The Mankato free press., 1913-02-28
MANKATO FREE PRESS
nous sentiment of her entire people II

and bid you welcome We welcome
this great convention to our county,
| to our county seat aud 10 our people
] We open wide to you the avenues
| of freedom ana invite YOU to our
cities, TO our farms and Ia our
homes. And | sincerely hope and
believe that during the days of this
convention you will be received with
open arms and with high respect by
the kind hearted and generous peo.
| pie of Blue Earth county. The great
work which your convention is here
to perform may be better understood
by our people at the close of your
| deliberations than at this time. In
my judgment. your task is long and
laborous. Nearly century and a
half ago a great convention was held
in the city of Philadelphia and after
days of solemn deliberation, old Lib
erty Bell rang out that independence
lad been declared and that revolu-
;ion would necessarily follow. That
convention declared for liberty, for
justice and for better government.
At the end Of the eight years that
followed was marked the greatest
victory for the people in history.
Nearly three quarters of a century
later this republic was plunged into
another long and desperate struggle
for great cause. And not until the
close of four long years of conflict
was slavery ended and conditions
were bettered. Today this great
country of ours, although not threat
ened with war and bloodshed, is fac.
ing great problems that must be
fought and conquered. Changes and
revolutions must be the inevitable
consequence. Your great convention
| is assembled here to consider and
work Qua one Of the greatest nation
wide problems that today confronts
or ever has confronted our American
people.
Question of Feeding People.
The great question of feeding our
rapidly increasing population and re-
ducing the high cost of living is in
line with your highly important work
for better seed, better crops and
larger yields. In my opinion, the
high cost of living. can only be reach
ed through agricultural sources. No
one but the farmer can lessen or in
creases the production of the soil. No
one but the farmer can liberate the
slaves of high cost of living from
their shackles and bondage. In the
farmers hands rests the future des-
tiny of the human race. In your
hands and i'm the hands of the agri.
cultural schools and institute work
erS rests the high responsibility and
the labOriOus task of bringing ia the
farmers of this state and this nation.
their high sense of duty What your
schools and conventions have already
done and the important work so far
accomplished can not be overesti-
mated or too highly praised The
agricultural schools of our state are
rapidly molding into form. brilliant
agricultural minds to assume the du.
work for which your convention
stands.
Beginning Of the Struggle.
What YOU have done and what
you are doing to better the condi.
tiOns of our people are but the be.
ginning of the great struggle in
which YOU are engaged. On the 2Sth
day of December last, one of the
greatest statesmen of modern times,
the Hon Robert NJ LaFollette OF
Wisconsin in addgssing The people
OF st. Paul, said in turning to the
press table: You need not report
this as our full program: We have
Just ended thirty years fighting for
popular government in Wisconsin,
and We have just scratched the sur.
lace The surface of the great work
OF your convention has not been
ploWed, but only narrowed. AS time
rolls on your duties and responsible.
ities may increase. but your labors
will be more plainly seen and better
understood. The people of this state,
and especially Blue Earth county,
must not forget that this convention
cannot succeed without their support
and cooperation. The state of Min.
nesota is bending every effort and
spending thousands of dollars to
send to us the best agricultural
minds the nation affords. The city
OF Mankato comes to us with premi.
ums for our grains and seeds never
before offered at any convention. 1t
is now for the people to act. We
should swarm to this convention. not
alone TO see, to listen and to learn
but TO honor the men behind the
guns. who are fighting so desperately
to win for us the victory Let us
pause in our deliberations and laying
! aside our daily pursuits, consider the
1f ,,,l,o ,
lies before us.
Honor Cause of Agriculture.
Let us honor the great cause OF
agriculture and the great and dis
tinSuished heroes who stand behind
it. Let us march hand in hand
shoulder to shoulder, to these con.
/ vention halls. Proud and daring
with our hearts beating to the music
OF success and better days. May we
make for ourselves, for our state and
fer our county, new and proud rec
ord. A record that shall inspire with.
/ in us profound admiration for our
country, for our business and for our
homes. And as the sun shall set on
the last day of this convention, may
we hear echoing from Mankato halls
bill tops and homes, from Blue
! Earth county farms and fresides
from state and national spires and
/ domes, this noble and inspiring trib
ute:
Kings and emperors, czars and
presidents may rule their people
Morgans and Astors and Rockefel
| lers, Vanderbilts and Rothschilds
and the million heirs of the world
may wear upon their brows theiI
! q cf Il 4