The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-11
FARMERS TO COME
NEXT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL
CONGRESS WILL BE HELD
HERE.
ANNUAL MEETING Is ON,
PRINCIPAL EVENT OF THE DAY THE
ADDRESS OF THE PRESI-
DENT.
Referred Without Action to the Com
mittee of Which Hays, of Mime
sofa, Is a Member.

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 10.-The six
teenth annual session of the
Farmers National congress be-
gan at 1890 a. m. today in
the Indiana hall of the house of
representatives. There were about 70
per cent present. but the later sittings
are expected to show a larger attend
ance. The general opinion of those in
tereSted in the congress was that the
meetings should have been held before
rather than after the presidential cleo
ton, and that had this been the case
the attendance would have numbered
several hundred. The members pres
emf were representative men and lead
erS in the cause of agriculture. The
congress was called to order by the
president, B. F. Clayton, Of Indianola,
Iowa. Mayor Taggart delivered an ad-
dress of welcome.
Response was made by the secretary,
]. M. Stahl, of Chicago. He said that
upon one occasion, the proposition had
been made to throw him out on the as
sumption that there were no farmers
in Cook county, Illinois, as that county
is Chicago. He said he kept his place
by showing that the farm products Of
Chicago exceed those of each or more
than twenty counties in Illinois.
1--WE came here" said the secretary,
''to labor for the farmer and yet we do
not forget the men in the mine or in
the shop or in the banks. We realize the
interdependence of all industries and
that when the industries Of the cities
languish, our agricultural industries
fall
J. G. Kingsbury, of Indiana spoke q
welcome on behalf Of the press He
gave figures to show the agricultural
standing of Indiana, and that she
stands sixth in corn and in 1892 ranked
second in wheat.
j. G. Offum gave welcome on be-
half Of the farmers Of Indiana. He
said:
1--WE are looking forward to this con-
gtlress with a great deal Of anxiety
and doubt. We farmers find ourselves
in a very Strengthened condition; W.
fnd many farms plastered over with
mortgages.
/. l.. F. Coffin, of Iowa. said that tina .
state is more largely agricultural than
almost any other state. He did hot
come to the congress with a dolefuI
voice. Iowa farmers were out Of debt.
as a rule, he said, and but a very small
percentage of Iowa farms are mort
gagged Gov. Matthews then welcomed
| the congress on behalf of the state.
President Clayton was then intro
duced and delivered his annual adj
dress as follows:
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
The farmer, as class gives less attention
to his own interest N legislation affecting
him. and to the extortion practiced than any
| other class of American people.
| BY legislation and by the courts we have
settled the great principles that the public
| have right to control these trusts, and cor
| porations have accepted the principle. What
! we want is for the national and state execu-
| tiyes to lose no time in laying before congress
and the legislative bodies the evils COM
| planned Of, and to suggest such remedies as
| will check their future growth. We should
| say to these combinations, thus far and no
| farther shalt thou come. We should ask for
| no class legislation. We should demand no
| fayors beyond legitimate protection to the
| farm interests and we should be Satisfied
with nothing short of the same recognition
| accorded to all other American industries
! Successful farming is a trade of national
! and international relationship to all other
| trades. There is no industry so sensitive to
| spasmodic action of social or commercial up
| hevals as our productive industries. What
| said in my last annual address / now EN-
! phasize. 1t is granted that labor has equal
| right with capital 10 organize; but the right
! Of either or Of any organization to disturb
! the channels of trade and to destroy the bust
ness interests of the country is denied, and
1t is hoped that the action of the president
| and the federal courts will drive the agitator
and the anarchist into legitimate channels to
| settle fancied grievances.
Gentleman Of the congress! Your eonstitu-
| ton makes it my duty as your president to
| give you the object of this organization. Its
| object is contained in one short sentence of
| the first section of our constitution, which
/ says: Its object shall be to advance the
| agricultural interests of the union. We seek
! to do this in two ways, first, to mould and
| shape such legislation as the interests of the
| farmer require and to present it to the state
and national legislative bodies for their &C
ton. Second, we have a literary programme
by which seek to elevate the great masses
now engaged in agricultural pursuits to a
position in keeping with that occupation.
Let me beg of each individual member of
this congress- that you will give the congress
you will early in the session introduce any
resolution covering needed legislation that
you may deem advisable, and have 1t referred
to the committee resolutions, when ap-
pointed.
There many questions of which
involve the highest interest of our industry
upon which we might ask congressional con-
sideration. Among them Is to be found the
readjustment Of our tariff laws affecting agri-