PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 123 



have not done anything to make agriculture live, prosperous; we have 

 not done anything to lift it, to make it attractive, to refine it. 



Another reason why our farms have been abandoned— and I confess 

 the showing made with respect to the abandonment of farms in Eastern 

 States is really gloomy, but I think a little reflection will tell us some 

 of the reasons for it— is that we have not got enough people to cover our 

 land. The people settled in the East and skimmed off the richness and 

 then they moved to another farm, and they have come clear West that 

 way, taking new land and skimming off the richness. I do not doubt 

 that there is considerable inequality in the taxation of farms and it is a 

 good subject to bring before this Convention, but I do not think it has 

 been responsible for everything stated in that paper. 



I was deeply interested this morning in the address of Colonel Irish. 

 There was a vote taken in which there was one man against Colonel 

 Irish. It might be the part of discretion for me to join the multitude. 

 There is a good deal to be said on both sides of that question, and it 

 might not be unprofitable for me to suggest a few of those things. It 

 does occur to me that it is a dangerous thing to introduce into this 

 country an element which is menial and dependent and servile and 'ex- 

 pect to build up the country on it. There is no doubt that, right at this 

 time, we do need that kind of labor. There is no doubt that is one of 

 the penalties we are paying for importing them, but if you look at any 

 community where that thing has been done for any considerable time, 

 there have been a train of evils which have followed it which are pitia- 

 ble and which will be atoned for in blood and in sorrow and in the 

 degradation of the people. How easy it was for the Southern States to 

 say: "We have rich land here; we can grow wonderful crops if we 

 have cheap labor ; we must have this class of men to do our farming for 

 us"; and so they brought the negro in because it was a good thing for 

 the short sight. Well, what a debt it has entailed upon us and what an 

 infinite price we have paid ; and if there was such a thing, what a much 

 more infinite price we would pay to sweep it out ! 



I remember what was said about the immigration from southern 

 Europe. It was brought in to meet the demand; it was brought in to 

 exploit the richness of the country. One thought occurred to me, that 

 Colonel Irish was rather over-drawing the picture. In the first place, a 

 great many of the men whom they bring over from that country — and 

 they are brought over although the contract labor law is to the con- 

 trary—are mature men; they are unmarried men. Great numbers of 

 them go home; great numbers of them never marry and they raise no 

 children. Some of them are past middle life. There are very few of 

 those people who come here and permanently settle down and who 

 marry and add a quality to our society which we have to absorb into 



