QfotttcU HttioBraitg Hihrarg Jltljata, New ^atk BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF HENRY W. SAGE 1891 Cornell University Library E664.R93 C34 "Uncle Jen olln 3 1924 030 914 000 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030914000 y/.ki.i/ccdA^^ "UNCLE JERRY." LIFE OF GENERAL JEREMIAH M. RUSK STAGE DRIVER, FARMER, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR, CABINET OFFICER. BY HENRY CASSON. WITH A CHAPTER BY EX-PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON. "He was the Nation's Uncle ]erry."— Chicago Tribune. ILLUSTRATED. Madison, Wis. JUNIUS W. HILL. 1895. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, BY HENKY CASSON, In the o£Sce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. To MARY EDITH RUSK The loving daughter, confidant and adviser, whose one ambition was the full success of her distinguished father, to which her constant de- votion in a large degree contributed, this im- perfect history of his life and public services is dedicated. Preface. It is tHe intention of the writer to present to the public a plainly written story of the life of a plain man who was great, whose greatness was widely recognized and appreciated, and whose character, both private and public, affords au example well worthy of study and emulation. No more picturesque life than that of Jeremiah McLain Eusk has had its being upon this soil. He was a perfect type of the best American citizen- ship, and his career is its own sufficient eulogy; for it was without the adventitious aid of fortune, patronage or liberal education, but solely by the right of his individual manhood, that he made his way from the plow and the stage driver's box to the cabinet of one of the greatest men who has served as our Chief Magistrate. Kindly deeds and generous friendships were al- ways his. The public services he rendered form a part of the nation's history, and it is believed that their record will interest the American peo- ple, to whose interests, in wisdom and in strength, the best years of his life were given. The writer is under deep obligation to ex-Presi- vi PREFACE. dent Benjamin Harrison for the tribute paid by him to his dead friend and cabinet minister in the introductory chapter. The chapters relative to General Eusk's ances- try and the formative period of his life were pre- pared under the direction of Mr. James M. Eusk, and involved a great amount of labor. Acknowledgments are also due to Dr. James B. Naylor, of Malta, Ohio, Gen. Charles King, who commanded the state militia at the time of the Milwaukee riots, Mr. George William Hill, of the United States Department of Agriculture, and Mr. Talma Drew, who was for a time private secretary to General Eusk. Table of Contents. CHAPTER I. Ex-Pkesident Benjamin Harrison's Estimate or Gen- eral Rusk, ........ 1 CHAPTER II. History of the Rusk Family, 20 CHAPTER III. Valley op the Muskingum, 27 CHAPTER IV. Pioneer Days in the Valley, 44 CHAPTER V. Birthplace and Early Training oe Jeremiah M. Rusk, 63 CHAPTER VI. The Underground Railroad, 69 CHAPTER VII. Life on the Rusk Farm, 77" CHAPTER VIII. Young Jerry's Education, 86 CHAPTER IX. Primitive Farm Implements, 89 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. His Father's Death. The Oabe oi' the Family, . • 9^ CHAPTER XI. Rusk and Garfield, . . . . • . • "o CHAPTER XII. Rusk as a Railroad Foreman, . . . • • 102 CHAPTER XIII. Rusk as a Cooper, 106 CHAPTER XIV. Emigrates to Wisconsin, Ill CHAPTER XV. Elected to the Legislature, ...... 114 CHAPTER XVI. Recruits a Regiment eor the War, .... 118 CHAPTER XVII. Rusk's Bravery in Battle, 148 CHAPTER XVIII. Returns from the War. Prompt Recognition of His Services by the People, 156 CHAPTER XIX. Elected to Congress 158 CHAPTER XX. Delegate to the Republican National Convention. Garfield and Conkling. All Night Interview with President Garfield, 163 CHAPTER XXI. Elected Governor. Railroad Troubles, . . . 167 TABLE OF CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XXII. His Labors as Governor. Humane Acts, . . . 174 CHAPTER XXIII. The Milwaukee Riots op 1886, 179 CHAPTER XXIV. Commendation op the Governor's Course in Upholding Law and Order, 195 CHAPTER XXV. Nominated poe Governor a Third Time. His Message on the Riots, .... • . . 205 CHAPTER XXVI. Declined to be a Candidate for a Fourth Term, . 211 CHAPTER XXVII. The National Republican Convention op 1888. Senator Spooner's Speech, . ... 213 CHAPTER XXVIII. His Stapp oe Maimed Heroes. Visit to General Har- bison, ... 223 CHAPTER XXIX. Chauncey Depew on General Rusk 228 CHAPTER XXX. A Journalist's Pen Portrait op Governor Rusk, . 232 CHAPTER XXXI. Cabinet Oppicek, 235 CHAPTER XXXII. The Department op Agriculture, 238 CHAPTER XXXIII. Secretary Rusk's Policy, 254 X TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIV. Scope and Functions of the Depabtment, . . . 2G2 CHAPTER XXXV. Experimental Wokk, , . 278 CHAPTER XXXVI. Bureau of Animal Industry, ...... 2SG CHAPTER XXXVII. Growth and Development — His Last Report, . . 297 CHAPTER XXXVIII. General Rusk's Ideas on Protection, .... 315 CHAPTER XXXIX. American Farming One Hundred Years Hence, . . 353 CHAPTER XL. An Agricultural Address, 367 CHAPTER XLI. His Defense of the Administration, .... 300 CHAPTER XLII. Secretary Rusk's Loyalty to His Chief, . . . 418 CHAPTER XLIII. Closing Work, 4'24 CHAPTER XLIV. Retires to Private Life, 430 CHAPTER XLV. Illness and Death 437 CHAPTER XLVI. The Funeral 4J2 TABLE OF CONTENTS. ta CHAPTER XLVII. Dedication of the Monument. Ex-Senator Spooner's Eulogy, 450 CHAPTER XLVIII. General Rusk's Family, 480 CHAPTER XLIX. General Rusk's Civil Record, 483 CHAPTER L. Closing Words 485 Illustrations. PoRTBAiT OF GENERAL RusK, .... Frontispiece. House in which He was Bokn, ..... 63 Log School House, 86 Majob Jerky Rusk, 118 Governor Rusk and Stabf at General Grant's Funeral, 178 Governor Rusk's Stait ot Maimed Heroes, . . . 223 President Harrison and Cabinet, .... 297 The Rusk Residence at Vikoqua, 430 The Monument to General Rusk 472 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. CHAPTER I. PRESIDENT HARRISON'S ESTIMATE OP GENERAL RUSK. I have been asked to contribute to a biography of General Jeremiah M. Eusk such impressions of his character and of his public services as were derived by me from four years of close persona] and official relations with him. I had only a slight acquaintance with General Eusk prior to his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture. The bill creating the Department of Agriculture re- ceived the approval of the President on the 9th day of February, 1889, only twenty-three days be- fore my inauguration. The probability that the biU would pass had caused me to give some thought to the fitness of several persons whose names had been suggested; but no selection had been made when I reached Washington on the 26th day of February. My reflection upon the subject had resulted in the conclusion that the Secretary of Agi-iculture should be a man who, 2 JEREMIAH £1. RUSK. primarily, had a good practical knowledge of agri- culture — not of fancy farming, but of farming as a business, as a means of getting a livelihood; that he ought to come from one of the great agri- cultural states; that he ought to be a man in close touch with the class described by Mr. Lincoln as the "plain people;" and that, as he had a new de- partment to organize, and was to be an adviser of the President on all public questions, he ought to be a man experienced in public affairs and public administration. The easiest part of the work of an appointing officer is this work of sketching the characteristics of the man the office calls for. Very often well intentioned people came to me to describe the kind of man that ought to be ap- pointed to some important office. This was not very helpful, and I have often told such persons that I could imagine as large and as perfect a man as they could; that fancy sketches were not use- ful; that a portrait was wanted. Happy the Pres- ident who, when he has settled in his mind the high and varied qualities that the public service demands in a particular office, finds those quali- ties embodied in a man. This good fortune and more was mine in the se- lection of General Eusk to be Secretary of Agri- culture. He not only filled the measure of the man I wanted, but enlarged it. He was born and spent his boyhood on a farm. Of such is the king- dom of the fields. The boy who has had the mis PRESIDENT HARBISON'S TRIBUTE. 3 fortune to be born in a city can never reach the 33d degree in the mystic brotherhood of the groves. The distinction between a pig-nut and a shell-bark must be acquired very early. The country boy has many tutors — the city boy only one. Work that had other ends than a base or a goal exercised the limbs and developed the char- acter of young Rusk. The implements of the farm, ploughing, seeding, harvesting, the markets, and all the close economies of the home became his fa- miliars. He imbibed the pride of a noble pursuit, and never lost it. All of his reports as Secretary glow with it: "It may be broadly stated [he wrote] that upon the productiveness of our agriculture and the pros- perity of our farmers the entire wealth and pros- perity of the whole nation depend." He never ceased to be a farmer, though he was much occupied as a soldier, and as a civil officer in public affairs. From the head of the Depart- ment of Agriculture he went to his beautiful and productive Wisconsin farm, and there resumed those homely but sweet relations with his old neighbors in which he and they so much de- lighted. But General Eusk was not only a real farmer, but a progressive and educated farmer. He did not take fright at new things, but welcomed them to friendly but strictly practical tests. He de- manded that science should come to the help of 4 JEBEMIAH M. BVSK. the farmer, as she had done to the help of the manufacturer. He was no theorist — he was above all things practical — but he entered with keen de- light into the experiments of the chemist and the investigations of the microscopist. He followed the chase of some insect pest of the field or or- chard with a zest akin to that with which he had pursued rebel bushwhackers. I have listened with great amusement to his account of the pursuit of a certain destructive bug which his agents had re- peatedly followed from Florida to Kentucky, only to lose it there; and often called upon him to re- port progress. He was highly appreciative of the scientific work done by his assistants, and his only restraint was to insist that their work should have a practical end in view, and one related to agriculture in its broadest sense: "The great nations of Europe [he wrote] strain every effort to make science the handmaid of war; let it be the glory of the great American people to make science the handmaid of agriculture." General Eusk was essentially a "plain" man in the sense in which Mr. Lincoln used the word. He was simple, natural, void of affectation, honest, frank, open. He was himself at home, and what is more, made others feel at home, in any company of decent people, however unlearned in books, and however untaught in the rules of etiquette. He entered into their amusements with naturalness and zest, and consulted with them as one who es- PRESIDENT HABRISOIPS TBIBUTE. 5 teemed them and sympathized with their pur- poses. This was not art; it was nature. He had experienced their experiences. These qualities not only made him a popular favorite, but pre- served him such. He was a man of the tenderest feelings. A very lion when confronting the assailants of his own or of his country's honor, I have seen his eyes melt and overflow at the appeal of distress, or as he answered an inquiry as to the state of a son stricken by disease, or by a pressure of the hand offered sympathy to one in sorrow. His hand could deal a blow that would fell an ox, or give to a friend a touch as light and sympathetic as a woman's. I have never known a man that I would choose before him to stand by and with me in any des- perate strait. His courage rose as the struggle became desperate. It was not possible for him to desert a post or a friend. You had no need to look over your shoulder when Jerry Eusk stood between you and those who assailed you from the rear. His loyalty was as pure as gold and as stiff as a steel column. These traits were proved while he was in the cabinet. No temptation could lead him to seek a personal advantage at the cost of what his high sense of honor deemed to be loyalty to another. In his intercourse with men he was always af- fable, save when some wrong stirred his indigna- 6 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. tion. His relations to tlie representatives of the press were so cordial that he secured their aid in disseminating the bulletins and other official pub- lications of his Department in an unusual degree. He was no babbler; but, sympathizing with the desire of the correspondents for news of public af- fairs, he always prepared for their use every im- portant transaction in his Department. The fa- vor and aid of the agricultural press he regarded as essential, and sought by every means to make it a channel of communication between the De- partment and the farmers. He was as willing to receive suggestion and information as to give them. One of his plans for keeping the Depart- ment in close relation with the farmers, and well informed as to the progress of agriculture, was to send a representative to each of the great agricul- tural fairs. Every Farmers' Institute and College, every Grange and other association having at heart the farmer's interests received from him the most friendly attention; and from them all he re- ceived commendation and assistance in his work. He did not think, or act as if he thought, that he knew more about agriculture than all the other farmers of the United States; and so there was no occasion for them to remind him that he did not Upon this subject he said in his first report: "An immense amount of time and money is ex- pended in the aggregate upon these county fairs. To what extent they may be made subservient to PRESIDENT HABBISON'S TRIBUTE. 7 the duties of this Department is necessarily a mat- ter of speculation, but I am convinced of the pro- priety of endeavoring to utilize these gatherings in some such way as I have indicated. Everything that leads to a more intimate acquaintance be- tween the Department and the farmers through- out the country must be mutually advantageous." (1889 Eeport, p. 12.) Of the valuable service done by the press he said, in one of his reports: "These advance sheets are furnished to the press associations, to all agricultural and many other weekly papers, to agricultural writers, and any journalists and editors applying for them. In this way, during the fifteen weeks ending October 31, no less than eighteen such synopses or resumes were distributed as above. It is a pleasure to re- cord the fact that the agricultural papers gener- ally, and the press as a whole, have shown a most commendable disposition to cooperate with the Department in its efforts to keep the farmers in- formed as to all that may be of practical service to them. In some cases a careful note kept of the newspapers publishing such advance sheets, apart from those covered by the press associa- tions, indicates an aggregate circulation of over 1,000,000 copies, "A moment's consideration will show the value of a plan by which the benefits of a bulletin reach- ing 5,000 or 10,000 copies, and that by means of a 8 JEREMIAH M. BTJSK. circulation dragging along through many months, are communicated immediately to a circle of read- ers aggregating over three million persons, or nearly one-sixth of our entire adult farming popu- lation. Indeed this plan virtually covers the en- tire field, for the farmer who does not read some paper devoted to his calling is practically beyond the reach of intelligent effort on his behalf. It moreover invites application for special bulletins in advance of their publication by interested par- ties, an important consideration, for in the giving of valuable information 'he gives twice who gives promptly.' " (1889 Report, pp. 7 and 8.) Perhaps the greatest work accomplished by General Eusk in the Department was in connec- tion with the removal or amelioration of the re- strictions imposed by European countries upon the importation of American live stock and meats. In his first report he very wisely accepted the con- clusion that if we would put ourselves in a posi- tion to refute the statements made in those coun- tries as to the unhealthfulness of American meats, we must make an ofiicial inspection before the meats left our shores. Upon this subject he said: "Eumors of cattle diseases in this country hav- ing little foundation, if any, in fact, continue to be widely circulated in foreign countries, to the great injury of our cattle trade. The existence of a demand for our surplus meat products in PBESIDENT HAimiSOIPS TBIBUTE. 9 these countries is nevertheless plainly evident, and it is in the highest degree desirable that the ■Government of this country should adopt all means in its power to secure for our producers every opportunity to compete on fair terms in the markets of the world for the disposal of their sur- plus production. I would therefore insist most strongly upon the necessity of such a national in- spection of cattle at the time of slaughter as would not only secure the condemnation of car- casses unfit for food, if there be any, and guaranty the accepted product as untainted by disease, but which should enable the national authorities to promptly discover any cattle-disease centers, thus putting it in the power of the Department to take immediate steps for its control and eradication. "While earnestly repudiating the captious ob- jections made on the part of foreign authorities to the wholesomeness of our meat products, still, as long as we neglect to take the precautions uni- versally adopted by the governments of those countries in which we seek a market for these products, and leave it to the officials of other countries to inspect our live cattle or our meats, it is impossible for us to present as forcible argu- ments as we could otherwise do against restric- tions on our trade, these foreign governments claiming, with some show of reason, that they have better opportunities for learning of disease among American cattle than are enjoyed by the 10 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. American Government itself. It is time to put a stop to this anomalous condition, and 1 there- fore earnestly recommend such an amendment to the law under which the Bureau [of Animal In- dustry — a branch of the Department] is at present organized as will provide for such official national inspection as shall guaranty the fitness of our meat products for food consumption under the seal of the United States Government." (1889 Eeport, pp. 34, 35.) On August 30, 1890, Congress, in response to this appeal, passed a law providing for the inspec- tion of all cattle, sheep and swine, and of salted pork and bacon, intended for export to countries requiring inspection, or upon the request of any exporter of meats. It wag made unlawful to import into the United States any dangerously adulterated food or drink intended for human consumption; and the Presi- dent was given power to exclude such articles, and also to prohibit the importation of specified ar- ticles from any foreign country which should un- justly discriminate against the products of the United States. The work of organizing an inspecting force and making such regulations as would insure perfect results was a large and difficult one; and the rap- idity and effectiveness with which it was accom- plished showed the energy and organizing power of the Secretary. PRESIDENT HABJSISON'S TRIBUTE. H In 1890 there were exported 394,836 head of cat- tle, 91,148 live hogs, and 67,521 sheep. Every in- dividual of these immense herds and droves and flocks vi^as to be examined. A plan of putting a metal tag, marked with a number, in the ear of each bullock, with a view to tracing not only the inspection, but of following the animal back to the pen or pasture from which it went to market, was adopted, that the history of the animal might be disclosed in case of an allegation that it was dis- eased. Not content with this, the Secretary sought and obtained, through the State Depart- ment, the consent of the British authorities to have skilled American veterinarians participate in the inspection at the British docks where our cattle were required to be slaughtered. Of the inspection thus conducted the Secretary said in his report for 1891: "But three allegations of cases of this disease among American cattle landed in Great Britain have been cited by the British authorities, each of which was disputed by our American inspect- ors, and in only two cases of them did the British authorities adhere with some firmness to their diagnosis. Thanks to our system of identifica- tion, these two cases were traced in the manner I have indicated, and in every particular their life history sustained the diagnosis of our inspectors, which was, I should say, supported by many of 12 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the leading veterinarians in Great Britain at the time." (Report 1891, p. 16.) The injustice practiced against us in continuing the requirement that all American cattle should be slaughtered at the docks roused the Secretary to say: "These facts, in my opinion, would amply just- ify this Government in making to the British Gov- ernment the strongest presentation of the griev- ance which our cattle raisers suffer unjustly at their hands, by reason of the arbitrary regula- tions enforced against our American cattle in British ports owing to an alleged dread of con- tagious diseases, coupled with an urgent demand for the removal of obstacles which we have clearly shown to be useless, and the maintenance of which can only be regarded as an evidence of unfriendliness. Justice as well as proper self- respect demand such a course. "Unless we can secure from the British Govern- ment the removal of the unfriendly restrictions now bearing so hardly upon our cattle trade, I shall feel it to be my duty to suggest the rigid en- forcement of the law now in existence prohibiting the importation into the United States of all live animals, a law which has only been suspended as a matter of friendship to foreign governments. That we have far more justification for the exclu-~ sion from the United States of all animals coming from Great Britain and its dependencies than PBESIBENT HABJRISON'S TBIBUTE. 13 they have for the interposition of any obstacles to our cattle exports from the United States, is shown by the recent report of Prof. Brown, the veterinarian of the British Privy Council, who ad- mits in the plainest manner that no hopes exist in that country of ever absolutely suppressing pleuro-pneumonia, and shows, indeed, that such measureable success as he has faint hopes of at- taining in the control of it is to be obtained only by methods which are nothing more than those adopted by ourselves and to which, promptly and vigorously enforced, we owe our present success in the complete control of this disease." The official correspondence between the Secre- tary of Agriculture and the Secretary of State shows the unremitting industry of General Rusk in bringing to the attention of our diplomatic rep- resentatives at the European capitals every fact tending to show the healthfulness of American meats and every consideration showing the un- just nature of the restrictive regulations imposed by those governments upon their importation. Having procured legislation providing for an offi- cial inspection and certification, and having or- ganized a careful examination of all animals and meats intended for export, he was not only impa- tient but indignant at the delay in according equal and fair terms to American meats in Euro- pean markets. General Rusk was not a diplo- matist, and did not see why the right should not ]4 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. have instant way. He fought and quarantined pleuro-pneumonia in this country until he was able to issue an announcement that the disease was extinct. He regulated the shipment of Texas cattle, and with the cooperation of the railroads and stockyards made such careful provisions for the separation of such cattle, and the disinfecting of cars and pens, that the spread of Texas fever was prevented. He organized in the great pack- ing houses corps of inspectors with their micro- scopes, and gave to our export animals and meats a more assured character for healthfulness than the meats of any other country had; and when the evidence of all this was submitted he was ready to demand that the restrictions be removed, and on refusal at once to use the retaliatory meas- ures provided by law. In his letter to the Secre- tary of State, of date of November 16, 1892, he said: "It simply means that an unjust discrimination is to be enforced for all time against one of the most important branches of our trade with that country. Against such discrimination this Gov- ernment has a right to protest in the most vigor- ous language at its command." In the same letter he showed that we had a much better case for the quarantining of Cana- dian cattle, and added: "I have delayed the quarantine restrictions in the hopes that a further investigation would be PBJESIDENT HARBISON'S TRIBUTE. 15 made and a more liberal policy adopted by the British Government. If such is not to be ex- pected, however, then I see no alternative but to apply the same regulations, and for the same rea- son, to cattle imported into this country from Great Britain and its dependencies." And in February, 1893, he wrote: "It is not denied that the Government of Great Britain may properly take such action as is con- sidered necessary to protect the stock interests of the United Kingdom from contagious diseases, but it may at the same time be asserted that that Government has no right to put the stigma of con- tagious disease upon the great export trade of this country in live cattle without better evidence than has so far been produced." He did not succeed in procuring a revocation of the English restrictions upon our cattle trade, but the restrictions upon the importation of our pork products did give way before his persistent assaults. In January, 1891, he wrote to Mr. Blaine : "It appears from said dispatch that the only prohibition now in force against the importation of swine and swine products into Germany is the one maintained against such importation from the United States. For ten years Germany has con- tinued this unjust and unwarranted exclusion of American pork from her domain, and I believe the time has now come when the German Government 16 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. should be given to understand that there are eco- nomic reasons why this edict should be revoked. The allegations made in 1880, at the time of the first edict issued by the German Government pro- hibiting the importation of American pork into that country, has been repeatedly shown by this Department, by special investigations and reports placed in the hands of your officers, to be untrue, and it does not comport with the dignity and self- respect of this Government to longer tolerate such a policy as is being pursued by the Government of Germany against the food products of the United States. "I would respectfully urge that our minister at Berlin be promptly instructed to make a final ap- peal to the German Government to remove the discrimination made against the animal products of this country. "Should this appeal fail I shall feel it my duty to call the attention of the President of the United States to this unwarranted discrimination, and recommend the suspension, by proclamation, of the importation into the United States from Ger- many of such articles as he may think advisable, under the provisions of section 5 of the act of Con- gress approved August 30, 1890." In March he repeated his recommendation for retaliatory measures. The State Department and our ministers cooperated and did excellent service, but it is only the truth to say that the work of the PRESIDENT HARBISON'S TRIBUTE. 17 Department of Agriculture was the basis of all their appeals and the essential condition of their success, and that the enthusiasm and vigor of Gen- eral Eusk could not have been spared. It is prob- ably true that the reciprocity arrangement with Germany, relating to sugar, had a moral influence in securing the decree of September 3, 1891, revok- ing the German prohibition, but the decree was put upon the sufficiency and the acceptance of our inspection. Italy, Spain and France followed, and either rescinded or greatly ameliorated their re- strictions upon our meats. For many years this Government had been vainly laboring to open these valuable markets to our pork products, and the victory was notable and highly advantageous to the American farmer. These are only some of the labors and successes achieved by General Eusk in his Department. His efforts to introduce the various products of Indian corn to the tables of England and the Continent, by maintaining an agent to provide the materials and to instruct the people in their use, were meas- urably successful, and have opened a field of effort that, if diligently and patiently cultivated, will yield rich returns to American agriculture. General Eusk had large views as to the proper scope of the Department of Agriculture. He ad- vocated an inspection not only of meats for export, but for domestic use and the inspection of all food 2 18 JEREMIAH 31. BUSK. products in order to protect our people from adul- terated and unskillful preparations. He said: "My second proposition involves the conferring upon the Secretary of Agriculture of the fullest powers necessary for the supervision and control of all interstate or foreign commerce in agricul- tural products and of fraudulent and other substi- tutes therefor, for the investigation of all animal diseases, and for the control of the movement of all animals vs^hich may be affected by communi- cable diseases, and even within certain limits for an adequate supervision of the trade in agricul- tural products in all foreign markets." (Report 1891, p. 59.) "The object to be kept in view, and one which ought to be dear to every American citizen, is that, in so far as all American products are con- cerned which enter into food consumption, the word 'American' shall be recognized the Avorld over as synonymous with healthfulness and hon- esty, and that, wherever it is seen, the certificate of this Department shall stand for a brand of ex- cellence." (Eeport 1892, p. 62.) This is a mere sketch of a few of the great trans- actions with which General Eusk associated his name during his administration of the Depart- ment of Agriculture. He was a model Secretary in his special work; and his large experience in public life, as Governor of Wisconsin for three terms, and as a Eepresentative in Congress for six PRESIDENT HARBISON'S TBIBUTE. 19 years, made him a valued adviser at the Cabinet board. He was patriotic through and through, and an American before all else. When any ques- tions affecting American interests, or the national dignity or honor were under discussion, he was an advocate of vigorous measures. He always "stood in" with his colleagues, and sought no fame at their cost. He stood by what was concluded, though he had advised against it — for to him the administration was single, and he a part of it. My personal relations with him and with his family were delightful, and the memory of them is not marred by a single unpleasant incident. I trusted him fully and he was true. His frame was so stalwart that it seemed that it could defy dis- ease — and mind and heart were of the same large mold. Like Lincoln, he multiplied small chances, and on a hard and barren youth builded a great life. Men of other characters, and of other attain- ments are needed in American public life, but the type of Jeremiah M. Eusk cannot be spared. Benjamin Haheison. 20 JEBEMIAH 31. BUSK. CHAPTEE II. EUSK'S ANCESTEY. The family name Rusk, a modification of Roux, is of undeniable Celtic origin, and is known to an- tedate the present civilization of either Italy or France, where its representatives may be found, as well as throughout the United Kingdom. The family was a migratory one, settled in various parts, and in Ireland the name Eoux became Eusk, and in America it has remained without further change. The first American ancestor of General Eusk, his grandfather, James Eusk, possessed traits of independence, courage, and innate love of justice, which certainly, if they were prophetic, bore good fruit in the subject of this history. He was born in the north of Ireland, near Londonderry, and came to America while quite young, and under cir- cumstances not without a tinge of romance. That was nearly a century and a quarter ago, just be- fore the outbreaking of the revolutionary war, in the winter before the spring of Lexington. In Ire- land the systematic wrongs of absentee landlord- SUSIPS ANCESTRY. 21 ism, backed by the extreme severity of the law, the heartless administration of the crown offices, and the intolerably oppressive practices of resi- dent agents, had provoked a spirit of resistance neither more nor less than human, and in these later days recognized as essentially American. If we had to relate facts of history, now happily long past, it might be well to dwell at some length upon the conditions under which the earlier relatives of Jeremiah M. Kusk endured to suffer, and which served largely in the formation of their sturdy character; but while it is probably true that some evil influences under which they labored still exist, though shorn in a measure of their strength, it is deemed that adherence to the purpose announced in the preface deters the writer from making an- cient history of the life of a man of the present, and that in giving only such facts as are essential, and require ho analysis, all really useful purposes will be subserved; for, after all, it is only as an American that General Eusk, his life and char- acter, stand before the world today. James Eusk labored on an Irish estate, and the legal agent of the absent landlord brutally in- sulted his parents. He received from James a blow which felled him to the earth, and the pen- alty of which, as the law then stood, was death. Evading the officers of the crown, he quickly reached the coast, and, aided by a band of smug- glers, was given over to the captain of a vessel 22 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. bound for America, under the condition that upon his arrival here he should be sold in bondage to any bidder who would pay the highest price for his services for a time suffieient to make his pas- sage good. Arriving at the port of Baltimore, which then had very few houses of which to boast, he Avas duly sold, and retired for the term of his service to a plantation in Maryland, then a colony of Great Britain. Here he formed a close friend- ship with John Faulkner, at that time the leading representative of his family in the colony, a friend- ship strengthened later by their years of service together in the American army, which brought them over the mountains, along the now nearly forgotten Braddock Trail, and which bore them to their place of death and burial, on a tributary of the beautiful Muskingum river, near to the birth- place of General Rusk, and only a few miles dis- tant from the earliest settlement in what became the great Northwest Territory, which at the time of its establishment included the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wiscon- sin, to-gether with a part of Minnesota. By James Rusk the wrongs perpetrated by the British Government upon its American dependen- cies were easily recognized, and when the war be- gan, when the battles of Concord and Lexington had been fought, his service under the strange laws of those times, together with the natural in- stinct which aroused his ardor in fav^r of the then -B USK' S ANCES TJR Y. £3 new patriotism, induced him to beg from Ms legal owner the favor of a transfer from the farm to the army of the revolution. This being granted, he enlisted, together with Faulkner, almost at the opening of the war; and the two men, remaining together, did honorable service throughout the en- tire revolutionary struggle. Both became pen- sioners, and enjoyed the land bounties graciously bestowed by a grateful government which they had assisted in erecting. This part of the life of James Eusk is not barren of interest. His courage and daring became mat- ters of repute, and for much of the time he was assigned to duty with scouting and foraging par- ties. One of his exploits, upon which he especially prided himself, took place near the house of Mis- tress Mott, who is so well known in the romance of those days. There was a little eating house by the wayside, before which seven British soldiers, unaware of the nearness of any patriot scouts, had stacked their muskets, gone within, and en- tered upon a carousal of eating and drinking. It so happened that James Eusk, himself unseen, wit- nessed the inauguration of this business, and de- termined, alone as he was, to capture the men single-handed or die in the attempt. Quietly get- ting to the stack of arms, he cocked and presented a musket in the doorway, demanding instant sur- render. His enemies could not do otherwise, they had to surrender, and James followed them into 24 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the camp of his company, where they were thank- fully received as prisoners of war. Asked how he had captured so many, he replied — "By Gad, I surrounded them!" Another anecdote of his revolutionary career should not be overlooked. He always maintained that on the fateful night of Paoli he had a true presentiment of the attack to be made, and that to the scouting party with which he was to be located death was inevitable. He said to himself that while no post of duty would ever be deserted by him, unnecessary sacrifice of life might be for once avoided, and, retiring to a point within hear- ing distance of his comrades, he witnessed their surprise by a greatly superior force which killed them to a man. Shortly after the conclusion of the war James Eusk married a lady named Ann Eobb, who was of Scotch-Irish descent. Her parents resided in Maryland, and it is through their line that the re- lationship between the Eusks and the McLains comes, as does that of the Eusks with the Faulk- ners.