But in this rapid development of our
civilization, forces have been evolved,
socially, industrially, morally and po
litically, which are dangerous alike to
the liberty of the citizen and to the
life of the republic, and the contempla
tion of which, must arouse serious ap
prehension if not alarm with every re
flecting patriot in our land.
Mighty problems confront us and
must be met in a spirit of fairness, of
ustice and of equity. We stand m
the crucial era of our free institutions,
of our republican form of government
and of our Christian civilization.
" Equal rights to all and special privi
leges to none," is one of the funda
mental principles of our government
and must be observed and maintained
if we would preserve a vigorous and
healthful condition in our economic
systems and perpetuate and advance
our civilization. In our astounding
development and almost bewildering
progress, let us strive against the dom
ination of one element over another
A just and safe equipose between the
great industries or material elements
of our civilization must be maintained
And on this day it may be appro
priate and profitable for the thousands
of representatives of the great agricul
tural interests here assempled, to take
a brief but faithful survey of the situa
tion. Retrogression in American ag
riculture means national decline, na
tional decay, and ultimate and inevi
table ruin.
The glory of our civilization cannot
survive the neglect of our agriculture;
the power and grandeur of our coun
try cannot survive the degradation o
the American farmer.
