The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-01-20
FARMERS CONVENTION
AT OTTAWA.

1t, OF the proposed farmers convention at
Ottawa on Thursday of this week, the call
drew together so large concourse of our
most intelligent farmers and business men,
that the Court House was crammed to hold
them. The meeting was organized by the
appointment of the following officers:
g. W. ARMSTRONG, President.
c. Ii. FORCE and J. AVERY, Secretaries.
Hon. VIM REDDIcK was called upon to
state the object of he meeting. He was
understood to say, that he had taken no such
prominent part in calling the meeting as to
devolve this duty upon him. He could say,
however, that he thought it very proper that
the farmers should meet in this way. That
they were too much inclined to be sleepy
and careless of their own interests. lie
believed the main object Of the meeting was
to take some action in favor Of ship canal
around Niagara Falls; but he did not thiLk
that measure alone would meet the case in
hand Such ship canal would be useless,
unless we also had the free navigation OF the
ST. Lawrence river, and we knew the mouth
of that stream belonged to England. She
would hardly give us free egress, except for
some quid pro quo that might neutralize the
advantages. More immediate relief, he
thought. could be obtained by change of
the present tariff-such change that every
necessary of life should be Tree from tax.
AS now taxed, we were unable to compete
with Canada, that paid no such taxes. In
conclusion, he said Mr.. Perkins had lately
attended several meetings like this, and he
should like to hear from him as to proper
subjects before us.
Mr.. PERKINS was not very clear himself as
to the proper course of action at such
meeting. We all agreed something was
wrong-a screw loose somewhere-and that
something ought % be done. Two years ago
corn was worth 75c to Sl.00, and we were
all doing well even with corn at 30 cts. a
year ago, we did not complain: but with
corn at % cts. now, we were ruined-it was
! impossible for the farmers to pay their taxes.
If goods the farmer needs were down in pro-
portion, the case would not be 50 bad : but
as it now stands, we should in year see
our lands cried for taxes at the Court House
door. lie agreed with Mr.. Reidick that the
. tariff must come down. He thought it
should be placed on the ground purely of
selfdefence-tax the goods of such nations
as tax ours. As TO the others, free trade
with all the world was the best But he
/ thought the main object now should be TO
ton for our produce 20 the eastern markets.
! We have wheat, corn, pork, &c, in abund>
ance; the problem was to get them to
market. Transportation by railroad was out
of the question. At present the E.ie canal
was the only outlet. Tie past season had
/ shown its capacity not equal to tenth of
I the demand upon it. Our only hope was tie
opening of the Niagara ship canal. Mr..
! Reddicl seemed to have doubts as to this
/ project. Why, ten millions of people were
/ interested in it. OF course it can be built
| The enhanced price of our corn for single
year after it is opened Will pay tor it. As to
/ Lawrence, he thought England would be
very ready t. enter into an arr. II cement that
/ would give Us both free egress from the
mouth of the river, and through the Weliand
canal. &c Our difficulty would be less with
! England than New York. The latter city
would oppose the project to. the death. If we
send our ships down the St. Lawrence, New
/ York is left out in the cold lie had a letter
/ from our representative (Mr. Cook) on the
| subject, who said we would lave both the
I brains and caSiral OF New York 10 fight in
/ this matter. Mr.. Littejohn had left his seat
in Congress and gone to Albany to urge the
building Of a ship canal from Oswego to the
Hudson, TO defeat this project. England
must have corn. At present she got it from
the Baltic, the Black Sea, and India A
vessel could make but one voyage a year to
some of these ports, yet corn was brought
TO Liverpool at Is cts. Il bushel. We could
make two trips a year from Chicago to Liv-
e:pool, and our corn, which is worth $50
bushel there today, could be carried from
Chicago at certainly little more than Is cts
bushel.
Col. T. LYLE DlcKEY was next allied upon
to address the meeting. He said the subjects
We had met 10 discuss were most important
corn. 1t is true, we raise wheat, manufacture
reapers and agricultural Implements, and dig
coal but all these were secondary to Indian
corn. AS corn rises, we prosper; as it falls,
our business is depressed. The great prob
lem was, to get cheap transportation to
market. He had no doubt, if we had a route
down the st. Lawrence, it would be of vast
benefit. If we will concentrate all our ener-
gies and get that route, he had no doubt New
York would give US a rival route, and We
would have two strings to our bow" All
experience showed that competition was the
best security against cxtortion. Go where
you will. and find two railroads leading from
one point to another, and you will find
freigh;s lower than where there is but one
railroad. Take La Sale, for Instance, which
has two railroads to Chicago. 1t costs less
10 take ION OF Goa! from that city 20 Chlca-
go than it does from Ottawa, though Ottawa
is nearer. So he was in with all his might
for the Niagara ship canal. But who is
there here that will live to see that ACCOM-
pished Many Of US remembered how
buovant our hopes were when the Illinois
canal was commenced in 1886 Nobody
doubted but the canal would be finished in
1910, yet we know it struggled OH until 1913
before it fGated the first boat If We must
wait twelve or fourteen years to get this