Year: 1875

rounded, and he congratulated them


on the manifestations of peace and


cOntentment which seemed everywhere


in the State, Coming nearer to his
subject, the speaker said Of agricul-


ture: 1t is the great pursuit of our


people. Agriculture was the first,
and hold il to be the highest occupa-
tion of man. When the Lord made the


heavens and the earth; and looked
upon them and saw they were good,
and when he caused rain TO ascend
upon the land, fragrance grateful to
him arose from it, yet he looked
around and 10, there was no man TO
till the ground. SO the last of crea-


tlon was the agricultural man as the
best OF creation was woman, who was
to be helpmeet fer that agricultural


man. But let us not vaunt ourselves,
we farmers, for that has been nv oc>
cupatiOn when [ was not soldier:
say let us not vaunt ourselves and saw
that others are of no use to US. It is
as if the hand would say to the foot,
have no need of thee. The mechan>
lcal arts, commence, and the liberal
professions all 60 hand in hand to aid
the farmer in the progress of his
work. 1t is true that from the soil
comes every increment to the wealth
of the world; from that soil is pro-
duced everything, | say. which adds


to the absolute wealth Of the world I,
but the mechanical arts greatly in~
crease the value of the raw material
which is produced from the soil.


Merchants exchange the products
of one country and another. and by
the aid of favoring markets still
further increase the value of these
things which our country produces,
and thus it is that the mechanical
arts and commerce come in to aid the.
farmers, and even the lawyer and the
doctor whom we never desire to see,
The doctor himself is necessary, how
ever, to heip The farmer in the hour;
Of sickness All these things are
cOntri5utary, and still we look up to
heaven and we look down to the earth
that our Creator made and we bless
him for those things with which he
has endowed US and gratefully recog-
nize the happy condition in which ne
live.


Further on in his address Mr.. Davis
declared that, whatever might be the
Vaccinations Of politicians, whatever
the views Of policy and designs of
state craft might desire 90 c0nsum-
mate in regard to the future, the peO.
pie o. the great Mississippi Valley are
o: ana must always remain one peO>
pie in interest in destiny, and in
social forms and material progress.
No man, no course of policy, no deep
designs of ambitious men, could ever
di,sever them = in all the iuture they
would stand together. The great
river bond them together by ties
stronger than any that politics
could ever inveu.. and from the source
to the mouth the people who dwell i'll
the valley must be unitCd.


Mr.. Davis's remarks were received
with much satisfaction by men OF all
parties. During the first half hour
OF bis speech not = word uas uttered
to which the most intense Radical |
parti'Hn could object to, and through
out there was not tbs slightest al
lusion made to the present or past
political status OF the country. Mr..
Davis closed his address as follows {: !


And now ny friends, as | have |
wearied myself, if Ihaye not 2iso over
taxed your patience, allow tne to cons
cludc by expressing the heartfelt wish |
that all yonr days may be days of
happiness, that y.ur paths may be
those Of peace, that your future may
be equal to the grand development of
which | believe your country capable,
and though with many years upon
my head. and trials which have mutis
piled the drain upon my life, | can
not hope to see it cOusummated [
shall die praying for yon, men, women
and children, every good Of which
you are worthy and every good which
our Eternal Father may bestow''