Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-09
OUR EASTERN LECTURERS.
Progress of the MasIin Party In Its Tri
Through the West.

OUh LAS fEkN LECIUkEhSs
Progress of the Masiin Party In Its Trip
Through the West.
CHICAGO, January rs, 1889.
EDS. REcogD-UsIoE 1 received adyices
the other day from Sacramento that un-
favorable comment had been made upon
the mistake of going 10 the Northern
States" meaning Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. do not propose to rest quietly un-
der such criticism. I endeayored to obtain
from the committee an official plan of our
tour, but everyone stated that ii should be
left to our judgment, which should be
guided by investigation when on The
ground. yet nearly everyone with whom 1
conyersed said, ''Of course you will go to
Minnesota" We went to Minnesota SIM
ply to investigate and because it seemed the
judgment Of Sacramento people so to do.
In any other year, possibly, that State
would be good field. This year, the win
ter not being normal and The Northern
Pacific using every inducement for migra-
ton TO the extensive Northwest, caused
our visit to be fruitless. Mr.. Brand, who
has been East, knows well how I'M
favorable to our mission was the abnor.
mally fine, as 1t is here called, winter
But TO our travels. At my last advices
We had lectured at McGregor, on the Missis-
sippi river. From there we went to Du-
buque, as our funds had run low, and also
for advices from home. at that city hay
ing received another remittance, and Du-
buque not appearing to be favorable place
for our purposes, we started north, arriving
- T.1f<@ & .
pie. The large opera house, although it
was showing sharply, was crowded with
auditors, not less than 500 people being
present. At this place We were favored by
a press notice, the second one have had
the pleasure 10 see. The Fayette Union
said that the speech OF the writer was very
moderate and that nothing was said to in
duce any farmer to leave the rich and pro-
ductive State of Iowa. And this while |
was talking, the snow was falling fast and
furious and the mercury down nearly to
zero. For once at least in my life | felt
indifferent to press criticism.
And the editor was right in one sense.
l have not INDUCED in hyperboie Every
statement that have made can be more
than substantiated. The fact is, to tell the
whole truth about our section is to render
one liable to the imputation of being
relative of Ananias. More than once when
have made a moderate statement about
the climate or the profits of fruit culture,
a gentle murmur would be heard in the
audience, indicative of incredulous sur
prise. However, ! was relieved at West
Union by an old farmer who had come in
from his farm to hear US, rising in his seat
and saying that he had been in California:
that Sacramento valley was the best part
of the State; that | had underestimate its
merits. but had made two misstatements
which he would correct as follows: He
had to wear an overcoat in Capitol Park
last July, and he bought black grapes that
raisins are made from in Sacramento for
one cent pound That gave me peg to
hang some remarks upon.
The next day we drove to Fayette in a
sleigh. mercury lao below zero, and lee
tured in the Congregational Church, which
we thought of ample size, but it was not
The house was literally packed, and the
aisles were filled with chairs to accommo-
date the hearers. From Fayette we went to
Cresco, and held forth in Lyric Hall. Here
the audience we estimated, By counting
seats. at about four hundred | always felt
little embarrassed when | began to speak,
for fear that the people came to see the
''show" and not to hear the talk. But as
in no instance has even ore person left the
room while l have been speaking, and the
strictest attention has been given, l am
convinced that the interest arose from q
simple desire to be informed about Cali
fjrnia.
As my remarks were those which | con-
ceived should be addressed 10 a farmer or
practical business man seeking a home and
wishing TO know how he could make a
living" and therefore largely statistical,
occupying an hour or more in delivery,
without any rhetorical fiourishes, YOU can
understand that the attention ofpeople was
held by the subject and not by the speaker.
You have no conception of the wau<-of
information about California and especially
our portion of the State, and | wish to re-
iterate my opinion that the citizens of Sac
ramento Placer, Ell Dorado, Butte, Suffer
and Solano counties, orSt least Sacramento
and Placer should advertise in the country
press the resources of their respective coun-
ties. Southern California literature, as |
once before wrote, is everywhere, and now
that the opinion prevails here that land
has reached the limit as to values, in that
charming section, and efforts are now MAX
ing to induce migration to Oregon and
Washington Territory, is our golden OPP
portunity to call attention to our more
favored counties | have no doubt that
from the portion of Iowa we visited YOU
IN 1889. But the northwest and central
portion of the State has not been reached
The soil of northern Iowa is indeed deep
and rich, but the future of the farmer is
not encouraging. Business is very dull
and the drummers are selling very few
goods. They report collections slow, and
from some of them gained the impression
that many merchants would be unable to
continue in business.
The chinch bug has utterly ruined
wheat farming, and farmers have turned
their attention to corn and stock-raising.
The horses are exceptionally fine. but there
does not seem to be much profit in stock
raising. Chicago or the Dressed Meat
Trust" fixes the price of live stock, and
the farmer is compelled TO sell at that price,
less railroad freight.
The following table shows the average
production in bushels per acre, and the
average price per bushel received for the
grains named, in the counties we visited: