110 [Assembly 



tain set of men, possessing the requisite power, refuse, no matter 

 from what motive, all encouragement to one of the most vital 

 interests of the country, one, too, that is productive of the great- 

 est amount of independence, comfort, and happiness to the peo- 

 ple, shall we, therefore, be content to hold our peace and let the 

 subject die ? I, for one, will not. No ; let us keep it continu- 

 ally before the public mind ; let us throw all the light we can 

 on it ; and after prejudice shall have been somewhat smoothed 

 away, we shall doubtless obtain what we need and desire. 



Why is it that many legislators so eagerly stretch forth their 

 hands to protect the interests of manufactures ? Is it not be- 

 cause they bring sudden riches 1 And why is it that the inter- 

 ests of agriculture receive so little encouragement from the same 

 hands 1 Is it not because it enriches but slowly 1 Dollars and 

 cents, then, are the measure of protection and encouragement. 

 Yefy well. Agriculture has claims eveii here. But are these 

 all 1 Are there not some other weighty things besides dollars 

 and cents 1 Are the happiness, contentment, and comfort of a 

 people of no account ? It would seem not. How long are we 

 to suffer the evil consequences of the short-sightedness of these 

 " blind leaders of the blind ?" Will these men never be made 

 to see that it is agriculture which furnishes them the means to 

 make dollars and cents, and this, too, notwithstanding their neg- 

 lect of it? How much more, then, if it received that encourage- 

 ment which it deserves ? Had nature been less bountiful, the 

 case had been far otherwise. I do not wish to be understood as 

 placing agriculture and manufactures on antagonistic ground; 

 not at all. But which makes the happiest people? Let the 

 history and experience of the world in all ages answer. Let us 

 look at the results in an exclusively manufacturing nation, or 

 nearly so. Here we have sudden and great riches, in one por- 

 tion of the people, but accompanied by luxury, pride, effemina- 

 cy, dissoluteness, degeneration, and other kindred evils ; while 

 in another portion we see want, poverty, moral and physical 

 decrepitude, crime, and a long list of evils which make the 

 heart sick to contemplate. This is wliat we see when the ele- 

 ment of agriculture is left out of the account ; and this, be it 

 remembered, is no fancy sketch. Agriculture, on the other 



