The Arizona sentinel., 1903-07-08
COLORADO DELTA
 CANAL COMPANY

tile cOufJ mousse, ulud, On June -I; the proceedings began by Mayor Pat tersOn calling the meeting to order with few appropriate remarks in which he dwelt forcibly on the importance oi the company's plans being carried through without loss of time in order to insure the prosperity of the district.
 Attorney Robinson was then unani- nously elected to the chair and at once invited MT. H. w. Postlethwaite, pres ident of the company, to address the audience.
 Mir. Postlethwaite said:
 MT. Chairman and gentlemen:
 ''In the first place, allow me to con- gratulate you upon your climate: can assure you that we feel, even if we do not appreciate. the warmth of our re- ceptiOn. In the next place l would thank you for the opportunity you have given us of meeting you and of discus sing with you the plans we have form ulated in regard to the projected canal. For two reasons am pleased: firstly, because whenever have matter in hand in any way relating to agricuf- ture, like to discuss it with the prac- tical farmer, particularly the true, full blOOded westerner, for after such dis cussiOn, 1 always feel that 1 have ac- quired some knowledge, some infOrma- tion that will be of infinite value to me in the future. Secondly, because believe when we know each other bet ter, and when you thoroughly under stand our plans and intentions in re- gard to the construction and operating of the proposed canal, there will be no difficulty in our coming together and doing business, and doing it promptly at that.
 'I have often heard the city man re- mark: Do business with farmer? no thank you, save me from lot of fools and obstinate cranks.' On the other hand have heard the farmer make the remark, possibly some of you have made it yourselves in regard to us, No city man for me, lot of rogues and rObbers.' Gentlemen, both of these views are entirely erroneous and false. l know this from personal experience, for I have been a farmer and also a business man. You can hardly there fore expect me to admit that every bus mess. man, without single exception, is a rogue, or that every farmer is d fool. Gentlemen, my experience is that the average farmer is a hard headed, sound-thinking man, without any business training, it is true, but a man who is open to conviction, and who will always meet you half way when he sees you intend to treat him fairly. The reason why a city man looks upon farmer as fool is because he has never become intimately ac quainted with him, has never lived with him on the soil, and is therefore unable to understand his ideas and methods of thought. He has formed his opinions of the characteristics of the farmer from the funny papers of the country, which, as a rule, hardly do justice to the average farmer. On the other hand, gentlemen, the reason why the farmer looks upon the business man as rogue and knave is due to the fact that he very seldom has the opportunity to come directly in contact with the business man. It is most unfortunate circumstance in this weS- tern country that nearly all the busi- ness transactions between the farmer and the business man have to come through a connecting link, in the shape of a promoter, and 1 think the promo ter is the most cursed thing ever made by God. He comes down to the coun- try with some scheme in his head; he will make any kind of statement or misrepresentation to the farmer, know ing full well that before his falseness is exposed to the farmer he will have sold out and left the man with capital to bear the farmers abuse. Gentle men there is no more resemblance be- tween d business man and a promoter than there is between a farmer and mule, indeed the uninitiated business man might resent this comparison, for, though his experience of country life is 10 hn fn hn hn greatest kicker created and the most obstinate of beasts, and this is typical of the farmer as known to him. Gen tlemen, you may always recognize a typical promoter; he flashes into the country town with twenty dollar gold pieces in his pocket. few of which he ever spends on legitimate business, and as many diamonds on his shirt as there are thOrns on cactus. He is verita- ble painted butterfly with a sting in his tail, who fits from flower to flower ab- sorbing the vital juices therefrOm, but giving nothing in return and leaving the flower poorer than he found it. The business man on the other hand, is like the industrious bee, who also fits from flower to flower, absorbing the hoEey, but inOculating the flower with some thing that renders it stronger and more beautiful than when he found it: and this, gentlemen, is what we propose to do with the valley of Yuma, if you so wish.