INTRODUCTION. [BY WILLIAM LAWRENCE.] THE FARMERS' NATIONAL CONGRESS-ITS MEMBERSHIP AND HISTORY-IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE-STATISTICS-RESPECT INTENDED FOR ALL DIFFERING OPINIONS. The Farmers' National Congress of the United States is a voluntary organization, which holds regular annual sessions, and is composed of members whose respective appointments are provided for in sections. 2 and 8 of its constitution, as follows: SEC. 2. This Congress shall be composed of the same number of delegates as each State and Territory is entitled to in their representation in the Congress of the United States and one member from each agricultural college, and all heads of bureaus of agriculture in each State of the United States are members of this organization. SEC. 8. The governors of the different States and Territories are requested to appoint the delegates heretofore provided for, and in case they shall fail to do so, then the vice-presidents of the respective States in conjunction with the commissioner of agriculture or bureau of agriculture shall make appointment of delegates, and in case the regular delegates can not attend they may appoint their own alternates, who shall have all the rights and privileges of the regular delegates. Besides the regular delegates, a large number of "advisory" delegates, appointed in the same manner, were in attendance at the session of the congress in Indianapolis, Ind., November 10-13, 1896. Thus the congress represents all sections of the United States, in which respect it differs from associations limited to one or a few cities, like that of the wool manufacturers'. The following historical sketch is found prefixed to the report of the proceedings of the congress for the year 1895: We have often been asked who originated the Farmers' National Congress and what has been its history. We know but little of its history prior to 1884. There was a session at Louisville, Ky., in 1883, where Col. Robt. Beverly, of Virginia, was elected president and Mr. Knott, of Louisville, Ky., was chosen secretary. The same officers presided at Nashville, Tenn., in 1884. There is no record of these or any previous meetings of this body. From the best data obtainable there was a meeting in Chicago in 1881; Indianapolis, Ind., 1882; Louisville, Ky., 1883; Nashville, Tenn., 1884, and from the best information the meeting at Indianapolis, in the fall of 1885, was fixed as the fifth annual session of the Farmers' National Congress of the United States of America. At the called session at New Orleans in February, 1885, Hon. B. F. Clayton served as secretary pro tempore, was elected at Indianapolis in the fall of 1885, and resigned in Chicago in 1887. Colonel Parsons, of Wisconsin, was elected, but resigned in the fall and Mr. Clayton was reappointed. He was elected at Montgomery, Ala., in 1889, and again at Sedalia, Mo., in 1891. J. M. Stahl, of Illinois, was elected at Savannah, Ga., in 1893, and reelected at Atlanta, Ga., in 1895. Col. Robert Beverly served as president from 1883 to 1887, when Col. R. F. Kolb, of Montgomery, Ala., was elected president and acted as such until the meeting at Sedalia, Mo., where A. W. Smith, of Kansas, was elected. Hon. B. F. Clayton was elected at Savannah, Ga., in 1893, and reelected at Atlanta, Ga., in 1895, to supersede Hon. D. G. Purse, of Georgia, who was vice-president and acting president in lieu of A. W. Smith, of Kansas, who had failed to attend the two previous sessions. Hon. J. B. Conner, of Indiana, was made treasurer in 1883, and was superseded by Hon. Wm. Lawrence, of Ohio, at the Montgomery meeting, and he by Hon. Wm. Freeman, of Maine, at the Sedalia meeting in 1891. Henry Hayden, of Iowa, was elected his successor at the Savannah meeting in 1893, and reelected at Atlanta, Ga., in 1895. The first printed proceedings were those of the fifth annual session held at Indianapolis in 1885. Since then there has been kept a complete record of all the proceedings. Commencing with only five members, the Congress has grown to be an important body, and its nonpartisan position gives it great strength with legislative bodies. It has accomplished a grand work in presenting such measures as the agriculturists of