EXHIBITION OF 1868. 
476 
SPEECH OF GEN. GEO. B. SMITH. 
On being introduced Gen. Smith spoke as follows: 
Mr, Pre^dent, Ladies and Gentlemen :—I really don’t know whether this 
matter of speaking at a public Fair is as much of a bore to you who listen 
as it is to those who speak, or not. But this I do know, that while I am 
/ 
perfectly ready, and just now a little willing to speak upon public affairs, yet 
I um a little indisposed to speak about these small matters of agriculture and 
machines, when momentous questions of national policy might be talked of 
There is another difficulty about speaking on an occasion like this; you 
must say nothing to please those of one political party or to displease those 
of another. Now, if I were not restrained by these considerations which I 
have alluded to, I believe I could stir up this crowd to some sort of feeling 
and enthusiasm, more than would be experienced in the consideration of 
mere machinery and trotting horses. But, as it is, my fellow citizens, we 
have to speak of other considerations—under ordinary circumstances these 
are great enough, and important enough, I am ready to acknowledge. But 
what I complain of, is that the consideration of these matters comes in at just 
exactly the wrong time; because I think blooded horses and premium 
machines are out of order when a president of the United States is to be 
made. 
My friend, the Senator, would like to let himself loose, I know, and he 
says he does not exactly know whether he should go in for Grant and Colfax 
or for Seymour and Blair, and alludes to the fact of your Secretary having 
picked up a couple of wild politicans to address the multitude. I thank him 
for the remark but disclaim the wildness on my part. [Cheers and laughter.] 
There is nothing wild about me, and I am sure there is nothing very dan¬ 
gerously wild about the Senator. [Laughter.] But, my fellow citizens, seri¬ 
ously, the State Agricultural Society do their best every year to present to 
you some gentleman from abroad who is skilled on the subject of agriculture 
and kindred subjects, which should interest you on these occasions—who 
could speak to you learnedly and practically upon the subject of machinery, 
and the best method of farming and of raising stock, and upon all matters 
likely to interest you at the State Fair. Two distinguished gentlemen were 
brought here" and both, I supposed, were to speak to the people here from 
this stand, but neither of them are here. Both have made their speeches in 
another place, and both speeches will be published. One of those speeches I 
was greatly interested in. I wish all the people of this State could have 
heard it and shared the pleasure with me. It was on the subject of making 
butter and cheese. And, oh, you ought to have heard him describe the way 
to make butter ! I am more interested in butter than in cheese, for cheese 
I do not care so much about; but butter I cannot get along very well without. 
And I wish you, the farmers’ wives about Madison,, could have heard it, for 
they do make such fearful butter, as I understand it. [Laughter.] At all 
events, it becomes so, when it gets into the hands of our grocers, from whom 
