The Farmers' Picnics

The i7th annual basket picnic of the Farmers' Picnic association, of Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland and Livingston counties, was held at Whitmore lake Saturday. A good rain early Saturday morning and the lowering clouds seemed to indícate that there would be a sraall crowd present. The first trains in brought so few passengers, and the main street looked so deserted that everyone declared there would be a very slim attendance. As the skies brightened the people carne in buggies, carriages and wagons, so that after the noon trains were in the crowd was as great if not greater than last year. The sandy loom on the lake shore has the property of drying quickly after a rain. This with no dust made an almost perfect day. The usual preparations :or the entertainment of the people, such as "Wonderland," watermelon, peanut, and popcorn venders were on hand. So was Sheriff Judson and deputies, who stopped5 all james of chance. One party started up but stopped as soon as he [earned it was the Washtenaw county jail if he didn't. General feelings of disgust werewritten over the countenances of this class of gentry who were watched very closely by the sheriff and his deputies. The speaking was announced to commence at 1.30 o'clock but apparently by general consent, to the disgust of those who had hurried their dinners in the hotels in anticipation of promptness, it did not commence for an hour later. As in former years the beautiful littlè spot in the park that is shaded by mighty oakes was selected for the exercises. A platform had been erected for the speakers and music and before this there were rows of benches. As the people arrived on the grounds they seemed to break up into little groups, talking and renewing old acquaintanceship. The ladies largely predominated. it was almost 2.30 o'clock when Pres. Henry Waldron called the meeting to order, the first on the program being the national hymn sung by the quartet that furnished the music for the occasion. Rev. Fr. Dwyer followed with an appropriate prayer, 'Almighty and merciful God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost,come and replenish thehearts of thy people assembled here today and fill them with the fire of thy divine love, the love of neighbors, and soften the stóny hearts of sinners and make them susceptiable of the inspiration of Thy heavenly grace. Amen." In addition to the speakers the platform was occupied by William P. Groves, Philip Duffy, John Kappler, Robert Martin and others. After more music Pres. Henry Waldron gave his annual address which with the short speeches he made when introducing the speakers, showed that as far as he was concerned the meeting should be strongly in favor of free silver. Mr. Waldron said he had taken pains to look up the history of the association. He found it was the outgrowth of the Grange movement and was organized by well known men like G. A. Peters, E. A. Nordman, William P. Groves, E. T. Walker, E. T. Sutton and others. Mr. Sutton, a genial gentleman of the old school, had been the first to pass away. The objects of the association were two fold, social, and to discuss questions pertaining to agriculture. For the first few years, the hall was large enough to hold the entire crowd. The growth of the association reminded him of the story of the Georgia nigger as told by a drummer who had lived in Georgia. Niggers are noted for being afraid of blue snakes. He had been hoeing corn with a nigger. All at once the nigger hollored "blue snake." The drummer did not see the snake but took after the nigger who run away. The next morning he returned and found the blue snake had struck his hoe handle plumb in the middle. It had swollen so that he was able to cut 40 cords of wood, 5000 rails and have enough rlooring cut to cover the Baptist church and what was left was still swelling. This was the kind of true stories they told to Sunday schools. The speaker then branched out into a rabid free silver speech. He thought the farmers did not appreciate the place they occupied in the country. After putting on his glasses, so as to be able to read statistics, he said Secretary Morton reported that last year they sold to foreign countries $889,000,000 and had ordered from lands $625,000,000. Of all the producís that went abroad over two-thirds were those of farmers. He thought that the class in this country that furnished the wealth should have some political influence. In his judgment on the question of finance no attention had been paid to the farmers for the last quarter of a century. He showed how the farms and live stock in the state had shrunken in value during the past ten years and asked how many more years it would take until they would have to go over the hill to the poor house. What caused it? He was as strong a protectionist as could be found. He believed in protecting American homes. Some say it is the free traders tinkering with the tariff. In answer