Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-10-19
A SENSIBLE SPEECH.
Dom Piatt at a Harvest Home.

grounds near Bellefontaine: Ohio, the crowd
observing Colonel Dom Piatt on the ground,
demanded vociferously that he should take the
stand then being occupied by other orators,
and give them speech, After some hesita>
ton Col. Piatt consented, saying:
Ladies and Gentlemen-I comply with your
complimentary demand, although am not ad-
vertised as one of the speakers on this pleasant
occasion. I came here with the fixed determi-
nation to assist you in doing the hardest part
of the performance and that is to listen
Laughter Iregret that was not invited to
address you to-day, by your Committee of
Arrangements, for | am a practical farmer
myself and probably know less upon that
subject than upon any other-and perhaps as
little as the eloquent gentlemen who have
preceded me- More laughter. I'd rather
you wouldn't laugh, for that agricultural edu-
cation of mine has cost me and my creditors
deal of money, and L am rather despondent
over the slow progress made.
But had been honored with an invitation,
I would have made an effort to gather up a
few statistics that might have instructed, if
not amused you. For / hold it the duty of
man, when thus honored, to do his part by
appearing on the stand with something worth
uttering, and profitable or entertaining to
hear. AS | have said, | am not a very sue
cessful farmer, but [ have the consolation of
knowing that in this respect we differ very
little. You are not successful farmers, and
you have the fact brought home to you on
this happy occasion by the price of wheat
The difference between us is to be found in
the fact that my very il-luck is my own fault,
while your failure is to be attributed to other
causes than your ignorance or lack of skill.
And now, why is it that our rcjoicings on this
memorable occasion are dampened by the fact
that we are called upon to be merry over
loss.
l need not tell you that wheat at one dollar
and ten cents a bushei does not pay sufficient
to clear the expenses of its planting, rcaping,
threshing and hauling TO market need not
tell you that, while our hats, shoes, coats, pant
aloons, shirts, hoes, harrows, plows, and, in a
word, all that we are forced to purchase, are
doubled, and tripled in price, wheat, our great
staple, brings less to-day than previous to the
war There is no explanation in that so glibly
given us, that this is because of the heavy sur
plus, which means that the more we possess
the poorer we will be-like the ownership of
the hoop pole region, to the north of US, whore
the more land one owns, the poorer he is. A
friend told me of poorhouse, in that part of
the world, where nearly every pauper owned a
quarter section, and the more destitute paupers
each had two. Laughter
Well, my friends, it is because every thing
we are forced to purchase is so high in price
that our wheat is SO low. And there is a
problem here I would have liked to work out,
for our mutual satisfaction, had your COM
mittee given me the opportunity. We take
bushel of wheat to the nearest railroad depot,
and sell it for what the commission merchant
assures US is its value; and there we lose sight
Of it. 1 would wish to follow that bushel of
wheat to its final destination, and believe that,
in so doing, would solve the problem. 1
could, I believe, demonstrate not only that the
value of our staple depends upon the demand
abroad, but also upon the purchases we make
abroad. That is the dealer in Europe says to
us, 81 will take your wheat at a fair profit to
you if you in turn will purchase of me what
l have to SELL" This is the law of trade the
world over, and you can not have a market
that governs trade if you do not obey the law.
RUSSIAN COMPETITION.
This has been demonstrated for years past
by the Russian wheat-grower. The grain
growing region of Russia is of sufficient extent.
and rich enough in soil, and so we'll favored
by climate, that it could be made the granary
of the world. The laborer there tolls in his
skin coat and wooden shoes, for sixteen dollars
year Aud yet could raise bushel of
wheat in Logan county, Ohio, cart it across
good share Of our continent and then ship it
over a wide ocean, to Liverpool and undersell
the Russian wheat grower, and why? Because
I would take broadcloth the Russian did not
wear, nor want and silks he had no use for,
and plows, and hoes, and harrows, and the
thousand and one manufactured articles the
I;SGD boI Of bo hos tbo
lowest rato.
THE HOME MARKET.
But, says one, is it not better to have this
market at home, and save the heavy cost Of
transportation, aud so keep the profits among
ourselves? Certainly, my Christian friend, if
the thing were possible; but we are trying the
home market now. Our American commerce
abroad once our pride, has nearly disappeared.
Ship building has ceased to be an item in our
statistical returns And what is the result
4 ruin to agriculture. We sell our wheat at
a loss. There is, at this moment, not single
farm in Logan county that is not for sale
Our young men crowd into towns and cities
our old men look longingly to the far West.
And why? Because we are trying the experis
ment of home market As by the law of
trade, our wheat would be taken to Europe
and return to US in the shape of manufactured
articles, law of Congress has been passed for
bidding such exchange, and forcing us to sell
to, or at least to purchase of, New England.
And what is the result Why, while n ew
England has no end of manufactured articles
to sell US at a very high figures, she has no
demand for our produce. New England raises
sufficient on her rocky soil to support her
population, so our wheat may rot in our grana-
ries or be sold at loss, to be paid for there in
manufactured articles enormously dear.
My patriotic and Christian friend who sug>
gests the home market forgets, if he ever knew
which is doubtful, that while we have sur
plus of agricultural production, there is sur