The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-12-27
Address from Col. Beverley, of
Virginia.

| TO the Farmers Of The United States.
AT the recent meeting OF the National Agri-
cultural Congress Mt Louisville, KY, honored by
election to the presidency of that body the duty
| devolyes upon me of issuing This brief address
/ explanatory of the aims and purposes of the or
! eaflization; this earnest appeal to every farmer
in the Union to extend TO us his action and cor
| dial sympathy and cooperation Everything
which can affect The dignity or prosperity OF
agriculture is u subject OF national Importance,
and is entitled to the respectful attention of the
Government of the nation so often vauntingly
declared to be '.the Government of the people.
by the people and for the people; Z yet the fact
is utterly and scornfully ignored that the tillers
of the soil are clear majority OF az me people
The ultimate aim and purpose OF the Nallonal
Agricultural Congress is two-fold.: First to
arouse agriculturists themselves 10 Il feailza-
ton of this great fact and secondly to enforce
a recognition of it upon the representatives OF
the people who have been delegated 10 ADMIN
lister the State and National Governments. II
is q fact which admits OF no dispute tnat no
prominent and influential statesmen i'll any De
partment OF the National Government either
possesses or apparently desires to possess even
Superficial knowledge of agriculture in any
OF its aspects relations or interests. This great
business by which a majority of all the people
live and through which all have their bread is
practically unrepresented in any department
of the peoples government In the Executive
branch they have commissioner who ranks
only with the clerks of other departments; in
the Senate they have one, and in the House OF
Representatives twenty-seven members in n
body of more than three hundred. When
propose to remedy this improper, unreasonable
and unjust state of affairs, are scornfully
tuition of the United states We might retort
Neither is the word lawyer" We might Very
not Gf in The Constitution OF tie Goyernment Of
the people of whom we are majority, then we
mean to put it there. If as class we possess no
rights, as majority nevertheless we possess all
rights and all powers under the Constitution
and the Government as they stand.
In order that agriculture may be placed upon
an equitable footing in the Executive branch of
the Government, it is believed, and We should
demand that it should be represented in the
fAahinPnt Minister Inf1nanCa- honor
and dignity with any and all other constitu-
tional advisers OF the President, to the end that
finance, and all other great industries may be
effectively studied and understood, and pre-
force i'll the councils OF the nation. That
such is now the case tits but idle to Pretend
Farmers of America, we put it to you that it is
your bounden duty to yourselves and to your
posterity to use the power which belongs toyou
to enforce this just recognition of your dignity
and your rightS If the word agriculture is
not in the Constitution. you have always found,
you Will ever find, when votes are wanted, it is
in every politician IS mouth. We make no war
know full we'll that the prosperity OF each is the
prosperity OF all in any well ordered commu-
nifty; we simply ask of our representative a
reasonable and proper recognition of our rights
and this, let us cause them to understand, is
what we are resolved to have. We are fifty
seven per cent. of the population of the United
States; need such Organizations as shall
awaken us to n comprehension of the habitual
subordination of our interests to those of every
other class, producing and producing
such organization and such Intelligent compre-
henSion of our situation as will secure n proper
representation for us in the Executive and Leg
islative branches of the Governments, National
and State, under which we live, is one of the
prime objects of our organization. 1t Is only by
and through effective organization i'll every
county in every State that we can hope to act
intellgently together to obtain practical recOg-
milton of our political powers and our political
rights. Let your present representatives be
made to know that some of the most extensive
and important interests of agriculture are to-
lday seriously imperiled by their failure or re-
usal to provide remedies adequate to the dam
ger; that you look to them and expect of them
to provide pro per and sufficient appropriations
of the public funds to protect the great animal
Industries of the country from perpetual men
ace and imminent danger by contagious dis
eases, constitutional qnalms to the contrary
Notwithstanding. Let them know, also that
the agriculture of the country expects and re-
quires at their hands that the benefits of the
ations of the country, as we'll as to navigation,
commerce and other pursuits, and that what
ever organization is required and whatever
funds are necessary for such q purpose ought |
to be provided without further delay SO that in !
formation of approaching storms cold waves
and inclemencies of the weather threatening |
and causing destruction to agricultural pro- |
ducts, may be timely sent to every community |
which railroads or telegraph lines reach, or to
which warning signals can be conveyed by any |
means known to modern science. As one re- |
suit already matured OF the beneffcent wisdom |
of the immortal Maury, the approach of destruc- |
tive storms may now be foretold two days or /
more in advance, surely agriculture. which |
bears the greatest burden of taxation, is en- |
titled to the vast measure of protection which |
would accrue to her imperiled products from the |
general diffusion of such timely information, /
and thereby save to our interest and to the ma |
ton thousands of millions of dollars. Ii the |
machinery and funds necessary for the collee- |
ton and distribution of such intellectually Valu- /
able fOrewarningS are lacking, it will be q /
shame to our representatives If, with an over
of trained scientists lacking employment, at |
their disposal, the machinery and the funds are |
not forthwith provided: and as agriculturists I
we demand it. tx.
We repeat it, that we entertain no purpose to
assume an attitude of hostility TO any of the !
great interests OF the country; least of all do
entertain any purpose of assailing amy actual !
vested right which legitimately belongs to any
of the great transportation companies, but we
are deeply sensible of the vital Importance to
all agricultural interests of cheap, speedy and |
safe Transportation of their products To the |
great markets of the world. In furtherance OF
this great national desderatum, we shall favor
all times any State and National policy which |
such great commercial highways as, for ex-
ample, the Mississippi river and the ship canals
Such we feel would be better direction TO give |
to the surplus of swollen revenues, thus em-
ploy1ng some of our surplus and idle labor than /
the anticipation of the demands of the public
creditor by this generation.
rate details but why should we not demand
and receive appropriations from the National |
Treasury for the protection Of our mperiled
interests, aggregatlng hundreds, yea thousands |
of millions of taxable values /? Does the Con-
stitution really stand in the way? Do we not |
know that peaceful machinery is provided /
whereby we who are a majority of all lhe peo-
pie OF all the states may alter even abolish
that instrument, and that our rights to do SO is
.inalienable, indefeasible and fndisputable ~
Look at the shoal of proposed amendments to
unseemly haste upon The National Legislature
the very first day of the current session, pro-
posed amendments which can in no case take
higher rank than mere political and partizan
schemes, and say that we must sit down power
less to protect our rights!
In furtherance Of purposes such as l have
feebly an imperfectly set forth; in fnrtherance
of every purpose which has for its object the adj
Vancement OF the great calling we pursue, the
National Agricultural Congress was itself called
into existence In furtherance of these great
purposes and aims we earnestly and respect
fully invoke the action, cooperation and cordial
sy mpathy OF every farmer of every section of
this vast Countrywide home and the domain of
the foremost. the mightest and most progressive
nation on earth. i
am, your very obedient and humble servant,
RoRERT BEVERLY,
President National Agricultural Congress.
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