* The war ended, and James Eusk located near Pittsburg. His wife bore him nine children, five * This name has been corrupted. Originally spelled Falkner, the I was afterward dropped, as we learn from written documents; and the name Fakner is a coi-ruption of Falkner, which is formed by the dropping of the u in the name as now spelled in both Eng- land and Ireland. li USJP S ANCESTR Y. 25 boys and four girls, and all in the United States who now bear the name are supposed to be de- scendants of these children, with the exception of some in the South. It is known that another branch of the family, not emigrating from Ireland, settled in the Carolinas or Georgia, or possibly in Louisiana. Of James Rusk's children, John, the eldest, mar- ried and settled in Ohio, and the next one, Nancy, married John Eattan, who never came so far west. Sarah married one Singleton, who settled in Buck- eye and Prairie Counties, Ohio, and Samuel mar- ried a woman named Brown, also locating in Prairie County. James, named for his father, went to that part of the Northwest Territory which is now Illinois, became prominent in the lo- cal affairs of the state, and we believe was at one time a member of its legislature. He lived near Chicago. William settled at Columbus, Ohio; his sisters Margaret and Jane in the valley of Wolf Creek, in the same state, near its first settlement at Brown's Mills. Daniel Eusk, the father of Jeremiah McLain Eusk, was born in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburg and the scene of Braddock's defeat. Jeremiah was the youngest of eleven children, of whom the others (named in the order of their birth) were John, Annie, James, Euel, Daniel, Elizabeth, Jane, Simon,'Allen and Margaret. Of these Daniel, Jane and Allen survive. 26 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. Daniel Rusk's wife, the mother of Jeremiah M. Rusk, was Jane, daughter of John Faulkner, who, as has already been stated, came to this country before the revolutionary war, settling first in Maryland, and afterward in the neighborhood of Pittsburg, near his friend, James Rusk. Her mother's name had been Elizabeth Hanna, who was a lady of Irish descent on the maternal side, and resided with her father in Maryland. She was the third of nine children, six daughters and three sons, and was born in Pennsylvania. THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 27 CHAPTER III. THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. What memories cluster about this name! The Indian called the river the Muskingum, which means Moose Eye, because its waters seemed to re- flect the peculiarly beautiful tint of blue seen in the eye of that noble animal, and perhaps there only. At the mouth of this river the first settle- ment in the Northwest Territory was made, and here it was that the earliest civilization upon soil dedicated to absolute human freedom was made; ' for by the contract under which the Ohio Company held their rights, and indeed as a part of the ordi- nance creating the Territory itself, no man could be a slave within the boundaries. In this section of Ohio Generals Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and Rusk, and Hon. Stephen B. Elkins were born. It was on the 26th day of July, 1788, that the Territorial Governor, Arthur St. Clair, proclaimed the establishment of the first county organized in this new Territory, and to which, in honor of our country's Father, he gave the name of Washing- ton. This county then embraced about one-half 28 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. of what is now the State of Ohio, and included within itself almost the entire valley of the Mus- kingum, which soon became the principal artery and highway of commerce for the great section now including, on the one hand, Ohio, Indiana, Illi- nois and Wisconsin, and on the other Missouri and Kentucky. Here was the home of that great, intel- ligent, and peacefully disposed Indian tribe, the Delawares, who, as is well known, were awarded a high rank as men in the pages of our Cooper's novels and in the published memoirs of the Mora- vian missionaries. That these aborigines were less warlike than the other natives has been attributed to the fact that as a tribe they more readily and fully accepted the doctrines of our Christian re- ligion, and turned their attention from the paths of war to those of peace. In this they presented a most striking contrast to their ancient allies, the Wyandots, who submitted their heathenism to the better influences of our faith only through the elo- quence of such men as Finley. Their inflexible character is well illustrated in an anecdote re- lated of General Wayne ("Mad Anthony"). When the General took command of the post at Green- ville, in 1793, he sent for Captain Wells, who or- dered a company of scouts, and instructed him to proceed to Sandusky, there to take an Indian pris- oner, from whom valuable information might bo procured. Now it happened that Wells, who in his boyhood had himself been taken by the Wyan- THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 29 dots, and held by them for many years, was per- fectly acquainted with their character. He said to General Wayne: "I can get you an Indian prisoner, but not from Sandusky, sir." "And why not from Sandusky?" "At Sandusky there are only Wyandots." "Will one of them not answer our purpose?" "Oh no, sir!" "And why not, captain?" "For the best of reasons — a Wyandot will never be taken alive." Throughout our history, recorded and tradi- tional, with its great procession of events, the war for the union, the extinction of negro slavery, the burning struggle for the right of free thought, which makes tolerance in religious matters possi- ble, and in all else of modern civilization which has liberty for its watchword, there are points of pleasant memory in this Valley of the Mus- kingum, of which the following sketch is given by Doctor James B. Naylor, of Malta, Ohio: There's a valley that lies amid verdure-crowned hills, And a beautiful river flows through it; This river was fed by the most sparkling rills In the days when the red men first knew it. And these children of nature gazed into its reach, Reflecting the blue of the sky, And gave it the name — in their gutteral speech — Of "Muskingum", which means the Moose Eye. Visitors from the East have called the Mus- go JEREMIAH M. R USK. kingum the "Miniature Hudson." It is situated in the i^ough hill country of southeastern Ohio, and winds its serpentine course for a hundred miles through a valley replete with beautiful scen- ery. Precipitous hills border the valley, and from their abrupt slopes project frowning ledges of sandstone. These hills rise to the height of several hundred feet above the bed of the river, and are seamed and scarred by innumerable gul- lies and ravines. Here the yawning mouth of a deep and dark gorge opens up to the right or left, and there a wooded promontory stands forth to intercept the clear river washing its base. Just at the bend above, where the green hills apparently meet and present an insurmountable barrier to the spark- ling stream, nature's battlement of gray sand- stone furnishes footing to a gigantic sentinel oak tossing its arms to the passing breeze, and serving as a landmark for miles around; while at the bend below a tiny sand bar reaches forth its shining finger to toy with the elusive current. "Over yander, where the willers Lop their branches in the pool, An' the waves 're gently lappin', Sort o' lazy-liks an' cool " — a number of white-topped tents, peeping from their cozy retreat, mark the site of an outing party. At one point a village of white cottages nestles at the foot of the hills, and at another a crumbling THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 31 brick cliimney indicates the location of an ancient salt furnace, and stands as a monument to an in- dustry now dead. A trip along this beautiful valley at any season of the year amply repays the tourist, but the time above all others is midsummer, when the trees upon the wooded slopes are in full foliage, and the golden grain and the sweet-smelling clover are wooed by the fiery god, and kissed by the drowsy winds. The journey can be made either by boat or rail, but the boat is the better way. At every turn of the river the panorama changes. Here one be- holds an ever-shifting vista of level fields, verdant hill slopes, and towering precipices, and there the water pours in a thunderous cascade over the mossy timbers of a mill dam; and we see a rugged fisherman, perched upon the sloping lockwall, and dangling his feet in the frothy foam, fishing and dreaming. Before white men set foot in the valley it was the home of the far-famed Delaware Indians, who gave to the river its poetic name. The lodge of the Delaware stood on its shore, And his fragile canoe cut its foam; His sinewy arm plied the light ashen oar As he stemmed the fierce current near home; While back in the forest when flowers were out- And the sweetest of perfumes did blow, The cliff and the hillside reechoed the shout Of the copper-hued children below. 32 JEREMIAH M. BVSK. From Marietta, where the Muskingum de- bouches into the Ohio, to Zanesville, a distance of eighty miles, dams and locks have been placed, about ten miles apart, and these are the source of abundant water power, utilized by the mills and factories upon the stream. These public works have much changed the ap- pearance of the picturesque river. Now no longer a swift dashing torrent, fretting its banks, tum- bling and frothing over the numerous rocky ob- structions in its way, it has been transformed into a chain of placid lakes, navigable throughout their course for freight and passenger steamers. The steamboat has superseded the dugout canoe, and factories now buzz where stood the wigwams of the savage; and where he once chased the deer and tracked the wolf we find cultivated fields and white-painted farm houses. A hamlet now stands where the wigwam of bark Was outlined against the huge trees; The fire of a furnace illumines the dark, And the black smoke is borne on the breeze, Where many moons past the tired warrior wound The blanket about his great form, And, throwing himself on the hard-frozen ground, Would slumber protected and warm. The Moose Eye rolls down from the north as of old, But its current is hindered and stayed By works that have called for both courage and gold — Such dams as the beaver ne'er made. No dugout canoe on its surface now floats. And the dip of the paddle is still. But the echoes are waked by the puff of the boats And the buzz of the wheels at the mill. THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 33 From one end to the other the valley is replete with historical places. Beginning at Point Har- mer, at the mouth of the river, the first white set- tlement in Ohio, the ascending tourist passes in succession the scene of the block house massacre at Big Bottom; the sites of the homes of the chris- tianized and hermitized Delaware Indian chief- tains, Silver Heels and Douda; the little and big Ludlo's, where the keel-boat builders launched their vessels in the early part of the century; the precipitous point where brave John Morgan and his band of taterdemalion raiders crossed the river in the latter days of the war of the rebellion; the log cabin where James A. Garfield taught a school when a mere lad; the Whetzel Kock, on which the famous Indian-fighter, Lewis Whetzel, carved his name with a horn-handled hunting- knife; Dead Man's Rock, etc. Messrs. James M, Eusk, nephew of Jeremiah M. Eusk, and Jesse Davis of McConnelsville, propose to mark with a monument the site of the block-house massacre, the bloodiest tragedy that ever occurred on the now peaceful banks of the Muskingum. A re- liable account of that terrible affair will be of in- terest. The first settlement in Morgan County, made at Big Bottom, on the Muskingum, near the south line of the county, was broken up by the Indians. In the autumn of 1790 a company of thirty-six 3 34 JEREMIAH M. B USK. men went from Marietta and commenced the set- tlement. They erected a block-house on the first bottom on the east bank of the river, four miles above the mouth of Meigs Creek. They were chiefly young, single men, but little acquainted with Indian warfare or military rules. Those best acquainted with the Indians, . and those most capable of judging from appearances, had little doubt that they were preparing for hos- tilities, and strongly opposed the settlers going out that fall, advising them to remain until spring, when the question of war or peace would probably be settled. Even Gen. Putnam, and the directors of the Ohio Company, who gave away the land for settlement thought the adventure imprudent, and strongly remonstrated against it. But the young men were impatient, confident in their own prudence and ability to protect them- selves. They went, put up a block-house which might accommodate them all in an emergency, covered it, and laid puncheon floors, stairs, etc. It was built of large beech logs, and left rather open, the logs not being "chinked." Here was their flrst great error. Ceasing to complete the work, the general interest was lost in that of individual con- venience. Their second error was that they kept no sentry, and neglected to stockade and set pickets around the block-house. No system of defense and dis- cipline was introduced. Their guns lay, without TSE VALLEY OF TSE MUSKINGUM. 35 order, about the house. Twenty men usually stayed in the house, but at the time of the mas- sacre some of this number were absent. One end of the building was appropriated for a fireplace, and at the close of day all came in, a large fire was built, and the cooking and eating of suppers be- gan. The weather for some time previous to the attack, as we learn from the diary of Hon. Paul Fearing, who lived at Fort Harmer, had been quite cold. It was not customary for the Indians to venture out on war parties in the midst of winter. About twenty rods above the block-house, and a little back from the bank of the river, Francis and Isaac Choate, members of the company, had erected a cabin and commenced clearing their lots. Thomas Shaw, a hired laborer in the em- ploy of the Choates, and James Patten, another of the associates, lived with them. About the same distance below the garrison was an old "toma- hawk improvement" and a small cabin which two men, Asa and Eleazer Bullard, had fitted up and now occupied. The Indian war path from San- dusky to the mouth of the Muskingum passed along the opposite shore, in sight of the river. The Indians, who, during the summer, had been hunting and loitering about the settlements at Wolf Creek Mills and Plainfield, holding frequent and apparently friendly intercourse with the set- tlers, bartering venison and bear meat for green 36 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. corn and vegetables, had withdrawn early in the autumn, and gone well up the river into the vi- cinity of their towns, for winter quarters. Being well acquainted with all the approaches to these settlements, and with the manner in which the in- habitants lived, each family in their own cabin, unapprehensive of danger, the Indians planned a war party for their destruction. It is said they were not aware of a settlement at Big Bottom until they came in sight of it, on the opposite shore of the river, one afternoon. From a high hill op- posite the garrison they obtained a view of all that part of the bottom, and could see how* the men were occupied, and what was going on about the block-house. Having reconnoitered the situ- ation, they crossed the river on the ice just at twi- light and divided their men into two parties, the larger one of which was to attack the block-house, and the smaller one to make prisoners of the few men living in Choate's cabin without giving the alarm to those below. The plan was skillfully arranged and promptly executed. As the party cautiously approached the cabin, they found the inmates at supper. Some of the Indians entered, while others stood without by the door and ad- dressed the men in a friendly manner, who, sus- pecting no harm, offered them food, of which they partook. Looking about the room, the Indians espied some leather thongs and pieces of cord that had been used in packing venison, and then THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 37 quickly seizing the white men by the arms, told them they were prisoners. Finding it useless to resist, the Indians being more numerous, they sub- mitted to their fate in silence. While this was transacting, the other party had reached the block-house unobserved. The door was thrown open by a stout Mohawk, who stepped in and stood by the door to keep it open, while his companions without shot down those around the fire. A man by the name of Zebulon Throop, from Massachusetts, was frying meat, and fell dead by the fire, and several others fell at this discharge. The Indians then rushed in and killed with the tomahawk all who were left. No resistance seems to have been offered by any of the men, so sud- den and unexpected was the attack; but a stout, backwoods, Virginia woman, the wife of Isaac Meeks, who was employed as a hunter, seized an axe and made a blow at the head of the Indian who opened the door. A slight turn of the head saved his skull, and the axe passed down through his cheek into the shoulder, leaving a huge gash that severed nearly half his face. The woman was instantly killed by the tomahawk of one of ' his companions. This was the only injury re- ceived by the Indians. While the slaughter was going on, John Stacy, a young man in the prime of life, the son of Col. William Stacy, sprang up the stairway and out upon the roof; while his brother Philip, a lad of sixteen years, secreted 38 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. himself under some bedding in a corner of the room. The Indians soon discovered the former, and shot him while he was in the act of begging them, for God's sake, to spare his life, saying that he was the only one left. This was heard by the Bullards, who, alarmed by the firing at the block-house, had run out of their cabin to see what was the matter. Discov- ering the Indians around the house, they sprang bacJi into their hut, seized their rifles and amuni- tion, and, closing the door after them, ran into the woods in a direction concealed by the cabin from the view of the Indians. They had barely escaped when they heard their door, which was made of thin clapboards, burst open by the Indians, who did not pursue them, as there was a good fire burning, and food for supper was smoking hot on the table. After the slaughter was over and the scalps secured (one of the most important acts in the warfare of the American savages), they pro- ceeded to collect the plunder, in removing which the lad, Philip Stacy, was discovered. Toma- hawks were instantly raised to dispatch him, when he threw himself at the feet of one of the leading warriors, begging protection. The sav- age took compassion on his youth, or else his re- venge was glutted with the slaughter already made, and interposing his authority saved the boy's life. After removing everything valuable, they tore up the floor, piled it on tlie dead bodies THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 39 and set it on fire, thinking to destroy the block- house with the carcasses of their enemies. The building being made of green beech logs, the fires only consumed the floors and roof, leaving the walls still standing when visited the next day by the whites. There were twelve persons killed in this attack, viz.: John Stacy, Ezra Putnam, son of Major Put- nam, of Marietta; John Camp and Zebulon Throop — these men were from Massachusetts; Jonathan Farewell and James Couch, from New Hampshire; William James, from Connecticut; Joseph Clark, Khode Island; Isaac Meeks, his wife and two chil- dren, from Virginia. After this the Indians bent their steps toward the Wolf Creek Mills; but finding the people there awake and on the lookout, prepared for an attack, they did nothing more than reconnoitre the place and made their retreat at early dawn, to the great relief of the inhabitants. The number of Indians who came over from Big Bottom was never known. The next day Captain Rogers led a party of men over to Big Bottom. It was a melancholy sight to the poor borderers, who knew not how soon a similar fate might befall themselves. The action of the fire, although it did not consume, had so blackened and disfigured the dead that few of them could be recognized. The body of Ezra Put- nam was known by a pewter plate that lay under him. His mother's name was on the bottom of 40 JEBEMIAH M. BVSK. the plate, to which a part of the cake he had been baking at the fire still adhered. William James was recognized by his great size, he being six feet four inches in height, and stoutly built. He had a piece of bread clenched in his right hand, and was probably in the act of eating, with his back to the door, when the -fatal rifle shot took effect. As the ground was frozen outside, a hole was dug within the walls of the house, and the bodies con- signed to one grave. No further attempt was made at a settlement here until after the peace, in 1795. Midway in the valley lie the twin villages of McConnelsville and Malta, connected by a covered wooden bridge, and walled in by tree-crowned hills. The country around about them is quaint and delightful. The most notable natural curiosity on the whole river is the Devil's Tea Table, situated on the east side of the stream, three miles above McConnels- ville. It stands on the bald top of a great hill, and is a landmark for miles up and down the river. From it the ground slopes rapidly in all directions, giving it imposing prominence. It consists of a quadrangular or diamond-shaped table of sand- stone, huge in size, and supported by a slender base or stem of shale. Its dimensions are about as follows: height, 25 feet; length, 33 feet; and width, 20 feet. It is estimated that the table alone weighs over 300 tons. The base is about THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 41 40 feet in circumference, and seems all too frail to support its cumbrous load. The ground in the vicinity is strewn with fragments of shale that have crumbled from the base in times past. From whatever side the rock is viewed, it appears to lean in that direction; and the timid observer standing near it feels in danger of instant de- struction. The origin of the name, "Devil's Tea Table," can not be ascertained. As early as 1800 chance trav- elers in the valley knew it by this name, which is probably derived from the fact that the Indians held the place and rock in superstitious awe, con- sidering it the abode of evil spirits. Several attempts have been made to overthrow the gigantic stone table. In 1820 several keel- boatmen made the effort, and many persons gath- ered to witness the fall. The forms of the boat- men have long since crumbled to mother dust, but the sturdy stone still resists the leveling hand of time. Persons who saw the rock a half century ago say that it looked as much like falling then as it does today. Its equilibrium is perfect, and this alone retains it in position. Many theories have been advanced to account for this curious formation, but undoubtedly its real origin is as follows: It was a part of the ledge of massive rocks that formed the crest of the hill when the surrounding land was at a 42 JJEBEMIAH M. BUSK. higher level than at present. The ceaseless ac- tion of frost, wind and water crumbled and dis- solved the sandstone; the underlying stratum of shale next yielded, until this great sentinel stood alone. As many as twenty-five or thirty persons have congregated on the table at one time; and the older inhabitants occasionally danced cotillions upon its level top. Of late years, however, it has assumed a more decrepit and tottering appear- ance, and only the boldest venture to mount to its dizzy summit. Recent observers claim that they have felt distinct vibrations of the mass when standing upon it. If this be true it will not long- retain its present poise. Many are the legends connected with the rock, but no legend can add to the picturesque weird- ness of the table itself. It has kept its watch while nations have risen from obscurity, and gone down into eternal darkness! A monster rock! Firm-poised it stands Upon a base of crumbling shale; 'Twas shaped by Satan's cunning hands In ages past — so runs the tale — And served hell's demons, great and small, As table to their banquet hall. Though countless years have rolled away, The Devil's table stands to-day As firm as when, with hellish glee, The black imps held their revelry. Beyond the blue Muskingum's bed It rears its gray and wrinkled head; THE VALLEY OF THE MUSKINGUM. 43 Though aged, still erect, sublime, It gazes on the march of time, And towers above the verdant sod, A monument to nature's God. When years on years have hurried past, Until God's dial marks the last. Oh may the grim old rock still keep Its vigil on the stony steepl 44 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER IV. PIONEER DAYS IN THE VALLEY. It was in this Valley of the Muskingum, near the head waters of one of its main tributaries, Wolf Creek, that Daniel Rusk, the son of James, and the father of Jeremiah M. Rusk, located, nearly seventy-five years ago; and here he carved out of what was then primeval wilderness a home for his family. He acquired a competence, and took so great interest in the general affairs of the community that even to this day he is remembered as one of the few who assisted largely in the build- ing up of the stalwart civilization which has char- acterized the Valley from the time of its first set- tlement. During the first fifteen years of this century the great thoroughfare between Kentucky, Indiana and the Eastern States passed through Zanesville, and along the road the emigrants from the more thickly settled East traveled, incidentally afford- ing occupation to some hundreds of tavern keep- ers, and consuming all the corn raised in many miles to the north and south. Over this highway, PIONEER DAYS IN THE VALLEY. 45 every spring and autumn, goods purchased at Pittsburg were wagoned to their final destina- tions, and along it passed groups of merchants, who always traveled by easy stages, accompanied by led horses, some laden with Spanish dollars. Usually these merchants banded themselves to- gether for mutual protection, and were well armed with dirks and pistols. Goods which were not wagoned were sent through from Pittsburg to Zanesville by flat-boats or keel-boats, and it was while acting as a hand on a keel-boat that Daniel Eusk first became acquainted with the beauties of the Muskingum Valley. This was in 1809, when Zanesville was only a village. He attended a corn- husking near Zanesville, and was the envied guest of the evening, being the fortunate finder of the first red ear, which entitled him to the privilege of a kiss from the damsel he considered the fairest of all present, and to her hand in the opening dance. Greatly impressed by what he had seen on this, his first visit to the Valley, Daniel Busk returned to the home of his parents, near Pittsburg, and urged them to change their abode, but failed to enamor them with this idea. To their minds Ohio was the far, far West, a country too remote from civilization, and one in which the dog and gun were of too great importance. The young man's ardor was thus for a time restrained, but not for long. His mother's sister had married a man 46 JEREMIAH M. buss:. named Poe, whose Celtic family had come down the centuries side by side with the Kusks (or Eoux), the original name being De la Poe. Edgar Allan Poe belonged to this family. Two of Dan- iel's cousins, Andrew and Adam Poe, were noted pioneers, whose names had long been household words throughout Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio for the qualities of courage and piety. They, together with Lewis Whetzel, were among the most renowned "Indian fighters" of those days, and we think that in the story of a life beginning shortly after their time, it will not be out of place to insert an extract from Doddridge's Notes, nar- rating one conspicuous deed of their valor: "In the summer of 1782 a party of seven Wyan- dots made an incursion into a settlement some distance below Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio river. Here, finding an old man alone in a cabin, they killed him, packed up what plunder they could find, and commenced their retreat. Among their party was a celebrated Wyandot chief, who, in addition to his fame as a warrior and a counsellor, was, as to his size and strength, a real giant. "The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread through the neighborhood, and a party of eight good riflemen was collected in a few hours for the purpose of pursuing the Indians. In this party were two brothers named Adam and An- PIONEER DAYS IN THE VALLEY. 47 drew Poe. They were both famous for courage, size and activity. "This little party commenced the pursuit of the Indians, with a determination, if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy flight to the river, crossing it, and then dividing into small parties, to meet at a distant point in a given time. "The pursuit was continued the greater part of the night after the Indians had done the mischief. In the morning the party found themselves on the trail of the Indians, which led to the river. When arrived within a little distance of the river, An- drew Poe, fearing an ambuscade, left the party, which followed directly on the trail, to creep along the brink of the river bank, under cover of the weeds and bushes, and fall on the rear of the Indians should he find them in ambuscade. He had not gone far before he saw the Indian rafts at the water's edge. Not seeing any Indians he stepped softly down the bank, with his rifle cocked. When about halfway down he discov- ered the large Wyandot chief and a small In- dian within a few steps of him. They were stand- ing with their guns cocked, and looking in the direction of our party, who by this time had gone some distance lower down the bottom. Poe took aim at the large chief, but his rifle missed fire. The Indians, hearing the snap of the gun-lock, in- stantly turned round and discovered Poe, who, be- 48 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. ing too near them to retreat, dropped his gun and sprang from the bank upon them, and seizing the large Indian by the cloths on his breast, and at the same time embracing the neck of the small one, threw them both down on the ground, him- self being uppermost. The small Indian soon ex- tricated himself, ran to the raft, got his toma- hawk and attempted to dispatch Poe, whom the large Indian held fast in his arms, the better to enable his fellow to effect his purpose. Poe, how- ever, so well watched the motions of the Indian, that when in the act of aiming a blow at hia head, by a yigorous and well-directed kick he staggered the savage and knocked the tomahawk out of his hand. This failure on the part of the small Indian was reproved by an exclamation of contempt from the large one. "In a moment the Indian caught up his toma- hawk again, and approached more cautiously, brandishing the weapon and making a number of feigned blows, in defiance and derision. Poe, however, still on his guard, averted the real blow from his head by throwing up his arm and receiv- ing it on his wrist, in which he was severely wounded, but not so as to lose entirely the use of his hand. "In this perilous moment Poe, by a violent ef- fort, broke loose from the Indian, snatched up one of their guns, and shot the small Indian through PIONEER DAYS IN THS VALLEY. 49 the breast as he ran up the third time to toma- hawk him. "The large Indian was now on his feet, and grasping Poe by a shoulder and leg, threw him down on the bank. Poe instantly disengaged himself and arose. The Indian seized him again and a new struggle ensued, which, owing to the slippery state of the bank, ended in the fall of both combatants into the water. "In this situation it was the object of each to drown the other. Their efforts to effect their pur- pose were continued for some time with alternate success, sometimes one being under the water and sometimes the other. Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, by which he held his head under until he supposed him drowned. "Relaxing his hold too soon, Poe instantly found his gigantic antagonist on his feet again, and ready for another combat. In this they were carried into the water beyond their depth, and were compelled to loose their hold on each other and SAvim for mutual safety. Both sought the shore to seize a gun and end the contest. The Indian, being the better swimmer, reached the land first. Poe, seeing this, immediately turned back into the water to escape being shot, by div- ing. Fortunately the Indian caught up the rifle with which Poe had killed the other warrior. At 4 50 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. this juncture Adam Poe, missing his brother from the party, and supposing from the report of the gun that he was either killed or engaged in con- flict with the Indians, hastened to the spot. See- ing him, Andrew called out to him to kill the big Indian on shore, but Adam's gun, like that of the Indian, was empty. The contest was now be- tween the white man and the Indian as to which should load and fire first. Very fortunately for Poe, the Indian in loading drew the ramrod from the thimbles of the gun stock with so much vio- lence that it slipped out of his hand; but he quickly caught it up and rammed down his bul- let. This little delay, however, gave Poe the ad- vantage. He shot the Indian as he was raising his gun. "As soon as Adam had shot the Indian he jumped into the river to assist his wounded brother to shore; but Andrew, thinking more of the honor of carrying the big Indian home as a trophy of victory than of his own safety, urged Adam to go back and prevent the struggling sav- age from rolling himself into the river and es- caping. Adam's solicitude for the life of his brother prevented him from complying with this request. "In the meantime the Indian, jealous of the honor of his scalp, even in the agonies of death succeeded in reaching the river and getting into the current, so that his body was never obtained. PIONEER DA YS IN THE VALLEY. 