152 



@l)c laxma's ilTontl)ln Visitor. 



From tlie Newark Morning Post. 

 [Abridged from the longer report in the N. Y. Tribune.J 



The great New York Agricultural Fair. 

 •^ The great Fair of the New Vork Agricultural 

 Societ}', held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurs- 

 day, has justly altnicted a large share of interest. 

 It «as attended by, pinbably, 30,000 persons, 

 mostly from Western New Yoik, and the pres- 

 riice of some of onr most distinguished men ad- 

 iled an interest to the occasion, which made it 

 prominent above all other gatherings of the 

 kind ever assembled in this country. 



The great supper of the fair was appointed 

 for AVednesday Sept. S7, and about a thousand 

 persons .«at down to the table. James S. Wads- 

 woitli, Esq., one of llie most extensive and intel- 

 ligent land holders in Western New York, presi- 

 ded. Mr. Webster came up in the cars on Wed- 

 nesday evening, but was both fatigued and ill, 

 and although loudly called for, made only a few 

 remarks, reserving his speech for the following 

 evening wlien another supper was ordei-ed to 

 give him a fitting opportunity. His ap|)earance 

 was hailed with loud and repeated cheers, as was 

 tliat of the other dignilaiies who honored the oc- 

 casion w ith their presence. 



JMr. Wadsworth, the Piesident, on the removal 

 of the cloth, opened the speaking festwal. He al- 

 luded to the (leculations and other crimes which 

 had arisen from the abused credit system, and 

 seemed to regard the iarming interest, as the 

 gieat stay of the country. 



" He turned, he said, with a proud faith to the 

 farmers of the country— to tlie laboring millions 

 v\ ho were seeking competence by industry — not 

 wealth by speculation. When he recollected 

 that 3,700,000 of our people ate engaged in the 

 pursuits of Agriculuire, while J 17,000 only were 

 ill Commercial, and 800,000 in JManulacturing 

 puisuits, he was led to ask himself, if this pre- 

 ponderance of numbers did not indicate the 

 i:icat influence of the l.'iboring classes. He ex- 

 pressed the belief, moreover, that the politicians 

 of the countiy, in giving attention to the Tariff 

 regidations, allowed too much relative weight 

 to the interests of I\Ianufactuier.=. He said that 

 it was noticeable, nioreover. that every one who 

 had been elected to the Chief Executive station 

 in the Union, had sought peace and quiet retire- 

 uicnt in the peaceful pursuits of acricultiu'e :and 

 ho was happy to find that their illustrious guest 

 (Mr. Van Buren)in this had followed their exam- 

 ple." (Cheers.) 



Mr. Van Biiren beiiig thus alluded to, arose 

 and made a very neat and brief speech, intended 

 ra'her for those who sat near him, ilian for the 

 multitude. He rnrido his acknowledgsments in 

 :. very R-eling niamicr, foi' theatleulion bestowed 

 upon him — spoke of the gratification wliiidi the 

 ►scene before him had occasioned — adverted jiar- 

 licularly to the ladies' part of the exhibition, .nnd 

 gave the liifits of his brief experience in agrici.I- 

 ture, iji doing which he took occasion to say tha: 

 the last two years of his life, which he had devo- 

 ted entirely to the culture of his farm, were the 

 hapfilcst of his whole lifr. 



Gov. Bouck was toasted by Mr. Leiand, and 

 Mr. Granger i.y the President, as the favorite 

 MOD of Western New York. Tlie latter gentle- 

 man of course responded. He is a tall, fine 

 looking man, and a good speaker. After having 

 made the usual expressions of pleasure, gratitude, 

 & c., S;c., he said : 



"lean but feebly describe to you the emotions 

 which crowded into my uiin<l when to-day I 

 took luy seat in the cars by lli<! side of the man 

 v\lio raised the first bushel of Genesee wheat 

 West of Cayuga iako ! (Loud cheers.) J name 

 Abner Barlow — yes, the man in full health and 

 vigoi-. wlio sowed the fiist seed and raised the 

 (li-.^t wheat in the West; and he was even then 

 ill the pride and strength of middle manhood. — 

 The world can present no such instance in its 

 histoiy. Even in my short day, and short it is, 

 though 1 am getting a little in the grey of the 

 evening — even in my short day, this city of Roch- 

 ester was not even a village. When I moved 

 into Western New York, this splendid town, 

 which presents now nil the arts of polished life, 

 when the stasie proiuietor would not even deign 

 to change horses here— he only lualered and 

 went on — is now a city which pucks more flour 

 than any other in the world! And what Roch- 

 ester has done, others also in our land have done. 

 < inrinii.-ui, ill Ohio, is a town hn-ifcr lliaii ibal 



famed Odessa, which the whole jiotvcr of Russia 

 for fifty years has been building up." 



He toasted the surviving pioneers of Western 

 New York, and gave way to Mr. Webster, who, 

 after stating the circumstances umler which he 

 came to the fair, his fiitigue, &c., &c., assured 

 iheni that he intended to meet them there 

 on the morrow, and sal down amid deafening ap- 

 plause. A toast to the editors brought out Mr. 

 Dawson, of the Democrat, Rochester, who made 

 a very humorous and happy reply. 



On Thursday afternoon an immense concourse 

 of people assembled within the inclosure. A 

 stand had been erected, and on it were the Presi- 

 dent, Mr. Wadsworth, Mr. Van Buien, Governor 

 Bouck, Ex-Governor Steward, Hon. Chiistophcr 

 Morgan, Senator Rhoades, and other eminent 

 gentlemen. The President made a few opening 

 remarks, and introduced Dr. Beekman, of Kin- 

 kerhook, who had been invited to deliver the an- 

 nual address. He presented a hasty review of 

 the ojierations of the Society since 1832, when it 

 was first orgpnized. 



After he had closed his Address, there were 

 loud and repeated calls for Mr. Webster; but 

 the President announced that he had not yet ar- 

 rived. There were then calls for Mr. VanBuren. 

 The President said that he had already left the 

 ground. The reports of the several Committees 

 were read, and on making anotlicr call for Mr 

 Webster, it was announced that he was ill. — 

 Governor Seward then addressed the audience. 

 Among other things he said : 



'•I rejoice to meet here the Farmer of Schoha- 

 rie — it shall not he wy fault if there is not tend- 

 ered to him the most cordial su])|iort in the advo- 

 cacy of the great interests of .Agriciilliuc to which 

 he is so solemnly pledged. (Loud and repeated 

 cheers.) 



" I rejoice to meet here, also, the venerable Ex- 

 President of the United States— the Farmer of 

 Linden wold ! (Loud cheers and laughter.) J am 

 sure that if he put,^ forth his hands in the matter 

 with ardent zeal, there will be no longer a check 

 to Agriculluie. I rejoice to meet here, more than 

 all, the liirmer, the piiiloaoplier, the orator, and 

 the statesman of Marshfield. (Cheers.) I sym- 

 pathise with the regret w liich you experience in 

 fliiling to hear his voice on this occasion, instead 

 of mine, to speak to you of the peaceful, the joy- 

 ful pinsuits of Agriciiltme. And 1 think ihpt ] 

 hear the voices, not only of the stalesmeii of New 

 York, and Massachusetts, but of the statesmen of 

 the South, and the statesmen of the West — and 

 that with the voices of these illustrious men min- 

 gle the prayers and aspirations and best wishes 

 of the Statesman and Farmer of Ashland, (loud 

 cheers.) whose name awakens on the instant the 

 responses of all your hearts."' (Protracted and 

 loud applause.) 



In the evening 5! r. Wehsler Has able to ap- 

 pear at the supper, which was prepared at Smith's 

 saloon, opposite the Eagle Tavern. After the 

 cloth was removed, Mr. SVadsworth said that he 

 iiad been a student in Mr. Webster's ofiice, and 

 aliiided to the reniiuiscences of that time. He 

 then introduced the distinguished Senator, who 

 began by alluding to his early acquaintance with 

 Mr. Wadsworth Me then went on to speak of 

 the dirteicnce between the planting interest and 

 the Agricultural interest proper. 



"The dilierence appears to be this. Tropical 

 cultivation, the raising of sugar, rice, cofiee, for 

 example, is rather a matter of commerce than of 

 agriculture. It consists mainly in the production 

 of one article. The production of tliat article 

 depends on the expenses incurred for soil and la- 

 bor, of that sort appropriate to its cultivation ; this 

 is all capital. Whenever one would enter tipon 

 Tropical culture he invests his capital in the soil, 

 and as we all know, a portion of it also in labor. 

 It becomes, therefore, rather of the nature of a 

 commercial underlakiiig.than the jilain and home- 

 ly, but healthy and beneficent field cultivation. 

