Year: 1859

Es -.F 81 y J
We make the following extract fom the


address of Mr.. E. P. Mills, at the Fair in Rice


County on September 2Sth. 1t is good advice,


every word of it: a..sa. .,


Farmers should live the best of all people.


They should have bread and meat, and vege-


tables of all kinds, with eggs, FOWLS milk,
cream; buttrr and cheese, all of the best and
sweetest kind and fruit, in their season, all
of their own production; and but little is
needed from the grocer to daily sit table tit
for king. Many farmers daily set at such
tables. All may. And certainly nothing but
neglect can prevent any farmer, in this coun-
try, from laying in store every fall, not OF
ly of bread and meat, but of all the good
things that are needed during the year. .


Fellow citizens, we are often told that here
in Minnesota we are poor. Even our polite
al orators have told us we arc poor. Many
of US spend too much time 10 complaining over
our poverty. And We often hear men say
that the country is poor, and hard one to
live in; and they wish to get away to some
better place. But tell you my friends that
this ia all mistake. We are rieh-rich in
the vigorous health which is imprinted on ev-
cry face, nerves every arm and gives life to
every step. Why if you or owned the bank
of England, with a title to ague, bilious fever,
or dyspepsia, think after one month of trial
we should be glad to give our small pile for
Minnesota quarter section and Minnesota
health.


If there is any one in this audience who
ever shook with ague every other day for six
months, Sundays not excepted, or if there is
any one who ever lay for weary months Ian
gushing under slow fever; through the
day languishing for the night, and through
the restless night longing for the morning,
which should bring no relief; let me ask that
person. if at any time you did not feel that if
your miserable body was ever restored to
health again, you should be the happiest and
most thankful mortal in existence Are we
not rich then in the fact that we, as COM
munity, are the most healthy people ever seen
or heard of? Why, in Illinois the doctors
used to own as many mortgages as our money
loaners do. Here most of our doctors dis
cover they have mistaken their calling. Let
me assure you that this is the greatest bles-
sings that the author of all good can confer
upon any people.


But we have soil which in richness is un-
and which is admirably adapted to
the production Of good things so profusely
displayed upon these grounds to-day. Shall
those who know what it is to dig a scanty
subsistence ont Of the barren soil and rugged
surface of New England, call this poor coun-
try? And shall we in such country, with
its unrivaled beauty Of prairie, timber, rivers
and lakes, all spread out before us, call our
selves poor? With our country free our
homes secare with no landlord between us
and the soil with all our civil security, and
moral and intellectual privileges; with our
great channels of communication may safe
ly affirm that we live in the very garden of
the world. Away then with complainings,
and let us each learn tu love our home and fit
them up with comforts and conveniences
which shall repay their cost thousand fold,
in the very effort necessary for their attain
ment. For energetic, well directed effort is in
itself good, almost as great as the object for
which the effort is put forth.


But the farming interest, though the first,
is not the only interest in the country. 1t is
the farmers duty to feed the whole commu-
nifty. He furnishes the bread and meat for
all classes. He must also furnish the raw ma
terial for our shoes and boots. But many
curious woikmen, and much wonderful and
costly machinery must be employed, in max
ing all the fabrcs tools and utensils which
distinguish our civilization. Under our pres
ent system, most Of these things are made
thousands Of miles away. And those who
weave our cloth, tan our leather, peg our
boots, and even raise our wool, and build our
plows, cradles, Wagons, reapers and thrash
ing machines, live live far away from US; and
eat our wheat at one dollar per bushel when
we obtain only fifty cents; we in turn wear
ing their cloth at one dollar per yard when
they obtain only fifty cents. How vastly
better for both parties, if we could exchange
our wheat directly for their manufactures.


In order to effect this most desirable object
we must induce mechanics to settle among
US. And in order to do this we must encour-
age those we have already. l honor those
liberal and public spirited men who invest
their money in costly mills and shops. And
| honor those who in every department en-
gage in home manufactures. The pressing
urgent need of the country is, that so much
of our goods as can be, should be made at
home; thus creating home market for our
produce. Let every such undertaking be en-
couraged. Let us always buy articles made
at home when we can buy them as cheaply as
imported ones for all will agree that in such
policy is our only chance for becoming an
Independent community.