The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-11
PRESIDENT JORDAN AGAIN.

On the Cd of December last THE CALL
published in its weekly edition a clipping
from an exchange from what purported To
be q report of q speech made by David
Starr Jordan, President of the Leland
Stanford Jr. University. The CALL pub
lished the extract without word of COM
ment but the substance of the extract it
self, being Of a nature TO give offense to the
farming population of this or any other
State, was made by two Farmers Alliance
organizations OF Napa County the subject
of certain condemuatory resolutions. which,
in turn, were published In The CALL and
seyera! other papers in this State. After
the publication of the resolutions this paper
made them and the alleged remarks the
subject IF a brief editorial comment the
object Of which WAS 10 show that the state
ments attributed to President Jordan could
not be made to apply TO California farmers.
10 point Of fact they were not intended to
be applied to California farmers, as Mr..
Jordan has since explained to MS that the
address was in part prepared before he
thought Of coming to this State. Previous
TO his making this explanation, however,
an agricultural paper published in this
State printed the following, which il
claimed was a personal letter on the sub
jet, from Mr.. Jordan:
Permit me to say that the words credited to
me which have met with the denunciatiOn OF the
Napa County farmers have never been used by
me, and that the speeche which have been re-
ferred 10 have never been made.
In order that readers of this paper may
understand exactly what Mr.. Jordan did
say in regard to the farmers, we append
below an extract from a farewell speech
made By him when leaving Indiana for
California. and published from his manu-
script by the Indianapolis Journal Of June
Is, 1891:
l wonder whether tie oppression OF the farmer
is tie fault Of The times or rhe fault Of the man?
II a farmer spend day IN the harvest time in
efforts to send fool to the Legislature or
knave TO Congress should he complain If the
laws tie fools and knaves make should add to
his own taxes? II he stand all day In the public
square SPELL bound by a tramp with an accor-
dion or, still worse, II he lounges about on the
sawdu>t floor OF a saloon, talking the vile stun
we agree to call politics. never reading a book
never thinking thought above the level Of the
sawdust floor. need lie be surprised il his Opin-
ious do not meet with respect? A busy
man the Old-time farmer was; aud, being busy
he found time for everything. He read bound
books; be enjoyed the pleasures OF travel; lie
educated his family; he kept intelligent watch
on All the aHatfS Oh Inc DAY lie ala not ind
time 10 stand on the station steps, In the middle
OF the afternoon, TO watch thousand trains 90
by on thousand consecutive days He carried
no handicap load OF tobacco and whisky. He
went 10 the cOunty-seat when he had business
there. lie went with clean clothes and came
back with a clean conscience. lie had not time
10 spend each seventh day on the courthouse
square, talking the dregs OF scandal and politics
with men whose highest civic conception Is bal
anced by wO-dollar bill, nor had he time 10
waste on nostrum-venders or vagrants with ae.
cOrdOns.
hear the farmers complaining to- day OK high
taxes but no duty on iron was ever so great as
the tax he pays who leaves his moving machine
unsheIered in tile storm. The lax on land is
high. but he pays higher tax who leaves his
meadows TO grow up TO whlte-weed and thistles
Tie tax for good roads IS hIgh but a higher toll
Is paid by The farmer who goes each week to
town IN mud knee-deep TO his horses There is
high tax on personal property, but it Is not so
high as the tax on time which Is paid by the man
who spends bis Saturdays lettering about the
village streets. All the farmers income arises
from the wise use Of his time. One sixth of bis
time means One-slxlh OF his income. If he has
learned 10 make use Of his time, all other Ills
VIII cure themselves.