 The consequence is, such as a philosophic inqui- 

 ry would lead us to expect. One is uncertain, 

 precarious, changeable, partaking of the vicissi- 

 tudes of trade and commercial enterprise. The 

 other is a boino interest, always siibstanlially the 

 same— liable, it is true, to those vicissitudes 

 which attach themselves to all human concerns, 

 but securing to him who enters upon the cultiva- 

 tion of his own lands, by the labor of his own 

 hands, a competency, and promising to guard him 

 affain^t llii^ accidents ni' life n= far as is possible 



for the most fortunate of human beings. The 

 contrast is evident, when we examine carefully 

 the condition of him who trusts to Tropical cul- 

 tivation—suppose of coffee. He raises one thing 

 for sale, and one only, and buys of others every 

 thing else. He has one commodity to carry to 

 market of sale, and twenty to seek in the market 

 of purchase. What is the conseipience of this 

 state of things to his finances, to his means of 

 living, of security and comfort ? We see at once, 

 that as he produces but one article, and that arti- 

 cle a commodity subject to the fluctuating prices 

 of the commercial world, a depression in its price 

 affects him through the wliole extent of his an- 

 nual income. It", lor example, the jirice of that 

 article fidls 10 per cent., he loses I'J per cent., of 

 his expectations ; the loss goes through the whole 

 ju-oduct. if it rises, he is enriched— if it fidls, he 

 is impoverished. And, therefore, estates which 

 are rich to-day may he poor to-morrow ; and no 

 man, not jjossessed of a vast capital, can rely upon 

 his pioperly Icir the support and comfort "of his 

 family, and the education of his children from 

 year to year. 



Now, contrast with, this the state of the farmer 

 of Western New York, or of New England ; or 

 of England, or of any other sliiclly Agricultural 

 society. — The f"armer of the Western part of 

 New York raises a great variety of articles — as 

 we have seen by the exhibition "of to-day. There 

 is collected every species of useful productions 

 fit for human nutriment, animal and vegetable. 

 There are the fleeces of" his flock — capable of 

 being turned to a great extent into the production 

 of raiment for himself and family. In the varie- 

 t>j therefore, there is a great advantage. He has 

 the means of securing to himselt" an independ- 

 ence — and it is true of an individual, as of a na- 

 tion, that without independence, no man is a man, 

 nor can ever be a man. (Cheers.) It is this which 

 gives him personal resjiectabiliiy ; for you will 

 perceive, that if he has (irovisions and fleeces, his 

 table is supplied, his fiimily, to a great extent is 

 clothed — and if prices fall, how f"ar is he affected .' 

 " Gentlemen, this reflection might be pursued 

 at great length. It might be made to appear to 

 what extent it affects the character of society. — 

 Why, what is the society in a plantation estab- 

 lishment in the West Indies .' There is no so- 

 ciety! There is a capitalist, and there is labor 

 oi a particular description ; but a society of in- 

 telligent, I'rrc spirits— there is none, none, .none, 

 and there never can be ! It is, tlierelbre, in the 

 temperate climate— in the rich and favored spots 

 of God : it is therefore, gentlemen, beneath such 

 a sun as shines on you and on such an eaitli us 

 that on which you tread, that the truest develope- 

 ment of a strong society is to be made that can 

 ever be witnessed on earth. [Loud cheers.] 

 Gentlemen, every body knows, that at the foun- 

 dation of all that is important m human life lies 

 this great business — the cultivation of the earth. 

 If it were for his sins tl.at man was condemned 

 to till the land, it was the most merciful judge- 

 ment that Almighty benignity could have inflict- 

 ed upon him ! [Loud cheers.]" 



Mr. Webster next went on to show, that there 

 were certain interests in every country w liich it 

 was the duly of Governnient to care for and 

 "protect." Among them he named first, that of 

 inoviding public ways and means of transporta- 

 tion, and as he was on the line of the great Erie 

 canal he seized the occasion to pay n passing 

 tribute to the genius and perseverance of Clinton. 

 "I need not say, gentlemen, that you in West- 

 ern New York, are a striking, and I doubt not, a 

 grateflil, e.xam])le of the excellent system of laws 

 and policy which has prevailed in your State, 

 and given yon an ea.sy traiismissinn for the pro- 

 ducts of your rich soil and industrious labor to a 

 place of sale or consum])tion. (Cheers.) Who 

 is there here now, that does not feel the benefi- 

 cence, the wisdom, the patriotism of Clinton, 

 and the other projectors of your vast internal im- 

 provements? (Loud cheeis.) Party violence or 

 party injustice may <lim for a time, and prejudice 

 may iiijui-e, and malignity may rail ; but there 

 cannot be, i am sure there is not, an honest man 

 in all Wc.-K-rn New York, on w hose heart the 

 memory of Clinton is not indelibly engraved! 

 (Enthusiastic ap()lause and cheer.s.) Gentlemen, 

 in this respect,your position ennobles you beyond 

 anything on the face of the earth. iS^ew York 

 city has been brought very near your door.s. — 

 The i.'1-ent Emporium of this jrreat Onlincnt 



