48 OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



one of the most difficult questions to study. First, Mr. Chairman, you 

 have got to produce ten or fifteen or twenty patriotic citizens among 

 your producers of prunes; you have got to have some men who are 

 willing to devote time and money to get his fellow-man to understand 

 the situntion. Now as to the mode of getting your association. It is 

 only through and by failures that you will attain success. For five 

 years in Fresno we struggled and failed before we got an organization. 

 Mr. Kearney, now president of the association, was not in the first of 

 the fight. Mr. Kearney was at that time, probably, like a good many 

 Santa Clara men — with lots of money — willing to let the thing go its own 

 road. Finally, when we were all worn out, Mr. Kearney came to our 

 assistance. He came upon the scene and took an active part — an able 

 business man he is. But could he have organized alone? Never. He 

 is a magnificent leader, and with the help of the associates he had, got 

 an association organized. There is, probably, a no more discouraging 

 proposition on the face of this green earth than to get twenty-two 

 hundred people into one way of thinking upon a given subject. You 

 will have to select from your number men of different character and 

 preach this cause as righteousness to the different types of people you 

 have seen in your business. Now, Mr. Kearney is not a success at all 

 to go out and get the people to sign contracts. He is not the kind of a 

 man to go out in that way — he is a leader; somewhat of an aristocrat. 

 You have got to have a man constituted for that purpose. Now as to 

 the manner of enlightening your people: You will have to hold school- 

 house meetings, and have a number of men take hold of this cause and 

 put up the preliminary money. You will have to have patriotic men 

 go out and preach to these people, and I can tell you it is a laborious 

 proposition, and I am still afraid that the Santa Clara people are not 

 poor enough at the present time to accept salvation. 



Prof. CHILDS. I move that all persons interested in drying fruit — 

 peaches, apricots, and prunes — meet here this afternoon at the close 

 of the session, promptly, to take action toward forming an organization 

 on the plans suggested. 



Motion carried. 



Recess until 1:30 o'clock p. m. of this day. 



{ After the regular session of the forenoon, there was a call for an after meeting of all 

 those who were interested in action being taken at the earliest moment possible in the 

 movement for cooperation in the dried-fruit interests. Almost the entire convention 

 remained, showing the great and general interest that was felt in the matter. 



Judge Aiken presided at the meeting. 



The contract of the Pacific Coast Fruit Association was approved, with the suggested 

 amendment that there should be no temporizing with other interests in the way of 

 allowing any member to divide up his product with any other association. 



There was also a unanimous decision, amid much enthusiasm, that a State Conven- 

 tion of fruit-growers be held at San Jose" on the third Monday in January, to take 

 definite action in the direction of organization. 



The meeting then adjourned, with expressions of congratulation upon all sides upon 

 the fine results that had been attained.] 



