432 



THE FARJMEIIS' REGISTER. 



will not, {Tentlemen, tell you who it is — 1 will 

 tell you who it is not. — it is not the plain mulier- 

 oi-racl farnier. Tliink you that our honest larm- 

 ers would spend a whole week, and incur an 

 expense of not less than ten thousand dollars in 

 debating the question, whether they ouirht to 

 comply with a plain requisition of the Consti- 

 tution'? or that they would squander away our 

 money in sen ling the lederai relations of our 

 country? You all indignantly answer no! 

 Tlieir plain sense would at once dive to the bot- 

 loni of the matter and suggest the proper remedy. 



Tlie truih is, the plam, subsiantial farmers of 

 our country have not that weight of influence 

 lo which they are justly entitled. Except in 

 the spring, when an election is coming on, ihey 

 are consideipd as the menials and serfs ofihe 

 country. Then they are, as if by some magic 

 influence, at once changed into the lords of crea- 

 tion, and those very men, who were all the win- 

 ter long squandering away their money, are seen 

 bowing, and lawning, and cringing belbre them 

 as their lords and masters. Here, gentlemen, is 

 an acknowledged great evil, and the remedy is 

 in your hands. Look out among yourselves for 

 some honest, substantial farmer of strong mind 

 and plain good sense, who will not make long 

 and repealed speeches, but will at once see what 

 the good of our country requires to bedone, and 

 will immei'iately do it, and that is the man lor 

 us. But is the larmer in reality that poor, de- 

 graded thing which many suj^pose him to be7 

 fit only to drive an ox-carl or lo lioe a row of corn ? 

 Or does our country itself regard him as ihis 

 low grovelling creature? Who is it that by his 

 industry and enterprise not only supports him- 

 seli; but furnishes that large surplus needed by 

 the mechanic, the manufacturer, the merchant, 

 ilie lawyer, and the whole class of our non- 

 producing population ? It is the liirmer. Who 

 is it that pays by lar the largest proportion of 

 taxes into our treasury, and thus supports our 

 government'? Ills the farmer. Who is it thai 

 controls the elective franchise of our country? 

 It is the larmer. And who is it that buckles on 

 his armor, when his country is invaded, and iroes 

 to her rescue? It is airain the liirmer. If then 

 this be the relative strength of the larmer, why 

 should not his influence be felt? Yes! I do 

 leel a sincere respect Ibr the subsiantial farmer. 

 He may wear a rough coat, but it conceals a 

 strong body and a noble soul within — he may 

 have a rough hand, but it is a generous one- 

 he may have a brawny arm but it is nerved with 

 Btrenglh for his country's glory. 



You will, I hope, pardon this digression, when 

 I tell you that I had a distinct object in making 

 it. It is to rouse you, as individuals, and espe- 

 cially as an agricultural society, to the great 

 and growing evils among us, and among these, 

 thai which relates to our enclosing system is by 

 no means the least. The remedy is to turn out 

 from our halls of legislation our speech-making 

 members, and to put plain, business farmers in 

 their places. When, therefore, you see it an- 

 nounced in the public prints, that at 12 o'clock, 

 Mr. A. B. commenced his speech, and having 

 continued till 4 o'clock without coming to a con- 

 clusion, yielded the floor to a motion to adjourn ; 

 mark that man, and be sure the next year '• it> 

 elect him lo stay at home.'''' 



The last legislature were in session 112 days, 

 and spent, I am lold, ,^75,000 of our money. 

 And what did they do? Why I will tell you 

 some of the choice things that they did. They 

 made, in the first place, a great many and very 

 long speeches, very much, no doubt, to their own 

 edification and gratification. That was one very 

 important thing they did. Another was — they 

 made one of ihe very best governors we have 

 ever had, resign his office — and then, hoping 

 that the people would send them back next win- 

 ter, and knowing that if iliey did so, they would 

 need a good deal more of our money, they raised 

 our taxes. And now lo crown ihe whole — as 

 \he'ir chef-d^cPMV/e — their highest eHorl, I will tell 

 you what they did. It is known to most of you, 

 that there went from this society a respectful 

 memorial lo ihe said legislature, to establish a 

 state board of agriculture. And what do you 

 think they did with it? Why they did actually, 

 gentlemen, in their great condescension, give 

 their Ibrmal and solemn permit lo a certain num- 

 ber ol gentlemen, who niiirht think proper, to 

 come to Richmond once every year, at their own 

 expense, and (^all themselves the state board of 

 agriculture ! ! ! Some of us are so stupid as to 

 think, that we might have done the same thing 

 wiihout the solemniiy of their permit. Now was 

 not this act alone worth the $75,000? And I 

 am told that our worthy representative had to 

 use the most strenuous exertions, to get the act 

 passed even in this form. 



There is another subject connected with abuses 

 in whi(;h we farmers have a deep interest, to 

 which 1 beg leave briefly to call your attention. 

 This relates to the extremely deranged state of 

 our currency at the present lime. And here I 

 am lully aware that iliis, together witlt almost 

 every suiijeci, has been dragged into that political 

 strite, which has so much disturbed our country 

 for a considerable time past. But I wish it to be 

 distinctly understood, that I shall treat this subject 

 not as a politician, but as a plain larmer. On this 

 day — a day in our society sacred to agriculture 

 audits pleasures, as our own Jetlerson has ex- 

 pressed it — '• We are all lederalists — all repub- 

 licans." I do most cordially approve of that arti- 

 cle in our constitution, which prohibits the agi- 

 tation of any political subject at any of our meet- 

 ings. I do not aspire to the honor of a politician 

 at any time ; much less would I do Or say any 

 thing to disturb the harmony of this joyous scene. 

 1 ', therefore, on election days, and on other suita- 

 ble occasions, I declare and declare plainly v^ho 

 and what I am, I shall studiously keep it out of 

 view on this occasion. To-day I am a farmer, 

 bui as a larmer, I have a deep interest in the 

 currency of the country. 



My attention was recently called to this sub- 

 ject by an incident which I beg leave to detail. 

 I lately had occasion to procure a draft to pay 

 Ibr some northern stock. It was not bank stock, 

 gentlemen, but hog stock, Berkshire hog stock. 

 1 went to my bank to get it — I call that my 

 bank where 1 do my little business. The proper 

 officer iiilbrmed me that 1 could not get it ; but 

 added, try at the oiher banks, and if you fail 

 there, I will accommodate you. The word ac- 

 commodate made a strong impression upon me, 

 and I went away congratulating myself in hav- 

 ing secured the kindness of the man of the 



