E XH IBITION OF 18(58. 469 
and hoed and harvested, amidst stumps and gridled trees, with the forests 
all around the litte clearings. 
I have sailed along the wild shores of yonr then new territory, landing at 
Milwaukee, when a few rude cabins were the pitiful beginnings of what is 
now a large and beautiful city. I landed flour in a small boat, lying off the 
mouth of Chicago river, when there were only a few houses, a ruinous ware¬ 
house, an old fort, and a miserable so-called hotel on the open prairie where 
now rises another great city, and have always been glad of these my toils and 
trials, since they earned me the privilege of somewhat appreiating the labori¬ 
ous life of the pioneer. 
My efforts have been, with yours, in this broad western field. Much has 
been done, and more is yet to be done. 
Let us go on with faith, courage and unyielding effort, to build up in your 
own State, and for our common country, a future in which labor shall be free 
and honored, genius and skill find ample scope in widely varied occupations, 
and farmer and manufacturer work out, in fraternal spirit and with a common 
purpose, the great problem of industrial independence. 
