

Vol. 6. 



San Jose, Cal., iiugust, 1875. 



ITo. 8. 



A WHITE MAN'S SOCIETY. 



We attended a busiuess meeting of the 

 Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Society on 

 10th ult., and took some notes of proceed- 

 ings. Mr. A. C. Erkson — an annual member 

 who had paid his fee» in advance and was a 

 voting member when a previous meeting 

 passed an order allowing only life members 

 to vote, and which changed the constitution 

 so that annual members cannot vote — was 

 present, and put in an objection, and claimed 

 the right to vote as he had been a voter pre- 

 vious to the change. He would not bo dis- 

 franchised without contesting his right. Af- 

 ter considerable argument, the President de- 

 cided that he should be allowed to vote this 

 season. 



Mr. E. then moved to strike out the word 

 "life" in the constitution, so as to allow all 

 annual members to vote. He regarded it as a 

 serious wrong against the farmers and me- 

 chanics who mainly support the Society — 

 men who cannot afford to pay $50 at once, 

 but have freely paid their $5 a year into the 

 Society. He declared that no man with self- 

 respect could hereafter patronize the Society 

 as an annual member, unless the constitution 

 was changed back so that annual members 

 can vote and take part in the proceedings. 

 The imputation that had been made against 

 this class, that they would endanger the pro- 

 perty and prospects of the Society if allowed 

 to vote on business matters, Mr. E. thought 

 very unjust. The grounds belonging to the 

 Society have been largely paid for bj* annual 

 members. He had paid more money into the 

 treasury himself than many $25 or $50 mem- 

 bers, who never pay but once. 



Mr. C. T. Settle, who had voted to insert 

 "life," now opposed it also. He had talked 

 with a good many interested people, and 

 found that it would not do to make this So- 

 ciety a close corporation. An imputation that 

 tlie votes could be bought up he thought 

 would apply as justly to inside or life mem- 

 bers as to annual members. He did not want 

 to compel outside members to look upon this 

 Society as a "ring." 



Col. Younger, Carey Peebles, and J. R. 

 Weller insisted that none but life members 

 should be allowed to vote at their business 

 meetings. Eeasons as follows : Their valua- 

 ble grounds might be endangered if any one 

 by paying $5 could vote on any proposition. 

 Designing persons could bring in votes enough 

 to carrj' any measure. They had worked 

 hard and long for the good of the Society, 

 without one cent of pay, and would guard 

 their trust with every restriction possible. 

 They meant no injustice or disrespect to hon- 

 est annual members. Until this question 

 was broached, no annual member had at- 

 tempted to exercise the franchise in the meet- 

 ings. They cannot afford to risk this property 



to satisfy a clamor now. The community 

 should be disabused, and not blame them. 

 The doors were open to life members. They 

 desired the community generally to take an 

 interest in their affairs, etc. 



Putting the matter to a vote, it stood 11 to 

 i against permitting annual members to vote. 



Mr. Erkson then wished the constitution so 

 amended that any member outside of Santa 

 Clara county can hold office in the Society. 

 Killed— 11 to i. 



Mr. E., who said that ho would do all he 

 could to "purify" the Society, then proposed 

 striking out the word white where it reads, 

 "any white person can become a life member 

 member by paying $50," etc. Voted down — 

 11 to 4. 



The same gentleman then moved to strike 

 out the word white as applied to annual 

 memberships. Lost again, although some of 

 the dissenters said they should bo willing for 

 the darkeys to buy tickets and attend the fair. 



We will not append any remarks of our 

 own, but leave our report of this white man's 

 agriculhiral horse-trotting society to the dis- 

 cretion of the public. 