to this tiow will you account for the hard times in Europe. The speaker then in tragic tones repeatedly called, "Will some one lend me a gold dollar. After everybody, excepting the reporter, dived around in his pockets, the only gold produced was a #5.00. pocket piece from Hon. William A. Moore, which Mr. Waldron disdainfully returned, remarking that even Senator Palmer was not rich enough to own a gold dollar. "I have a gold dollar," he then said puiling one from his pocket. Senator Palmer dryly remarked, "I thought you had one from the way you talked." The speaker held it up in view of the people. He said he had gone to Ann Arbor and tried at the four banks to get one. ' The Ann Arbor Savings bank said it would cost $2 to get. one. At one of the other banks, whose name he forgot, the cashier asked how much money he had. That it would cost $5 to produce a gold $1. They had none but would have to send for it. He then went to a jewelry store where he finally found a gold dollar. He found the standard of value in a jewelry store. It was a disloyal dollar. He likéd the dollar that had an eagle on it. The gold dollar had no part in achieving the independence of .1776. That was fought with the Spanish milled doltar. It had no part in the war of 1812. It had made the last war of the rebellion cost doublé what it should. It had stolen one half of the value of the farms, 75 per cent. of the value of every pound ot wool and nearly all of the value of horses. Cali that an honest dollar that had stolen the birthright of its silver brother. What they asked was simply that the silver dollar of 1712 be the standard of value. What they asked was that legislation put back the silver dollar where it was in 1873 where it had been for 80 years. Whether they should coin silver in this country without other countries joining them was not the question. Mortgages were being foreclosed and tenants were occupying the farms, How long would it be until this country would be in the condition of Ireland. After music by the quartet, Pres. Waldron gave utterance to another free silver thought and introduced ex-Senator Thomas Palmer of Detroit. Mr. Palmer addressed the audience in addition to the customary title of ladies and gentlemen as brother farmers. He said he had been a horny-handed son of toil and kept it up until it nearly mastered him. He told of his experiences as a farmer. He plowed close to the fence and met his neighbor and talked so long that his crops got in late, harvest was late and it almost broke him up. He had come to their gathering that day because he was invited. He was glad to be with them to meet a representative gathering of the people who had settled the county and were indiginous to the soil. Pres. Waldron had telegraphed him to come, saying it would be a "good thing" for him. He assured them he was not after votes, he had no fences to fix. He had come out to the lake to have a good time. He was like the girl that had not been invited to a party who dressed up for the occasion and sat in the parlor. Her mother asked her what she was doing, as she had not been invited. She replied she would rather be ready and not go, than go and not be ready. So he would rather have his friends want j him to be in office, than he bj, in t office and they want him to beut. 1 He was no pioneer, but his father 1 and grandfather was. He told of c the poor condition he was in 65 1 years ago when he arrived in this c country only weighing 11 pounds 1 and with no clothes, and having to 1 subsist on a diet of milk. He then 1 related in brief how as a young man Í with three others he had traveled to 1 ■lio Janeiro, Brazil, via Cádiz, j Spain. Since his return from that 1 trip his life had been with them. He jelieved in these gatherings. The ; great trouble with the farmers" was ] ;hat they did not get together often ] enough. The first step in ] tion was that people got together 1 and discussed questions. He was I not going to touch on the silver question, it was one too many for ] nim, Uke the father in the "Mili on ( the Floss," when notified of the loss i of his mili, his son and lastly his daughter exclaimed, "This world ( las been one too much for me." i And the old miller died. Mr. dron had given them one of the best silver speeches he had ever heard, 1 jecause it was forcible. He wanted i more silver, but that it be kept on a ] Darity with gold. One of the best 1 arguments in favor of this are the - exports to Europe. A few years ago jold carne into the country. It was I he salvation of the farmers that ] confidence be retained in the I rency. As long as they send out producís they must have one ; dard of value. He believed with 3ro. Waldron that they could get s anything they wanted by asking for t. They could have their way, if 1 they only insisted upon it. He t never saw a rich man make money 1 n hard times. They must 1 stand he was no silver man, but he 1 did not want farms depreciated 50 1 Der cent. more than now. If