PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 51 



covering our homes. Here is a way of making money. We have agents 

 whose business it is to see to those things for us. Mr. Block told you, 

 while speaking of your fruit sales, to tell your agents at New York, 

 "Do this," and have it done. Now, gentlemen, you tell your agents 

 at Washington, your Senators and Congressmen, about this canal, and 

 insist on their doing the needful. Why is this canal not built? Well, 

 I'll tell you why it is not. Before election the politicians come around 

 and talk very nicely and glibly to you. They say, " Gentlemen, send 

 me to Congress; I'll see your wants attended to. You touch the button, 

 and I'll do the rest." They go, sometimes, to Congress, and then they 

 reverse the thing, thus: "I'll touch the button, and you do all the rest," 

 that is, pay them a nice fat salary. We tolerate in Congress methods of 

 purposely obstructing and delaying business that merchants would be 

 ashamed of. 



Gentlemen, no man in God's world is powerless. You can all do 

 something. Every man and every woman can make a point by sending 

 a letter — a daily letter — to their Congressmen and Senators at Washing- 

 ton, and saying, " We want that canal built. Our homes depend on it. 

 Our wheat industry is ruined, and our fruit industry is threatened with 

 ruin, unless this canal is built." I will guarantee you that if you follow 

 this plan, and insist on your demands being complied with, it will be 

 built in a very short time. 



Now, I shall later on offer a resolution, that I have had the pleasure 

 of offering four times, on this Nicaragua Canal subject, but I do not ask 

 you merely to give a perfunctory vote. I want you all to feel that it is 

 to your personal interest to have this canal built, and that your homes 

 depend on it. If you will only work together you will not fail. Some 

 of you have seen the play of "Richelieu." You will recall, perhaps, 

 that the honor of the Cardinal and the safety of France depend on 

 certain documents being found. A messenger is dispatched in search 

 of these documents. It is a dangerous quest. If successful, rich reward 

 shall be his. Somewhat despondent, he asks, "But what if I fail?" 

 " Fail!" cries the Cardinal, " there is no such word as fail!" Gentlemen, 

 if you will all earnestly work for this canal, there will be for us no such 

 word as "fail." 



I thank you kindly for your indulgence. 



DISCUSSION. 



A Member: As showing the extraordinary advance of the Argentine 

 Republic in every line on which California has been developed, it appears 

 that in the production of wine the Argentine Republic considerably leads 

 California, and, unless I am in error, considerably leads the United 

 States. 



Mr. Fowler: The gentleman, perhaps, would like to know that it is 

 not alone in the Argentine Republic that competition exists. A very 

 large amount of capital is being invested in South Africa in this direc- 

 tion. Vessels will be built, and every opportunity given for landing 

 their fruit in the London market, and they are willing to come into the 

 American markets, if necessary. There is a large portion of South 

 Africa that will be devoted to the raising of fruits and wines. Within 



