Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-10
FARMERS IN COUNCIL.
East Tennessee Farmers Convention at
the Opera-hOuse.

East Tennessee Farmers Convention at
the Opera-house.
An Auspicious Opening and Interesting
Session.
Decidedly the most auspicious and en-
couraeing opening ever yet known in the
! history of the East Tennessee Farmers
Convention was witnessed in the assembling
of that body in this city yesterday. The
trains the night before brought
representative farmers from all
parts of East Tennessee, and yes
terday morning they came in from the i'm
mediate neighborhood in large numbers,
until the streets were thronged, to some ex-
tent, with the sturdy, thriving and repre-
sentative tillers of the soil, VINO are the bone
and sinew and pride of the land.
At 10 o'clock the crowd was assembled at
Staub,s Opera house, the attendance being
very large and enthusiastic, the house being
| well filed. The services of the colored
brass band were secured, and furnished
music at the opening and at intervals during
the proceedings
The meeting was called to order by Col.
j. B. Stokley, of Cooke County, the presi-
| dent of the convention, and the proceedings
were opened with prayer by VIM. S. Smith,
Esq.
Mr.. J. w. Caldwell was called upon, and
delivered, in eloquent style and well chosen
| language, the address of welcome. be ex-
| tended, on behalf of the city of Knoxville,
! q cordial welcome to their farmer friends,
| with the assurance of their sympathy and
| corporation.
Capt. J. A. Turley, of McMinn County,
former president of the convention, was
called upon for response. On behalf OF
the farmers he accepted and appreciated the
| warm and cordial welcome, SO tttingly ten
| dered. He was glad to see such a manifes-
tation, and the farmers accepted it, he sale,
| in the spirit in which it came,
The address was a lengthy and well pre-
pared document. He started out by thank
ing the convention for the honor conferred.
| stating that while he has been an humble
filler of the soil for many years, he, like too
many of our farmers, mixes other matters
with farming, and has neglected the greater
for the lesser. He gives some valuable
hints and sugges ions on various topics,
calling attention to the vast
of our section, now on the road to rapid
and speedy development, all of which is
| highly encouraging to the farmers.
| He closed as follows:
| 81 trust the cloud that blackens the es-
! cutcheon of our State may soon be dispelled,
| and none will lend more willing hand than
| the farmers of East Tennessee. l trust
| your session will be pleasant as well as prof
1table-that the cause of agriculture will be
I advanced, and the greatest of all interests
| will receive an impetus that will place il
where it of right belongs.
Col. Stokley, the president, read to the
convention the following excellent address
Gentlemen of the East Tennessee Farmers
Convention:
Since we last met in Convention an event
| full year has passed. To the people of the
United States probably none more SO since
! the dark and bloody days of '65. With
them it has been one checkered scene OF
sunshine and shadow, of joy and sadness,
in which hope had to bravely battle with
despondency for the victory. They have
been shocked by the intelligence that theii
Chief Magistrate had fallen at the hands
of an assassin. They have seen nation
draped in mourning at his death. They
| have heard expressions of sorrow coming
up from every section of our land, thus
evincing the fact that in our government
it does not matter how high political
| prejudices may rise, or whatever of section
al animosities that may exist, they can al
be buried in one common grief and the peo
pie united In one common cause. They
have seen new administration engrafted
as it were, upon the action of another but &
few months old, without any apparent effec
upon the peace or prosperity of the country
thus demonstrating another fact, that ths
perpetuity of our government does not de
pend upon SO uncertain thing as the lif.
of single individual, but has deeper ant
broader foundation, in the affections of the
whole people. They have seen the as
sassin, the magnitude OF whose Grim,
seemed almost to justify the fury of
mob, receiving all the benefits of fair ant
impartial trial by jury of his countrymen
Thus showing the conservatism of our peo
pie that their passions are swayed by thei
reason, and, that while revenge is as ha.
ever been the badge of barbarism, law i
the bulwark of civilization.
But, as more directly affecting agricul
ture, they have Witnessed a drouth, the Sc
verify of which, in some sections, Is unpre
cedented in the history of our country
Thousands, but for the charity of more fa
vored sections, would have persisted fron
: starvation.
More recently, they have seen one of tn
, fairest and most fertile sections of ou
! Union converted for time into one grea
: inland sea, which has left widespread dev
, astation in its bed, and has cast a pail c
darkness over the hearts and homes of
multitude of our people.
East Tennessee, to great extent, has ha
| an immunity from the severity of bot
drouth and flood. While our crops are CT
: shorter than usual, in consequence of lai
summers drouth, our products have con
, manded good prices; we have been favore
] by late fall, mild winter and early sprins
!, SO, taking everything into consideration, IL
: year has been one of unusual prosperity [
our farmers.
: As evidences of our prosperity we see
general freedom from oppressive indeb-
edness, better grade of agricultur
. implements upon our farms and tt
: improved appearance of the homes of o,
farmers.
The greatest impediment, as I conceiv
to higher agriculture among us, is the Lar
of more digniied opinion of our vocatie
by our farmers themselves. Others are n
y apt to think more of us, and generally n
is near SO much, as we think of ourselve
: consequently if we regard ourselves as beir
the mere serfs of creation, we cannot e
'e pect others to entertain higher opinion
J. us. Too many of us regard the farm
a being place wonderfully adapted to Il
:, strong armed and weak minded, whe
~ muscle is to be used and developed to Il
he exclusion of the higher parts of our natur
& We are governed too much by this opinit
"a in the education of our children. A gre
many consider all the education th
is necessary for the farm is
smattering knowledge of reading, writil
and arithmetic. Hence it is th
our agricultural colleges do not accompli
as much for agriculture as many think tn
! should. 1t is not SO much the fault of t
colleges as it is of the farmers themselves,
6. great many of whom think that they c.
- teach their sons at home all that is impo
tant for them to know in order to make
them successful farmers. When they wa
to educate them they send them to some