51 "An unfortunate occurrence took place during this conflict. Just as Adam arrived at the top of the bank for the relief of his brother, one of the party who had foUovt^ed close behind him, seeing Andrew in the river, and mistaking him for a wounded Indian, shot at him and wounded him in the shoulder. He, however, recovered from his wounds. "During the contest between Andrew Poe and the Indians the party had overtaken the remain- ing six of them. A desperate conflict ensued, in which five of the Indians were killed. Our loss was three men killed, and Adam Poe severely wounded. "Thus ended this Spartan conflict, with the loss of three valued men on our part, and with that of the whole of the Indian party, with the exception of one warrior. Never on any occasion was there a greater display of desperate bravery. "The fatal issue of this little campaign on the side of the Indians occasioned universal mourning among the Wyandot nation. The big Indian, with his four brothers, all of whom were killed at the same place, were among the most distinguished chiefs and warriors of their nation. "The big Indian was magnanimous as well as brave. He, more than any other individual, con- tributed by his example and influence to the good character of the Wyandots for lenity toward their prisoners. He would not suffer them to be killed 52 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. or ill treated. This mercy to captives was an hon- orable distinction in the character of the Wyan- dots, and was well understood hj our first settlers, who, in case of captivity, thought it a fortunate circumstance to fall into their hands." The following addition to the above story, taken from Henry Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio (1854), will be of interest: "Those of today can scarcely realize the inten- sity of delight with which the tales then current, narrating the deeds of prowess and of magnanim- ity, both of the whites and the Indians, were re- counted by the early settlers. Time and again they would meet at each other's homes, and eagerlj' listen to these stories of adventure, and by this means not a little of the courage, patriot- ism and manliness of their children and their chil- dren's children was thus instilled. The story of the affair above given [which Mr. Howe quotes. — Ed.] would hardly be complete without its sequel, in which the brighter side of the Indian character is revealed, and which may serve to indicate the softening influence of Christianity upon these sav- age people. "After the conflict of Poe with the Indians the Wyandots determined on revenge. Poe then lived on the west side of the Ohio river, at the mouth of Little Yellow creek. Kohn-yen-ness, a christian Indian, was chosen as a proper person to murder him and then make his own escape. He went to PIONEER DA YS IN THE VALLEY. 53 Poe's house, and was met with great friendship. Poe not having any suspicion of his design, the best in the house was furnished him. When the time to retire for sleep came, Poe made a pallet on the floor for his Indian guest. He and his wife went to bed in the same room. Kohn-yen-ness said they both soon fell asleep. There being no person about the house but soine children, this afforded the Indian a fair opportunity to have executed his purpose; but the kindness they had both shown him worked in his mind. He asked him- self hoAv he could get up and kill even an enemy that had taken him in and treated him so well — so much like a brother. The more he thought about it the worse he felt; but still, on the other hand, he was sent by his nation to avenge the death of two of its most valued warriors; and their ghosts would not be appeased until the blood of Poe was shed. There, he said, he lay in this conflict of mind until about midnight. The duty he owed to his nation and to the spirits of his de- parted friends aroused him. He seized his knife and tomahawk, and crept to the bedside of his sleeping host. Again the kindness he had re- ceived from Poe stared him in the face; and he said to himself that it was mean, that it was un- worthy the character of an Indian warrior, to kill even an enemy who had so kindly treated him. He went back to his pallet and slept until morning. "His kind host loaded him with blessings, and 54 JEREMIAH M. BJJSK. told him that they "were once enemies, but now they had buried the hatchet and were brothers, and hoped they would always be so. Kohn-yen- ness, overwhelmed with a sense of the generous treatment he had received from his once powerful enemy, but now his kind friend, left him to join his party. "He said the more he reflected on what he had done and the course he had pursued, the more he was convinced that he had done right. This once revengeful savage warrior was overcome by the kindness of an evening, and all his plans frus- trated. "This man became one of the most pious and devoted of the Indian converts. Although a chief, he was as humble as a child. He used his steady influence against the traders and their firewater." The tomahawk with which the Indian struck Andrew Poe, as told in the story above, remains in the possession of the Poe family, and it may here be mentioned that the sword worn and used in the revolutionary war by James Rusk is now owned by the family of his illustrious descendant. Daniel Rusk, upon whom the tales of his cous- ins' bravery had made a profound impression, visited them at their home in Columbiana County, Ohio, and this was one of the most important events in his life, for it was at that time, noting their firm faith in the soul's immortality, and their strict adherence to the tenets of the most severe PIONEER BA YS IN THE VALLEY. 55 Presbyterian sect, that his heart was turned to the contemplation of the life beyond this world. Accepting their faith as his own, he united with the church and devoted himself to its interests. It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader that for a year or more preceding the war of 1812, a condition existed which invited violence, es- pecially toward the weaker settlements in the Northwest Territory, which were frequently marked as the scenes of devastation perpetrated by Indians, but instigated by the British govern- ment. The history of those times is still familiar, and need not be again detailed here. All was un- settled; immigration was checked, and upon the outbreak of the war was wholly suspended for a year or two. But no sooner had the war ended than the tide of home-seekers, so stemmed and stayed for a time, moved forward — westward — in a mighty wave. Yery shortly after the good news of peace which followed the battle of New Or- leans, Daniel Eusk, now a man of family, bur- dened a pack-horse with most of his earthly pos- sessions, shouldered his rifle, led another horse bearing his wife and two children, and made his way to the locality now known as Clayton Town- ship, Perry County, Ohio, near the head waters of the Hocking. Here he erected a log cabin, and a little later, in 1815, returned to Pittsburg, whence he brought back the families of his own and his wife's fathers, who then made their homes 56 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. near that of their enterprising and courageous son. Their bones repose in the rural graveyards of that vicinity. The grandfather of Jeremiah M. Eusk was the first to be buried in the graveyard of Unity Presbyterian Church, in the northeastern part of Perry County. In 1817 there happened an event which was then of really great importance, though in our own times it would hardly be more than a nine- days' wonder. The President of the United States made a tour through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York and the New Eng- land States. He was everywhere received with demonstrations of loyal attachment, the out- growth of the reverence in which men held their high officials in those days. He was to stop at Zanesville, and the day of his coming was looked forward to as a great day for that section of Ohio. Elaborate preparations were made for his recep- tion. The people came from very many miles around in all directions. Hundreds camped out over night, and perhaps no Eastern potentate was ever accorded a more enthusiastic show of devo- tion than was given to President Monroe at this time. Among those who attended the affair, to pay respects to their ruler, as a matter of duty, was Daniel Rusk, and to the day of his death he cherished with pride his recollection of the trip. The address of welcome, prepared by a joint com- PIOXEEB DAYS IN THE VALLEY. 57 mittee of the citizens of Zanesville and Putnam, was as follows: "To James Moneoe, President of the United States. "Sir: The citizens of Zanesville and Putnam, through this committee, embrace with sincere pleasure the occasion of tendering to you their best wishes, and a cordial welcome on your safe arrival at this place. "Sensible that we have little to offer which can be interesting to our Chief Magistrate, save the spontaneous -affection and high regard which a free, independent and republican people entertain for the distinguished citizen whom they have vol- untarily chosen to preside over the councils of this nation, and whose administration has commenced under the most favorable auspices, we forbear to fatigue 3^our attention by entering into a detail of the various and important views necessarily con- nected with the occasion and the time. "We, however, congratulate you on the fortun- ate circumstances that have combined to place the American Eepublic in a more exalted station among the nations of the earth, at the commence- ment of your administration, than at any former period during the administrations of your distin- guished predecessors. "Our confidence in your wisdom and fidelity to discharge the high duties of Chief Magistrate of 58 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. a nation of freemen is founded not only in the zeal and ability with which you have supported and defended the best interests of the American na- tion, during a long life of official labor, but, in the motives that have induced your present tour, in which we discover the most conclusive evidence of your intention to qualify yourself in an eminent degree to watch over the destinies of a great, free, and happy people; and we trust that the benefits to be derived from a practical view of the different sections of the union will amply compensate the sacrifice of personal ease, through the additional knowledge acquired of the means necessary to pro- mote the public welfare. "The novel spectacle of beholding the First Magistrate of a great people, traversing an ex- tensive empire in pursuit of such information as will best enable him to discharge the important duties incident to his station, affords the strongest assurances of his entire devotion to the best inter- ests of his country, and excites in the minds of his constituents the most agreeable sensations; and amongst the incidents which will be recol- lected with pride and pleasure by the inhabitants of our villages, none will leave a stronger or more agreeable impression than the cordial visit of their Chief Magistrate and his distinguished suite. "The western people, ever faithful to the prin- ciples of liberty and the integrity of the Union, will generally rejoice in the presence of their Chief PIONEER DAYS IN THE VALLEY. 59 Magistrate, whose anxiety for the public weal has brought him among them. And though our coun- try at present exhibits but a faint view of culti- vation and refinement, we trust our internal re- sources and natural advantages, with a disposi- tion further to improve them by industry and art, will entitle us to a full share of the patronage and fostering care of the executive government. "Sincerely hoping that you may enjoy health and comfort, and a safe return (after the accom- plishment of your further views) to the seat of the general government, and the society of your fam- ily and friends, is the united wish of all our hearts. "In behalf of the Committee, "D. Chambers, Chairman." To this address the President made an extem- poraneous reply of considerable length. The fol- lowing sketch, taken from memory, embraces its leading points : He commenced by expressing his high sense of the kind attention on the part of the citizens of Zanesville and Putnam, and said that the splendid etiquette of courts was not necessary to evince attachment; that the unaffected manner in which he had been received comported with his princi- ples and habits of plainness, and was most grate- ful to his feelings. He was gratified to find that the objects of his tour were so well understood and appreciated by 60 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. his fellow citizens. To provide for the public de- fense was the duty of the Chief Magistrate, and for this purpose he had traversed the United States from the eastern extremity to Detroit, and had found a people, free, united, and resolved to maintain and defend their republican govern- ment. The auspicious circumstances under which he had commenced his executive duties were the result of efficient resistance made to foreign ag- gression. We were now, he observed, in a state of peace; but however desirous for its continu- ance, all history, and especially the history of our own country, proved that we could not always avoid war. Should this evil again assail us, it was hoped we should be found prepared; but in any event, the same zeal and courage of a free peo- ple which had already been displayed could again be brought into action. For what was it that had lately resisted effectually the powerful at- tacks of a ruthless foe, who desolated our coast, and even let loose upon us the savages of the for- est? Was it not our army, our navy, and our brave militia and volunteers — men to whom the use of arms was imperfectly known before the oc- casion which demanded their employment? He also noticed in terms of approbation the conduct of the people of the Western States during the re- cently ended contest with Great Britain. Fie remarked that as Chief Magistrate of the nation he was always happy to meet his fellow PIONEEB DAYS IN THE VALLEY. 61 citizens; but in his intercourse with them, while supporting the dignity of his station, he could never forget that he was also a citizen; that in his progress through the State of Ohio he perceived with admiration and delight the improvements made by citizens from other States, many of whom, then present, must have found this coun- try in a rude, uncultivated condition ; that he con- templated with pleasure such an augmentation of its strength; that in a state of peace it is neces- sary to prepare for war; for who amongst us could say how soon we might again be called upon to support by force of arms the principles of our gov- ernment and the interests of the people? In the event of another war he should do his duty, and should rely on the cooperation of his fellow citi- zens in doing theirs. If apology is necessary for the circumstantiality with which this episode in the life of Daniel Rusk has been introduced, it may be said that in his lifetime the power of the public press was only in its infancy. Only a very few in the great throng that gathered at Zanesville to look upon their President, and to listen to his words, had access to a newspaper. The sterling Americanism of Mr. Monroe's remarks and those of the reception committee was to all who heard them a treasure of the memory, and the man who had been at Zanesville on that day, and could repeat the 62 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. thoughts there expressed, had become an educator of the people. He was visited by all of his less fortunate neighbors, eager to hear his account; and from the simple story that he had to tell he was able to derive lessons which assisted him in the inspiration of his own family, and solemn truths found lodgment in minds unreachable by our more modern agencies. K CO 'Tj « < M 2 BIRTHPLACE AND EARLY TRAINING. 63 CHAPTEE V. BIETHPLACE AND EARLY TRAINING OF JEREMIAH M. RUSK. In 1829 the wave of settlement had forced itself into the Valley of the Muskingum, and Daniel Kusk, then a man of forty-three, having by that time accumulated a fair share of this world's goods, purchased about four hundred acres in the town of Deerfield, Morgan County, adjoining the Perry County line, and entered energetically upon the work which was to constitute the last chap- ters of his life. He built what was then consid- ered a more than ordinary dwelling for a pioneer, a double log-cabin, so-called, consisting of two cabins, with a roofed space of eight or ten feet between them. In this cabin, on the 17th day of June, 1830, Jeremiah McLain Eusk was born. Daniel cleared his land and planted one of the most extensive orchards in all that section of the country. Every year, in the fruit season, the Eusk place was visited by neighbors for miles around, to whom surprising quantities of apples, peaches, cherries and plums were given away, there being 64 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. no sale for "green" fruit then, and canning being at that time unknown. His new home fairly established, General Eusk's father engaged in the pursuit of what was then known as "wagoning" — neighborhood transporta- tion. He and one John Milligan shared the entire express business of the district, conveying to mar- ket in great Pennsylvania wagons, with a capacity of over three tons, and hauled by teams of five or six horses, the products of the farm, and bringing back from Zanesville, on the Muskingum, from Marietta, where that river joins the Ohio, and from other points, whatever was required for home use and could not be home-made. Daniel Eusk was a thoughtful, practical man, who did his own thinking, and was also called upon to act as a counsellor throughout the neigh- borhood in which he lived. He was a promoter of the public schools, which in Ohio superseded the "subscription" schools about the year 1825. He gave aid in fostering debating societies, in that day the people's oratorical universities. He was a deacon in the church. He admired and sup- ported General Jackson, but the arbitrary acts of his administration as President, the hard times that followed, and the agitation of the slavery question, caused him to reconsider his political belief, and in 1840, at the time of the "Log-cabin" campaign of William Henry Harrison, he joined BIRTHPLACE AND EARLY TRAINING. 65 the ranks of the Whigs, to whom he contributed his support until the day of his death. He was a religious man of the old school. It is now but a few years to the time when no man living can say that he knew the piety peculiar to those days and the days preceding them. The de- votional exercises practiced in the Eusk and other households of that period are observed in no re- ligious community on earth today. The time for rising was long before dawn; the fgunily were called together, the Bible read, and a prayer offered by the father; and all in a solem- nity so profound that the smile of a child would interrupt it, and be regarded as a certain indica- tion of depravity. Seated at the table, no matter how humble the meal, all heads were bowed, and all united in a solemn ceremony. Following the day of hard toil came a night, the darkness of which, if the moon did not shine, was dispelled only in small degree by the imperfect lamps then used. A wooden or pewter dish was filled with lard, into which was dropped a rag tied to a but- ton or copper cent and lighted. As the time for rest drew near all conversation in regard to secu- lar matters ceased, and the last hour before re- tiring was given up to meditation. No other than religious subjects might be spoken of during this time. At the awakening and upon the retiring there was ever present that one great thought— 5 66 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. "V\'^liat is the chief end of man; what his duty to his God, and how can this duty be performed most acceptably in His sight? Fast days were observed, and church days. It was many miles from the Rusk homestead to the Presbyterian church, but the very inconvenience and discomfort of the weary travel was regarded as a blessing by those privileged to make the sac- rifice. Above all other days came the Sabbath — the Lord's Day. It began at dusk on Saturday. All secular labor had to be completed before sundown, including the cooking of the morrow's food, and with the falling of the evening shades came such a withdrawal of the mind from all affairs of earth, and such a contemplation of the higher life as is not practiced now. On the Sabbath morning there was no exception to the rule of early rising, following which from one to three hours were spent in the silent perusal of religious works and study of the catechism, the reading of the Bible, and family worship. Then came the morning meal, cold from the day before, and after this the study and the meditation were resumed. There Avas no dinner. As late as three or four o'clock the elder children were sometimes permitted to take the younger ones, always walk- ing with regulated, Puritanical mien and step, to visit the burying ground on the farm or in the churchyard, if that were near. In the evening a BIRTHPLACE AND EABLY TRAININO. 67 warm meal was enjoyed, and the family were al- lowed to indulge in lighter conversation. At about the time of his removal to Morgan County the mind of Daniel Eusk became disturbed by reflections as to the example he was setting in the way of a hard, rigid, almost intolerant re- ligious life. Always an exemplary man, to whom those who knew him looked up for advice and di- rection, his sense of moral responsibility was far greater than it is in most men. To him religion, the proper devotion of man to God, was the upper- most thought and the grandest matter of fact. He often quoted the poet Young — ' 'What, then, is unbelief? — 't is an exploit, A strenuous enterprise. To gain it, man Must burst through every bar of common sense, of common shame — Magnanimously wrong!" However, a certain liberality which was within him rose in protest against the chained belief which he had followed, aad the faith to which he had held was shaken and unsettled by new ideas. More than now the various classes of Christians antagonized one another, and the struggle for con- verts was especially fierce in the newly-settled dis- tricts of our country. This is well known. It would be indecorous, as we think, to specify sects in this connection, and we shall not do so. A re- cent writer has said of one of these, as it appeared to him at that time, that as there were then very 68 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. few public entertainments, and religious meetings took the place of these for nearly all the people, things were carried to extremes, and devotional enthusiasm and extravagant experiences were so far cultivated, at the expense of propriety, that many made of their religion a mere dissipation. A certain sect, never numerically large, and now, as we think, extinct, or merged with another, suf- fered some little persecution for a time, and the spirit of fairness, so strong in the breast of Daniel Rusk, j)rompted him to assist them by the erection of a church building which he deeded to them for their use, primarily, with the condition that it might at any time be occupied by congregations of other sects when not required by the one he meant to especially benefit. This was a house of hewed logs, long since superseded by a neat frame structure. In the graveyard adjoining this church, the spot appropriately marked by their loving and dutiful son Jeremiah, the bodies of Daniel Eusk and the wife of Ms bosom lie buried. THE UNDEBQBOUND BAILBOAD. 69 CHAPTEE VI. THE UNDEEGROUND RAILROAD. Through Morgan County passed the line of the "Underground Eailroad," the route of transporta- tion from slavery to freedom. Of this mysterious means of travel others have written, and it will be written of hereafter; the exposure of its secrets is no task of ours. The Underground Eailroad, so- called, was a system designed by haters of negro slavery for conducting its victims from the states in which that "peculiar institution" was legal into states where it was not, or into the Dominion of Canada. The organization of this system was al- most perfect. Its main line, the southern termi- nus of which was upon the west bank of the Ohio river, was the old Lancaster road, running through or near Chesterfield, Pennsville, Eosseau, Eing- gold, Morganville, Porterville, Deavertown, and onward, along the course of the Muskingum, into Putnam. The equipment of the railroad was com- plete; there were regular stations, switches and sidetracks, and a full roster of agents, conductors, telegraphers and other officials, all men of inflexi- 70 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. ble integrity, fully appreciating their own rights and those of others, firm in purpose to maintain the former and accord the latter, at any cost. Of the many hundreds of fugitive slaves who were safely piloted through Morgan County a great number found their way across the farm of Dan- iel Eusk, whose sons inherited his love of freedom. Every escape from bondage, every change from the condition of a chattel to that of a man, in- volved adventure. We may be pardoned for in- serting one brief story in illustration of what fre- quently happened in those days of the past, and can not have failed to exert influence upon the characters of the men then young: A caravan of sixteen negroes on the route from the Ohio to Putnam once produced as much if not more interest and excitement than would have been caused by four times the number in smaller bands. They came from near Parkersburg, Va., in the summer of 1842, to within a few miles of Pennsville, where they remained from Tuesday until Friday, when they left the station near James Cole's, with the intention of going to the river at a point near McConnelsville. After fol- lowing the road a short distance they heard the sound of horses' feet and knew they were pursued. Unobserved they secreted themselves in the woods and undergrowth, so near the road that one of the hunters who shot a squirrel which fell from a tree close to where the negroes were hiding, made no THE UNDEBGBOUND BAILROAD. 71 search for it, being in pursuit of larger game, but passed on to Pennsville. After remaining several hours, and consulting with a few of those who were readily recognized as adepts, and who were always on the alert for business, the Virginians arranged the amount of consideration for effective service, and left for McConnelsville, with the un- derstanding that future discoveries should be re- ported to them. In the meantime the Underground officials were not idle; and in anticipation of the return of the Virginians and a search for the negroes before they could be removed to a distant locality, the idea presented itself that the silver glare might have rendered the skill to scent somewhat obtuse, and that a false trail would be readily followed. After dark, while the colored people were safe in Jehu Ooulson's tobacco house, a company of thirty or forty men, with less than that number of horses, formed south of the town, and rode at a brisk trot in the direction of Isaac Clendenin's house, thus adding to the suspicion already existing that the negroes were there. Isaac was informed of the proceedings, and that the hunters would visit and attempt to search his house, and was advised to be prepared for them. During the excitement of this parade, one Joshua Wood noticed at Esquire Lent's office a number of persons, among whom was a man named Young, who for a small requit- tal would lend his mental and physical require- 72 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. ments to the Virginians, and the sapient Joshua said in a secret manner to Mr. Lent, "What a sillj man Isaac Clendenin is to harbor those slaves; these men will certainly search his house and find them; but don't say anything about it, and per- haps they may not go there." Young soon left, and in due time Joshua's pre- tended secret was divulged as he desired. About noon the hunters were on hand, accompanied by their employes and a number of citizens of the vi- cinity, as well prepared for shooting squirrels as were the Virginians. Arriving at the house, an immediate demand for the slaves was made. Isaac replied : "Friends, I have not thy slaves; they are not here." • "But you have, d — n you! they axe here, and by we will have them. We intend to search your house." "Well, friends, I am a law-abiding man; has thee a search-warrant?" "No; but we intend to search," "Thee can not search my house without a war- rant. I know my rights, and there are those here who have not the conscientious scruples as to shedding blood that I have, and who are able and willing to defend themselves and others. Thee must have a warrant before thee can search." This argument was conclusive to the extent that the hunters, deciding discretion to be more effec- THE UNDERQBOUND BAILROAD. 73 tual than bravado, reluctantly accepted the alter- native, and sent three miles to procure a warrant. When it came, after dark, the Virginians, certain of success, deemed it advisable to wait for day- light; and in order to prevent a removal of their human goods, a guard was placed outside, while within there were a goodly number of "squirrel hunters." During the night considerable rain fell, which somewhat annoyed those upon the outside, who took shelter on the porch; but their occu- pancy was made briefer than the storm by a per- emptory request to leave, with which, under the circumstances, they deemed it advisable to com- ply. In the morning (Sunday), when the warrant was presented, the doors were opened and the search was made. Chagrined by the result and by the scoffs and jeers of the crowd, with angry retort they were proceeding to another building to continue the search, when they were stopped. "Thee has a warrant to search Isaac Clendenin's house, but that is my mother's house; thee has no warrant to search it, and thee shall not." This, accompanied with increased taunts and jeers, so exasperated the men that one of them indiscreetly presented a pistol in a threatening manner. The dropping of rifles from the shoulders of the "squir- rel hunters" and the clicking of locks instantly followed, and this demonstrative argument was convincing. With the oozing of courage from the 74 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. slave hunter's soul his pistol was placed in his pocket. About this time the Squire, re-examining the law, had ascertained that he had exceeded his au- thority, and when a messenger was sent for a sec- ond warrant he refused to issue it. Isaac, having effected the intended object, which was to detain the pursuers as long as should be necessary, gave them permission to search, but having become im- pressed with the idea that they were on a false trail, they made only a superficial search and quickly abandoned the premises. Among those anxiously interested to obtain a portion of the |3,000 reward were several of the younger denizens of McConnelsville. That night the negroes were taken to Eosseau, where they were placed in charge of William Corner and James Nulton. On the next night they were started for another station through a drenching rain. On the road one woman was found to be missing, and for the balance of the night the other fugitives were sheltered in George Parsons' barn. The lost one found her way to the residence of a man named Garrison McElfresh, and inquired the way to McConnelsville. He recognized her as a runaway, and told her to wait until he could put on his shoes; but she, suspecting that he had an object in view other than pointing out the road, left before he completed his toilet, and got to the residence of Isaac Murphy, who, although an old THE UNDEBGROVND RAILROAD. 