out of 1 debt, he did not think a man was t worse olï than formerly. With the 1 exception of perhaps beef, thing was lower. A man in Detroit 'etting $1.50 wages per day could , )uy more than 30 years agQ at 75 , cents per dáy. He thought they , were now on the up-grade. For the iast 40 years agents had been sent t to Europe to draw immigration to ■ this country. No harm had been done, but now the time had come to have restrictive laws. The , ship companies were scouring the shores of the Mediterranean for men - that they landed on the American j shores for $20 apiece, pouring out , the riff-raff of the old country. He . favored the plan that the consuls be , required to give certificates of good moral character, before the immigrants be permitted to land. He , spoke of the great increase in murders in Michigan and favored going back to capital punishment, leaving it, however, in the hands of the jury. They all probably knew that he favored woman suffrage. He believed that would stop peculation in high places. Women were better morally than men. Women were more gamey, more sensible for the right. He hoped the time would come when they all could vote. When theyfound out stealingmeant so many less shoes for the young ones, they would be particular whom they put in office. The future of the nation rested on the children. The methods of educating the children at the present time were all wrong. Should not the child have as good a time as the colts? Don't put them into school too much. Teach them a little reading and arithmetic, and If they get an appetite they will get education. Many that were over-educated reminded him of the Strassburg geese, who were not worth ánything until they were dead. He thought the old men should have as good a time as the young men. If he did not see them again in this life he hoped to meet them in the happy hunting grounds where all the inequalities of this life were made clear and they even understand the silver question. After the applause died away the quartet sang a comic piece about engaging an actor, which caused much merriment. Pres. Waldron twitted ex-Senator Palmer on his going to Europe and said only 4 per cent. of the people went and tried to show that it was unnecessary to pay any attention to foreign countries. Ex-Senator Palmer said Brother Waldron's conclusions about his life were as much off as they were on the silver question. He had not been in Europe in five years. He would not have gone to Spain if some men might not have thought him disgruntled. His wife had a crying spell when'their trip was decided upon. Pres. Waldron then introduced Attorney William A. Moore, of Detroit, as an old Washtenaw county boy. Mr. Moore said he hardly knew why he had" come there that day. In the letter of invitation it liad been stated that last yearall the candidates for governor had spoken from that platform. He did not know of any candidates, except it were perhaps Mr. Waldron and exSenator Palmer, but their vote would be restricted as they were both. Republicans. He was not born in Washtenaw county, but came to the county long befor.e Michigan was a state. From 1831 to 1851 he had lived in Washtenaw county. He believed in its institutions, particularly in the University, which gave more fame to the state than anything else, and should be sustained and he believed it would be. He had voted for every Democratie candidate for Governor except one who ran in the year that he was in the south. He believed he had known every one of them personally. The first one had been a boy, S. T. Mason, the secretary of state of Governor Porter, who had died. Mason was elected Governor in 1835 when only a little over 2j years. of age. Mason was the soul of honor, but had a little bit of personal vanity. A story is" told of the sturdy oíd Judge Leroy who seldom joked. One day sitting in the hotel, Judge Leroy was smoking his pipe when Gov. Mason came up to him and said: "Judge, I believe I am the youngest man who was ever governor of a state." The Judge answered, "Very likely." The Governor walked up and down and came back and repeated his question with the same answer. The Governor then asked the Judge, "How old do you think I am?" "Fourteen," answered the judge as he removed his pipe from his mouth. Mr. Moore then paid a high tribute of respect to the white-haired man in Ann Arbor without spoi or blemish, ex-Gov. Alpheiis A. Felch. He explained that the $5 gold piece that he had offered Mr. Waldron was a pocket-piece. Mr. Waldron had not explained why the $1 gold pieces were so scarce. They had not been coined in 25 years, bcr'ause they were too smalí end Hable to be given out for a nickle. He had the misfortune to be interested in a silver mine in Colorado. If silver was worth 75 cents, what justice was there in taking that and having it coined and passed on the people for $1. He wanted $1 of gold, silver and paper to be of equal value. (Great applause.) Going back to the question of