The New York herald., 1879-08-27
MIR. sHARpE's GREAT SPEECH.

THE EFFECT IT PRODUCED UPON THE PREsr>
DENT OF THE FARMERS CLUB srRAwBHR-
RIEs AND LAURELs
There quite lively in the Farmers
Club, which met yesterday afternoon at the Cooper
Institute. One Of the members. Mr.. H. b. Sharpe.
read paper "Co-operative Farming" in which he
expressed views Of somewhat Communistic and
levelling character. He spoke of machinery as an
agency tending to lower the condition of the work.
ingman and destined to nuriously affect the small
farmer. The farmer must now become either laborer
or q capitalist, and machinery is responsible for the
changes in his condition. Mr.. Sharpe contrasted
the independence of the artisan of the past with
what he termed the slavsh drudgery Of the me-
chanic Of the day. He asserted that machinery will
lay the farmer well the workingman prostrate.
The one hundred farm is doomed, he said un-
less its owner. warned in time, becomes Q CO.
operator. The speaker also said that the small
farmers in the Western and Southern States were
wretchedly poor. because they were undersold by
the bonanza farmers. and that most Of the farms in
those sections are heavily mortsaged. The
did he solution OF the problems
affecting the working classes. He advocated the
abolition of the use of national money among far
mers thus doing away with the tyranny OF capital.
In his opinion there altogether too many CAPT.
talists and middle men, and these parasites must be
cast OF. He also alluded to the number of unem.
ployed men roaming over the land and declared
that cooperation would give them all employment.
discussion folloWe the reading of the paper.
Mr. Johnson thought that machinery ut present was
to the working classes instead Of blessing.
The man that owned the machinery was rything
and the workingnan was nothing. very aged
member thought the great trouble was that there
too many non-producers and capitalists
living in palaces and supported by the workingman.
Mr.. hudson thought that the views of Mr.. Sharpe
were little too gloomy Mr. Sharpe replied that the
question was whether the farmer had enough for
the day, but whether his condition could be made
better. Men cooperating every day for pur-
poses of evil and oppressonwhy not cooperate for
good Go to Utah and what the people thero
have DONE The president, Mr.. A. s. Heath, here in
terrupted Mr.. Sharpe and rebuked him for mention-
ing the people OF Utah examples fer the farmers.
Those people. he said, violating the law OF the
land. Mr.. Sharpe said IL condemn their moral prac-
tices, but they do not oppress He then went on to
say that it in Baxter street and not Fifth avenue
that he found hope for humanity.
The president declared with emphasis. that Mr.,
Sharpes doctrines were heterodox. Machinery had
done for this country what nothing but machinery
ould have done for It. he said and it gave employ
ment to many more men than it displaced. Them
turning to Mr.. Sharpe, he said-"Your reference to
Baxter street is outrage Your reference, in this
law-abiding assemblage. to Utah o model Is dis.
grace"
Mr.. Sharpe muttered something apologetically.
Those remarks, he said, only came up in the course
of debate. Mr. sharpe left the room NJ soon ss the
debate closed apparently not in the best OF temper.
j. p. Garrish, NJ. d. read paper on "The History
of the Strawberry and its Effects on Mankind.
wherein he discussed the history OF the succulent
plant. He stated that he believed the strawberry
original production Of America. and from
there taken to England He exhorted the
farmers to continue its cultivation rs . means OF
adding fresh laurels to their brows.