75 Virginian, gave the conductors notice of her whereabouts. The next station was at Thomas Byers', whose house had been searched on the pre- vious day. Thence they proceeded to Jacob Stan- bery's, where they remained until night. During the day the pursuers set guards west of Deacon Wright's and at Campbell's mill, to keep watch at the junction of the two roads, having been well posted as to the route by the same persons who were with them at Pennsville, and who occupied the position of watchmen. Among the guards was a pettifogger of the vicinity, who was confi- dent that the negroes were at Stanbery's. After dark he placed himself horizontally in a fence- corner, near the house, in order to verify the fact and report. Soon after he had taken position, and before he had gained any evidence in the case, one of the conductors rode up to the fence, at the point where the fellow was engaged in his investi- gation, and by the aid of a pistol compelled him to remain there until the "train" left. Although the departure lightened the watcher's labors, the result of his work had to be reported in propria persona at Malta. He had been admonished by his proximity to a clock in the house that the current of time had floated nearly to the "wee sma' hours," and his attitude for observation had enabled him to perceive that the curtain of night had a sable lining which obscured all his rela- tions with the starry sky; and additionally, in 76 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. "summing up," he had become entirely satisfied during his recumbency, and his observations through the day, that there was a superabund- ance of moisture on the "Wallier" line, which (Hobson's option) was the only one he could con- trol. But by it, with an occasional ditching and now and then a run off the track in rounding a curve, he was enabled to report at daylight. By that time the Underground train was well on the track, and the watchmen at Deacon Wright's and Campbell's mill were foiled, as the conductors took a branch track a short distance down Island Eun, thence up to the head of Brush Creek, and thence to the river, to a thick brushwood near the mouth of the Moxahala, where they were met by the train from Putnam. The original narrator of this story, whose sar- casm, it is hoped, may be forgiven, states that the |3,000 worth of negroes thus set free were the property of Messrs. Henderson and O'Neill, of Wood County, Virginia, and that in some of them a Zanesville man had an indirect interest. While en route for Putnam their owners were stopping in Zanesville, watching the bridge which the un- derground train would have to pass. But the bridge-keeper was in the service, and by the use of closed carriages the crossing was made with- out accident, and the train arrived at its terminus without misfortune. LIFE ON THE B USK FAEM. 77 CHAPTER VII. LIFE ON THE RUSK FARM. Jane Faulkner Rusk, the mother of Jeremiah M. Rusk, has been merely mentioned. She was a woman of mark. In any age, in any country, her strength of character could not have failed to influence those around her. She is still referred to by the younger people of the neighborhoods in which she lived as "that wonderful woman." When her husband changed his religion their chil- dren followed him into the new belief, but she did not. The faith of her father and of her mother remained her own through four score years, and until her death the family maintained the severe observances of pious life of which we have spoken above. Her children loved and admired her, and their characters bore testimony to her goodness. Her death, which occurred at the age of 87, was widely lamented. Daniel Rusk died in 1846, of typhoid fever. Life on the Rusk farm, as described by Mrs. Jane Rusk Tomlinson, a sister of Jeremiah, by Doctor Daniel Rusk, a brother, and by others, was 78 JEREMIAH M. R USK. typical of farm life throughout that section of Ohio during the earlier half of the century. Those living within ten or fifteen miles of one another were called neighbors. On the forty miles of road between Athens and Deavertown, at the time when Daniel Eusk settled near the latter place, at Porterville, there stood but three houses. The country thereabout was all thickly wooded, and the rude roads cut out by the pio- neers were only of sufficient width to admit of the passage of wagons through the forest. Men had to help each other in those days. Unselfish- ness was necessary to existence, and generosity was inculcated as a cardinal virtue. The erection of a log-cabin required the work of many hands, and was participated in by men from a considerable distance around, who cheer- fully labored without price. The opprobrium vis- ited upon any lazy fellow who shirked his duty at such times was hard to bear. If it ever came to his turn to need like aid, his punishment was cer- tain. Humble in architecture as these comfort- able homes may now seem, their construction was quite an elaborate affair. In such a cabin, through a window covered with greased paper, serving the purposes of glass, many a great man first saw the light of day. A fatigue party of choppers and teamsters felled the trees, which were cut into proper lengths and hauled to the site selected for the LIFE ON THE BUSK FARM. 79 new dwelling. Especial care was exercised in the choice of the tree from which the clapboards for the roof were to be made. This had to be of straight grain, and from three to four feet in thick- ness. The boards were not planed or shaved. Puncheons for the floor were made by splitting trees of about eighteen inches in diameter, and cutting them to half the length of the cabin. Their faces were hewed with a broadax. Usually one day was given to the preparation of the materials, and the actual work of "raising" the cabin was done on the day following, when the neighbors gathered at a very early hour for the task. Some- times the foundation would be laid on the even- ing of the first day. Four "cornermen" were elected, their business being to notch and place the logs handed to them by the others. The posi- tion of cornerman was one of distinction, its du- ties demanding a high degree of skill. Only an experienced man could fill the place. After the laying of the floor and ground logs the other tim- bers were raised to the cornermen by means of handspikes and skidpoles. The doorway, about three feet wide, was made either by cutting through the logs already laid or by laying short logs on each side for a few rounds in height. Above the opening the logs were nearly always the full length of the house. The door was of "splits" or clapboards, hung upon wooden hinges, and fastened to wooden cleats by pins of the same 80 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. material. Blacksmiths were few and far between, and very little, if any, iron work entered into the material of such a house. Small windows were cut through the walls. At one end an opening, wider than the door, was made for the chimney, which was built on the outside of the cabin. It was made of logs, with a back and jambs of stone. The fireplace was sometimes wide enough to ad- mit logs six or eight feet long. The framework of the roof was formed by small, straight poles laid about two and a half feet apart, and extend- ing from one gable to the other. Upon these the clapboards, of straight-grained oak, were placed, and secured in position by weight poles, laid lengthwise of the roof. The clapboards were split about fiye feet in length by means of a tool known as a "frow," a heavy, straight blade, fixed at a right angle with its handle, and driven by a mal- let. The cracks between the logs were chinked up with billets made from the heart pieces of the lumber from which the clapboards had been split, and were also daubed with mortar made from clay (lime was not then in use) until they were practically impervious to wind and rain; but this "chinking" had to be frequently renewed, as it could not withstand the elements for any great length of time. The cabin being finished, the ceremony of "house-warming" followed. This was a feast and a dance of a whole night's continu- ance, and was always greatly enjoyed. Household furniture was usually of the simplest LIFE ON THE BUSK PABM. 81 character, and very little attention was paid to ornamentation of the home. Tables were gener- ally made of puncheons cleated together and rest- ing upon four posts, and stools and benches were commonly home-made and rude, as were the beds. The more well to do farmers, however, and among them Daniel Rusk, enjoyed bedsteads of a style then manufactured in Pennsylvania, built high before and behind, and still remembered as being very comfortable; but these have long since passed out of use. The Rusk girls decorated their walls with freshly ironed towels, and regarded pincush- ions of bright patchwork as finery of which to be proud. All clothing was of home manufacture, except perhaps the shoes. Nearly every farmer kept sheep and cultivated enough flax for the use of his family. In a family as large as that of Dan- iel Rusk the women folk had plenty of work to do. The flax had to be "hackled" and "scutched," the linen spun, the wool woven and dyed, and the garments cut, fltted and made up. Mrs. Tomlin- son (Jane Rusk) says that in one summer she, with her mother and sisters, would make as much as two hundred yards of linen, which was used for all under garments, for bed-ticking, sheets and pillow cases, table cloths and towels, as well as for the shirts, trousers and short coats of the men and boys, and complete outfits for the women and 6 82 JEREMIAH M. li USK. girls. For all these purposes the finer linen was taken. The coarser part of the flax was spun for mill sacks and covers for the market wagons. Thirty yards were required for the covering of a wagon. Even the sewing thread was homemade. They manufactured their own blankets. Wool commanded no price. It was taken to the card- ing mill, a certain portion deducted to pay for the carding operation, and the remainder returned in the form of rolls, from which the stuff was spun. The boys wore trousers of homespun linen and roundabouts of the same material in summer, and in winter they were dressed in homemade cassi- nette. In summer the girls wore calico for better dresses, and in winter homemade flannel. A com- mon article woven on the looms was linsey-wool- sey, of which the warp was linen and the filling woolen. In speaking of clothing, a garment then almost universally worn by boys and men, should be men- tioned. This was the "wamus," or hunting-shirt, a loose frock, opening before, and reaching below the knees. It was made wide enough to lap over a foot or more when belted, so as to form quite a capacious wallet, and it served this purpose. Ac- cording to the season it was provided with one, two, or even three large capes, and was usually fringed with raveled cloth of a color different from that of the shirt itself. There were such things as silk dresses and LIFE ON THE BUSK FARM. 83 "store-clothes" of doeskin and broadcloth, but these were rarely seen. Very little jewelry of any kind was worn. The corset was happily unknown. While the diet of those days was certainly much simpler than at present, there was no cause for complaint in that regard. Appetites were better then, and the people lived well. There were no stoves. The baking was done in an oven of bricks or clay, outside of the house, or in a "Dutch oven," a shallow, cast-iron kettle with a cover, over and under which coals (of wood) were placed. The boiling kettle and the long-handled spider or fry- ing pan were used in the fireplace. We are told that such pumpkin pies as were baked in the Rusk household now exist only in the memory, and that corn pone, now made no more, was most delecta- ble. This latter was baked in the Dutch oven, holding half a bushel or more. It was filled with the mixture for the bread, and remained buried in glowing coals until the time arrived for taking out the great, round, black pone, which was put away for a day or two to season, and then brought forth amid rejoicing, to be cut down like a West- ern Eeserve cheese. In the matter of the pump- kin pies, the visiting preacher had a bounden duty to perform. He was always expected to eat, by way of dessert, one full pumpkin pie of enormous proportions — and he always did it, too. On fes- tive occasions, such as weddings and the various social gatherings known as "bees," great dinners 84 JEREMIAH M. RVSK. were provided. At the marriage of Daniel Rusk, the elder, a fine pig, stuffed and roasted, surveyed the guests from the center of the long table, propped up on forks in a very lifelike position, and flanked by turkeys and other substantials in pro- fusion. Doctor Daniel Rusk, a brother of General Rusk, relates a humorous anecdote concerning the first introduction of tea and coffee at his father's house. He says: "The only coffee we knew of for a long time was made of roasted corn, and sweetened with our homemade sugar and molasses. But one day father butchered a hog and took him to Zanes- ville, where he traded him off for forty acres of land, some real coffee and the first lot of store tea ever brought into the house. Mother and the girls had no idea how to prepare the tea, nor of whom to inquire about it; but we were all curious to taste it, so they set to work experimenting, and boiled it in the teakettle, producing a decoction bitter as gall. After we had succeeded in straight- ening our wry faces, it was decided to keep the re- mainder of the tea for company." The religious side of the Rusk children's life has perhaps been sufficiently indicated. Sunday- school was usually continued for about three months in the summertime. The church was at some distance from the house, and the hours of worship began early in the morning. The chil- dren rose at four o'clock, as on week-days, and LIFE ON THE RUSK FARM. 85 walked to the church after a light breakfast. The services were of what would now be thought a tedious length. A sermon lasting three or four hours was not at all unusual. An intermission would be taken at noon, and after dinner the preacher would resume the thread of his discourse and keep on until he got through, no matter how long that might take. It was said of a man who could reach his "lastly" in less than three hours that he had no business in the pulpit. To sleep or nod in church, to shuffle the feet, or manifest weariness by any other sign was deemed a be- trayal of depravity. 86 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER VIII. YOUNG JEERY'S EDUCATION. Jeremiah M. Rusk's first instructor in such rudi- mentary knowledge as was obtainable from books in the schools of that section of country during the time of his early boyhood, was an elderly lady named Broderick, who kept what was known as a "subscription" school, and had but five scholars. It is related that whenever his father asked her how little Jerry was getting along, the reply was invariably the same — "Oh, but he is full of mis- chief!" Later, he attended for two or three quarters one of the recently established public schools, the humble forerunners of the excellent school sys- tems which now afford to our children the chance of a full course of learning, practically free. At that time the master was Mr. James Newlin, a man of sterling character and much more than ordinary ability. He still lives, at the advanced age of 92, and conducts a farm almost within sight of the log schoolhouse over which he once presided, and of the birthplace of General o o ■Jj r. a X o 7-, m > w c YOUNG JJEBRY'S EDUCATION. 87 Eusk, -whose first appearance before him, accom- panying his brothers Daniel and Allen, he well re- members. He says that the future great man was a tow-headed, blue-eyed boy of eight or ten, wear- ing a hunting-shirt ("wamus") and mocassins; a manly little fellow, modest to an extreme degree, a quality, it may be remarked, that he never lost. A brief description of this schoolhouse, a typical one of its day, and Of the opportunities it had to offer to the young idea, may be of interest. It was built of logs. At one end was a fireplace, wide and deep enough to hold a backlog a foot long be- sides a goodly quantity of smaller sticks. The master's desk or table was the only one; heavy oak slabs, resting upon wooden pins fixed at a slant against the wall, served for the use of the pupils at the writing lesson; backless benches of split logs answered for seats; there were no black- boards and no maps. The parents contributed the fuel, which was brought in by the larger boys, who also made the fires. Foolscap paper was used for the writing exercises; the pens were quills, and the ink was made from ink powders or from oak and maple bark, to a decoction of which copperas was added. Grammar was not taught, and very little geography. The "Three R's"— Eeading, 'riting and 'rithmetic— constituted the main part of the curriculum. The practice of flog- ging was then in vogue, and the teacher had to be a man of brawn as well as brain; but Mr. Newlin 68 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. was a kindly master, and loved to take part in the games engaged in around the schoolhouse be- fore and after the hours of study, and at recess. A spirit of emulation was thus early aroused in the pupils, who lived in times when thought was stirred to action willingly or otherwise. Play as well as work required self-reliance. The people of the vicinity were on very neigh- borly terms, and gladly rendered assistance in per- forming for a family any farm work beyond the strength of its own members. The matter of house-raising, already detailed, is one case in point, and log-rolling another; if a man had a piece of land to clear, the neighbors brought their teams and axes and helped him do it. In the sea- sons of sugar-making, tobacco gathering, apple- paring, peach-cutting, etc., the same friendly spirit of helpfulness was evinced. The Golden Rule be- came well understood and appreciated. PBIMITIVE FARM IMPLEMENTS. 89 CHAPTER IX PRIMITIVE FARM IMPLEMENTS. Living as we do iu the enjoyment of more mod- ern means and methods, almost every class of work presents a lighter burden. One contrast may be found in a description of the cider-making operation, as practiced on the Rusk place. The cider press consisted, first, of a platform some eight or ten feet square, raised two or three feet from the ground, and resting on a solid founda- tion. Rising above this were two upright posts, fourteen or sixteen inches square, with cross beams. Between these posts was the "press ta- ble," four to six feet square, constructed of heavy timber, the pieces of which were hewed down smooth and fastened together to make the table, which was itself fastened to the platform by means of wooden pins. On this was built up what was called the "cheese." Instead of grinding the apples, as is now done, a great trough, something like a canoe, was hewn from an oak or poplar log, over which, so adjusted that it might be raised from or lowered into the trough, was a heavy piece of wood, square, furnished with holes and 90 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. pins, and so arranged that it could be rocked back- ward and forward to crush the apples against the sides of the trough, into which they were poured. The troughs were made of various lengths — from two to six feet, and would contain two, three, or four bushels of the fruit. This rude machine was worked by two strong men, who found the opera- tion no light one. A later form of mill used on the Rusk farm was made by fitting pins in a round piece of wood, placed in a hollow cylinder hold- ing the apples. The grinding was accomplished by means of a sweep, worked by a horse. This machine was a crude crusher. The apples prepared in this way were shoveled out upon a layer of straw on the table, two or three bushels of the pulp being used in the mak- ing of the "cheese," which was some three feet square and four or five inches thick. On this an- other layer of straw would be placed, then an- other pulp, and so on, until the cheese was of suf- ficient thickness, when the whole mass was bound with straw, a cap placed on it, and the cider pressed out by means of a long lever, the raising and lowering of which required the force of two strong men, it being a piece of timber twenty or thirty feet long and from eight to twelve inches in diameter; in fact, it was a big tree. Probably the last of these old-fashioned cider-presses is now destroyed. In parts of the county a period looked forward PRIMITIVE FARM IMPLEMENTS. 91 to witli pleasure, although a period of very hard work, and around which memories of many jolly hours clustered, was that time in the fall of the year when the tobacco was gathered, housed and cured. Standing here and there may yet be seen tall log buildings with rude stone arches, covered with clay, mixed and daubed on until a furnace was made. These arches had no chimneys. There were usually two of them side by side, running nearly through the building, and they were not al- together unlike the arches used for burning kilns of brick. The furnace made, huge logs of timber would be run in from either end, and the firing would begin. This was the season when the neighborhood boys collected together, and the sports would continue sometimes late into the night, and sometimes all night. It was a period when they would gather in the products of the fields, and sometimes of the chase, and they would occasionally visit the neighbors' henroosts and poultry yards, and even go so far as to get pigs and sweet potatoes and corn and melons, and so on. It was a period of hard work, frolicking and feasting. The tobacco, as it ripened, was stripped from the stalk and taken to the tobacco house, and there, sometimes without any shelter, the to- bacco sticks, some four feet long, or longer, would be stuck into auger holes in the logs forming the tobacco house, and at their other ends would be placed what were called "spuds," heart-shaped 92 JEREMIAH M. B USK. pieces of tin, probably two and a half or three inches in diameter, each having a round tin han- dle or receptacle by which it was placed on the end of the stick. Then the leaf was taken up by the one who was spudding or stringing, and was pressed against this tin, a slit made in it and it was crowded back upon the stick. From one to two hundred large leaves were put on a stick of tobacco, which when full was carried out to the scaffolding poles, set in forks cut from the woods, and put four feet from the ground, and there these sticks of tobacco were placed within a foot or so of each other, and the tobacco wilted and gotten ready for the house as soon as that which was in it should be taken down and packed away; and this was continued day after day and night after night until the entire crop of the neighborhood was cured. The season lasted about six weeks, the workers going from house to house. It was perhaps the least temperate season of the year. The sugar-making, in the springtime, was greatly enjoyed by the boys and girls, who then got together and visited, one after another, the several camps, joining in the work of the day and in the succeeding pleasures of the evening, among which courtship stood forth prominently, un- abashed by the restraints of the home life. The sugar-troughs, made from split saplings, were hollowed out with axe and foot-adze. When these were ready, along in the warm weather of PBniITIVE FARM IMPLEMENTS. 93 March, the trees were tapped, spouts of sumach or elder inserted in the holes, the sap collected and carried in buckets to the place of boiling. The troughs were about two and a half feet long, and each would hold a bucketful — say three gallons. These sugar-troughs were frequently used as cra- dles. "Sweets to the sweet!" Other times of alternating toil and pleasure were the corn huskings, harvesting bees, apple parings, peach cuttings, apple-butter makings and quiltings, all of which were sure to be well attended. 94 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER X. HIS FATHER'S DEATH — THE CARE OF THE FAMILY. At the time of his father's death Jeremiah, then in his sixteenth year, and his sister Elizabeth, were the only children remaining on the home place. Up to this time he had done but little seri- ous work. The youngest of the family, he had been the pet and constant companion of his father, fol- lowing him about wherever he went, and undoubt- edly deriving much moral benefit from their as- sociation. He had helped some little around the. farm after his tenth year, hauling hop poles, mending barrels, cutting wood, etc., so that he earned his living, but had not yet been obliged to shoulder the burden of life. He was now a well- grown young man, very strong and active, and a prime favorite throughout the community, a wel- come guest at work and play. None of the gath- erings spoken of above seemed complete without his presence. He "excelled in dancing, and was noted as a champion wrestler. His brief school- days had been brought to a conclusion under an- other teacher than Mr. Newlin, and under the fol- CARE OF THE FAMILY. 95 lowing circumstances: One of his brothers, who attended the same school, was hard of hearing, and the teacher undertook to thrash him for fail- ing to promptly obey an order. Young Jerry said, "No, you don't do that; he didn't hear you." The teacher thereupon turned his attention to the younger boy, and a few moments later, after the brothers had walked off together, picked himself up from the floor, and resumed his place at the desk, where he had leisure to examine his bruises. The other sons had homes of their own. Jere- miah was now his mother's sole reliance. He at once assumed the entire charge of the farm, su- perintending all the operations connected with its care. This was a great responsibility to be borne by one so young, but he was successful from the very first. He soon became eminently dexter- ous in the- use of all farm implements. Few in- deed could equal him in the handling of the sickle, the scythe, the cradle, or the flail. His reputa- tion as a cradler spreading abroad, he was chal- lenged to compete for the championship with one William Pickerel, who had long been regarded as the best man in the section at that work. He ac- cepted the challenge, and the farmers came from far and near to witness the contest. Pickerel had more experience at his back, but Eusk was the more powerful man. They met in a ten-acre field of the heaviest wheat. Pickerel taking the lead, and his antagonist following. When one entire 96 JEBEMIAH M. RUSK. round had been made Pickerel stopped to whet his blade. Whetting afforded time for breathing, and it was a saying of the day that no time was lost in whetting — in renewing one's strength for further continuance. But Rusk, aware of his ad- vantage, cried, "Go on!" In his might he could force even a dull cradle through the strongest grain. They went ahead, and before the second round was finished Pickerel's scythe had so far lost its edge that with all his skill he was unable to cope longer with the young giant who swung his cradle behind him, and the championship of Deerfield Township passed to our hero. The produce of the farm was marketed at Zanesville, some twenty miles distant. The Kusk place was highly productive, and there was al- ways much to sell in season. In the fall they would load one wagon with wheat aud another with vegetables, and the trip would be made, re- turning in the night. There was, moreover, a ready sale for the great crops of apples and peaches yielded by the orchard. These were dried in a kiln and in a dry-house. Hops were grown for sale, and a large flock of geese furnished feath- ers for market. Eggs were but little used in those days. Wheat sold for fifty cents a bushel, and potatoes for twenty-five cents. Butter went as high as ten cents a pound, but five or six cents was the normal price. Young Rusk was already an excellent horse- CARE OF THE FAMILY. 97 man, and would ride the most spirited animals at furious rates of speed. He possessed considerable veterinary skill, and was often called upon to ex- ercise it in behalf of his neighbors. He was a proud boy indeed when called upon by Messrs. Neill, Moore & Co., of Columbus, to drive one of their stage coaches on the line between Zanesville and Newark, a distance of about thirty miles. The coach was of the, old Concord pattern, and was drawn by four horses, driven in army style by a single rein, the driver riding the "near" wheel horse. 7 98 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XL EUSK AND GARFIELD. While young Rusk was manipulating his four- horse team he became acquainted with a young man of his own age who was engaged in guiding the movements of a solitary mule along a tow- path. It was in this wise the future Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Agriculture began his friendship with the future President of the United States, James A. Garfield. During a county fair he entered a wrestling match with two other competitors. The first was easily thrown, but in the struggle with the sec- ond Rusk had his hands full. Finally, by a tre- mendous effort, the future Governor threw his op- ponent completely over his head, stunning him and breaking his shoulder. Rusk was greatly frightened at the moment, thinking that he might have killed his opponent, and from that time never again engaged in a Avrestling match. The stage-driver and the canal boy became fast friends. When years after, they met in Washing- ton as Members of Congress, they were fond of bantering each other about their boyhood days. BUSK AND GABFIELD. 99 "Oh, you're of no account; you're only a stage- driver," Garfield would remark. "Well, what were you?" Eusk would respond in his bluff, breezy way. "What did you drive? I handled four horses; you steered one little, insig- nificant mule." Eusk enjoyed telling his reminiscences of this period. "Yes," he said on one occasion, "I think our first meeting was at a wrestling match, when it was announced that a canal boy would throw a stage-driver. Garfield was a very heavy, rugged youngster, and was a true friend to his comrades, and always ready to stand by them in any kind of trouble or contest. In those days he used fre- quently to speak of his future, and always as- serted that he intended becoming either a lake captain or a lawyer. He left the canal after a time and commenced going to school. We were always close friends from our boyhood up to the time of his death ; but of course we knew little or nothing of each other for many years, and never met after he left the canal until the opening of the war. He was on Eosecrans' staff when we next saw each other." The future Secretary of Agriculture joined a man named William Pettit in the purchase of a Grubber threshing machine — a machine which bore about the same relation to the modern header and thresher that the ox-cart of our grand- 100 JES.EMIAH M. RTJSK. fathers did to the present railway trains of palace cars. It consisted substantially of a capped cylin- der, filled with long spikes, and revolved over a curved floor or bed, also filled with spikes. The wheat was fed in on one side of the cylinder, and was supposed to be mashed out of the heads by the time it came through on the other side. Wheat, dirt, dust, straw, sticks, animals, and everything else that went in came out together. The man who stood at the mouth of the Grubber machine stood at a point where the dirt and dust were as thick as in a village on a windy day. Yet this thresher was highly esteemed, being the first improvement following the flail, the tramping out of wheat by horses on a barn floor, and the end- less chain, tramp-wheel machine. This partner- ship may be considered as the first business ven- ture of Jeremiah Eusk which brought him into intimate business relations with others. From six to eight horses would be taken along with the machine, and from four to six men, the machine requiring the services of a general manager, or boss, a feeder, and a driver. At home in any one of these positions, Eusk was so popular in all that part of the country that the farmers would delay the time of their threshing awaiting the arrival of the new machine. Many are the stories told by old people of the frolics of those days. After threshing all day the boys would go and dance all night, or, sleeping accommodations being always BUSK AND GARFIELD. 101 at a premium at such times, they would make their way to the river, where they would fish and swim; otherwise they would improvise some form of sport, keep it up half the night, and make their couches of the fresh straw threshed during the day; thus leading a life which may be termed a rural bohemia. The partnership lasted through two seasons. It may here be stated that in those times, when whiskey was not taxed, there was a distillery in almost every neighborhood, and a bushel of corn or rye would purchase a gallon of liquor. It was freely provided at all harvestings, threshings, etc., and social gatherings, even the women taking a little, sweetened, and mixed with water. Prob- ably drunkenness, of a mild type, was no more common than now, but it was regarded as less heinous. Jeremiah M. Eusk never knew the taste of intoxicating liquor. 102 JEREMIAH M. HUSK. CHAPTER XII. EUSK AS A EAILROAD FOREMAN. The era of railroad extension had now arrived, and everywhere roads were being projected and their building commenced. Ohio offered a most promising field for this enterprise, and the road then known as the "Zanesville & Wilmington" road (now the "Muskingum Valley") was in course of construction. Among ambitious young men all over the country excitement created by tales of the discovery of gold in California, and of the rapid rise of men engaged in railroad work was rife. A large contractor on the road named was approached one morning, at a point a few miles west of Zanesville, by the tall, well-built young Jeremiah Rusk, who made application for em- ployment for himself and team. He was engaged and set at work with pick and shovel, but it was quickly seen that the stalwart young fellow con- tained material too valuable to be thus used, and he was made foreman over a gang of men. If the sequel does not show that by the exercise of his good judgment in making this promotion the con- RUSK AS A BAILROAD FOREMAN. 103 tractor saved the life of one of his sub-contractors, it is at least probable that a theretofore unknown power of directing and controlling others was by this event brought forcibly to the attention of the new boss. The Zanesville & Wilmington Kail- road met with the same vicissitudes that other roads projected on a similarly magnificent scale were destined to experience. The road was forced into bankruptcy, and as a consequence of its fail- ure the projectors were unable to meet their obli- gations. Hundreds of men dependent upon their wages for the very existence of themselves and their families were thus rendered destitute. Rusk was among the sufferers, but understood the situ- ation better than did the others; and when a mob was organized to wreak vengeance upon one of his associates, he placed himself between him and the infuriated laborers, and then and there made his first public speech. Just what he said nobody knows at this day; it is supposed to have been more forcible than elegant; but the men were given to understand that before they could reach the object of their wrath it would be neces- sary to pass over the dead bodies of the speaker and half a dozen courageous associates who stood by him. His own men knew him; they consulted together; they deliberated; and they lost the day, while Jeremiah Rusk gained his first victory. Shortly after this incident, on the 5th day of [April, 1849, the subject of this history was united 104 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. in marriage with Mary Martin, fourth daughter of Abraham Martin, one of the most highly re- spected residents in all that section of Ohio. The Martins were from Maryland, and the grand- father, Jacob Martin, served in the Revolutionary war — ^receiving a pension the later years of his life. The ceremony took place in the forenoon at the home of the bride, after which came the merry making. It was the custom for a mounted caval- cade of ladies and gentlemen, headed by the groom, to appear at the appointed hour at the home of the bride, but on this occasion, besides the ordinary guests, the groom was accompanied by 500 men, marching in double file, bearing upon their shoulders picks and shovels. These were the men who had served under Jerry Eusk in working upon the railroad, and they were come with heartiness and good wishes to greet the bride of the man in whom all took pride. The men also accompanied the bridal party as far as the fork of the road at the starting of the procession to the new home near Porterville. This was a ride of several days, as it was broken by visits of a day and a night to each of the groom's relatives within reach; thus the infare was cele- brated with much feasting and dancing at every stopping place. This wedding M^as one of great interest through- out Morgan and the adjoining counties, and ia EUSIC AS A RAILROAD FOREMAN. 105 still remembered and spoken of Avith admiration by those of ttie older inhabitants who partici- pated in its festivities. Three children blessed this union — Charity, now Mrs. Elmer H. Craig of Viroqua, Wisconsin; Lycurgus J., who is counsellor at law at Chip- pewa Falls, Wisconsin, and Mary J., who was born in 1853 and lived but one year. This deatti in the little family was followed in January, 1856, by the death of the mother, Mary Martin Eusk, at Viroqua, Wisconsin. 106 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER Xlir. RUSK AS A COOPER. The improvement of the Muskingum river by the general government had been undertaken some years before this time. This improvement was instituted mainly for the purpose of assist- ing the development of the salt industry, which was now at the height of its success. The wells yielded abundantly, and so near together were the furnaces along the banks on both sides that the boats passing up and down at night were never out of sight of their fires. The industry furnished employment to a great number of people, and es- pecially to those located at points where good barrel timber was to be found. After his mar- riage Jeremiah Rusk severed his connection with the railroad, and converted the log cabin first erected by his father into a cooper shop. To this, from time to time, as his business increased, he made additions. He employed a number of coopers, and engaged in barrel making, at which he soon became expert himself. In this employ- ment he added to his reputation for reliability.. JB USK AS A CO OPER. 107 The dealers whom he supplied, and who furnished barrels to the salt makers, could always depend upon his promises in regard to filling their orders. At one time a competition sprang up which af- fected injuriously not only the barrel making car- ried on in his own neighborhood, but also the salt industry in other localities, and lessened the de- mand for his product. In McConnelsville there was a prominent business man named Eli Shep- ard, familiarly known as "Bully." He was about as broad as he was long, and had a great head, with massive jaws. He also possessed a determi- nation that brooked no disputing. He dealt in nearly everything; he was a salt maker, a miller, and a general wholesale dealer; he supplied bar- rels to the owners of salt furnaces. Kusk made a contract with him early in the spring, before the competition mentioned rose, to furnish barrels at a certain price for the entire season, which closed with the freezing over of the river, Shepard agreeing to take at that figure all he could make. The price was five cents less per barrel than was paid to other coopers at that time. But Kusk was far-sighted. He went home * and worked along quietly, but not slowly. The month of May had not passed before what he had expected hap- pened; the market price of barrels dropped below the figure of his contract. A number of good coopers were discharged from other shops, and Busk employed them; a large amount of coopers' 108 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. material was thrown on the market, and he bought it. Then he began to send in barrels to Shepard. They went in at the rate of from one to three loads a day. Shepard was dumbfounded, but he only said, as each load came, "Great heavens! not more barrels, I hope — not another load?" But, fortunately for Shepard, he was not a loser in the end, for in the fall another change came, and he made money from the immense stock of barrels he had bought and stored. The episode, however, was not forgotten. Years afterward, when Eusk was a general in the army, he returned to McConnelsville to visit his brother and his other friends in the neighborhood. Wear- ing his full regimentals, he walked over to see his old friend Shepard, who happened to be sitting away back in the far end of his store. Shepard saw the tall, stalwart man enter the doorway, and waddled forward from his desk to meet him. For a few moments neither spoke a word of greeting. Each had his eye fixed on the other. Then the silence was broken by Shepard, who growled out: "Hullo there, Jerry! I suppose, by heavens, you have brought me another load of barrels, haven't you?" Jeremiah Rusk followed this business, with varying success, until, in 1853, he felt impressed to do as his father had done before him, to leave the loved scenes of his childhood and go to the then far West, the new country which seemed to BUSK AS A COOPER. 