The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-04-07
WILL THE RIGHTS OF OUR PEG
~ PIE BE RESPECTED.

Al a H1oeGlIlS VI CHc AHlOIlSdA
Agricultural Association held in
the City of New York, on the 10th
ult., Hon. P. 1T. Glass, member of
Congress, from Tennessee, read a
paper in which he said:
"More than half of our population
are engaged in farming. They form the
real basis of our prosperity. They pay
half our taxes. But what does the
Government dofor them? 1t has given
$l5O,OOO,OOO to rivers and harbors, three
times that to railroads and untold mil
lions to protect manufactures. Since
the federation, it has given in all but
5 5,OOO,OO0 to agriculture. France gave
$40, 900 last year to encourage the
farming interest, Brazil $l2,OOO,OOO,
Russia ST. 5000, Austria $5,OOO,OOO,
Japan ST. 100000, the United States
$650,OOO. The present system OF legis-
lation which destroys our foreign mar
kets must be changed. Besides that,
there are three demands that the farmers
ought to make of Congress: To raise
the Bureau of Agriculture to a Depart
ment with a Cabinet officer at it's head,
to extend the Signal Service, and to APP
propriate money for establishing exper-
iment stations in connection with ag-
ricultural colleges"
The venerable Editor of that val
liable Agricultural Journal, The
MARYLAND Farmer, also read a paper,
and presented resolutions. We make
the following extract:
\"All these reflections remind us that
we have now in our midst a class OF
noble men who are devoting their ting
and best energies to elevating the masses
O. our people through scientific exBer-
iments\ in agricultural fields, and Wy
placing within reach of the farming
community the means of education and
elevationA such as never before has been
Hordel them in the history of the
world. These men have been devoting
their means and energies to the establish
ment of Agricultural Colleges and the
founding of Agricultural Experiment
Stations, in past years; until their labors
have at last resulted in the established
fact that these institutions are the
q e test blessing to the farmer that this
country has thus far unfolded. These
labors have resulted in our general gov
eminent and our several State legisla-
lures recognizing the Importance OF these
institutions, in a measure, and aiding in
their establishment and support. New
ertheless, ia great deal in this direction
remains to be accomplished. The
Farmers work should be recognized as
a science, and the broad field of his labor
should be founded upon scientific prin-
ciples. The farmer himself should
know the basis of all his labor and the
reason for every move he makes in the
cultivation of his soil. The work should
be reduced to such a standard of knowl-
edge that very little could be left to the
field of uncertainty. To accomplish
this, large and continued help is greatly
needed rom the State and the general
government, and every word that can
give force to this fact, and aid in secur-
ing it, is of vital Importance to the
farmer.
In accordance with these views, we
offer the following preamble and resolu-
tons for the consideration of this asso-
citation.
Whereas, the general welfare of the
country, and especially the welfare of
the agricultural citizens of the country,
demand more ample facilities for a
thorough education of our farming inter
eStS therefore
Resolved, that we urge upon the Leg
islatures of the several States to make
liberal and ample appropriations to their
Agricultural Colleges and Experimental
Stations.
Resoioed, that we consider the bill
introduced by Mr.. Hatch in the House
of Representatives for the appropria-
ton of $4,000 per annum, to establish
Agricultural Experiments Stations in
connection with Agricultural Colleges
in the several States and Territories of
great importance to the agricultural in
terests of this country, and the same
bill having been twice read in the House
and referred to the Committee on Agri-
culture, we recommend its final pas
sage"
Evidently these gentlemen +
laboring under the delusion that the
States, which accepted the dona-
ton from the general government,
for the purpose of establishing ag-
ricultural colleges, have complied,
in good faith, with the Act of Con-
gress, making the donation. They
do MT know (and there are thou
sands of our people who do not
know that the fund given to North
Carolina for the education of the
boys of our farmers and industrial
classes, was misapplied, the rights
of our people violated and the Act
of Congress disregarded, as was
shown by THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
in it's first issue. The none was
given to the University at Chapel