. S. Coffin; Maryland, D. Lvon 

 Rogers ; Massachusetts, Daniel Needham ; Missis- 

 sippi, Frank Wall; Montana. George D. Thomas; 

 New Hampshire, J. W. Sanborn ; New York, A. M. 

 Childs; North Carolina, J. R. Tillery ; Ohio, Judge 

 William Lawrence : Pennsylvania, Hon. H. F.James; 

 Rhode Island. lion. N. D. Pierce ; Tennessee, G. M. 

 Slaughter; Texas, R. F. Butler; Vermont, 0. M. 

 Tinkham; Virginia, R. R. Home; West Virginia, T. 

 C. Atkeson ; Michigan, A. Campbell. 



Among the resolutions adopted by the Con- 

 gress were these : 



That this Farmers' National Congress request the 

 President and Congress that an international con- 

 ference be called of all nations ready to unite in a 

 convention for the equal use of gold and silver as full 

 legal-tender money on sucli just ratio between the 

 two metals as may be agreed upon. 



That we are opposed to any legislation by Congress 

 which will have the effect to cause either gold or 

 silver to be exported so as thereby to leave substan- 

 tially only one of the metals as money in this country. 



That, to whatever degree either great political party 

 shall adopt the policy of protection, we, as representa- 

 tives of the farming interest, demand that an equal 

 protection be given to farm products; and that a 

 committee be appointed to confer with the committees 

 of Congress to secure an equal adjustment of such 

 schedules. 



That we, the representatives of this congress, pray 

 that the Congress of the United States intercede in 

 behalf of the farmers and shippers of stock ,_ to make 

 the law more stringent in regard to the shipping of 