109 offer better opportunities for success in life. Hard as it was to sever the many ties that bouad him to his native place, there were many reasons which urged the emigration. Land in the West was easily obtained, and farming was his forte. Perhaps his ambitious instinct told him that in a new community a man of his character was sure to rise. At that time the trend of emigra- tion was toward Wisconsin and Iowa. The gold fever had not yet subsided, and caravans were still, at intervals, made up for California, but the greater number of the pioneers from Morgan County, including his brother Allen, had settled in Wisconsin, and thither, after much discussion, he elected to go. With his brave-hearted young wife and their two infant children. Charity and Lycurgus, he made the long journey in a common covered wagon of the emigrants. Several times Jeremiah Eusk revisited the neighborhood of his Ohio home. At the time of the last occasion he was Governor of Wisconsin, and came to see to the marking by a monument of the graves of his beloved father and mother, which lie side by side in the beautiful little rural cemetery attached to the church his father built. Standing by these honored graves, he said to his sister: "Were I to give way to my feeling, as I stand here, I could not restrain my tears. During the last thirty years hardly a day has passed in which 110 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. this landscape has not spread itself like a pano- rama before my mind. I love this scene of my boyhood days, the times when I lived by hard la- bor, and the times in which my associations helped to form whatever of good character I have. It was here that for fifteen years I had the guid- ing hand of a good father, whose precepts and examples, more than anything else, made a career for me possible; it was here that I gained the first rudiments of knowledge; it was here that I was thrown on my own resources, at a time when other boys were still at school, and was compelled to battle with the world for the livelihood of my father's family from the time of his death. ''This explains," he continued, "why, when among the polished, and called upon to express the thoughts I can turn into acts, my speech is halting, and at times embarrassing to me; it is the lack of early education. Yet there is this compensation, when I reflect upon my defects in this regard, that they are not the results of vi- cious habits, but came through my endeavors to do my duty toward those who otherwise must have suffered in the hard struggles we made here." During his career General Rusk financially as- sisted many a poor young man in his efforts to acquire an education. His ear was never deaf to an appeal made in this behalf. EMIOEATES TO WISCONSIN. m CHAPTER XIV. EMIGRATES TO WISCONSIN. A majority of the settlers near Viroqua at this time were originally from Morgan and Perry Counties, Ohio, and were all personal acquaint- ances of young Eusk, and this led him to locate there. His first occupation in his new home was that of a tavern keeper, a vocation in which he was, as in everything else, successful. He readily adapted himself to the conditions and surround- ings, and at once became popular. In addition to his duties as landlord of the Buckeye House, he ran a threshing machine, and the old settlers say that at the close of a hard day's work, feed- ing the machine, he was never too weary to join a party and attend a country dance. His splen- did physique, his fondness for athletic training, and his genial qualities soon made him ac- quainted with practically every resident of Bad As, now Vernon County. He acquired the pro- prietorship of a stage line between Prairie du Chien and Black River Falls, and part of the time drove one of the stages himself, still retaining his 112 JEBEMIAH 21. BUSK. hotel, which was a very popular stopping place. He did not entirely abandon the stage business until after the outbreak of the Rebellion. He held the contract for carrying the mails. In 1855, less than two years after his settle- ment in Bad As County, he Avas nominated for sheriff, and such was his hold upon the people that his election met with no opposition. This result may be attributed to an incident which had happened a short time prior. "Accident has occasionally been of essential benefit to the Governor," said a gentleman who had known him for many years. "For instance, it was one of these lucky accidents that made him sheriff. One morning there came to his tavern, and asked for some refreshment, a man driving a single horse to a buggy. He was given what he asked for, and soon after drove away. Within a short time some officers came along in pursuit of a horsethief, and learned that the man who had stopped for something to eat was the person for whom they were in search. A hasty discussion was held as to the course which the fleeing thief had probably taken, and the sheriff's officers de- cided to follow one trail. When they had left the tavern-keeper concluded to follow another course which, as it seemed to him, the fugitive would be more likely to take. He mounted a swift horse and pursued on the road leading to Kickapoo. "After many miles of hot riding, he overtook EMIGRATES TO WISCONSIN. 113 the buggy in which was the offender, fast asleep, worn out with fatigue. Without a moment's hes- itation, the pursuer sprang from his horse into the vehicle, and single handed, after a severe strug- gle, secured the criminal. The sagacity displayed in picking out the route chosen by the horsethief, the courage in attacking him without any arms, and the strength shown in mastering the man, suggested him as a suitable candidate for sheriff." Mr. Eusk proved a very popular and efficient of- ficer, and retired with the friendship and good will of every one in the county. 8 114 JEREMIAH M. HUSK. CHAPTER XV. ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE. In 1861 Mr. Rusk was nominated on the Eepub- lican ticket for Member of Assembly for the Sec- ond District, and was elected over Edward Sear- ing, who was afterwards State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin. At this time the civil war had broken out, and the session of the Wisconsin legislature of 1862 was the most stormy one upon record. The Eepublicans and "War Democrats" combined to secure the organi- zation of the Assembly, and after a protracted ef- fort, in which at times personal violence was threatened, succeeded in electing Mr. Beardsley as the speaker, and securing the organization of the house. Mr. Eusk took a very prominent part in this organization, and his magnificent physique and commanding presence had much to do with the success of the combination. It was during this session of the legislature that petitions were circulated for signatures through- out the county, praying a change of the county's name from Bad Ax to Vernon. The name "Bad ELECTED TO THE LEQISLATUBE. 115 Ax" was in disfavor, and the impression among people outside was that it was a rough country, with poor thin soil. A popular prejudice existed against the county, and the mention of its name among strangers who had never been within its borders invariably caused smiles. General Rusk, in 1883, when asked as to the origin of the move- ment for the change of name, wrote the following letter to the editor of a History of Vernon County which was then being compiled: "Executive Chamber, "Madison, Wis., October 29, 1883. "Dear Sir: "Many of the leading citizens of the county be- lieved that the name Bad Ax was a detriment to the future prosperity of the county. The Hon. William F. Terhune went east about 1859, and when he returned he was thoroughly convinced that the name of the county was a great detri- ment to it, and from that time he strongly urged the change. An efifort was made to change the name in 1860. In 1861 I was elected to the As- sembly, and a very strong petition was signed and presented to me, urging the change to some- thing else, but not designating what. At that time I was not very favorable to the change; but when the Legislature convened I became thor- oughly convinced that the name was a detriment 116 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. to the county. Whenever I rose and addressed the chair, and the speaker recognized "the gentle- man from Bad Ax," everybody in the chamber turned to look at the member to see if he looked like the rest of the members. I immediately wrote Judge Terhune to select a name and I would do what I could to make the change. Judge Terhune sent me the name "Vernon," and the bill was presented and passed that Legislature. "Yours very truly, "J. M. EUSK." The name Vernon was finally selected. The reason for its adoption was that the root of the word, meaning greenness, was applicable not to the people, but to the general appearance of the county, covered as it was in many places with green wheat fields. Moreover, the word was eu- phonic, and carried with it a pleasing association with Mount Vernon, the home of the Father of his Country. This selection was made by the late Hon. William F. Terhune. A correspondent of the Vernon County Censor, in writing to that pa- per in 1869, relative to the change of name, says: "For many years the county of which Viroqua is the county seat labored under a great disadvan- tage in consequence of her taking to herself a name that had neither meaning nor sense. Why the settlers of the county suffered the name of ELECTED TO THE LEOISLATUBE. 117 Bad Ax to be fastened on them can not now be ascertained. That the name blasted the county so long as it was retained is a fact patent to all. As soon as the name was changed to Vernon the whole county began to flourish, and now Vernon County has no small influence in the state." 118 JEREMIAH M. HUSK. CHAPTER XVI. RECRUITS A REGIMENT FOR THE WAR. Immediately upon the adjournment of the Legislature Mr. Eusk, acting under a commission given him by Governor Edvrard Salomon, began to recruit the organization afterward known as the Twenty-fifth Regiment, of Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers, of which he was commissioned Major, declining the Colonelcy for the reason, as he often exf'^ained to the writer, that he did not feel com- pet nt to assume command. The record of this regiment, as officially summarized in the Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Wisconsin, for the year ending December 30, 1865, is as follows: The several organizations composing this [the 25th] regiment, recruited principally in the river counties, were ordered to rendezvous at La Crosse, on the 4th of September, 1862. Regimental or- ganization was soon effected, under the direction of Colonel Milton Montgomery, and the regiment was mustered into United States service on the 14th. On the 19th they left Camp Salomon, at MAJOR JERRY KUSK. RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 119 La Crosse, under orders to report to General Pope, at St. Paul, Minnesota, for the purpose of sup- pressing the Indian difficulties in that State. On arriving next day at St. Paul the regiment was divided by order of the commanding general; five companies, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Nasmith, being sent to Sauk Centre, Painsville and Acton; the remainder under command of Colonel Montgomery, going to Leavenworth, Fair- mount, Winnebago City and New Ulm, the regi- mental headquarters being established at the last mentioned place. In the latter part of November orders had reached all these companies to march at once for Winona, Minn., which place was designated as the rendezvous for the regiment. The long march of nearly three hundred miles, through a new country, with bad roads and in the depth of our northwestern winter, was at once undertaken. The last company arrived, and the regiment was reunited at Winona, on the 13th of December. They arrived at La Crosse, in this State, forty miles from Winona, on the 15th; whence they moved to Camp Kandall on the 18th. Of the ac- tions of the regiment during the Indian expedi- tion in our sister State, little can be said which comes within the scope of such a sketch as this. Scattered as they were over a vast extent of coun- try, they could be indebted to no esprit du corps for stimulus to duty. It is not out of place to say 120 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. here that they performed their whole duty, some- times under circumstances of peculiar hardship, to the satisfaction of their commanding ofiflcers. The Twenty-fifth again left the State, for active service in the field, on the 17th of February, 1863, under orders to report at Cairo, Illinois. They ar- rived at that place on the 19th, and moved next day to Columbus, Ky., where they went into camp near the fortifications. With the exception of an expedition in the latter part of April, for the re- lief of Cape Girardeau, when attacked by the rebels under Marmaduke, they were employed in the performance of post and picket duty at this place, until the 31st of May, when they proceeded down the Mississippi. Touching at Memphis, Tenn., on the 2d of June, orders awaited them to proceed at once to Young's Point, La., at which place they arrived on the morning of the 4th. Pro- ceeding thence to Chickasaw Bayou, they were ordered up the Yazoo river to Satartia, Miss., where they disembarked and went into camp in the evening of the same day. On the 5th of June the regiment was brigaded with the Twenty-seventh Wisconsin and two other regiments, and the colonel placed in command of Montgomery's brigade, Kimball's provisional di- vision. Leaving Satartia on the 6th, they marched down the valley of the Yazoo, in intensely hot weather, a distance of thirty miles, and encamped next day at Haines' Bluff. Their camp was re- RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 121 moved four miles, on the 11th, to Snyder's Bluff, close to the bank of the Yazoo, forming the left of the rear investing line of Vicksburg. Here they remained, performing picket duty and work on the fortifications and entrenchments, until the 25th, when the regiment, with a force of artillery and cavalry, the whole under command of Lieu- tenant Colonel Nasmith, was ordered to proceed up the Mississippi, for the purpose of capturing guerillas. The expedition arrived on the 27th at a point below Greenville, Miss., where the cavalry disembarked at noon, and proceeded across the country to that place. Failing to discover the enemy, the cavalry again embarked next day, and the expedition proceeded to Spanish Moss Bend, a few miles above, on the Arkansas side, at which place a boat had been fired into the previous night. Landing at this place, they marched into the country in quest of the enemy. His pickets were soon encountered and driven in. The pursuit was continued for six miles, until darkness set in, when our force returned to the boats, proceeding down the river on the 29th of June. While on the way news was received that the enemy was at- tacking Lake Providence, La. Their speed was at once increased, and the force arrived just in time to save the place, the enemy decamping as the expedition came in sight and landed. They re- mained here during the night, at the request of 122 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. General Eeed, who anticipated a renewal of the attack, and returned to Snyder's Bluff next day, resuming duty in the entrenchments. While stationed in this sickly spot the health of the regiment suffered severely. On the 20th of July five hundred men lay sick, and not more than one hundred were fit for duty. They left Snyder's Bluff on the 25th of July, and proceed- ing up the river, the regiment, with the exception of four companies left at Lake Providence, disem- barked at Helena, Ark., on the 31st. The regi- ment was reunited by the arrival of these com- panies on the 12th of August. On arriving at He- lena they were detached from the brigade, and Colonel Montgomery was placed in command of the District of Eastern Arkansas, the regiment being detailed as provost guard of the post. The Twenty-fifth remained at Helena, Ark., em- ployed principally in provost duty, until the 29th of January, 1864, when they embarked, and pro- ceeding down the Mississippi, landed on the 2d of February at Vicksburg, Miss. Marching under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Rusk, with the celebrated Meridian Expedition, under Gen- eral Sherman, they left Vicksburg on the 3d, and moving in an easterly direction across the State of Mississippi, reached Meridian, Miss., on the 14th. After a delay of two days at this point, the march was resumed, and the regiment arrived on the 26th at Canton, Miss., at the junction of the BECBUITS A BEOIMENT. 123 New Orleans and Jackson, and Mississippi Cen- tral Railroads, having marched a distance of two hundred and seventy-five miles from Vicksburg. They left Canton on the 1st of March, and march- ing by way of Livingston, Brownsville and Big Black Eiver, arrived on the 4th at Vicksburg, where they went into camp and remained until the 13th, at which date they embarked, and pro- ceeding up the Mississippi, arrived on the 20th at Cairo, 111. On the 24th they were ordered to Columbus, Ky., the terminus of the Mobile and Ohio Eailroad, and had proceeded by rail to within a short distance of Union City, when or- ders were received to return immediately to Cairo, at which place they again encamped late in the evening. Ee-embarking at Cairo on the 26th, they as- cended the Tennessee river to Crump's Landing, at which place they landed on the evening of the 29th and bivouacked for the night. On the fol- lowing day they marched a distance of thirteen miles to Purdy, Tenn., where they arrived at noon, having routed during the march a body of rebel cavalry, under Colonel Wisdom. They returned on the 31st to the transports, and resuming their progress up the river on the following day, landed on the 2d of April at Waterloo, Ala., and march- ino- thence by way of Florence and Athens, ar- rived on the 9th at Mooresville, Ala., seventy- 124 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. eight miles from Stevenson, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad. On the evening of the 16th they marched five miles to Decatur, the junction of the Tennessee and Alabama Central railroads, where they had a sharp skirmish with the enemy on the follow- ing day, losing two men wounded. At this point Colonel Montgomery resumed command on the 22d of April, and here the regiment was stationed for the performance of guard duty, until the 1st of May, when they marched to Huntsville, whence they proceeded by rail on the 4th to Chattanooga, Tenn., arriving at the latter place on the 5th. They immediately moved forward to join our forces under General Sherman, and marching by Gordon's and Maddock's Gap, formed in line of battle on the 9th at the bluffs near Resaca, under the fire of the rebel batteries. From this point they fell back with the army to Snake Creek Gap, and fortified their camp. This position they occupied until the 13th, when the regiment took position in line before Resaca, remaining until one in the afternoon of the next day, when they were relieved and moved to the rear. Three hours afterwards the brigade was ordered to the support of General Logan, whoso column was giving way. At seven o'clock the regiment formed in line, and charging over the Thirtieth Iowa, drove two rebel brigades from the RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 125 crest of a hill, after a severe conflict, lasting two hours, in which they lost twenty-seven men. This position they held until the evacuation of Eesaca, after which they crossed the Calhoun river on the 16th of May, and having advanced about five miles, encamped at three in the after- noon. An hour afterwards the Second division of the Sixteenth army corps having been driven from the front by the enemy, the regiment promptly formed in line with the Fourth division of that corps, retaining the position until the for- ward movement was resumed on the afternoon of the following day. Passing through Adairsville on the 18th of May, they encamped on the following day near Kingston, where they remained until the 24th, at which date they were again put in motion, and proceeding by way of Vanwirt, arrived on the 26th within two and a half miles of Dallas. Forming in line shortly before noon, they were engaged in skirmishing until five in the evening, when they advanced through Dallas, which had been abandoned by the enemy, and bivouacked for the night a short distance south of the town. On the 27th they advanced to the front, and were engaged during the three following days in heavy skirmishing with the enemy, repulsing his at- tacks upon the picket line with heavy loss. They occupied position in the front line until the 1st of June, when they were withdrawn from 126 JEREMIAH M. R USE. the trenches before daylight, and participating in the general movement to the left to turn the rebel position at Allatoona Pass, marched six miles to Pumpkin Vine Creek, near which they biv- ouacked for the night, and on the afternoon of the following day changed position a mile to the right, where they were attacked by the enemy's batteries, which were soon silenced by our artil- lery. Crossing the stream on the 3d, they ad- vanced four miles, and having erected breast- works during the night, occupied the position until the afternoon of the 5th, when they moved four miles to the right. Next day they were again put in motion, and passing through Ack- worth, encamped nearly a mile from the town, remaining until the 10th, when they advanced four miles, accompanying the army of the Ten- nessee in the movement to break the rebel lines between Kenesaw and Pine Mountains. On the following day, taking the lead of the Second bri- gade, they advanced two miles to the railroad, where line of battle was formed with the enemy on their flank and front. While holding this position company C was de- tailed at three in the morning of the 12th to build rifle pits in front, which they finished by daylight, and next day company D was employed in open- ing a road through the woods in their rear for more convenient access to the teams. In the evening companies C, H and K occupied the front RECBUITS A REGIMENT. 127 line of rifle pits, and on the 15th companies B, D, F, G and I, with six companies from other regi- ments, were thrown forward on the skirmish line under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kusk, and advanced one and a half miles, carrying the ene- my's skirmish line and front line of works, and maintaining their position through the night, dur- ing which they were twice charged by the enemy in the darkness. The position was retained with heavy fighting and the loss of fifteen men until morning, when they rejoined the balance of the regiment, which had moved forward to support the picket line against the anticipated advance of the enemy. The enemy having abandoned his line on Lost Mountain on the 17th of June, they advanced on the 19th across'the rebel works in their front, and in the afternoon advanced still farther towards Kenesaw Mountain, establishing position on the crest of a hill, which they proceeded to fortify. Here they were engaged in siege and fatigue duty, constantly exposed to the enemy's fire, until the morning of the 3d of July, when they were put in motion to accompany the movement of the army of the Tennessee on the right of our forces. Marching on the road between Kenesaw and Lost Mountains, they advanced three miles, where they constructed breastworks, and were ordered to support a battery, under heavy fire from the rebel artillery. They subsequently occupied the works 128 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. in their front, which were abandoned by the enemy, and on the 5th continued the movement to the right. Marching on the Sandtown road, they encamped in the evening two and a half miles from the Chattahoochee Eiver, remaining until the 7th, when they advanced two miles to- wards the river. They again moved on the 9th, and passing through Marietta, where they biv- ouacked for the night, forded the Chattahoochee on the folloAving day, going into camp on the south side of the river. Participating in the general advance of the army, they marched at noon on the 17th, and crossing the railroad next day, passed through Decatur on the 19th, encamping on the right of the army of the Tennessee, in rear of General Lo- gan's command, on the following day. On the 21st, with a section of artillery, they moved back to Decatur, under orders to guard the flank of the army trains, and next day companies B, E, F and I of the Twenty-fifth, with four companies of an Ohio regiment, under command of Colonel Mont- gomery, moved forward one mile; when company F of the Twenty-fifth, with an Ohio company, was deployed as skirmishers, under command of Lieu- tenant Colonel Eusk. These companies moved forward, engaged the enemy, who was in greatly superior force (two divisions of Wheeler's cav- alry), and were driven back upon the main body, when the engagement became general. RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 129 Colonel Montgomery having been severely wounded at the first fire from the enemy, Lieu- tenant Colonel Kusk took command of the regi- ment, and by order of General Sprague fell back into the town. Companies D and G being de- tached on picket duty, the remaining companies, C, H and K of the regiment, with a battery of ar- tillery, had been left in charge of the camp. After a gallant resistance, the whole force retired to the town, and retained their position for nearly three hours of very heavy fighting and repeated charges by the enemy. At this time they were again ordered one and a half miles farther to the rear, where the advance of the rebels was finally checked. The trains were saved, but the regi- ment sustained a loss amounting to one-fourth of the whole number engaged, the list of casualties showing fifteen killed, fifty-seven wounded, twenty-five missing and three prisoners, among the latter of whom was Colonel Montgomery. On the 23d, having buried the dead and provided for the wants of the wounded, they marched through the town, and proceeding two miles on the At- lanta road, erected breastworks and bivouacked until the 25th, when they advanced three miles, encamping in line, protected by breastworks. On the 26th of July the regiment moved for- ward two miles on the Atlanta road, and biv- ouacked until midnight, when they passed to the rear of the army, from the left to the right fiank, 9 130 JEREMIAH M. B USK. a distance of twenty-two miles, and forming with the brigade, drove the enemy from his position on a hill, and having lain on their arms during the night, they next morning took position and threw up a line of works, which they retained under a heavy fire during the battle of the 28th. On the 30th they moved a short distance to the right, and next day the regiment was detailed as grand guard, and employed on the skirmish line. Eetir- ing on the 1st of August to the reserve line, they remained until the morning of the 6th, when they moved to the skirmish line, and at nine o'clock they repulsed the attack of the rebels, who ad- vanced in a double line to the assault. During the two following days they were held in reserve, and on the 9th advanced to the front line, and under heavy fire fortified a jjosition within five hundred yards of the rebel main lines, which position they maintained, under constant fire, until the evening of the 26th, when they were put in motion, accompanying the movement of the army of the Tennessee. Continuing the march, they struck the Atlanta and West Point Railroad near Fairburn on the 28th, and having spent the next day in destroying the road, they resumed the march on the morning of the 30th, and advancing towards the Macon Eailroad, bivouacked for the night near Jonesboro. They were next day pres- ent at the battle of Jonesboro, but were not actively engaged. On the 2d of September they EECRUITS A SEGIMENT. 131 moved forward eight miles in pursuit of the re- treating enemy, when they fortified position near Lovejoy Station, and remained until the 6th, at which date the return march was commenced. They arrived on the 8th at East Point, six miles from Atlanta, on the Macon and Western Rail- road, where they went into camp. The Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, attached to the Second brigade. First division of the Seventeenth army corps, left East Point, Ga., on the 1st of October, 1864, as part of a reconnoitering expe- dition, and having next day developed the enemy, entrenched and in force near the Newman road, on the Montgomery railroad, returned on the morning of the 3d to camp at East Point. Accompanying the Seventeenth corps, in the movement of General Sherman's forces, to meet the attempt of the rebel forces upon the communi- cations with Chattanooga, they again left East Point on the 4th of October, the regiment during the beginning of the march acting as guard to the supply trains, which they were frequently called upon to assist in their passage over the muddy roads. They crossed the Chattahoochee Eiver on the following day, and passing through Marietta and around Kenesaw Mountain on the 9th, reached Ackworth and crossed the Etowah Eiver on the 11th of October. Continuing the march, they passed through Kingston on the 12th, arriving on the afternoon 132 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. of the next day at Adairsville, whence they moved by rail to Eesaca, at which place they took posi- tion on the ground occupied by the regiment dur- ing the engagement of the 15th of May. On the 15th of October they moved to Snake Creek Gap, and the enemy, who had established himself in the works formerly erected by our troops, having been driven out, they pressed rap- idly forward in pursuit, companies F and G act- ing as pioneers, to clear off the obstructions which the enemy, in his flight, had placed in the road. Passing through Ship Gap, on the 16th of October, and Summerville on the 20th, they crossed the State line next day and bivouacked at Gayles- ville, Ala., on Little Eiver. From this point com- panies B, E, F, G and H were detailed to guard the supply train to Eome, Ga., and rejoined the regiment on the 27th at Gaylesville. On the 24th of October Lieutenant Colonel Eusk rejoined and took command of the regiment, which he retained until its muster-out of service, with the exception of eight days subsequently, when in the vicinity of Pocotaligo, S. C. The Twenty-fifth left Gaylesville on the 28th of October, and marching to the southward, arrived on the 30th at Cave Springs, Ga., having marched during the month a distance estimated at two hundred and seventy miles. The march was resumed on the 1st of Novem- ber, and proceeding by way of Cedartown, Dallas RECSUITS A BEGIMENT. 133 and Marietta, they crossed the Chattahoochee Eiver on the 10th and entered Atlanta on the fol- lowing day. Here they were engaged in various duties until the commencement of General Sher- man's celebrated march through Georgia to Sa- vannah. Accompanying the Seventeenth corps, and act- ing as train guard, the Twenty-fifth left Atlanta on the 15th of November, and taking the road to McDonough, passed through that place on the 17th, bivouacking on the road near Jackson. On the 20th they passed through Monticello, where the regiment was relieved from duty as train guard, and rejoined the brigade. They arrived on the 22d at Gordon, the junction of the Mil- ledgeville and Eatonton, and Georgia Central Eailroads, where they were ordered to destroy the road. Pressing forward from this point on the 24th of November, and destroying the j-ailroad as they advanced, they arrived on the 26th in the vil- lage of Toomsboro, where the regiment was de- tailed as pontoon guard, and the engineer corps placed under the charge of Lieutenant Colonel Eusk. They crossed the Oconee Eiver on the 27th, com- panies B, E, G and H acting as rear guard, and on the 30th crossed the Ogeechee Eiver and biv- ouacked, having marched two hundred and thirty miles during the month. Eesuming the march on the 1st of December, they crossed Buckhead 134 JEREMIAH M. B USE. Creek, near Millen, on the following day, and on the 8th reached Marlow, a station on the Georgia Central Eaiiroad, twenty-six miles from Savan- nah, where the regiment was temporarily relieved from duty as guard to the pontoon train. On the 9th of December they encountered the enemy posted near the west end of Long Swamp, and the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, taking position in the rear of the brigade, was shortly afterwards ordered to support a battery. The rebels were soon driven from their position, when the regi- ment moved forward through the swamp south of the railroad to Station No. 1, where a number of torpedoes had been planted by the enemy. Here they took position and commenced the construc- tion of breastworks. On the 10th they moved out in the rear of the brigade, and having advanced about three miles, again struck the enemy. The regiment took po- sition in the rear of the Third brigade, and sub- sequently moved to the right, fronting the Ogee- chee Canal. Their position here being very much exposed to the enemy's artillery, they forded the canal and took position with the brigade within five hundred yards of the enemy's fortifications. At night they were ordered to advance the line two hundred yards and erect substantial breast- works and rifle pits, when it was found that a deep swamp extended in front of the rebel lines. On the afternoon of the following day, during RECRUITS A RE013IENT. 135 T\-hic]i one of their number was killed and one wounded, they were relieved by the advance of the Fourteenth corps, and recrossing the canal, they marclied around the swamp, a distance of five miles, "and finding a dry spot, bivouacked for the night." They took position on the 12th of December at Dillon's Bridge, in unfinished works previously erected by the Fifteenth corps, which they com- pleted and held until the 19th, moving on that day to King's Bridge. On their arrival they were ordered by General Sherman to return to the en- trenchments at Dillon's Bridge, which they occu- pied, engaged in the performance of heavy picket and garrison duty, until the 3d of January, 1865, when they marched through Savannah and em- barked next day below the city at Thunderbolt, arriving in the afternoon at Beaufort, Port Eoyal Island, S. C, where they encamped three and a half miles from the city. They remained in camp on Port Eoyal Island until the 13th of January, when they commenced the march through the Carolinas, and crossing the Pocotaligo Eiver on pontoons next day, biv- ouacked within a mile of Fort Pocotaligo, which the enemy abandoned during the night. On the 15th of January they advanced, with little opposi- tion, through several strongly fortified lines of the enemy, which were very difficult of approach on account of swamps and deep ditches, arriving 136 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. about noon at Pocotaligo, forty-nine miles from Savannah, on the Charleston and Savannah Kail- road. In the afternoon they moved one mile to the left, and encamped in the woods on the right of the road, where they lay until ordered on the 18th to protect the forage train reported to be at- tacked by the rebels; in obedience to which order thej^ moved five miles towards McPhersonville, and having participated in a slight skirmish, re- turned without loss to camp. On the 20th of January they moved out on a reconnoissance towards the Salkehatchie Eiver. Having marched about five miles, they encoun- tered the enemy, drove in his pickets, and dis- lodged a small force from temporary earthworks in the road, thence moving down the river, which they were unable to ford, returned to camp in the jvening. The r-egiment on the 23d was ordered on fatigue duty, and moved towards Fort Poco- taligo, in the vicinity of which they were em- ployed in cutting timber and corduroying the roads, which at this point were impassable for teams, until the 30th of January, when they marched nearly six miles towards the Salkehat- chie Eiver, encampi-_g near Pocotaligo. On the 1st of February they advanced thirteen miles. Next day, having moved forward about ten miles, driving the enemy from his entrench- ments as they advanced, the trains were halted, and the Twenty-fifth ordered to take the advance. BECBUITS A BEGUIENT. 