The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-09-24

A Great Crowd Listens 20 HIS CompIi-
meufary Remarks at Worcester.


WORCESTER, Mass, September is,
1884. James G.. Blaine arrived in
1 this city from Boston at IL o'clock
today. He came to attend the fair
| of the Worcester agricultural Socie-
ty and was the guest Of the Society
and Congressman w. w. Rice dur
ing his stay i'll this city. Thousands
of people were in waiting at the sta
ton and lined the route to the fair
grounds on his arrival and there
was considerable cheering upon his
appearance. A national salute was
! fired by section of Battery B dur
| ing the arrival. His visit is entirely
non-psrtisan, the reception commit
tee being composed of members of
the Agricultural Society aud repre-
sent the different political parties.
A number of institutions i'll the city
are closed for The day. Senator Hale,
of Maine, and Lieutenant Governor
Ames, of Massachusetts,, accompan-
led Mr.. Blaine, who was met at the
Union Station by the reception COM
mittee, and the party were driven
through Fort, Main and Elm streets
to the fair grounds. They were es-
corted to tie tent Of the president,
the large crowd giving them hearty
welcome. A lunch was served in
the tent and there was very pleas
ant social interview, which lasted
until the time for the speaking,
when the party adjourned to the
Judges stand. Mr.. Blaine spoke as
follows
| am sure that under this rich au-
iumn sun and this rich and pros
porous State you will expect from
me to-day nothing but words OF con-
graduation; and if there be any one
spot within the limits of the United
States which may challenge all 9TH
ers in prosperity, contentment and
general happiness it must be the
county OF Worcester in the State of
Massachusetts. [Applause] We
are in the habit in our minds, with
out looking closely at the figures, to
think of some rich sections of Eu-
rope as tar more populous than any
sections we have in this country
but in the great United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland there is
not as dense population as inhabit
Massachusetts from this point to the
sea there is not in the crowded
kingdom of Belgium, not in that hive
of industry, Holland. SO dense q
a population as you on this ground
represent today, and when you
come to compare the comfort, the
thrift, the general prosperity OF the
entire people, there is no. perhaps
on this circling globe a community
that can stand the comparison. Out
West, on those rich lands that
Laugh a crop when tickled with a
hoe in that "boundless contiguity"
of space in which the agricultural
district stretches from the crest of
the Alleghenies to the great plains,
it will be a surprise to them, if it is
not to you, that this county of Wor-
cester-out OF the seventeen hun
dred and odd counties that make up
all of the States-that this county
of Worcester is the fifteenth in the
whole United States in the value of
its agricultural products, and what
is more surprising, that, standing in
this rank of agricultural product. it
stands still higher in mechanical
industry and the product Of manu-
factures, for in that great list it |
stands tenth in the United States, so |
that when you come to estimate
s5,500,000,000 as the product of the !
the manufactures in a single year |
and SO 100000 as the product of
agriculture in single year in these
United States you can see what
must be the magnificent prosperity
of this county that it should the fif-
teenth in the one list and the tenth
In the other.
Gentlemen, this county has been
long noted, has been long known.
1t is the county best known in the
State, so widely known throughout
the Union, and if it were to be pre-
sented, or if any county in this
country were to be presented, as the
one exemplar, the one illustration. of
what free industry and free schools
and free education could do, there
would be one voice in favor of pre-
senting the county of Worcester as
that exemplar. [Applause.l We
are sometimes little jealous of you
in Massachusetts, but perhaps it is
only for your superior prosperity.
Laughter.l But outside and be-
yond that jealousy | am here to say
in behalf of the State which was
part of the old Commonwealth that
for the county Of Worcester, for the /,
State of Massachusetts, no other
feeling is entertained than that of
profound respect, admiration and
honor. lApplause.J Thanking you.
gentlemen, for the very cordial and
reception which has been
made so agreeable to-day and wish
ing you abundant increase of the
great prosperity which surrounds
you | bid you a cordial farewell.
Applause.