Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-01-29
Bo,c Farmers Should Live.
ADDRESS BY ROBERT O. INGgRsoLL AT THE
CENTRAL ILLINOIS FAIR.


CENTRAL ILLINOIS FAIR.
Ladies and Gentlemen,-You see before
YOU to-day an old and experienced tiller
of the soil, one of the hard-handed sons
of labor, one who imagines that ne knows
something of the art of cultivating the soil
and extracting happiness from labor. l
suppose everybody understands something
about farming-except editors of agricul-
tural papers and magazines. | know
enough to know that agriculture is the
basis Of all wealth and of all prosperity,
and that in country where the agricultur-
al labor is free, everybody is free and
ought to be prosperous.
FARMING IN THE oLpEN TINE.
| know that the old style Of farming
was mistake When l was a farmer, in
the olden time in Illinois, they used to
fence one hundred and sixty acres Of
land with two dogs. When | was farm
er they used to haul wheat two hundred
miles in a wagon and sell it for thirty
five cents 4 bushel, and bring back about
800 feet of lumber, = lunches of shingles,
a barrel of salt and cook stove that new
er would draw. When | was farmer
they Toasted on corn and bacon, and didn't
know very well how to cook that. We
had poor houses and no barns. The
horses were put in straw sheds, and long
before spring most Of the straw would be
eaten away and il took all the oats and
all the corn We could stuff into those
horses to keep them from actual starvation.
In those days most farmers thought the
best place for a pig-pen was immediately
in front of the house, and the wood pile
as general thing consisted Of one LOG
upon which an axe or two had been worn
out in the fruitless efforts to make kin
ding.
Everything about the farm was in6u-
itely disagreeable. There was no leisure
and no comfort. 1t was all labor and
WEAKNESS and "veXation OF spirit Every
farmers boy took thousand oaths that
he would never cultivate the soil. The
moment they arrived at the age Of twenty
one they left the farms; they rushed to
the towns and cities they wanted to be
bankers, railroad men, doctors, lawyers,
merchants, anything to avoid the drudg-
cry Of farming. Every boy acquainted
with three r's-reading, writing and arith-
metic-imagined he had altogether more
education than ought to be wasted in cul-
tivatiDg the soil, and made haste to 60
into some other business. Those who
siaid upon the farm envied those who
went away. When times are prosperous
the young men leave the farm to engage
IN something tina; promises great and
quick returns. They build railroads ;
they establish banks and Insurance CON-
panies They speculate in stocks IN Wall
stree; or they gamble in grain in Chicago.
They become rich; they live 10 palaces,
and their brothers, left upon the farm, are
httle enyious.
WHAT FARMERS CANNOT AFFORD TO SILL.
No farmer can afford to sell his wheat
and corn and oats. He should sell horses
not oats sheep, cattle, and pork, mot corn.
de should make every profit possible out
Of what he produces. So long as you ship
your corn and oats and wheat so long will
your farm be mortgaged to the insurance
companies and capitalists Of the East
jus, so long all the profit Of the industri-
Gus in this glorious State will be given to
pay the capitalists Of other States.
Another thing 1t is just as cheap to
raise a good breed Of cattle as a bad breed
scrubs will eat Just as much as thorough
breds. If you are not able TO buy the
Attorneys and DurhAms, then you can
raise