137 Companies C, E, I and K, under command of Lieu- tenant Colonel Kusk, were deployed as skirmish- ers, and rapidly advanced on the left of a large swamp, the remaining companies, under Major Joslin, following as a reserve. They were soon afterwards ordered to charge the enemy's works at Rivers' Bridge, on the Sal- kehatchie Eiver, and sustaining a severe fire from the batteries commanding the road, they steadily advanced, crossing several bridges, until their progress was arrested by the Salkehatchie, an un- fordable stream, on which the bridge had been de- stroyed by the enemy. They were then ordered to shelter in the swamp on each side of the road, where companies were deployed, and advanced slowly through mud and water, waist deep, to the bank of the river, on which they retained position for several hours, keeping up a steady fire on the rebels in front until relieved in the evening, when they moved to the rear and encamped, having sustained a loss of three killed and five wounded during the day. The night was occupied by the pioneers, assisted by details from the regiment, in opening a way through the swamp and timber on the left of the road, and on the 3d of February the regiment formed in line, and advancing over very difficult ground, had obtained position within a short dis- tance of the rebel works, when the enemy aban- doned the post. 138 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. The forward movement was resumed on the 6th of February, and crossing several swamps where it was necessary to "corduroy" the road, and re- moving obstructions as they advanced, the regi- ment on the 8th struck the Charleston and Au- gusta Eailroad at Midway, seventy-two miles from Charleston. Having spent the day in the destruc- tion of the railroad near this point, they marched on the 9th of Februai'y to the south branch of the Edisto Eiver, where the enemy appeared in force. "The Second brigade, about noon, was ordered forward, moved out to the bank of the stream, which they crossed on pontoons, and advanced through the swamp in mud and water, waist deep, upwards of half a mile, when they formed in line and charged the works, dislodging the enemy, who abandoned the post and position. They were sub- sequently ordered to erect works on each side of the battery, and tlie men and officers, much fa- tigued, spent most of the night in drying their clothes."* The 10th of February was occupied in crossing the teams and material; the brigade was ordered out on a reconnoissance, and having marched five miles returned to camp. On the following day they passed through Roberts' Swamp and en- camped within five miles of Orangeburg, seven- teen miles from Branchville, on the Columbia * Official report. BECBUITS A REGIMENT. 139 Eailroad. On the 12th the left wing, under com- mand of Major Joslin, was ordered on a foraging expedition, and during its absence the right wing moved to the support of the Third and Fourth di- visions of the corps, then engaged with the enemy. At ten in the evening the regiment moved for- ward, passed through Orangeburg, which had been captured by our troops, and encamped two miles from the town. On the 13th they were oc- cupied in the construction of the Columbia Eail- road, encamping near Lewisville. The march was continued on the following day, and on the 15th of February they moved towards the Congaree Eiver, within four miles of which stream their course was changed to the left, the regiment on the 16th going into camp in sight of Columbia, on the ground previously occupied by our prisoners in rebel hands. They crossed the Saluda Eiver on the 17th of February on pontoons, and moving thence on the left to Bush Eiver, encamped in the woods until four in the afternoon, when they marched to and crossed Broad Eiver, encamping near the railroad in the suburbs of Columbia. Next morning they were ordered to destroy the railroad, and the brigade having been appointed provost guard, they returned late in the evening to Columbia, where they were occupied in provost duty until the 20th of February, when the march was re- sumed. 140 JEREMIAH M. R USK. Proceeding northward, on the line of the Char- lotte and South Carolina Kailroad, which was de- stroyed as they advanced, they passed through Winsboro on the 22d of February, and changing the route to the eastward, they crossed the Wateree Eiver on the evening of the 23d, and biv- ouacked next day near Liberty Hill. They crossed Lynch's Creeks on the 26th and the following day, and on the 28th the regiment, detached from the brigade, was ordered to take possession of Wilkes' Mills, in the forks of Juniper Creek, and grind corn for the division, in which they were employed until the 3d of March, when they rejoined the bri- gade, and marching with the supply train, crossed Thompson's Creek and encamped at Cheraw, the terminus of the Cheraw and Darlington Eailroad. Here the brigade was assigned to duty as provost guard. The regiment left Cheraw on the 5th of March, crossed the Great Pedee Eiver in the afternoon, and passing through Bennetville next day, en- tered North Carolina on the 8th, the regiment, as they advanced, corduroying the roads, which for a great distance lay through swamps and timber. On the 11th they passed through Fayetteville, N. C, and over the bridge on Eockfish Creek, near which they remained in camp until the 13th, when they crossed Cape Fear Eiver on pontoons, and participated in a slight skirmish with the enemy near the river. RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 141 Eesuming the march on the 15th, they passed through Blockersville to South Eiver, where a body of rebels was stationed in charge of the bridge, and ready to burn it upon an attempt to cross. A regiment each of cavalry and infantry was quietly formed, and supported by three regi- ments of infantry, including the Twenty-fifth Wis- consin, charged and routed the enemy, and cross- ing through a swamp, bivouacked for the night, protecting the passage of the trains. Passing through Brockersville on the 17th of March, they proceeded by way of Clinton in a northerly direction towards Dudley, and on the 20th, when moving with the brigade in rear of the train as guard, were ordered forward to join Ma- jor General Howard at a point on the Goldsboro and Fayetteville Eoad. Accompanying the bri- gade, they moved forward on the flank of the train to the point designated, where, after an hour's rest, they took position in rear of the Thirty-sec- ond Wisconsin as support to a charge made against the enemy's works defending Goldsboro, which were carried and occupied by our forces. The regiment at dusk moved a short distance to the rear and bivouacked for the night. On the 21st of March they moved in rear of the train, and on arriving on the right of our line the regiment was ordered to support the Third Michi- gan battery. Companies A, F and G were de- ployed as skirmishers, with one company in re- 142 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. serve covering the bridge over Falling Creek; the remainder of the regiment supporting the battery and guarding the train. During the engagement one man was wounded. Early next morning they marched into and occupied the rebel works, which had been evacuated before daylight. Here they were joined by the other regiments of the brigade, and advancing on the 23d, they crossed the Neuse Kiver next day and passed through Goldbsoro, at the intersection of the Wilmington and Weldon, and North Carolina Eailroads. The Twenty-fifth established camp within four miles of the city, where they remained, occupied in various duties, until the 10th of April, when they were again put in motion. Marching in the general direction of the North Carolina Railroad, by way of Boon Hill and Smithfield, they crossed the Neuse River and entered Raleigh on the 14th of April, encamping within one mile of the city, which is situated near the Neuse River, at the junction of the Raleigh and Gaston with the North Carolina Railroad. . In the movement against General Johnston's forces they had ad- vanced on the 15th a short distance from the city, when intelligence was received that the rebel army had surrendered. They thereupon returned to camp near Raleigh, where the regiment re- mained, furnishing occasional details for guard and patrol duty, until news was received of the President's disapproval of the terms of surrender. EECnUITS A REGIMENT. 143 On the renewal of hostilities the regiment, on the 25th of April, marched ten miles to Jones'. Cross Roads, and General Johnston, having next day accepted the proposed terms of surrender, they returned on the 27th to camp near Ealeigh, where preparations were made for the homeward march to Washington. On the 29th of April they set out from Ealeigh, and crossing Crabtree Creek and Neuse River, en- camped in the woods ten miles from the city, where they rested during the next day (Sunday), in accordance with the instructions of Major Gen- eral Howard. The march homeward was resumed on the 1st of May. Passing through Forestville, on the Ra- leigh and Gaston Railroad, they crossed the Tar River next day, and proceeding northward by way of Ridgeway and Warrenton, they crossed the Ro- anoke and Meherin Rivers on the 5th of May, en- camping on the Boydton plank road, in Virginia. They crossed the Nottoway River on the 6th, and proceeding on the following day, by way of Din- widdle Court House, to the canal near the Dan- ville Railroad, three miles from Petersburg, they passed through that city in review on the 8th, and crossing the Appomattox River, encamped on the road two miles from Petersburg. On the 9th of May the regiment, taking the ad- vance of the brigade, took the road to Manchester, near which place they encamped in the evening. 1 44 JEREMIAH 31. JS USE. remaining until the 12th, when they crossed the James Eiver to Richmond, and passing through the city, encamped on the evening of the 13th near Hanover Court House. They marched through Chesterfield on the following day, and having ad- vanced sixteen miles, encamped near Hancock Junction. They crossed the Mat, Ta and Po Rivers on the 15th of May, and the Ny River on the following day, when they passed in review through Freder- icksburg before Major-General Sherman, and crossing the Rappahannock at that place pressed forward a distance of ten miles from the city, and bivouacked for the night. Proceeding on the 17th by way of Stafford Springs, they forded the Occoquan River on the following day, and crossed Acquia Creek on the 19th, went into camp four miles from Alexandria, remaining until the 23d, when they marched through Alexandria, and encamped a short distance from the city, on the bank of the Potomac. On the 24th of May they crossed the Potomac Eiver to Washington, where they participated in the Grand Review of General Sherman's army, after which they went into camp at Crystal Springs, four miles from the national capitol. Here the regiment remained until the 7th of June, when they were mustered out of service and set out for home. They arrived on the 11th of June, 1865, at Madison, Wisconsin, where they RECRUITS A REGIMENT. 145 were shortly afterwards paid and formally dis- banded. At the close of the war the following report, among others, was made by General Kusk to the Adjutant: EECAPITULATION OP BATTLES, ACTIONS, OR EN GAGEMENTS IN WHICH THE 25th WIS. INPTY. VOLS. HAS TAKEN PART DURING THE WAR. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., from June 7 to July 4, 1863. Decatur, Alabama, April 17, 1864. Eesaca, Ga., May 13 to 15, 1864. Dallas, Ga., May 27 to 31, 1864. Big Shanty, Ga., June 15, 1864. Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 15 to 22, 1864. Nickajack, Ga., July 4, 1864. Chattahoochee Eiver, south of Atlanta, Ga., July 9, 1864. Battle of July 22 and 28, before Atlanta, Ga. Siege before Atlanta, on the front line, from July 31 to August 26, 1864. Jonesboro, Ga., August 31, 1864. Snake Creek Gap, October 15, 1864. Before Savannah, Ga., December 11, 1864. Rivers Bridge, S. C, February 2, 1865. South Branch of Edisto River, S. C, February 9, 1865. 10 146 JEREMIAH M. BXJSK. Bentonville, N. C, March 21, 1865. Many other places of less note are not men- tioned, but were consequent upon the exigencies of the service, the regiment having been with Ma- jor-General Sherman during the whole of his great campaigns from February 1st, 1864, to the close of the rebellion, a fact, we believe, which no other regiment, as a complete organization, can put on record. Kespectfully submitted, J. M. EtrsK, Lt. Colonel, commanding 25th Wis. Infty. Vols. John Fitzgerald, Adjutant. The regiment's mortality list is thus summar- ized in the official records : 1 officer and 30 enlisted men killed in action. 2 officers and 20 enlisted men died of wounds. 3 men drowned. 1 man died by accident (shot). 7 officers and 407 men died of disease. A total of 471. This was the largest death roll of any regiment that left the state. For the splendid discipline maintained by Lieu- tenant Colonel Eusk, who commanded the regi- ment on its long and arduous march, in February, 1864, from Vicksburg to Meridian, Miss., where it BECBUITS A BE GI ME NT. 147 joined the forces of Gen. Sherman and engaged in the celebrated Meridian campaign; for not losing one man from straggling or inattention upon that march; and for his soldierly qualities in general, as then manifested, he was complimented in gen- eral orders. 148 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTEK XVir. RUSK'S BRAVERY IN BATTLE. Col. Rusk was brevetted Brigadier General for conspicuous gallantry in the fight at the crossing of the Salkehatchie River, in South Carolina, in February, 1865, and his highly creditable be- havior on that occasion deserves to be given in detail. Gen. Mower commanded the division in which was the regiment commanded by Rusk. The di- vision was moving north from Beaufort directly toward the river, while the remainder of Sher- man's army was converging toward the same point. Where the crossing had to be made the enemy was in strong force on the other side, and defending the crossing with a heavy infantry column and batteries of artillery. The only ap- proach to the ford was along a narrow road through a swamp, which was then covered with water too deep to permit the movement through it of cavalry or heavy guns. It was a position al- most as strongly protected and as difficult of cap- ture as the celebrated bridge of Lodi. There was a race among all the divisions to first B VSK' S BRA VEB Y IN BA TTLE. 149 reach the crossing, and on the morning, just be- fore the point was within attacking distance, Mower's division was in the lead, and the brigade in advance of the division was that to which Eusk's command was attached. Mower rode up with his staff, and could not find the commander of the brigade. He inquired of Col. Eusk where that officer was, to which the Colonel replied that he did not know, but that he was ready to move at once. Mower replied that he could not wait for the return of the commanding officer, but would move another brigade. Eusk was indig- nant that he should be ignored. "I did not wish," he said, "to be cheated out of the lead." Going up to Mower, he said: "General Mower, I protest against being left behind, because it is not my fault that the officer is absent. I want the ad- vance." Mower, however, would not listen; he went away, ordered the division forward, and put the other brigade in the advance. Later Mower seems to have recalled the protest. He found the route to the crossing an embarrass- ing one; whereupon he said to one of his staff offi- cers, Capt. de Brasse: "Bring up that colonel who objected to remaining behind, and we'll give him a taste of what he's yearning for." Eusk re- ceived the order from the aid, rode up to Mower, and asked him if he had any orders. "None," he said; "drop right down there" (point- ing to the crossing), "throw your men in and clear 150 JEBEMIAH M. HUSK. that road. I wish to get to the river. If you don't do it right I'll know it. That's all, now go!" Eusk got his command in position, and charged down the narrow causeway leading to the ford, and swept by the shell and musketry of the en- emy. His men were cut down in dozens, but they persevered and gained the position after a des- perate contest. In the charge a shell cut the brow-band of the bridle of the colonel's horse, which fell to the ground and threw the rider over his head. He scrambled to his feet, and, although considerably bruised, headed the column on foot. The same shell took off the head of his bugler and killed two other men who were immediately be- hind him. The tremendous cannonade demoral- ized the staff of Mower, who were following in the rear of Eusk's column, and they took cover by leaving the causeway and taking refuge in the swamp, but finding that route impassable with horses, they were obliged to dismount and make their way on foot. Col. Eusk carried the crossing. "I made a cross- ing," he says, "and was successful — as I thought, very successful. I reported back to Mower, who ordered another brigade in to relieve us, and then we went back into camp." He had scarcely reached camp when a messen- ger from Mower ordered him to report to head- quarters. Eusk was nonplussed at the reception of this order, as he was not certain as to whether B USIPS BRA VEB Y IN BA TTLE. 151 be would be commended or reprimanded for wbat he bad done. "I was in doubt," said be; "Mower used to get a little full at times, and I did not know wbat to expect." He "fixed up," and rode over to Mower's bead- quarters. Col. Cbristianson was standing in front of Mower's tent as Eusk rode up, and offered to carry in any message wbicb be wished to send. Eusk replied that be bad been ordered to report to Mower, and must see him in person. Just then Mower from within the tent called: "Come in! Come in !" Col. Eusk pulled aside the flap of the tent, en- tered, and saluted the general. The latter glared at him for an instant, and then said: "Yes, sir; I sent for you. You are the only man in this army, or any other army that I ever saw, who could ride further into hell than Mower, and I want you to take a drink with me." "I thank you, but I can't do that, as I never drink." "You don't? Well, I should like to know how a man can ride so far into bell without taking a drink. Do you eat?" "Certainly I do, and would be glad to do so now, as I have not bad a bite since morning." Mower ordered supper, and "always from that time on," said General Eusk, " be treated me with the greatest kindness and consideration up to the day of bis death. I never asked anything from 152 JEREMIAH M. B USK. Mm during the remainder of the service that I failed to get. The last time I met him was at the reunion in Louisville, shortly before he died." Upon the muster-out of the Tvi^enty-fifth Regi- ment at Camp Eandall, officers and men united in expressions of regard and esteem, and pre- sented the general with the following testi- monial: A CABD. American Rouse, Madison, Wis., June 25, 1865. We, the undersigned officers of the 25th Wiscon- sin Infantry, hereby take this opportunity, upon the occasion of the disbanding of our military or- ganization, to profess our esteem and profound regard for Col. J. M. Rusk. We part from him feeling in our hearts that we have bid good bye to our leader, than whom there is not one more daring or gallant. Remembering that he led us through Georgia, down to the sea, through the swamps of the Caro- linas, ever mindful of our welfare, he stood by us to the last; our prayer is that he may be rewarded by the people of the State, and that his noble deeds be not forgotten by the authorities. Never despairing, but always hopeful, we remember how he performed his arduous duties during the dark days around and in front of Atlanta; and when his regiment was called into action, we always li us IP S USA VEE Y IN BA TTLE. 153 knew who was at its head. Asking nothing and receiving little, he stood by the regiment at all times, ever mindful of the interests of its officers and men. In parting with him our acknowledgment is, he is a gentleman, a hero and soldier. His deeds do show either of these. Thomas Harwood, Chaplain. John Fitzgerald, Lieutenant and Adjutant. Z. S. Swan, Captain. H. D. Farquharson, Captain. Charles A. Hunt, Captain. Rob Eoy McGregor, Captain. Warren C S. Barron, Captain. Edward E. Houstain, 1st Lieutenant. John R. Cannon, 1st Lieutenant. D. C. Hope, Quartermaster. John E. Casson, Captain. William A. Gott, Surgeon. E. B. Waggoner, 2d Lieutenant. Pleasant S. Pritchett, 2d Lieutenant. Warren G. Davis, 1st Lieutenant. Mortimer E. Leonard, Captain. John M. Shaw, Captain. Benjamin B. Gurley, Captain. Daniel M. Smalley, Captain. John T. Richards, 1st Lieutenant. Julius A. Parr, 1st Lieutenant. Oliver M. York, 2d Lieutenant. To Col. J M. Rusk. 154 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. When Gen. Sprague was transferred to a differ- ent field, he wrote the following letter to General, then Colonel, Rusk, ^Headquarters 2d Brigade, 1st Div., 17th Army Corps, Near Washington, D. C, May 29, 1865. Dear Colonel: — As I am ordered by the war department to a distant field, in a few hours I shall be compelled to take leave of my old command. In doing so I feel that I shall separate from very many that are very dear to me, made so by being associated with them in common toils and danger. I cannot leave you, Colonel, without expressing my thanks for that hearty support and co-operation which has ever characterized your actions and bearing in the field. You have been very much in command of your regiment, it has won a proud name, second to none that I know in our armies. You, by your faithful and untiring efforts, have contributed largely to this. You are entitled to, and I hope will receive, the generous thanks of the executive and the people of your State, for your faithfulness to the troops entrusted to your care. The able manner in which you have discharged every duty in the field entitles you to the gratitude of all who love the cause in which you have served so well. JB USIPS BBA VEB Y IN BA TILE. 155 Please accept, Oolonel, my sincere wishes for your prosperity and happiness. your friend, J. W. Spragtje, Brigadier General. To Col. J. M. Rush, 25th Wisconsin Yolunteers. His command was in the 17th Army Corps, un- der General McPherson, and at the battle of the 22d of July, when McPherson fell, Col. Eusk was in command at the front. Once during this fight he was cut oif from his command and surrounded by Confederate soldiers, armed with saber bayo- nets. One of the soldiers seized the bridle of his horse, another one his sword, and he was ordered to surrender; but drawing his pistol he shot the man at the bridle and, putting spurs to his horse, broke through his assailants and escaped with only a slight wound and the loss of his horse, which was riddled by bullets from the Confed- erates. 156 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XVIII. RETUHN FEOM THE WAR— PROMPT RECOGNITION OF HIS SERVICES BY THE PEOPLE. Upon the close of the war, General Eusk re- turned to his home at Viroqua, Wisconsin, and re- sumed the peaceful pursuits he had given up to serve his country. In a little less than two months after his return home, the Republicans of Wiscon- sin, in convention assembled, nominated him for State Bank Comptroller, and he was triumphantly elected in the following November. In 1867 he was renominated, and at the ensuing election re- elected. At the close of his second term as State Bank Comptroller the office was abolished. Gen. Rusk having closed out all of the old banks, which had given way to the new national currency. Dur- ing his incumbency of this office he was distin- guished for thoroughness in business matters, and for a sturdy determination to do what in his ex- cellent judgment was for the best interests of the people. During General Rusk's four years' residence at the capital of the state, he formed a very wide LETUBN FROM THE WAR. 157 acquaintance, especially among the soldier ele- ment, and became one of the most popular citi- zens of the state. During his term of service as Bank Comptroller his keen grasp of public af- fairs became so apparent to every one having business vs^ith his ofiEice that prophesies were freely made that he w^as destined to go still higher politically. When it became known that Cadwallader C. Washburn was to retire from Congress as the member from the Sixth Congres- sional District, General Kusk's name was more freely mentioned than that of any other, as his successor. Upon his retirement from the Bank Comptroller's office, in January, 1870, General Eusk returned to his farm. 158 JEREMIAH M. HUSK. CHAPTER XIX. ELECTED TO CONGRESS. In August, 1870, Gen. Rusk was induced to become a candidate before the Republican con- vention for Member of Congress in the Sixth Dis- trict. His competitors for this nomination were Hon. William T. Price of Black River Falls, and Hon. John T. Kingston of Necedah. This district had been represented for three terms with signal ability by Cadwallader C. Washburn, who was afterward Governor. At this time the district in- cluded nearly one-half of the territory of the State, many parts of it, however, being sparsely settled. It embraced twenty-four counties, and extended from the Wisconsin river on the south and east to the Mississippi river on the west, and to Lake Superior on the north. To become ac- quainted with and to protect the diversified in- terests of this great district necessarily required great labor and ceaseless care. To these inter- ests Gen. Rusk gave his undivided time and at- tention, and so well did he fulfill the trust placed in his hands that two years later he was renomi- nated by acclamation. An incident in his first canvass furnishes as ELECTED TO COJS'GIiESS. 159 clear an indication of the character of the man as would a long analysis. It chanced that in a neighboring county an influential farmer had ex- pressed himself as "against Jerry Rusk for Con- gress," and it was quite important that he should be converted; so in company with a friend Gen. Eusk drove to see the objecting elector, and found the farmer busy at the "cylinder end" of a thresher. On the way out it had been agreed that Mr. Rusk should say little or nothing but let the friend do the talking. To take the farmer from "feeding" would be to make trouble all along the line, and indeed at first he was not disposed to come down to listen to the arguments of the mutual friend. Mr. Eusk quickly took in the situation and said, "I'll feed while you talk;" and to the surprise of the crew he stepped on the plat- form, and shedding his coat and pushing his stove-pipe hat well back on his head he gave the nod to the driver, who hurried the horses until everything hummed. The band-cutter slashed viciously at the rapidly pitched sheaves and pushed them on to the self-appointed feeder, whose ponderous body swayed slowly from side to side as the golden straw, evenly shaken out, fairly shot into the invisible jaws of the machine. The stackers were in danger of being "strawed under;" all were astonished, and the recalcitrant farmer fairly awe-struck. Every man of the force was working like a beaver, while the "sing" of 160 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the cylinder told that the straw was flowing in as smoothly as the waters of a meadow brook. All talk between the friend and farmer soon ceased, the latter looking on with open-mouthed astonishment. Suddenly he exclaimed, "You needn't say another word; Z'm in for any man who can feed a threshing machine like that." In 1872, under the decennial census of 1870, & re-districting of the State was made, and the lines of the old Sixth Congressional District dis- appeared, Vernon County being placed in the new Seventh District. So strongly had Gen, Eusk's record commended itself to the people that no candidate appeared in the field against him for the nomination, and he was triumphantly elected in the following November. In the Forty-third Congress Gen. Rusk was Chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions, and also a member of the Committee on Mines and Mining. Many of the very liberal pension laws inuring to the benefit of the Union soldiers may be accredited to his work in their behalf, and his labors on this committee gave him an ac- quaintance with the veteran soldiers of the whole country. In 1874 he was again nominated for Congress, and re-elected by nearly 4,000 majority. It will be remembered that at the time of this election the country was swept by a Democratic tidal ELECTED TO CONGRESS. 161 wave. Among the congratulatory telegrams re- ceived by Gen. Eusk was the following: "God bless you, honest old Jerry Eusk. I am glad the tidal wave did not submerge you.— James G. Blaine." Although this congress was Democratic, and presumably on account of his services on the In- valid Pensions Committee, he was made a mem- ber of that committee, and was also placed on the Committee on Agriculture. His service in Con- gress was marked by a strict attention to details. It was very rarely that he made any attempt to speak upon any of the questions before the House, but his influence with the leading members of the three Congresses in which he served enabled him to protect every interest of his constituents, and to succeed in procuring for his district that to which he felt they were entitled. His only speech delivered during his service in the House was upon "The Tariff and Its Eelations to Agricul- ture." This speech was printed and circulated all over the country as a campaign document during the campaign of 1876, when Eutherford B. Hayes was the Eepublican candidate for President. In the campaign of 1876 General Eusk was the member of the Eepublican National Congres- sional Committee for the State of Wisconsin, which committee was presided over by the Hon- orable Zach. Chandler, of Michigan. It became the du+^ of this committee to have charge of the 11 162 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. electoral count and to look after the interests of the Eepublican party, in protecting the interests of General Hayes. General Rusk devoted great attention to the details of this work and was con- sidered by Senator Chandler his most valuable ally. Gen. Eusk retired from Congress on the 4th day of March, 1877, and immediately returned to his home in Viroqua, where, after resting from his labors for a short time, in company with Wm. F. Lindemann, he organized the Bank of Viroqua, with which he was connected up to the time of his death. Nearly all of his time was devoted to the cultivation of his fine farm near his home, and he soon made it a model farm. He was instrumental in procuring the construc- tion of the Viroqua branch of the Milwaukee and St. Paul road. Ever since the settlement of the county the farmers of Vernon had been obliged to haul their products long distances, to Sparta^ La Crosse and the Mississippi river for market. Efforts to procure a railroad had been made for years without avail. As soon as Gen. Rusk had the leisure to turn his undivided attention to this, success crowned his efforts, and the people of Viroqua were given an outlet. DELEGATE TO NATIONAL CONVENTION. 163 CHAPTER XX. DELEGATE TO THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CON- VENTION— GARFIELD AND CONKLING— AN ALL NIGHT INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT GARFIELD. In 1880 General Rusk was elected a delegate to represent the Seventh Congressional District of Wisconsin in the Republican National Conven- tion, and was one of the nine delegates who voted for Elihu B. Washburn for President until the break came to Garfield. Gen. Rusk was instru- mental in causing this. His wide acquaintance acquired while he was in Congress enabled him to play a very prominent part in bringing Gen. Garfield's nomination about. After Garfield's inauguration, upon his per- sonal invitation. Gen. Rusk visited Washington. This was the time of the impending trouble in the Republican ranks which culminated in the resig- nation of Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. Piatt as United States Senators from New York. The night before Gen. Rusk left Washington for home he sat up all night with Garfield at the White House, and discussed the situation thoroughly. 164 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. The President talked with him very frankly; told him of Blaine's desire to have Robertson ap- pointed Collector of the Port of New York, and of his disposition to please Mr. Blaine. Gen. Rusk was an intense admirer of Mr. Blaine, but he was above all a party man, and here it may be said that there never was a time during his po- litical career when he was not willing to see the ambitions of a friend sacrificed to the interests of the Republican party. He urged upon President Garfield the injustice of doing anything to offend Mr. Conkling, and reminded him of the fact that when the Republican leaders were in doubt as to success, in the campaign of the year before. Gen. Grant and Mr. Conkling took the stump, thereby insuring his election. He left the president with the promise, at least implied, that nothing should be done to offend ex-President Grant and Mr. Conkling in this matter, but it seems the Presi- dent was afterward persuaded to make the ap- pointments which resulted in such serious dissen- sions within the party. Mr. Conkling, it seems, became aware of this conversation, for seven years afterwards he eX' pressed the opinion in New York that there was no man in the United States so well qualified to heal up all factional feeling in the Republican party as Gen. Rusk, and that he believed he was the most available man in the United States for the presidency. He also intimated to a friend DELEGATE TO NATIONAL CONVENTION. 