THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



249 



in<' familiarly of disunion, whereas it was once 

 considered a sort ol' treason even to sjjeak ot" it as 

 a possible event. Eut this most liappy state ot 

 ihini's no longer exists. Demons in human shape, 

 who»e inmost souls are cankered wuh lawless 

 ambition, and reckless Uinaiics, vviili too liiile sense 

 lo perceive the latal tendency of their opinions 

 and actions, have been indelaligably engaged in 

 disseminating sectional jealousies and animosities 

 throughout the United States ; and the success ol 

 these diabolical ellorts has been lar greater than 

 could well liave been anticipated. Tliey iiave, in 

 Tact, most learililly disturbed that liannony and 

 good will which might have bound us inseparably 

 lOJ'elher, as long as time shall last, had the same 

 etiorts been made to strengthen, as have been 

 made to sever those ties ol'lnendsiiip and brother- 

 ly love, upon the preservation of which the peace, 

 the prosperity, and the happiness of the American 

 people most unquestionably depend. To annihi- 

 late, if possible, these baneful elements of dis- 

 cord, or at least to neutralize ihem, uught to be 

 the paramount duty ot our national legislature. 

 But, alas ! the members themselves, or rather a 

 considerable portion of them are deeply inlected 

 with the deadly poison of disunion, and, of course, 

 appear to have no other object in meeting but to 

 aggravate all the causes ol sectional animosities 

 and dissensions, by making party questions and 

 quarrels of almost every subject ol' discussion that 

 comes belbre them. This has so often happened 

 of late years, that it is by no means uncommon in 

 these times to hear Congress Hall stigmatised with 

 that most disgracelul, but not unjustly bestowed, 

 nickname, " bear-garden.^^ All ttie consequences 

 of such shameful conduct are bad enough; but the 

 worst of them is, that the hostile leelings thus ge- 

 nerated, by those misrepresentativesof the people, 

 are carried back by them, or transmitted through 

 their vile party-newspapers, even to the extremi- 

 ties of our union, and multitudes of the people 

 thereol'have become so deeply infected with them, 

 as to look upon each other as little better than na- 

 tural enemies. 



If this deadly poison has not already reached 

 the heart's core of our body politic, I beseech you 

 to consider well, whether there is any thing belter 

 calculated lo stop, or, at least, to mitigate its fatal 

 progress, than a national society of agriculture. 

 This would annually collect, Irom the remotest 

 states of our conlederacy, many of the yeomanry 

 ol the land— the very bone and sinew ofour coun- 

 try — who, being drawn together by a common in- 

 terest, and without any possible cause of quarrel, 

 would very soon learn that they had been most 

 grossly misrepresented to each other, and would 

 part, after each meeting, with a desire continually 

 increasing to meet again. All would learn some- 

 thing new to them by such intercommunication ; 

 and the professional benefits which each would 

 derive from it would so increase their mutual good 

 will, would so warm their hearts towards each 

 other, that the fraternal regard of the farmers and 

 planters of our country — who fortunately yet con- 

 stitute a vast majority of our whole population — 

 would continue to " grow v/ith their growth, and 

 strengthen with their strensth,"' in defiance of all 

 the attempts which could be made to destroy it. 

 And the incarnate devils, who are now laboring 

 «o hard to accomplish objects which, if attained, 

 ^ould inevitably dieeolve our union, would soon 



fall into that utter contempt and detestation which 

 their internal purposes most justly deserve. 



And now, my liiends, ifyou ajjprove of the fore- 

 going suggestions, will you not give to the friends 

 ot a national society of agriculture some cause to 

 hope lor your co-operation in the attempt to esta- 

 bliE-n one at the city of Washington I A meeting 

 lor the purpose will probably be held during ifie 

 extra session of congress, ot which due notice will 

 be given, if there is a probiibility ol' eflecting it. 

 And it only one person would attend from each 

 congressional district, or c?ie ur two Irom each of 

 our agricultural societies, (to the members of which 

 I particularly appeal,) I have no doubt that a large 

 assemblage, tiriendly to the object, might easily be 

 convened; lor a similar appeal wiU be made to 

 the agriculturists of the other states, many of 

 whom have already manifested a strong desire to 

 Ibrm such a national institution. Thousands of 

 our citizens, I believe, would hail it, not only, as 

 the harbinger of rapid improvement in all thedif- 

 lerenl branches of husbandry, but as the peace- 

 maker that would finally exterminate all sectional 

 jealousies and animosities; every element of po- 

 pular dissension ; and would unite in one perpetual 

 league of concord and amity all the ditierent 

 states of our union. 



Possibly 1 nfiay ascribe to a national society of 

 agriculture more power than it could possibly ac- 

 quire, more extensive influence than it could ever 

 possess. But this sell-deception, if indeed it be 

 one, can do no imaginable harm either to my 

 country or myself: I will, therefore, continue to 

 cherish it, and will still hope to witness the trial of 

 such a society belbre I die. Should such trial be 

 made, and tail, I will then, but not until then, ac- 

 knowledge my error. 



On this subject, of a national society of agricul- 

 ture, and the duty of congress to promote'some 

 such establishment, there are some arguments so 

 powerlul and conclusive in a late address of Chilton 

 Allan, Esq., the patriotic president of the State 

 Agricultural Society of Kentucky, that I could 

 wish to see them republished in every agricultural 

 paper in the United States; lor I have" read no- 

 thing so well calculated to carry conviction to every 

 mind. The man who could read them, and re- 

 main unconvinced, must have an intellect very dif- 

 tijrently constituted Irom any thing that I can 

 imagine. 



Belbre I conclude, I must beg our friend RufRa 

 lo tell us what he thinks of the tbregoing project. 

 A lew favorable words ti-om him woufd greatly 

 encourage the efforts of many others, as well as 

 the hopes and exertions of your, and his old 

 I'riend, James M. Garmstt. 



P. S. If any of the editors of our political jour- 

 nals are Iriendly lo the establishment of a national 

 society of agriculture, I hereby respectfully ask 

 them to republish this communication, or to give 

 us something of their own, which I should much 

 prefer. 



Our esteemed correspondent rates our influ- 

 ence and recommendation at much too high a 

 value; but, whether worth any thing or not, 

 our best wishes go for the success of his plan and 

 proposal. But we confess our want of confidence, 