his being a Washtenaw county boy, the speaker said when he was a boy eight years old he had spent a winter cutting underbrush with an axe. He presumed a good farmer had been spoiled by his becoming a poor lawyer. He had never been a candidate for office. He did not know what he should do if he were pressed. Every man in the audience who would figure up would find he was not as well off as three years ago. Every one suffered equally. Much of this came from speculation, trying to make a living by not legitímate means. Ex-Senator Palmer and Mr. Moore had to leave at this point to take the train. Pres. Waldron said he hated to talk after the best Senator the State of Michigan had ever seen and the best lawyer in the state had left, but he had arguments to knock "heil" out of their fine statements. If they put silver back into its place, they wouid get $1.50 for what Senator Palmer paid 75 cents. There were five thousand millions indebtedness held in Europe, and it was no wonder they had no gold. He wanted them to pay their debts, but not in 200-cent dollars. The association was broad and liberal without restrictions of religión or politics, and the questions had that day been discussed in a non-partisan manner. After music, Rev. Fr. Dwyer, of Minnesota, who had kindly taken the place of Rev. Louis P. Goldrick, absent in the east, was introduced. He said it was with pleasure as well as with regret that he stood before them. They were deprived of the intellectual feast of a noble soul. When leaving Fr. Goldrick said he could not enjoy his vacation if he (Fr. Dwyer) would not promise to address them. He would not detain them on the silver or gold question. He only once in a while got a copper or a button. If ! he said anything interesting they ■ could lay it to gold, and if not ap: propriate lay it to his incompetence. 1 When the history of nations of for■ mer times was studied, various schools holding different tenets were l (Coueluded 011 Page Eight.) The Farmers' Picnics. (Continued from flrst page.f found. To show the followers of these tenets they wore different garbs. In like manner when this government was established a tenet or badge to distinguish the true American patriot was bequeathed. It has had a magnificent influence, arousing man's better nature, making héroes of cowards. They knew the sacrifices of the American people. Through ignorance or hallucination the poor South wanted either secession or slavery. They would not wish to be patriots without wishing to love their neighbors and do them good. They could not be good citizens unless they were industrious, moral and religious. It was not necessary to talk about industry. There might be idlers araong farmers as well as among every other class, as lawyers, or, he was sorry to say, even the clergy. Firstly they should beautify their homes; then their boys and girls would like them so well that they would not flee to large cities and fail materially as spiritually. The speaker told a good story of a man with only one shirt, who while it was being washed had to retire to bed. On one of these occasions his wife called to him that the goat had eaten his shirt, and the man stoically remarked, "Those that have must lose." Fr. Dwyer said Irishman that he was he was a full American, and he did not want men of the stamp of the man in the story to come to these shores. The next thing was to be températe. He was not one of those men that believed a man could not drink moderately without doing harm to himself or his country. There should be a moderation in eating and drinking. As it was a great temptation he advised them to take upon themselves to become total abstainers. The young man that takes the pledge puts on the top rail. However many may disagree as to this question, all will agree that the man never drinks a drop will never get drunk. The speaker told a thrilling story of a man in a boat in the Niágara river. He passed the danger mark trusting in his strength, but when he turned back an oar broke and he was lost. Many men, trusting in their iron wjll and constitution, may have a time when an oa may break and they die drunkard and go the bottom of heil. To be a true patriot they must be temper ate. Then comes morality. The farmers were the purest people o the land. They worked so hard that their time was well occupied and there was little danger. But he recommended that they should be very cautious of the company their sons and daughters kept. If the citizens had not virtue the fall of death would soon pass over the land. They should be enlightened. Get good books. Study the constitution. Then cast an honest ballot knowing for whom they voted. If they did not they should be disfranchised. They should be religious. He was not there to dictate any particular denomination, but if they belonged to any denomination they should live up to it to the best of their ability. They could not be moral if they were not religious. He then quotad from George