the country need. The meetings from 1885 were as follows: St. Paul, 1886; called meeting at Washington, D. C., February, 1887; regular meeting, Chicago, 1887; Topeka, Kans., 1888; Montgomery, Ala., 1889; Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1890; Sedalia, Mo., 1891; Lincoln, Nebr., 1892; Savannah, Ga., 1893; Parkersburg, W. Va., 1894, and Átlanta, Ga., 1895. Some history of the Congress will be found in the American Encyclopedia, and a sketch of its annual proceedings is given in the annuals of that publication. The law in Massachusetts requires the delegates from that State to make a report to the Governor of the proceedings of the Congress, which is published in the annual report of the State Board of Agriculture. THE PURPOSE OF THE FARMERS' NATIONAL CONGRESS-MEMORIAL TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. The constitution declares that the purpose of the Congress "shall be to advance the agricultural interests of the Union." In furtherance of this purpose, the Congress at its session at Indianapolis, November 10-13, 1896, composed of delegates and advisory delegates of all political parties, by a vote practically unanimous-only two dissenting votes-adopted a Memorial to be presented to the Congress of the United States asking for legislation imposing a PROTECTIVE TARIFF on FARM PRODUCTS. To the Memorial Sundry Appendixes in CHAPTERS are added in support of its objects. The Memorial, as adopted by the Congress, with footnotes appended in proof of, or as illustrating statements therein, follows this Introduction. The foregoing is presented as a means of aiding in reaching a proper conclusion, as to the weight which would be given to the Memorial. THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE-STATISTICS. The following statistics will show the relative importance of agriculture as compared with other industries: Number of persons 10 years of age and over engaged in gainful occupations and in each class of occupations, classified by sex: 1870, 1880, and 1890. NOTE. The figures given in the above table for each class of occupations in 1870 and 1880 have been readjusted to conform to the classification of occupations used at the census of 1890, and, for this reason, do not agree with the figures given in the printed reports for those two censuses. A portion of the foregoing is given more in detail as follows: (a) In agricultural districts "agricultural laborers are often reported simply as "laborers." NOTE.-Miners are reported separately for 1890 only, as follows: Miners (coal), 208, 545; miners (not otherwise specified), 141,047. STATISTICS FROM THE CENSUS REPORTS FOR THE YEARS 1860-1890. 62, 622, 250 $65, 037, 091, 197 c $9, 056, 764, 996 c $6, 139, 397, 785 $2, 460, 107, 454 $44, 277, 514 $587, 230, 662 $607, 428, 365 d $422, 052, 618 9, 202, 703 141, 589, 980 490, 560, 000 2, 112, 892, 000 7, 311, 322 166, 691 691, 344, 437 $151, 102, 376 $780, 310, 409 Railroads, freight, tons carried Exports of domestic manufacture. Imports.. $353, 616, 119 ƒ 360, 490, 375 Patents issued (patents and reissues) Savings banks, amount of deposits. 4, 778 $149, 277, 504 barrels). Petroleum, crude (production, a True value of real and personal property. b Changes in the methods of enumeration, and the inflated value of currency in 1870, as compared with gold, must be considered in accepting these data as indicating the increase from decade to decade. c Excludes some industries not fully reported at previous censuses. d For the year 1895. e For the year 1864. f For the year 1882. g For the year 1873. STATISTICS FROM CIRCULAR No. 1, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, JULY 24, 1896. All values stated for 1862 to 1878 are currency values. The currency equivalent of $100 in gold, as an average for each calendar year, is as follows: In 1862, $113.3; in 1863, $145.2; in 1864, $203.3; in 1865, $157.3; in 1866, $140.9; in 1867, $138.2; in 1868, $139.7; in 1869, $133; in 1870, $114.9; in 1871, $111.7; in 1872, $112.4; in 1873, $113.8; in 1874, $111.2; in 1875, $114.9; in 1876, $111.5; in 1877, $104.8; in 1878, $100.8. Acreage, production, and value of principal farm crops in the United States, 1866 to 1895, with other data as to cotton and wool. |