165 that if he were permitted to be a delegate to the National Convention of 1888 he would present Gen. Eusk's name to that convention. Mr. Conk- ling, it will be remembered, died before the con- vention. President Garfield held the friend of his boy- hood in high esteem, and without first consulting him in regard thereto sent the General's name to the Senate as Minister to Paraguay and Uruguay, a nomination which was unanimously confirmed, but which was as promptly declined by its recip- ient, somewhat to the surprise and disappoint- ment of the President. As a reminder from a man called upon to mechanically sign a great number of state documents daily, Garfield had written in one corner of the commission sent to General Eusk at the same time that the nomina- tion was given to the Senate — "Jerry, J. A. G." He had not affixed his signature in this instance without bestowing a thought upon the old days of their youth. Garfield also offered to his friend successively the posts of Minister to Denmark and Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but both were declined. "I have something bet- ter in mind," said General Rusk; "I'll go home and run for Governor, and you'll see I'll be elected." And he was. This was in 1881. He returned to Wisconsin, advised with his friends, and became a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor, and 366 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. notwithstanding his campaign was of less than two months' duration, upon the assembling of the convention he received the nomination over a strong field of candidates. After a spirited and active campaign, in which every effort known to the opposition was exhausted, Gen. Eusk was elected by a majority of nearly 12,000, and was inaugurated on the first Monday in January fol- lowing. During this campaign General Eusk de- fined his position upon the prohibition question in a letter to Hon. Edward Sanderson, Chairman of the Eepublican State Committee, as follows: "I am not unmindful of the evils which arise from the abuse of intoxicating drinks, but I be- lieve that the temperance reform, like all simi- lar reforms, is to be promoted by moral agencies, and not by the passage of laws which every can- did and intelligent person knows cannot and will not be enforced." Shortly after his inauguration he was con- fronted with a very perplexing problem brought about by the failure of the Chicago, Portage & Superior Eailway, then in course of construction. The company had failed, owing 1,700 laborers for several months' work, and having practically no assets. THE BAILBOAD TROUBLES. 167 CHAPTEE XXI. THE RAILROAD TROUBLES. It is advisable to give a brief history of the events leading up to this railroad trouble. The Wisconsin Legislature, in 1874, granted to the Chicago and Northwestern Pacific Air Line Railway Company a large tract of land, part of the original lands granted to the State by acts of Congress of June 3, 1856, and May 5, 1864, for the purpose of aiding the building of certain lines of railroad. The lands granted to the Air Line Rail- road Company were the lands that were set apart In the original grant to aid in building a road from "St Croix river or lake" to the west end of Lake Superior and to Bayfield. The road from St. Croix river to Bayfield was being built by the North Wisconsin Railway Company, that company hav- ing received the lands applicable to the building of that road. The Air Line company was trying to build the road from the west end of Lake Su- perior — Superior City — southward to a point of intersection with the North Wisconsin road in Burnett county, the point of intersection being 168 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. known as Superior Junction. This company had received from the Legislature, as before stated, a grant of all the lands applicable to the building of a road from Lake Superior southward to the junction with the North Wisconsin road. In January, 1882, the Air Line company had about 1,700 men working along its route, when suddenly it collapsed, being deeply in debt to sub-contract- ors and laborers. This collapse turned loose on the community in the winter time, 1,700 men, many of them far away from their homes and fam- ilies. Naturally, the men were desperate, and the citizens became alarmed. This was the con- dition of things on the 26th of January, 1882, and which called forth the following telegram : "Superior Junction, Jan. 26, 1882. "Gov. Rush, Madison: "The men on this end of the Portage and Su- perior road are taking everything within their reach. We are powerless to protect our property against 1,700 men, who have neither money nor means of subsistence. They threaten to burn houses and destroy everything here. We appeal to you for protection. Can you send relief? WAI.ICER, JUDD & VEAZIE." It may be here stated that Walker, Judd & Vea- zie were prominent lumber men, located near Su- perior Junction and having extensive property in- THE RAILROAD TROUBLES. 169 terests there; they were also the creditors to quite an amount of the Air Line company for supplies furnished. To that telegram the Governor at once replied, saying that the men needed bread, not bullets, and requesting Walker, Judd & Veazie to notify them that they must do no damage, and assure them that supplies would be sent at once and transportation furnished such of them as wanted to leave and find work in other localities. On the same day Walker, Judd & Veazie telegraphed back to the Governor that the men refused to leave without their pay; that they would have their pay before they left or they would burn the railroad bridges and destroy the track. They also requested the Governor to send up 200 armed men to protect property and preserve order. The Governor replied in substance that the men wanted bread — not bayonets! A great many tele- grams came to the Governor from different par- ties, showing a highly wrought state of feeling, and great fear that the men would resort to riot- ous proceedings. A bill had been introduced in the Legislature, and was then pending, to revoke the grant of lands to the Air Line company and confer it on the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Eailway Company. This bill had been in- troduced because the Air Line company had vir- tually forfeited its right to the grant in not build- 170 JEREMIAH M. B USK. ing the road within the limit of time specified in the grant. A happy thought struck the Governor, In re- voking the grant to the Air Line company and conferring it on the Omaha company, the Legis- lature had ample constitutional power to attach as a condition precedent to the grant the require- ment of full payment of the Air Line company's indebtedness to its laborers. The Legislature was not in session then, having adjourned over Sun- day a day or two before, and consequently Gov. Rusk could not communicate with it, but, keeping his own counsel, he sent a dispatch direct to the laborers, telling them that they must at all events maintain order and respect persons and property; that the State would not permit any violation of the rights of persons or of property. He told them it was not wise for them to stay there expecting speedy payment from the Air Line company, and advised them to appoint a committee to look after their rights, and then go away and get work as quickly as they could. The Governor's sensible advice was followed. In a few days the Legislature reconvened, and the Governor at once sent in a special message giving a full and unvarnished history of the whole matter. He called especial attention to the fact that a great deal of expense had been incurred in feeding the men and furnishing transportation to THE RAILROAD TROUBLES. 171 ttose who went away to seek work elsewhere, and he closed his message with these words: "I also venture to suggest that if the Legislature shall transfer the grant applicable to the road from Su- perior Junction to the west end of Lake Superior, to any company, it would be wise, under existing circumstances, to require such company to provide funds for the immediate payment of these labor- ers, and to reimburse the State for any expenses incurred in taking care of these men in this emer- gency. I feel constrained to urge upon the Legis- lature some prompt action in the premises." After the reading of the message to the Legis- lature, the attorney for the company seeking the land grant which had lapsed by the failure of the Chicago, Portage and Superior company called upon the Governor, desiring to know if he was to understand that any bill which did iiot provide for the payment of the laborers would fail to receive the executive approval. He was very plainly in- formed by the Governor that such was the fact — that he would certainly refuse to approve any bill which did not provide for their payment by any company receiving the grant. "These men," said the Governor, "are entitled to an equivalent for their labor. If the lands which the Legislature proposes to grant to another com- pany in aid of the construction of a road are of any value to the road, they can well afford to re- imburse these men for their labor." 172 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. The Governor's suggestion was heeded, and on the 16th of February following he approved an act revoking the grant to the Air Line company, and conferring it on the Omaha company. This act provided that within three days after its pass- age the Omaha company should pay to the Gov- ernor the sum of |78,000, and give such security as the Governor should require, to fully indemnify and save harmless the State against all liability and expenses incurred in feeding the laborers, should the sum of |75,000, part of the f 78,000 paid to the Governor, be inadequate to the full pay- ment of the laborers, and further provided that the company within thirty days after the passage of the act, should file with the Secretary of State their authenticated resolution of acceptance of the grant on the terms imposed by the Legisla- ture. The balance of the |78,000, being |3,000, was reserved to pay the expenses of the agent ap- pointed to adjust the claims of sub-contractors and laborers. The act further required the Gov- ernor to appoint an agent who should forthwith investigate and ascertain the amounts honestly and actually due for labor and supplies done and furnished prior to January 20, 1882, on the Air Line road. The Omaha company at once accepted the grant on the terms proposed, paid over to the Governor the |78,000, and gave the security re- quired by the act. Governor Eusk's action in this matter showed THE RAILROAD TROUBLES. 173 Ilim to be the true friend of the laborer. His pos- itive and determined course procured for the men what was justly due them, and his timely action in their behalf was of more practical benefit to them than all the demagoguery and buncombe of the professional agitators who live off the work- ingmen could possibly have been. The real work- ingman can easily convince himself as to which is his best friend, the man who stands firm in se- curing to him his rights, or the one who would lead Mm into riots, and who subsists upon the hard earnings of the poor. 174 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XXII. HIS LABORS AS GOVERNOR— HUMANE ACTS. During Gen. Rusk's incumbency of the office a vast amount of additional labor was entailed upon the executive by the construction of the new transverse wings of the Capitol, and by other re- quirements made by the Legislature. So great was the confidence reposed in him that new trusts were continually placed in his hands by each suc- ceeding Legislature. In 1882 an act was passed which permitted con- stables and police officers to arrest any man with- out a home and confine him in jail. This act Gen. Rusk regarded as barbarous and contrary to good public policy, and he very emphatically placed his seal of condemnation upon it in a veto message. His action in this regard attracted the attention of the whole country, and drew forth much favor- able comment even from those politically opposed to him. In speaking of this veto message, the Chicago Herald, then the leading Democratic pa- per of the West, had this to say: "Wisconsin's legislators have outdone them- HIS LABORS AS GOVERNOB. 175 selves at last in their barbarous desire to crucify a man because he is poor, and the Governor has brought them up with a round turn by the use of the veto. Never was the Executive power more righteously employed. "Several years ago a tramp law was enacted in Wisconsin, which permitted constables and police officers to arrest every man who had no home, no employment and no money, and confine him in jail. Under this act a man out of work, who could not afford to pay railroad fare, and who took the highways in his travels, was liable to summary arrest and imprisonment. Zealous officials, anx- ious for fees, seized everybody who could not show a bank account, and, as the law was specific, pun- ishment was inevitable after the complaint was made. Of course many worthless vagrants were apprehended, some of them criminals, doubtless, but hundreds of honest men were also subjected to arrest and imprisonment for no other reason than that they were destitute. The taxpayers at length found this policy an expensive one, and it was abandoned. "At the beginning of the present session of the Legislature a bill was introduced reviving the old tramp law, and catering to the economical in- stincts of the people by providing that every of- fender be confined in the County Jail on a diet of bread and water for ninety days. It seems to have passed without much objection, but the Gov- 176 JEREMIAH M. HUSK. ernor of the State, Jeremiah M. Eusk, who was once a penniless workingman himself, had the hu- manity to veto it and pronounce it cruel and un- usual. He has merited the praise of all men for his good sense, and the legislators who have de- served his rebuke ought to be execrated every- where. The glibness with which men assuming to make laws disregard the first principles of lib- erty shows that thousands of people are not fit for freedom, and would themselves vote it away if some strong hand did not interpose to save them from their own stupid folly." The full text of the Governor's message vetoing the bill is as follows: State of Wisconsin, "Executive Department, "Madison, April 6, 1885. "To the Honorable the AssemNi/: "I return herewith assembly bill No. 323, en- titled 'An Act in relation to the punishment of vagrants, and amendatory of section 1546, Ee- vised Statutes,' with my objections thereto. "This bill, should it become a law, would au- thorize any justice of the peace, before whom any person was convicted of vagrancy, to sentence such offender to be imprisoned in the county jail of the county not exceeding ninety days, and 'lim- ited to a diet of bread and water only for any or all of said time.' By section 4726 of the Eevised HIS LABORS AS GOVERNOR. 177 Statutes, this class of offenders may also be sen- tenced to hard labor during their term of impris- onment. "Should a sentence then be enforced to the full extent of the law, it would be to imprisonment in the county jail for ninety days, at hard labor, and upon the diet of a prisoner, as a part of the execu- said time. I can not but believe that such a pun- ishment would be both 'cruel and unusual,' within that provision of the constitution which says 'no cruel and unusual punishment shall be inflicted.' "The only limit now recognized by the statutes upon the diet of a prisoner, as a part of the execu- tion of the sentence, is that prisoners serving time in state prison shall be dieted upon bread and water during their term of solitary confinement, but not exceeding twenty days at any one time. This term of solitary confinement is considered the severest part of the prisoner's sentence, and it is justly so because of the restricted diet. But vagrancy, if a crime at all, is not such an one as would justify a sentence so severe as the one al- lowed by the proposed bill. "I have been unable to find that vagabondage was ever punished in such a manner; and there are crimes which, during the times of terroristic statutes, were punishable by death, that have not now so severe a penalty. The bill was probably intended to scare the offenders from the State or keep them from the crime by the enormity of the 12 178 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. punishment. Wharton says: 'Terroristic penal- ties, viewing them in their crude shape, undertake to punish the offender, not merely for what he has actually done in the past, but for what others may do in the future. Terrorism treats the offender not as a person, but a thing; not as a responsible, self-determining and immortal being, to whom justice is to be distinctively meted, as a matter be- tween him and the state, but as an irresponsible block of matter, without a right to justice for him- self, or a claim for sympathy from others.' "Such laws have proven futile in all past gen- erations, and can not now, in this progressive and enlightened age, be revived without bringing op- probrium upon that 'diadem of humanity' which has been awarded this free republic. "J. M. Rusk, "Governor." In 1884 Governor Eusk was re-elected by an increased majority, receiving a much greater vote than Mr. Blaine, who was the Republican candi- date for President. He had at this time occupied the executive chair for three years, a constitu- tional amendment of the State having increased his term one year. It was during his second term as Governor, in May, 1886, that he was confronted with the Milwaukee labor troubles which resulted in a formidable riot, still well remembered throughout the country. -t- ^ r+ ■J. t; 7^ .-^ '-1 :r 1 C 05 o o THE MIL WA UKEE BIOTS OF 1886. 179 CHAPTER XXIII. THE MILWAUKEE RIOTS OF 1886. Everybody remembers Governor Husk's famous reply, "These men need bread — not bayonets," to the application of certain officials for troops to quell disorder among their laborers. He had promptly investigated the matter, ascertained that the men were simply clamoring for payment due them and of which they stood in sore need, and decided accordingly. "Justice to all" was the motto which inspired his whole career and led to the decision that so cheered the workingman and discomfited the em- ployer. It was a time when strikes were occur- ring all over the land, when violence was rife and when people still looked back with a shudder upon the widespread destruction of life and property that occurred during the railway riots of '77, and the bloodshed and mob fury that accompanied the destruction of the court house in Cincinnati. Mob violence time and again had gone unpun- ished. Mob rule had triumphed over the state troops, and had only been crus'hed by the disci- 180 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. plined front of the regular army. What has hap- pened in Chicago and Pittsburg, Scranton and Cincinnati, Buffalo and Baltimore, can readily happen here in Milwaukee, said timid business men, for there is an element in our population that will feed the flame of riot. It will certainly happen in Milwaukee, said certain officials of great corporations, for here we have no troops ex- cept those recruited from among the masses, and our governor is avowedly in sympathy with the workingmen. And so he was. Abraham Lincoln, the greatest American that ever lived, used to say that "God must love the common people, he made so many of them," and Jeremiah Eusk was the friend of every man, high or low, rich or poor, asking of him only that he should be honest and law abiding. But people who thought Governor Rusk would side with the masses, right or wrong, little knew the stuff of which he was made. Old soldier that he was, devoted to his com- rades of the Grand Army of the Republic, our governor well knew that as years rolled by and times and tactics changed, a new and younger soldiery must be educated to take the places of the veterans so rapidly dropping from the rolls. He had not marked in vain the lessons of the strikes of '77. He had not failed to note that every such opportunity was seized upon by the THE MIL WA UKEE RIOTS OF 1886. 181 criminal classes of the threatened communities to swell the ranks of the strikers and incite them to, and aid them in, the maddest acts of violence. He had been well satisfied as a result of his ob- servations that had the state troops been properly- disciplined and properly led, there would have been no need for demanding national aid, and al- most from the opening of his administration in 1882, Governor Rusk began his fostering care of the then infant National Guard. It was at the time only an agglomeration of militia companies, scattered over the state, few of them uniformed and still fewer drilled alike, but all, or nearly all, in imitation of the militia of the ante-bellum days, were dressed in swallow tailed coats and gilt braided trousers. He summoned to duty as chief of his staff the best organizer and most success- ful company commander the state had yet devel- oped, and bade General Chapman set to work on the long, uphill task, while to insure uniformity and precision in instruction, he called to his staff an officer of the regular army. Captain Charles King, a graduate of West Point who had had years of experience as instructor at the National Academy as well as among the troops in the field. Under Eusk's supervision the scattered companies were orgauized into battalions and regiments. At his entreaty the legislature, hitherto deaf to their needs, procured tentage for the state troops, and summer after summer the governor appeared 182 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. with them in camp, a keen but kindly critic of their work and a constant inspiration to their best efforts. Like Lincoln, he had to do a vast amount of harmonizing among the officers, many of whom belonged to the old school and were fiercely in- tolerant of the teachings of the new. Like Lin- coln, too, he had to feel his way with his legis- lators; interest the people in these their future de- fenders, and so win for them the financial sup- port they needed. It was slow, patient, plodding work, but he persevered when younger officers grew wearied and impatient and "fell out." He never missed one of the annual conventions of the officers of the Guard, started as they were the first year of his administration, but was always on hand with counsel and encouragement, and one of these conventions, that of 1885, became mem- orable. By that lime the state had three good regi- ments of infantry, and, in the city of Milwaukee, a four company battalion with a troop of cavalry and battery of light artillery, the two latter ex- cellent commands, well officered and well "manned." There had been trouble in adjoining states. There had been a flutter at Eau Claire, and the adjutant general had assigned to the one West Point officer of the Guard — Capt. King, a man who had seen service against rioters in more than one section of the country — the duty of pre- paring a paper conveying instructions upon the THE MILWA UKEE BIOTS OF 1886. 183 subject of riot duty to the officers of the conven- tion. It was held in the senate chamber at Madi- son, and among the interested listeners were Gov- ernor Rusk and General Fairchild. Among other points dwelt on by the lecturer was the necessity of having in writing the order (from the mayor, sheriff or other civil magnate to whom the troops might be ordered to report) in case firing upon the mob was necessary. Cases had occurred where, when the danger was imminent, such authority had been hastily and verbally given by the official and then denied when the deed was done. It was for self-protection that the officers were so cau- tioned, and this was the result: No sooner had the lecturer finished than right then and there arose the governor and com- mander-in-chief, six feet three in his stockings, with head, mane and beard like a gray lion, mas- sive and impressive, the biggest man of all the scores in the room. "Gentlemen," said he, in a voice that rang throughout the chamber, "I want to say one thing right now. Of course the colonel is all right in his warning about the orders of mayors and sher- iffs and so on, but don't you worry about that! Whenever the time comes for you to tackle a mob in this state I'll be there as quick as you can, and youHl get your orders from me." "The applause that greeted him was deafen- ing," said an officer who was present, "but, could 184 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. we have looked ahead a brace of years and saw how thoroughly that stalwart promise was to be redeemed, the dome of the capitol would have cracked with the uproar." As the spring of '86 wore on the signs of com- ing trouble were incessant. A concerted effort was to be made by the labor leaders all over the West to compel employers to reduce the number of working hours to eight, even while maintain- ing the day's wages on the ten hour basis. Aided by the anarchists and socialists of Chicago and Milwaukee, and fired by the speeches of dema- gogues and fanatics, hundreds of honest and hitherto law abiding men had been drawn into the turmoil. The governor, coolly watching the symptoms from his office at the capital, gave no sign. He had one horror,^ — that of being consid- ered an intimidator; but through his adjutant general and through a staff officer stationed in Milwaukee, he was kept constantly informed of what was going on in the metropolis. The latter officer had received instructions to watch the situ- ation closely. The disaffected workmen were nearly all foreigners and the days were few when this officer was not riding through the sec- tion of the city occupied by them and watching their meetings at night. The detectives were also on the alert and willingly gave him all the in- formation in their power; but up to within a few days of the great labor demonstration of Sunday, THE MILWA UKEE RIOTS OF 1886. 185 May the 2d, tliP principal officials of the city of Milwaukee seemed loath to believe that any breach of the peace was in contemplation. It was not until the night of Thursday, April 29th, that the mayor called into consultation the staff officer of the Governor and informed him, — • what he already knew, — that the second-hand shops and those of many of the cheap gunsmiths had been gutted of their supply of small arms, that the various societies of anarchists, socialists, etc., of the city had bought up all they had. And still the Governor gave no sign. He had, as has been said, a horror of appearing as an in- timidator, so much so that when some ten days before the trouble began it was officially reported to him that only three rounds per man of ball car- tridges were then on hand in the Milwaulcee ar- mories he ordered a further supply, but had the little boxes, each holding its thousand rounds and weighing a hundred pounds, packed in innocent looking dry goods cases, marked blankets or over- coats or something of that kind, and sent orders to his staff officer to meet them at the Mihvaukee railway station. There they were loaded on trucks and drays and drawn to the Light Horse Squadron Armory, unboxed and stowed in the vault, and only three men in Milwaukee were in the secret that thirty thousand rounds were then and there deposited ready for emergency. Report- 1S6 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. ers were full of bustle and activity just then and eager to get everything or anything in the way of news or rumors affecting the preparations for the coming trouble, and these gentlemen the governor especially desired kept in ignorance. Illustrative of his sensitiveness on this point too, is the following: When inspecting a certain company in Milwaukee a short time previous, the staff officer found that a number of the rifles had broken firing pins, and so reported. The adjutant general wrote to the captain commanding to have the broken pins extracted and new ones inserted, just as he did to other captains in other parts of the state, but this happened to be a company com- mander who loved to see his name in print, and was perpetually giving semi-sensational points to reporters, and the next thing the Governor knew there appeared in the Milwaukee papers an item to the effect that Captain of such a com- pany, had just received orders from Madison to have all his rifles put in order for immediate active service, and this, coming just in the midst of the meetings of the various labor unions, etc., was of grievous consequence to the Governor. It was some time before either his adjutant general or the captain referred to heard the last of it. Along in mid April he came quietly to Milwau- kee, spending three or four days and consulting with various prominent citizens, who somehow THE MILWA UKEE RIOTS OF 1886. 187 looked far less anxious after he left. Then he re- turned to Madison. On Saturday, May the 1st, the long projected strike began. Many organized bodies left their shops, but there was no disorder worth mention- ing. On Sunday, May 2d, led by Paul Grottkau and waving defiantly the red flags of anarchy, a great procession of socialists and anarchists marched unmolested through the principal streets of the city. Some of the divisions formed almost immediately under the windows of the police sta- tion and the armory of the Light Horse Squadron. A few policemen in the one, a dozen quiet looking men in civilian dress in the other, peered curiously out at the demonstration, but said nothing. Sun- day night there were excited meetings and speeches and Monday morning, May 3d, the row began in earnest. By noon a big mob had rushed all the workmen out of the shops of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in the Menominee valley, and the great iron works of the E. P. AUis Company had to shut down. Ugly demonstrations were made at the Bay View rolling mills and other points, and the news was flashed all over the state. In vain the mayor, sheriif and chief of police plead and expostulated. The strikers paid no attention, but went on with their work, driving workmen from their benches and howling in their mother tongue, "Eight hours," at the barred gates of the rolling mills. Neither mayor, sheriff nor 188 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. marshal had sent for him, but at eight o'clock that evening Governor Eusk was on his vray on a special train, accompanied by his adjutant gen- eral; he had sent for his Milwaukee staff officer who was drilling the batterymen in the use of the carbine at the moment, and late that night there was held a most important conference in the rooms of Mr. Eoswell Miller, manager of the Chi- cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, at the Plankinton Hotel. There were present the Governor, Mr. Manager Miller, the mayor, sheriff. Adjutant General Chapman and Colonel King, of the Governor's staff. The manager pointed out that all work was now at an end in his shops. He had appealed to the civil authorities for protec- tion, and they were powerless. The sheriff's posses were hustled aside without ceremony. He did not believe the sheriff or the mayor could control the mob, and urged that the situation be turned over to the governor. The governor was of sim- ilar opinion, but declined to act until they did turn over the situation. The conference broke up after midnight, Mr. Miller giving orders to his as- sistant to close up everything, as he would not subject his few remaining men to mob violence, and he knew that the sheriff could do nothing. And then came the eventful 4th of May. Early in the morning, in vastly augmented numbers, the strikers were at work driving would be contented men from their tools and closing up of necessity THE MILWAUKEE RIOTS OF 1886. 189 one establishment after another. Again the sher- iff and his posses interposed, and were tossed aside like chaff. At eight o'clock he fled to the calmly waiting governor, and at 8:45 the riot alarm was sounding on the fire bells all over town and the local troops were hurrying to their ar- mories. True to his word, cool as a cucumber, fresh as a daisy, there in the headquarters room of the Light Horse Armory was our war horse of a commander-in-chief. The time had come to "tackle a mob" as he had said, and he was on hand, quick as the quickest of his men. Just as predicted, the great rolling mills at Bay View were the objective point of the mob on this day, and while General Chapman was telegraph- ing orders summoning the entire first regiment of infantry, covering the line of the St. Paul road from Kacine and Whitewater to Darlington, by special train to the city, the four companies con- stituting the Fourth Battalion, stationed in Mil- waukee, were hurriedly bundled into the cars and sent under command of Major Traeumer, a vet- eran of the civil war, post haste to the rescue of the great plant at Bay View. The guns of the Light Battery were run down from their shed on Farwell avenue to the central armory, and the Light Horse, sixty strong, saddled and mounted to meet and escort arriving detachments from Ea- cine, Watertown and Madison, and, later, the companies from the southwestern part of the 1 90 JEREMIAH M. B USK. state. Meantime, the companies of the Second Kegiment were held in readiness in their armories at Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Appleton, Fond du Lac, etc., and the Governor received dep utations of excited citizens at the armory. Wars and rumors of wars came in all day. Owners of dozens of manufactories, elevators or shops wanted guards. Major Caldwell, of the First In- fantry, with two companies was hurried out to the car shops. Another small detachment was sent to the Allis works, and then came tidings from Bay View. The mob had hooted and stoned the Fourth Battalion, the Polish company espe- cially coming in for a hot time, and some few men of this then undisciplined organization, had turned and fired wildly over the heads of their assailants. By afternoon, however, the command was safely inside the gates and holding back the throng. That night on the south side and the west, at the Milwaukee gardens and assembly halls, fiery and furious speeches were made by prominent leaders of the strike. Especial venom was dis- played towards the Fourth Battalion at Bay View. Before midnight at the armory the Gov- ernor had the purport of all the speeches, and the item of greatest interest was that the Polonia As- sembly and a host of supporters had announced their intention of marching on Bay View in the morning and pitching the militia into the lake. THE MIL WA UKEE RIOTS OF 1886. 191 The Governor grinned and ordered Companies "A" and "B," First Infantry, two stalwart Ameri- can commands from Janesville, to proceed to rein- force tlie Fourtli Battalion which was being much badgered and bothered by the crowd still hanging about the works, who set fire to the freight cars, stoned the sentries and shouted direful prophesies of what would happen to them on the morrow. The two companies went down by train late at night, and meantime impetuous citizens from the south side had come up to see the Governor and in excited speech to declaim against the outrage committed by the troops in firing on peaceable and defenseless citizens. The Governor listened grimly, and then bade the emissaries go back and say to the peaceable and defenseless citizens that they would do well to keep away from the troops until the excitement was over, and furthermore gave them fair warning that if they proceeded to molest those troops in the morning, as he was in- formed was their intention, they could look for trouble. This time there would be no desultory firing over their heads. An excellent reason for believing that the Gov- ernor's warning was fully understood by the lead- ers and exciters of the violence on the south side is that those parties kept well to the rear and out of the way when, in the morning, they pushed their misguided fellow citizens forward to resume their attempt at Bay View. Just what they ex- 192 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. pected to accomplish is to this day a mystery. That most of them were armed "was proved by the police, and the fact that those captured — even to a school boy barely in his teens — had heavy re- volvers secreted about them. But, true to the threats of the night before and to the tidings sent the Governor early in the morning, towards nine o'clock on the 5th of May on they came, in solid column, coveinng the causeway across the flats, far as the eye could reach. The Governor was early at his post at the armory and close to the telephone. He had already given his instructions to Major Traeumer to receive them with a volley if they refused to halt at his demand. He had long since made up his mind that the true way, the most merciful and effective way to put a stop to mob violence was to hit it sharply at the start and end it then and there. Suddenly came the call from Bay View, "The mob's coming, sir, in full force." And back went the answer in the chief's sten- torian tones, "Very well, sir. Fire on them." And two minutes later crashed the single volley that scattered the south side mob like so many sheep and practically blew the back bone out of anarchy in our midst. Not once again had trigger to be drawn during our riots. The luckless victims of demagogic oratory had learned that they had a Governor who could command and soldiers who would obey. That night while dozens of Chicago's THE MIL WA UKEE BIOTS OF 1886. 