Washington's farewell address. "Of all the advantages and duties that lead to political prosperity, religión and morality are the indispensable'support," etc. They could not expect national morality without religión in private life. He exhorted them to beindustrious, températe, moral, enlightened and.religious. Give us a Christian Sunday with the sweet music of its bells, the incensé of the uplifting prayer; then America would be worthy of its liberty and the republic secure. When Fr. Dwyer sat down there was general applause. He had a clear, distinct voice, and was a worthy substitute for Rev. Louis P. Goldrick. His speech was well received and universal commendation was heard. After the excellent quartet again entertained the people with another song, William Ball, of Webster, was introduced. He said he feit considerable delicacy in saying a word, because through some inadvertence the names of some of the local speakers had been omitted from the program. He had listened that-day to the horny-handed farmer from Detroit. He had listened to the discussion of their president on the silver question. He did not agree with Mr. Waldron at all. It was not shown by past experience that Mr. Waldron's remedy for hard times was the one to use. Like them he had been thinking about the loss of his hay erop and one half of his wheat erop. Farmers had more interest in these questions than in other questions than in those particular theories about which they knew nothing. The great question was how to raise crops. Agriculture of today and the the future as corapared with the past was as diverse as day and night. Now they had to compete with the world. This was a question more pertinent than whether silver or gold goes up. The question had arisen in his mind how could they raise crops in a dry season, and they might rely upon it that there were more dry seasons to come. Can the land be better prepared for them. He believed farmer would succeed best who attended to his business and had little time to loaf. They must economize these times, and by careful study get the value of the experiences of others. Deeper and cultivation was thought to help. The vagaries of the silver question were good because they set people to thinking. He beleived in sustaining the state institutions, but when men in the state prisons lived better than the farmers did, then something was wrong. There were always men in the legislature who gave the institutions all they asked. Every committee appointed had an interest in some local insjitution. No matter what the legislature did, the people by united action could undo. The institutions were run too extravagantly for the good they did. Mr. Ball then touched up the silver question. In the year, 1860 they had to pay 10 per cent interest. Now with silver demonetized, only 6 per céftt. Bro. Waldron spent much time on the question, and he did not care if Bro. Waldron pitched into him. The silver vas untried legislation, and they must help themselves with what had been tried. Pres, Waldron then gave some more silver talk. He said the discussion was without feeling. Somebody should teil him why the American congress demonetized silver. From Mr. Waldron's talk an unsophisticated man might wrongfully think he was well acquainted with Wall street business. Mr. Waldron, continuing, slapped the caucus system, the notices being put in little country papers with patent insides. If they wanted to change the system they must stop hoeing corn. Did they want America to adopt a monetary system for America or Europe? George W. Peters being called tor, willingly responded. He said he was glad to see the day that the president had said something to take home with thern. They must do one of two things, either go to the poor house or discharge their hired man, and only raise what they could cultívate themselves. They worked too much, raised too much, and did not talk enough. Let me teil you in all solemnity the liberty of this country is in danger. I teil you they are! In '76 the people fought for their liberties. How was it today? Men are losing their homes. Are they fighting or are they asleep? If they had free coinage of gold and silver'one would balance the other. VVhen Mr. Peters stopped, on motion of Mr. VValdron, William Ball was elected president for the ensung year. The other officers elected were: Hascall Laraway, secretary; Nathan Sutton, treasurer; and the following directors: W, B. Thompson, Salem; S. T. Grindley, Ypsilanti; W. E. Stocking, Chelsea; George McDougall and N. C. Carpenter, Ypsilanti; E. A. Nordman and A. B. Phelps, Dexter; George A. Peters, Scio; VVilliam Glenn, Chelsea; H. D. Platt, Ypsilanti; Peter Cook, Urania; H. B. Thayer, Salem; S. L. Gage, Chelsea; L. D. Lovewell, South Lyon; E. T. Walker, Salem; E. E. Leiand, Emery; C. M. Stark, Webster; J. B. Van Atta, South Lyons; George S. Wheeler, Salem; William Ball, Hamburg. This closed one of the mostpleasant picnics ever held by the association.