St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-07-14

husbands and brothers growed the flax !
md the cotton, the mothers and tn 9
daughters picked, and spun, and wove
md wore it.. A calico dress worn by al
lady then would be as much of sight as
to see lady now wear dress worth one
hundred dollars: They picked their cot
ton with their fingers then, because there
we're no machines for doing it by steam. I
was tasked then, and when a mischieyous
BOY and thought had been tasked too
hard, l would throw part of my task in
to the fire to save the trouble Of picking
1t. Our sugar was made from the trees.
our tea was gathered from the woods, cot,
fee was unknown. These were the cir
cumstances which surrounded me when I
grew up from childhood to manhood. II
became acquainted with the surrounding
states; was acquainted with Indiana when
the place where the capital now stands was
an unbroken forest. In 1888 I came to
what is now Wis, then the territory of
Mich. travelled North until I came to
Prairie Du Chen, from that time to this
my time has been spent in Wis, Iowa and
Mimi. l may be permitted to say in
view of all the excellent qualities which 1
have seen and to which have alluded,
and it is in good faith, I give MINI. the
preference to any Of those States I have
known. 1t possesses advantag es which
none others possess. It is midway be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific, by a
line running East and West, and also mid
way between the Attic Ocean and the
Gulf Of Mexico; this together with the
fact, that it has superior advantages for
commercial improvement, gives its great
importance. 1t must be stock growing
state; it must be manufacturing state;
its water power points it out, its capabili-
ties for wool growing points it out I
have raised stock in Tenn. and KY. and I
here say that had rather bring them
through the winter Of MINI than through
Tenn. or KY; to be sure our winters are a
little longer, but by the immense range,
and the advantages for grazing they are
prepared to enter the struggle Of the long
winter better than in these other States
1 was comparing acre in MINI. with acre
in N. Y. and although it was a newspaper
report, and they are not proyerbiai for
their truthfulness, yet they sometimes hit
upon truth, but learned from that re-
port that our acres are superior to these of
N. Y. Taking into consideration our
contig'aity to N. Y, looking at our lakes
on our Nothern shores, there are advan-
tages which will at no distant day form a
second Chicago.
A thought or two now to the farmers,
who hear me; there are great many here
l wish there were more; the bone and
sinew Of the country, the foundation Of
every other interest. Every other inter-
est lags when their interests fag. Law
yers would starve; Shopkeepers would be
obliged to shut up their shops; Doctors
could not live. They are not honered as
they should be, I wish they were more SO;
but they must be practical farmers, they
must work with their brains as we'll as
their hands; they must throw thought as
we'll as labor into their work; they must
study the adaptation of the grain to the
soil; they must give it the industry requir-
ed and they will be rewarded. They
must not SOW and plant when they should
be hosing and reaping; they must not ex-
pect to grow weeds and grain in the same
field, but they must exclude the Weeds
There are great many unfortunate crops
Of corn, the reason is they try to raise a;
good crop OF weeds in the same field.
Let me say again you need Stearns Co.
Agricultural Society. (Cries of Hear, Hear
Ind Good, Good.) I heard before / left
Tenn: that Benton Go had such Society
and l was glad to hear it, but have not
heard Of it since, if it was alive it is new
dead. We do not want such one, we
want ono that shall live, where the pro-
ducts Of our farms, and our workshops
may be yearly exhibited, and thus pro-
per emulation will be enduced.
A word to the ladies before I close
There is one thing 1 regret very much
and that is you have left your wheels and
your looms in Ohio, Penn. and the other
States from which you come; we want
you to get your husbands and brothers to
send for them; this is what you must do
if you would become independent at
home. l know it is said that cloth is so
cheap, but it is made by some one, would
it not be better to work your own clothing
than to mortgage your farm in order to
purchase it { l remember when l lived
in Tenn, in certain locality, almost ev-
cry farm in that vicinity was mortgaged.-
This is the way in which it was done; the
ladies left their implements, of which I
have spoken, all behind. Their farms
mortgagged to import and pay for little
cotton. .---..-
A passing thought now in regard to St.
Cloud; this St. Cloud We say is such a
beautiful place; its prospects are 50 won
derful that I have long since.put it down
as the third town in the State. give
Superior City the first position; St Paul.
including St. Anthony and Minneapolis
the second, and I award to St. Cloud the