It is wonderful how much time will bo 

 consumed daily on a farm in doing a few 

 chores. To sit down and make a calculation, 

 after knowing just what one has got to do, it 

 would be easy to condense into one hour what 

 it will take two to three hours "to get round 

 to." We have undertaken a job of this kind 

 this season, for "fun, " of course. We find 

 by timing it that we can milk four cows in 

 thirty minutes. It don't take us longer to 

 drive the cows up, water them, feed the pigs, 

 " put the chickens to roost," or do any other 

 separate thing than any other person would 

 use, yet we can manage to worry out some 

 four hours daily, on an average, choring 

 around, getting wood, water, milking, making 

 butter, etc., and doing what seems necessary 

 to be done in choring on a farm. 



EFFECT OF LAST SPRING FROST. 



The high price of fruits this season is some- 

 thing unprecedented, if we except the times 

 when orchards were scarce. The early reports 

 of prospects for short crops were not over- 

 drawn. Even the blackberries that bloomed 

 after the spring frosts are very short Indeed. 

 Several patches near San Jose have failed 

 entirely. Others have not produced one- 

 tenth of a crop. For instance, Mr. Bird's 

 eight acres, that produced seventy chests per 

 day last year for weeks together, is yielding 

 only five chests per day this season. The 

 San Jose Canning Factory contracted for all 

 that several vineyards produce at 6 and 7 

 cents. Last year they got all they wanted for 

 2 cents. The crop is so short that dealers 

 have to pay nine cents by the chest, and 

 many orders from a distance cannot be filled. 

 The local demand is greater than the supply. 

 As to other fruits the San Francisco markets 

 govern ours, and much of the fruit used in 

 San Jose is shipped from a distance. On an 

 average, it sells for less in San Francisco than 

 in San Jose, notwithstanding that San Jose 

 is one of the fiuest fruit growing districts in 

 the State. 



" A man's surroundings, says Mr. Colmau 



of the Kural World, are a very fair indication 

 of his character. A home surrounded by a 

 dilapidated fence, part rail and part plank ; 

 the posts propped up to hold the frail concern 

 in anything like an upright position; the few 

 old peach trees in the front yard leaning over 

 the fence; the lawn decorated with James- 

 town, dock and iron weeds — presents a sorry 

 sight when placed in contrast with a home 

 suiTOunded by a neat, upright fence, a gate 

 well hung, and the yard planted with (it may 

 be) a few well grown, thrifty looking peach 

 trees ; while scattered here and there are a few 

 conifers or evergreens, a few flowering shrubs 

 in clumps, and one or two flower beds or bor- 

 ders; the lawn covered with blue grass and 

 kept in a trim and neat condition; the walks 

 free from weeds, and raised well in the center 

 so as not to necessitate the use of planks for 

 walking on in muddy weather. 



List of New Advertisements. 



Sheep Wanted — Box 3'2, Carson City, Nev. 

 Sewing Machines — A. C. Perkins, San Jose. 

 Dental Firm — Hooker & Finigau, " 



Wagon Shop — Limirick & Muthwillig, " 

 Goats for Sale — Shane & Belknap. " 

 Plumbing— E. G. Wilson, 

 Dentist — Dr. Spaw, " 



Real Estate— J. A. Clayton, " 



Poultry — Mrs. Watkins, Santa Clara. 



"He is an enemy of the state who de- 

 sires more land than he himself can use," 

 was a motto of Rome in the days of her 

 greatest advancement and prosperity. Slavery 

 and laud monopoly was at last her ruin, and 

 caused the downfall of the most powerful 

 civilization of ancient times, by depleting the 

 population and destroying the patriotism of 

 the people who became homeless and depend- 

 ent, and corrupting the rest. 



Home is the foundation of freedom, patri- 

 otism and country. Land monopoly is ono 

 of the greatest curses that the world has ever 

 seen. There is danger that our country may 

 yet fall beneath its terrible power. There is 

 no State in the Union more cursed by fraud- 

 ulent land transactions than is California. 

 Abused law and rascally lawyers have accom- 

 plished for designing villains what force could 

 never have undertaken. The people have 

 tamely submitted, and land monopolists are 

 even respected. We hope the time will soon 

 come when such men cannot hold offices of 

 trust in the gift of the people. 



