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THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



Vol. IX. 



FEBRUARY 28, 1841. 



No. 2. 



E U M U N D R U F F 1 N, EDITOR A N U PROPRIETOR. 



ADDRKSS OF DR. W. S. MOUTON, PRESIDKXT OF 

 TIIK AGKICITLTURAL SOCIETY OF Cl/MBER- 

 LANO. 



Delivered ISlli Is'ov. 1340 — Published by order of (he 

 society. 



Gentlemen. — The iinu&ual preerure of profes- 

 sioiial engagements lias, ol iaie, ielt me hui little 

 time to prepare t<jr an address, and led nie lo (ear 

 that the day ol' meeting might find me totally 

 unprepared. Uut this (ear, though unpleasant, 

 has not caused hall such anxiety, as the appre- 

 hension that, from apaihy in the cause, eo lew 

 members might attend, as to render preparation 

 unnecessary. What siiould be the grounds ol 

 euch apprehension is not difficult to divine. Un- 

 bounded poliiical exciiemeni appears to have ab- 

 eorbed the leeliiigs ol' all ranks, ages and sexea of 

 society. But I'evv seem willing, even ii)r a short 

 lime, lo confine their aitenlion lo any oilier sub- 

 ject. VViih ijeneral poliiics, as a sutiject, this so- 

 ciety has nothing to do ; and were f, or any other 

 member to iniruduce it, vvi;h parly leelings, or a 

 design to produce party efiect, I trust iliai it would 

 be promptly and decisively rebuked by a vole ol' 

 censure. But remarks, honestly and impartially 

 made, in relation to the awful bearings ol' political 

 strile, on the highest enjoympnts and richest bless- 

 ings of lili^, unconnected with parly feeling, arid 

 undefiled by a cunning design ol indicating any 

 party or any individual, surely cannot be improper. 

 There is no greater obstacle to our prosperiiy and 

 happiness, as men, as citizens, and as agnculiu- 

 risls, than party spirit. Freedom of opminn, 

 I'rcedom of speeth and of the press, have justly 

 been considered among our greatest blessings. 

 Their abuse is, of course, the heaviest curse. The 

 purer and more valuable a coin, ihe baser is iis 

 counterfeit. The most enlightened slalesman, or 

 the humblest ciiizen in the lanil, has a right to 

 speak his opinions freely, if iliey are honestly 

 formed. And even zeal in their |)iopagalion may 

 /airly be ascribeil to pairioiism. Bui he knows 

 not the meaning of ihat word, who, forgetlul of 

 the cause ol truth and of his counrry, and mind- 

 ful alone of his own selfish and petty inleresis, and 

 his allegiance to parly, abandons the field of liiir 

 arguuient, and resorts lo private abuse and per- 

 sonal detraction, to the propagation of calumny, 

 to every art calculated lo mislead and deceive, to 

 excite ihe worst passions, and destroy the peace 

 and happiness ol the community. Such a man 

 cannot be a patriot. No — he has a fitir claim to 

 the title of a selfish denlagogue — a reckless and 

 miscliievoua agiiator. The pure cause of repub- 

 licanism needs no such conibaiants and no such 

 weapons, but is in conlinual danger from them. 

 In lunes of political lerment, the tendencies to such 

 evils are insidious, and they are strong. Even 

 good men are liable to be misled— else, why is it, 

 lhat all complain of them and dread their conse- 

 quences, while none are willing to bear the blame ? 

 Why is it, that fo many of our best and ablest 

 men avoid the political arena, as thev wou'd pol- 

 VoL. IX. -5 



lution? Why is it, that while we all profess (o be 

 republicans— to hold nearly the same doctrines, 

 we so often feel ihe earilupjake agitations in the 

 very Ibunda'ions of society, and dread some awful 

 and ruinous explosion ? Ii is because parly spirit, 

 like some horrid demon, is stalking abroad in the, 

 land, devouring and poisoning all lhat is good. 

 Where is the remedy lor such evils to be found"? 

 Not on earth— it is a pure spirit and dwelleih on 

 high. The spirit of love alone can vanquish the 

 viiespirit of party. It is tliat spirit, without which, 

 though a man "speak with the tongues of men 

 and of angels," he is " become as sounding brasa 

 or a tinkling cymbal." The great fiibric ol.'ocietjr 

 is built up of many menibers, and the individuality 

 of each must be lost, by being cemented together 

 by the pure spirit of love, in order to render the 

 whole sound. This is the true theory of society, 

 for it is deiived from holy writ. While '■'^ E Plu- 

 ribus Ummi''' waves gloriously on our banners, its 

 meaning, lo the fullest extent, should be engraved 

 on our hearts. A propitious time, it is hoped, ia 

 approaching 10 lay the li'll spirit of parly. The 

 wild tornado of excitement which has recently 

 swept over the land, must surely be followed by a 

 calm, during which. Ihe wise and good may have 

 lime to reflect on the difi'erence between parly and 

 country— men and principles. Should they re- 

 fuse to allord themselves as mere fuel to excite- 

 ment, there might be some hope lhat the salaman- 

 drine agitators would be starved out. from itie de- 

 privation of their natural element. The return of 

 peace, after such a civil war in disguise — as disas- 

 trous, perha[)s, in its influences on the moral con- 

 dition of society, as actual warfare — would be 

 cheering to every true patriot. Should the stale 

 of hostility continue, gloomy indeed must be our 

 forebodings. 



But we will lurn from this fearful subject, to 

 some more directly within the province of our dis- 

 cussions. In doing this, gentlemen, permit me lo 

 hope that we will renew our devoiion to the ob- 

 jects of our society. They are worthy ; arid the 

 more industriously they are pursued, the more 

 peace and happiness will they afi'ord. 



Laying no claim to the characier of an efficient 

 and practical agriculturist, I find myselll on such 

 subjects, much in the condition of a certain preach- 

 er, of very exceptionable character, who was in the 

 habit of closing his discourses, by charging hia 

 auditors, by no means to do as he did, out of the 

 pulpit, but to do what fie told iliem, when in it. I 

 could do but little good, l)y telling you all or any 

 thing 1 have done. I might, liowever, afford con- 

 siderable amusement, couid I bring myself to con- 

 fess what [ sometimes schemingly hope to do. 1 

 hold, that it is not the praciical man alone that 

 can render service to a society like this, or to the 

 community at large. Even the visionary schemer, 

 into whose class by the way, I am not willing fully 

 to enrol myself, may ofien do much good lo the 

 shrewd and practical, if they will cull from hia 

 hints or experiments, what seems to be supported 

 by reason. Like ihe darin^ pioneer in a wilder- 

 ness, he sometime! unfolds valuable discoveries to 



