Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-08
MR.. DAVIS ON AGRICULTURE.
Vice Presidential Candidates Address
at State Fair

WHEELING. W. Va. September San
immense crowd attended the West Virginia
state fair at Morgan's Grove yesterday af-
ternoon. the occasion being the presence OF
ex-senator Henry G.. Davis, the democratic
vice presidential candidate, who was sched-
uled to make a non-political address. SEN
| ator Davis was accompanied by National
| Committeeman John T. McGraw and John
| ]. Cornwell. the democratic candidate for
| governor. Mr. Davis was enthusiastically
received when he entered the grounds and
| when he arose to speak was heartily cheer
| ed In the course of his short talk on agri-
! culture Senator Davis referred to this as
mans natural occupation. and the most i'm
portant and useful to mankind. The agri-
culturiSt has always been found in the
| advance guard of the march of civtliZa tion
| Nearly all who worked and fought for our
independence and liberty were tillers of
the soil; nearly all of our early Presidents
had been farmers; the majority of our
successful men of today lave come from
the farms: farmers as a class are liberty
loving people.
Continuing, Mr.. Davis said: I'm the
early days of the republic of Rome
much attention was paid to agriculture
Cato. Cicero and Cincinnatus ana many
of the great Romans were farmers,
and man could not hold Office unless he
owned and farmed so many acres or land
When Rome commenced foreign conquest
and negrected agriculture she commenced
y. II
Agriculture started England on the high
road to prosperity and the commercial su-
premacy which she has maintained In the
world for five hundred years.
Agricultural products feed us at home
and pay much of our foreign debts. Be
tween GO and 20 per cent of all our exports
are from the farm
The total value of the farm products OF
the United States in 1903 was $4,O00,O00,0o0,
or about four times the value of all our
mineral products. The value of the corn
crop alone was about equ~l to the entire
mineral production.
"Our government eXpendS annually for the
War Department 1921 100000 and for agr1-
culture s., 900 OO0-over twenty times more
for war than for agriculture. and the farm
ers pay a larger share of taxes than any
other occupation.
There has been most gratifying in
crease in the agricultural interest in West
Virginia. In 1880 there were 62,6t4 farms;
in 1900 the number increased to 92,S14. an
increase of more than 80 per cent. In 1880
we had 3SO0.0OO acres in farms; in 1900,
) 100000 acres. ar increase of 40 per cent
The average acreage of our farms de-
creased from 1872 in 1850 to ia in 1900. The
value of our farm property increased from
S154, 900 900 in 1880 to S204OOO.0O0 in 1900,
an increase of SO per cent. The value of our
farm products annually IS about $4,000 900.
when | was a member of the I, led
States Senate 1 znae-~a speech calling at
tention to the neglect of the agricultural
interest by the national government, and
upon my motion a bill passed the Senate
making the agricultural bureau a depart
ment
The farmer can live we'll and prosper
without the towns or cities, but the people
of the towns cities soon starve if the
farmer does not feed them