New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-09-18

r ever this may be disputed now, there is n
denying that these people more nearly re
sembied the African type than the Caucasian
! would like 10 dwell here on the progress
3 OF agriculture, and note the causes whic
, have led to its rapid development in thi
, country; show how diversified labor produce
r home market for the. productions of gu
soii now the prosecution of internal i'm
provements OF rivers and harbors, of canals
railroads and standardization have stimu
: lated agricultural industry; how science
observation and experiment have assisted i,
. its general development; and especial,
: would II be pleasant to comply with the lette
as well as the spirit Of your invitation, dwell
upon the general Importance of this branch
OF industry; picture to you the midnight
: gloom and restitution which would fall upor
the world if its wheels should cease to evolve
and the earth refuse food for man and beast
how commerce would languish, how mechan
ical machinery would gradually become 81.
lent; how the iron horse would stand still OF
the track; how the fire would die out on the
hearth, the gaunt and withered arms of the
mother hang down in despair; the wan babe
In the cradle sleep its last sleep, and the
busy hopeful, courageous and Joyous world
sink back again into the depths and darkness
OF barbarism. 1t would be well enough, too,
- '"NiS WIZ tiiiie, ~ give you the testimony
OF poets, scholars, statesmen and philoso-
pliers of all countries and ages in favor OF
country life to follow, especially, the retr-
ing statesman, when worn and broken by the
storms of public life, or when covered with
its honOrs, 10 the old farm of his birth, and
paint the scene Of peace and sweet content
in which he spends his declining years, and,
at last, sinks to rest forever; to dwell at
large upon the soothing charms of nature,
the honest affection and trust of well-treated
domestic animals, to prove that among the
truly beautiful and healthy scenes of this
! world, there is none more beautiful than a
well-managed farm.
But, gentlemen, this is an opportunity too
unusual, an occasion too peculiar, and my
relation to you is too singular, to make such
q disposition of your time justifiab,e.
Mine, to-day, is rare privilege. No man
perhaps was ever called upon to address so
vast concourse Of newly -emancipated peo-
pie; people wide awake and Just starting
in the race of mental, moral and social pro-
gress; a people of whom, heretofore, no reck-
oning was made; people recognized as
standing outside Of the circle, and ranked by
the laws of the land with horses, sheep, and
swine, and like these to be held and bought
and sold.
Gentlemen, since this is our FIRST meeting
since the revolution, in your situation and
mine, feel less like dwelling on agriculture
in general than in calling upon YOU to Join
me in loud, earnest, Joyous and long-con-
tinued cheers over our newly-gained freedom
Agricultural industry to-day has an interest
for me mainly in respect to the new order of
things upon which we have now fairly entered.
How can it be made to serve us, as partc-
ular class, is the commanding question oc the
| hour.
| If We look abroad over our country and
observe the condition of the colored people,
we shall find their greatest want to be regular
and lucrative employments for their energies.
They have secured their freedom, it is true,
but not the friendship and favor of the peo-
pie around them. The sentiment that greeted
them all over the South, when their letters
were broken, was let the negro starve
Happily to-day that sentiment is seldom
heard, hut though oeldom hoard sorry
to say-it is still felt, and is active in thous-
| and ways to our hurt. 1t keeps back the
wages ofthc black laborer by fraud it refuses
to rent and sell land; it excludes them from
printers unions and other mechanical asso-
Citations it refuses to teach them trades, and
| shuts them out from all respectable employ
ments, and consoles itself with the theory
that the negroes-like the Indians-will ulti-
mately die out.
The effect of this ruling in the American
mind has driven the negroes in great numbers
from the country into the large cities, and
into mental positions, where they easily learn
to initiate the vices and follies of the least
exemplary whites, and they perish as a con-
sequence. "Let the negroes starye" thus
executes itself.
In these circumstances, l hail agriculture
as n refuge for the oppressed. The grand
| old earth has no preiudices against race,
color, or previous condition of servitude,
but filings open her ample breast to all who
| will come to her for succor and relief. Agri-
| culture is simply the act of cultivating the
ground so as to secure its largest and best
product for sustaining life and health. There
are special and pressing reasons why we, of
all the people of the United States, should
master this great art. 1t is our last resort,
and if we fail here / see not how we can sue
coed elsewhere. We are not like the Irish,
an organized political power, welded together
by a common faith. We are not shrewd like
the Hebrew, capable Of making fortunes by
| buying and selling old clothes. We are not
like the Germans, who can spend half their
| time in lager beer saloons and still get rich !;
but we are just what we are: n laborious,
Joyous, thoughtless, improvident people, just
released from our thraldom, and with Just
such necessities as agricultural life will
secure.
navy ulCduS IClcIIcu RcutTdlS ~ tUt
favorable conditions afforded to successful
agriculture on our part. Besides land, labor,
and skill, there must be heat, moisture, and
manure. While man is required to eat bread
in the sweat of his brow, nature must give us
warmth and moisture, or there is no bread.
In the farthest North, where cold, ice, and
snow are perpetual, and in the far South,
under vertical sun, where the fierce heat
drinks up all the moisture and leaves the
land sandy desert, agriculture, of course, in
such lands and ATTITUDES is impossible.
| Happily for us, we have no such heat and
no such cold to contend with here. In this
respect there is no country in the world more
highly favored than the United States, and it
would be hard to point to any State more
favorable to farming than your own great
State of Tennessee. You have mountain,
| valley, river, and plain, heat and moisture,
and beautifully temperate climate, where,
| with knowledge, skill and industry, you may
obtain the highest agricultural results.
! Some of your old citizens, no doubt, con-
tinue to regret the change which has taken
! place in the relations of the people of Ten
! nessee. In the loss of slavery the State, in
their estimation, has parted with the source
Of its happiness and prosperity. To my
mind it would be hard to find greater mis-
take than this. Emancipation in this State
was not only a triumph of justice, but a
/ triumph of agricultural industry. 1t was not
merely blessing TO the slave, but a blessing