Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/353

 HISTORY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 345 The annual address was made by the president oi the society, Mr. Simeon Francis. Although he had not been a resident of Oregon but two years, he had become keenly alive to its possibilities as a State of unsurpassed resources. His entire address is worthy of repetition at this time, in view of its forecast of what was to be from his then point of view; but I content myself with reproducing the closing paragraph, which deserves consideration today as much as nearly half a century ago: ' ' I wish to say a few words which shall sink deep into the hearts of the farmers and mechanics, and other men inter- ested in agriculture, now before me. The great interest of this State is agricultural. The welfare of all other interests depend upon its success. A very large portion of the property of this State belongs to the farmers. You pay a large propor- tion of the taxes. It is from your pockets that the treasury is filled. At the last session of the legislature, this society and its active friends asked for a small pittance from its hands to give this society a start upon what I believe will be a glorious career. We told them that this had been done in all the States, and that it had operated to stimulate industry, to increase the amount of taxable property, and would pay back to the treasury a hundred-fold for the means that thus would be withdrawn from it. We pointed them to the action and results in the richest and most prosperous agricultural States of this Union. We pointed out to them the weakness of this society, its needs, and to the advantages that such justice would secure to our people. Their answer was No ! I now say to you that when such men again seek your suffrages for the legislature answer them. No! When men come to you and tell you of your high position as American farmers that you are the bone and muscle and the sinew of the country, and solicit your votes for seats in the legislature, and will not pledge themselves to measures for the great interest of Oregon, in every form in which they can be presented answer them, No ! Could my voice upon this subject reach the farmers of every mountain and valley, hill and dale of Oregon, I would say to them, Send men to the legislature in whom you have faith, who will act for your interests who will respond to your reasonable requests and to those that hesitate who speak doubtingly, answer with all the energy of free men, No! No!!"