193 police lay stiffening, or writhing in agony, victims of the cowardly bomb throwers of Haymarket, the leaders of the Milwaukee riots, gathered in by po- lice and guardsmen during the day, were lan- guishing behind the bars of the central station, and the mobs that had gathered at Milwaukee gar- den and defied and driven the civil officers of the law had given way before the solid ranks of the National Guard, awed even into respectful silence. The Milwaukee riots of May, 1886, were prac- tically ended with that one volley at Bay View. And while from all over the United States there came enthusiastic plaudits for the Governor, and for days he was deluged with telegrams, com- mendatory, congratulatory and full of predictions of honors yet in store for him, he never forgot the faithful and intelligent service of the men who had aided him in the work of preparation. The prompt "mobilization" of the First Eegiment — whose most distant Company, "K," at Darlington, was in ranks and readiness one hour from the re- ception of the order — was rendered possible by the admirable system which General Chapman had introduced throughout the military establish- ment. Chapman knew every officer in the state, had gauged his character and qualifications and could unerringly select the best man for the work in hand, whatever it might be. He had wrought night and day to place the Guard in readiness for service, to render it compact, coherent and dis- IB 194 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. ciplined. He was enthusiastically devoted to their best interests, and the Guardsmen were as enthu- siastically devoted to him. They looked up to him and believed on him before the May riots of '86, but after that he seemed to them infallible. To this day, officers who won their commission under his administration visit Madison as do the fol- lowers of the Prophet their Mecca, and the first thought seems to be to go in person and call upon their old leader now so sorely stricken in health, and it was good to see them crowd about him, when, during the encampment of the summer of '95, as the guest of his successor and old friend and associate. General King, he came to the Wis- consin Military Reservation to see the great im- provements that had been wrought from year to year in the Camp grounds that he had selected nearly a decade ago, and was mainly instrumental in securing for the use of the state. Governor Eusk was fortunate indeed in having the services of Captain Charles King, U. S: A., re- tired, as the active field commander of the State troops, and had a very keen appreciation of the in- valuable services rendered by this gallant officer. GOVEBNOB'S ACTION COMMENDED. 195 CHAPTER XXIV. COMMENDATION OF THE GOVERNOE'S COURSE IN UPHOLDING LAW AND ORDER. The action of Gov. Rusk in quelling the riots at Milwaukee, met with almost universal approval. At the time, and for several weeks after, Gov. Rusk received a very large number of letters from prominent men all over the country, regardless of party, endorsing his action in very strong terms. The following are only a few of the large num- ber received, but are indicative of the character of all: From Ex-Governor Salomon, of Wisconsin: New York, May 8, 1886.— My Dear Governor: Permit me to tender you my congratulations upon the prompt, sagacious, fearless and successful manner with which you have suppressed the An- archist outbreak in Milwaukee. * * * Your courage has saved the good name of Wisconsin, and the cause of civilization and good government everywhere owes you thanks. Very truly yours, Edward Salomon, 196 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. From Ex-Grovernor Crittenden, of Missouri: Kansas City, Mo., May 10, 1886. — My. Dear Gov- ernor: I mail you today the Kansas City Journal, with some strong complimentary editorials about you. I think you deserve them. I endorse your course fully and unqualifiedly. I am for the su- premacy of the law at all times and under all cir- cumstances, and against mobocracy, anarchy, so- cialism, red republicanism and boycotting at all times, and under all circumstances. Your course reflects great honor upon your glorious State. Your friend, Thomas T. Crittenden. From B. L. Ayers, New York: Union League Club, New York, May 8, 1886. — Gov. Eusk, Dear Sir: Thousands here speak your praise and millions of Americans endorse all these extracts say of your actions and words. Kespectfully, B. L. Ayers. From Hon. Wm. Purcell, Editor of the Koches- ter. New York, Union, a prominent Democratic politician: Rochester, N. Y., May 7, 1886. — Governor: I do not know you personally, but I desire to thank you for your answer to the aldermanic advocate of the Anarchists and for the manner in which your troops have taught whom it may concern the GOVERNOR'S ACTION COMMENDED. 197 much needed lesson that liberty is not license. Thirty-nine years ago this day, May 7, 1847, then a boy of sixteen, I left Kochester on a boat on the Erie Canal for Buffalo, and from Buffalo travelled around the lakes on a steamer with the late Jona- than A. Hadley to Milwaukee, and from there to .Watertown, where I helped Mr. H. to establish the Watertown Chronicle, a Whig paper in the ter- ritory of Wisconsin. * * * Through all these years I have watched the progress of the state, and it is the recurrence of the anniversary to it that suggests the above brief expression of my ad- miration of the manner in which its Chief Magis- trate handles a mob. lYours, Wm. Purcell. The newspapers of the country saw much for good in Gov. Eusk's prompt and efficient action. Below are given a few extracts from some of the leading journals of the nation: From the Philadelphia Times: Wisconsin is fortunate in having a Governor that governs. His name is Jeremiah M. Rusk. He is an American in all that the term implies, having begun life as a stage-driver, from which lowly beginning he graduated by successive steps to the Executive chair. His own history guaran- tees his entire sympathy with all honest efforts 198 JEEEMIAH M. BUSK. made by real working-men to improve their con- dition. But lie is American enough to be law- abiding himself and to insist that the laws shall be enforced and the peace maintained. The militia that fired on the mob at Bay View on Wednesday were acting directly under his or- ders and he assumes the responsibility without flinching. Had the Governors of other Western and Southwestern States shown the same disposi- tion to prevent disorder that is shown by Gov- ernor Eusk there would have been fewer lives lost during the prevalence of the late labor troubles. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press: It is only in times of popular turmoil that we begin to catch a notion of the importance of char- acter in our rulers. In our Democratic system we have overlooked not a little the fundamental principle, that the fittest should command. There is something more in Democracy than the mere skeleton of popular liberty. The people can be free only when those whom they choose to stand at the head of affairs are ready and able to help them protect their freedom. It is when the choice of the people falls upon a man fit to bear sway, possessed with the instinct of command, and gifted with a right royal sense of the magni- tude of interests committed to his charge, that we are permitted to see the full excellence of our system of government. The people of Wisconsin GOVHSNOB'S ACTION COMMENDED. 199 have given us that opportunity. They are to be congratulated upon their governor, and they and the whole country have a right to be proud of him. From the Oshkosh Times: Every law-abiding and peace loving citizen of Wisconsin will applaud the prompt, manly and efficient work of Governor Eusk in hastening to protect the lives and property of citizens of Mil- waukee from the assaults of mobs. Governor Rusk has proven himself an energetic, vigorous and attentive executive, and it is the duty of every citizen of the commonwealth to accord to him a full measure of praise for his excellent work. He did not stop to ask whether the peo- ple would praise or condemn his actions, but as soon as the peace of the community was threat- ened and a rampant and raving mob offered vio- lence to property, Governor Eusk promptly ap- peared upon the scene and by energetic action quelled the insurrection with less bloodshed and damage to property than would have occurred had he shown the least weakness and hesitancy at the trying moment. From the Albany (N. Y.) Journal: All honor, we say, to Governor Eusk, who, when the crisis was precipitated in our state and brought home to our very doors, manfully set aside the possibilities of alienating a certain class 200 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. of the boycotting school, throwing aside the tin- sel and shame of political bulfoonry, took up the escutcheon of liberty and with a bold front drove the minions and rats of socialism into their dens and hiding places. Such promptness on his part is deserving of the highest encomiums of the press and the public, and the response will reach to that high pitch of enthusiasm, that he will again be the people's candidate for the office he has re- peatedly filled with so much dignity and honor. Gov. Jerry M. Eusk is one of the old veterans of the war. He has been time-tried and fire-tested. No more gallant defender ever donned the blue, and the laurels he has received are easily worn, without the affectation which in no wise is a part of his nature. He is a man of the people, staunch and true to guide the ship of State. From the Chicago Journal: Governor J. M. Rusk of Wisconsin has shown during the recent riots in Milwaukee conspicuous courage and executive capacity. He made no terms with rebels against the public peace, but declared war against them at the first revolt. Once having opened hostilities, he pushed the fight with vigor. He gave the troops orders to shoot when the rioters charged on them, and to shoot rioters — not to shoot in the air. He had a Gatling-gun ready to open on their ranks if rifles had not done the required work. It may OOVEBNOB'S ACTION COMMENDED. 201 be significantly added tliat the Gatling-gun was not needed. Gov. Eusk has shown that he knows how to meet a threatening emergency. In such a crisis what seems like cruelty is the tenderest part of mercy. Dalliance with desperadoes and cut- throats only inflames their savage purposes and re-enforces their numbers. Decisive and severe measures are the best and wisest and are the shortest road to peace. From the Washington Star: Although for the last twenty years a political office holder, Governor Kusk, of Wisconsin, was a soldier before that, and one of recognized cour- age. In the discharge of his present high trust he maintains the same order of sequence and makes the politician second to the soldier. One politician — and only one, so far as can be learned — has sent up a howl over the tragic end of the riot. He thinks that the bullets which the mili- tia fired into the mob will cost the governor a good many votes. Perhaps they will. But there is not a law-loving citizen of Wisconsin who will not stand by Mr. Eusk and approve his course from start to finish. And, as for the law-loving citizens of the United States outside of Wiscon- sin, they will desire his better acquaintance and wish there were thirty-seven more governors just like him. 202 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. From tlie Milwaukee Journal: Earely has the course of a public officer met Avith such hearty endorsement as that adopted by Gen. Eusk in dealing with the Milwaukee rioters. Employes as well as employers feel that the heroic measures resorted to by the authorities saved many valuable lives and property. That blood was shed, that precious human life was taken, will ever be a cause of regret. Still, we must remember it was better the law-breakers should have been killed than the law-defenders. Had the militi^ waited until it was attacked by the mob, there would have been terrible slaugh- ter on both sides. Remembering these facts, press and public have only words of praise for Gov. Eusk, under whose direction the soldiers acted. It is gratifying to see the politician sink in the citizen, as shown by the comments of the state press, democratic and republican, printed elsewhere in today's issue of the Journal. Shortly after the riots occurred, the Merchants' Association of Milwaukee held their annual ban- quet and Governor Eusk was the honored guest of the occasion. In response to the toast, "The State of Wisconsin — within her borders no room is found for anarchy and violations of sacred rights," the Governor spoke as follows: "It seems to me that the toast just read was pretty thoroughly answered the first week of this OOVEBNOB'S ACTION COMMENDED. 203 month, and I do not think there is any fear that the intelligent people of Wisconsin will ever per- mit the red flag of anarchy to float within her bor- ders again. Your city, constituted as it is, with its population made up of people from nearly every country on the face of the globe, contains many agitators who have been driven from the Fatherland for violation of laws, and sought refuge here under our free form of government, believing they will be permitted here to violate the laws, incite mobs and riots, and attempt to lead ignorant people to do what they dare not do themselves. Such men should not be permitted to promulgate their doctrines in this glorious state of Wisconsin, among her industrious, law- abiding people. Wisconsin has plenty of unoccu- pied room for those who desire to become hon- orable citizens. Our factories, our forests and our mines all invite labor, and it should be the duty of every citizen to see that every man who desires work shall be permitted to do so, unmo- lested by those who do not choose to work them- selves. And every citizen should be protected in the management of his business against the inter- ference of all comers. This is the only way in which capital and labor can be harmonious — with- out one the other cannot succeed. There is an- other class, which combine both capital and labor within themselves — the farmers. By their indus- try and the returns from the fertile soil of our 204 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. state, they are able to produce what is so essential for us all — the food we eat. They are the founda- tion of all prosperity, and upon them the future success of this country rests. They are the con- servative, law-abiding people of this country, and upon them depends the safety of the state. In closing, permit me to express the wish that the trade and commerce of this beautiful metropolis of our state may continue to be prosperous in the future, as it has been in the past." NOMINATED A THIRD TIME, 205 CHAPTER XXV. NOMINATED FOE GOVERNOR A THIRD TIME — HIS MESSAGE ON THE RIOTS. So strongly was Governor Eusk's course in the suppression of the riots approved by the people of the State and by the whole country that his nomi- nation for a third term was a foregone conclusion, and when the convention assembled in the Capitol at Madison no other name was mentioned, but amid the greatest of applause, in the most enthu- siastic convention ever held in Wisconsin, he was named for a third term, and .n November follow- ing was elected by a large majority. Upon the assembling of the Legislature in Jan- uary, 1887, Gov. Rusk, in his biennial message, in referring to the riots in Milwaukee, said: "While thus congratulating you upon our ma- terial progress, it is with deep regret that I am compelled to report that during the past year the peace of our State has, in a few instances, been interrupted by strikes and riots of greater mag- nitude, of more violence, and farther reaching in their consequences, than ever before. In this con- 206 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. nection you are reminded that it will be your duty as legislators to look carefully into the causes of these troubles^ and wherein our laws for the pre- vention of wrong-doing, or the punishment of wrong-doers, are found to be defective, it will be your duty to perfect them by such new legislation as recent experience and reasonable anticipations for the future may indicate to be required. While your own intelligence, aided by your investiga- tions and discussions, will, I have no doubt, lead you to a satisfactory solution of all the problems involved in this subject, yet I may be indulged in a few suggestions, which I hope will not be found either impertinent or unwarranted. "The discussion of the labor and capital ques- tion has become so extensive, has taken such wide range, and is being participated in by so many people, representing such a diversity of views and interests, that it is not strange if at this stage of the discussion there is more confusion that clear- ness of thought upon it. To eliminate from all this confusion and controversy what is essential, concrete and practicable, and in accord with those principles of justice upon which all good govern- ment is founded, and embody it in effective law, is no light nor trivial task. "It seems to me that a very important — I might say vital — fact in this great agitation has so far been almost lost sight of, namely: that a large majority of the people of every city and every NOMINATED A THIBD TIME. £07 State where the labor troubles have existed, and an overwhelming majority of the whole people, are not directly parties to the controversy at all. The contention is between employes and employ- ers, and both classes combined are but a minority fraction of the whole people, whose peace and in- terests are interrupted and their rights violated by these unseemly and unnecessary disturbances. It is the right and duty of the people— that is, of the great majority — to step in and say not only "let us have peace," but "we will have peace," and through the law and lawfully constituted au- thorities to see to it that we do have peace, and that disturbers are promptly and properly pun- ished. "In a few communities, comparatively, there are large bodies of workmen, or laborers, who vol- untarily choose to work for others, for wages. These, by general usage, are called 'workingmen' — not the only laborers in the country. The great majority of our people are workers, with hands or brain, or both, and to all such belongs equally the proud title of laborer. But farther, a majority of the whole number who do manual productive la- bor, employ themselves, plan for themselves, work for themselves, and take the whole product of their labor to themselves, and find a market for their surplus when and as they can. This great independent, self-reliant majority is the bon^ and sinew, the pride and glory of good citizenship. 208 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. Among them there are no strikes or riots, no in- terference with the opportunities, liberties and rights of others. That their rights and their inter- ests should be jeopardized by the restless conten- tions of a small minority who ridiculously assume that they are the only laborers of the country, is a wrong too manifest to be much longer endured. If the parties to these ever-recurring disturbances can not find a way of amicably settling their dis- putes, they must be made to submit to such legal arbitration as will at least protect the peace and dignity of a civilized commonwealth. "In indicating that some additional legislation may be required touching the rights of laborers of all classes, and their mutual relations to each other, only the most prominent fundamental prin- ciples of natural liberty and popular government need be alluded to. "It has already been assumed that where a per- son employs himself and works on his own prem- ises, and on his own material, with his own tools, the product of his labor is all his own, to do with as he sees fit. That he must be protected in the full enjoyment of all the fruit of his judgment, labor and skill, it does not require argument to convince us. It is self-evident. But where one person engages to work for another, on another's premises and material, and with another's tools or machinery, it is equally clear that the product belongs to the employer; the workman's claim NOMINATED A THIRD TIME. 209 ends with the receipt of his stipulated wages. The State's duty and province in such cases is simply to maintain individual rights and enforce the fulfillment of contracts. Everyone's right to work for himself, or for any one else, on such terms as he may choose to make, must be main- tained at all hazards. He who interferes with this principle tramples upon the most sacred of human rights, and upon a consecrated principle of American liberty. "Government should not be — indeed can not afford to be — indifferent to the welfare of any class of citizens; and it is a special duty to pro- tect the poor and weak against any possible ag- gressions of the rich and strong. To this end, all the rights and interests of workingmen of the wage classes should be jealously guarded against injustice or oppression at the hands of their em- ployers. Corporations, created by authority of the State, that in the nature of their business must be large employers of labor, or that from the nature of their business and their charges for service may largely affect the value of the prod- uct of labor generally to the producer, must be hei'l to a strict and just accountability, and be subject always to the control and regulation of the State. 'With those agrarian and socialistic theories of fanciful society that deny the right of private property, or of each individual to full protection 1J. 210 JEREMIAH M. B USK. in the enjoyment and control of all his lawful earnings, whether obtained by his own labor or by contract, we can have no sympathy. They are as un-American as monarchy, and as treasonable as secession. They contemplate the destruction of both justice and liberty, and would accomplish the destruction of both if their application to ex- isting society were seriously attempted. We are not prepared, as American citizens, to even con- sider a change in our form of government. Re- publican institutions and individual liberty go hand in hand, and must and will be loyally maintained." This portion of the biennial message probably attracted more attention than any utterance by any state executive in the United States. News- papers of all political creeds commended it for its sterling patriotism, and it was commented upon on both sides of the water. During Gen. Rusk's incumbency of the office of Secretary of Agriculture many foreigners of dis- tinction, in greeting him, would refer to this mes- sage, and in many departmental letters received from the old world reference is made to the man who had so fearlessly upheld law and order, and suppressed anarchy. DECLINES A FOVBTH TERM. 211 CHAPTER XXVI. DECLINES TO BE A CANDIDATE FOR A FOURTH TEEM. Toward the close of Governor Eusk's third term he was urged by many to become a candidate for a fourth, and although he informed his friends who approached him on the subject that he would not do so, it was intimated in the public press that he would not decline the nomination were it offered him. To put an end to the matter he ad- dressed the following letter to the press: "Executive Chamber, " Madison, Wisconsin, August 6, 1888. "As a portion of the press has misrepresented my position in regard to the gubernatorial nomi- nation, I deem it proper at this time to announce over my signature that I am not a candidate. To all who have talked with me upon the subject for the past year I have very clearly and emphatic- ally stated that I had no desire to continue in the office and would not again be a candidate for the nomination. My position was also so plainly 212 JEREMIAH 3£. RUSK. stated in several newspaper interviews that I thought it could not be misunderstood. "The position of Governor, while a high and honorable one, is not one to be coveted for an in- definite length of time. It has many cares, anxie- ties and annoyances that I do not desire to as- sume longer. During the time I have held the of- fice I have endeavored to conscientiously serve the people, and while I have many times been compelled to act contrary to my personal feelings and wishes, I have done so from a sense of oificial duty. Without solicitation I was honored with a nomination for a third term — a mark of confi- dence on the part of the people that I hold in grateful appreciation. "There will be presented for the consideration of the Kepublican State Convention the names of several gentlemen who are all worthy and compe- tent to serve the people well. I have faith that the convention will choose wisely, and that their action will be endorsed by the people. Believing that it would be unwise and contrary to Kepub- lican principles for men who are holding high po- sitions at the hands of the Eepublican party to at- tempt to control or dictate its nominations, I shall refrain from taking a part in the interest of any of the candidates, knowing that the convention will be composed of intelligent gentlemen, having the best interests of the party at heart. "J. M. Rusk." SENATOR SFOONJSB'ia SPEECH. 2lc CHAPTER XXVII. THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN :CONVENTION OF 1888— SENATOR SPOONER'S SPEECH. Gen. Husk's prompt action in suppressing the riots in Milwaukee, his wide acquaintance ac- quired during his three terms as executive of Wis- consin and as a Member of Congress, his splendid military record, and his thorough devotion to principle and to every duty, caused him to be con- sidered by the press of all portions of the country as an available candidate for the presidency. The Eepublican State Convention of Wisconsin with great unanimity elected delegates favorable to his nomination, and a very enthusiastic representa- tion of citizens attended the National Convention at Chicago in 1888. A magnificent banner por- trait of the General was hung upon the walls of the Republican Headquarters, containing the fol- lowing inscriptions: THEEE YEARS SOLDIER. SIX YEARS CONGRESSMAN. SEVEN YEARS GOVERNOR. NOT A WEAK SPOT IN HIS RECORD. 214 JEBEMIAH M. SUSK. The Wisconsin headquarters were visited by thousands of people, all of whom had words of praise for the gallant soldier from the Badger State. The only work done in his behalf was to call attention to his splendid record in every posi- tion in which he had been placed. No attempt was made at combination. As one delegate expressed it: "We offer General Kusk as a presidential can- didate because of his splendid record, and because he would make a president with whom the inter- ests of the country would be safe. He is a sound, level-headed man, prompt in action, and could be elected by an overwhelming majority. There is absolutely no unfavorable criticism to make of his record." Hon. John 0. Spooner, the gifted and brilliant United States Senator from Wisconsin, presented General Eusk's name to the convention in the fol- lowing speech: Mr. President and Oentlemen of the Convention: Fully mindful of the disadvantage on this occa- sion which lies in the fact that Wisconsin is last in the roll-call of States, I turn, for courage, to that other fact, that her stalwart and splendid Re- publicanism has placed her, and keeps her, always well up toward the head of the column when the fighting is on. From the day when the second National Repub- lican Convention presented for the suffrages of th SENATOR SPOONER'S SPEECH. 215 people the names of Abraham Lincoln and Han- nibal Hamlin, down to the fateful year eight- een hundred and eighty-four, when, under superb and inspiring leadership, the Republican party met unexpected and undeserved defeat, Wisconsin has never failed you, or justly given you one mo- ment of solicitude. Today, for the first time in all these years of unbroken fealty, she invokes for the name and merit of one of her own loved and trusted leaders your thoughtful consideration. Happily for the party to whose fortunes we are all devoted I am not able, with good warrant of truth, to urge in advocacy of your adoption of her choice, that you will thereby turn a doubtful into a certain State, for without hesitation I declare in this great presence, that to the nominee of this convention, whatever his name shall be, and from whatever State he shall come, will be given at the appointed time the electoral vote of Wisconsin, as usual. I ought also to say that you sadly underes- timate the quality of our patriotism if there shall gain lodgment for a moment here the belief that we trifle with this convention, in this crisis of the party's life and of the country's good, by urging upon its notice a name simply by way of compli- ment to a favorite son. Those for whom I speak deem this an hour for wise counsels and deliber- ate judgment in the interest of the people, not for compliment to any man. He who is to lead this 216 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. great party in the campaign upon which we now enter must be chosen, not because his State asks it, not because his friends demand it, not because he wants it, but because the people want and need him. The order of the impending conflict is to be quite new to us. The beating of the long roll is not to summon us, as hitherto, from our tents to repel attack. The bugle notes which call us into action will sound the advance. Those who lead us are to head a storming party against a foe, alert and prepared to receive our onset, strongly in- trenched behind works which they have been long building. The rank and file of the Republican party look trustfully to this convention for wisdom, and they will tolerate no mistakes. They demand for lead- ers those who have walked the mountain ranges in full view of men, who have kept their feet out from the swamps and the bogs of life, whose careers are without ambush for the enemy, whose adherence to the principles of the party has been "without variableness or shadow of turning," who are strong in the robust and attractive qualities of leadership; men who come from the ranks of the people, who have borne the burdens of life common to the people; men whom the people may cheerfully, and without mental or moral protest, follow to the end for what they have done, and for SENATOR SPOONEB'S SPEECH. 217 what they are, and for what they may be reason- ably expected to do. "Tall men, sun crowned, who live above the fog In public duty and in private thinking." Wisconsin sends you such a man. Is it against him that he does not come from a doubtful State? I deny that fidelity to Eepub- lican principles has undergone such deterioration as to diminish the availability of one's candidacy in proportion as the unyielding Republicanism of the State in which he finds his home has placed her above suspicion of defection. If in this I claim too much; if the voice of Wisconsin must fall upon unwilling ears because of the steadfast- ness of her political faith, so be it; but "by the same token" your candidate should not come from Maine, or Pennsylvania, or Ohio, or Illinois, or Michigan, or Iowa. Holding, therefore, to the highest standard of party duty, and demanding the subordination of all personal ambition to party welfare, bowing in advance to the decree of this convention, the Re- publicans of Wisconsin, with enthusiastic una- nimity, have instructed their delegation to name to you, as their choice for the first place, one who by a long life of conspicuous public service in divers fields of effort has proven his right to stand the peer of any man in stainless character, in patriotic devotion to the best interests of the 218 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. country, in political sagacity, in unerring judg- ment of men, in heroic courage, — many times shown amid the rush and whirl of battle, — and in extraordinary executive capacity. His name is not unfamiliar to the country. It is Jeremiah M. Eusk, the honored GoTernor of Wisconsin. Governor Eusk possesses what seems in these days to be by many considered a fundamental ele- ment of eligibility to such a candidacy: lie ica^ lorn in the State of Ohio. He spent his youth and young manhood in the rough but disciplinary work of the farm. Over three decades ago he sought a home in one of the newer counties of Wisconsin. Eich in nothing but brain, and brawn, and principle, and honorable ambition, accus- tomed to hardship and not ashamed to labor, he cheerfully mounted the driver's seat of a frontier stage-coach, as Lincoln in early life went out from the rude cabin of his father with the ax upon his shoulder to split rails the long day through, and as Garfield sought and followed the towpath of the canal, thence through a life of high endeavor to enter the portals of the White House. It is testified by those who knew the young Ohioan in those days that he never wandered from the road or upset the coach. Never an office- seeker, he drew to himself from the outset the con- fidence of his neighbors, and was chosen by them to various county positions. Like one now con- SJENATOH SPOONIIJB'S SPEECH. 219 spicuous in public life, in no good quality or at- tainment his peer, he held and discharged the duties of the office of sheriff of his county; but lest prejudice arise from this similarity of career, per- haps I ought to say that capital punishment had then been abolished in Wisconsin. When the fearful cloud which had been so long gathering in our political sky burst upon the country with the fury of a tempest; when the flag was no longer sacred from the assaults of treason; when the Union, the source of all our strength and prosperity and hope, was to struggle for its life, he answered the call of Lincoln, and leaving those who were dearer than aught else on earth but his country, he sought straightway the front, and there he rode again and again, calm and in- trepid, on bloody fields where the missiles of the enemy "were weaving the air with lines of death and danger" above him and about him; and he turned homeward his face only when the angel of peace gave the glad command "Right about," and he saw the flag under whose folds he had marched and fought with Sherman to the sea, the emblem of a union redeemed and regenerated by patriotic valor and blood, "with a star for every State and a State for every star," and, under God's blessing, the only flag ever again to float upon the breeze as the ensign of our people. Loved by those whom he had led, honored and trusted by those under whom he had served, he 220 JEREMIAH M. B USK. marched back, with the star of a general upon his shoulder, well earned in the hell of battle, to give again into the keeping of his State, stained and tattered, but glorified by battle names never to be forgotten, the standard which he had borne with him to the front. After serving with remarkable financial ability as Bank Comptroller of the State, the banner Re- publican district of Wisconsin sent him to the halls of the National Congress. There for six years he rendered faithful, patriotic and able service to the district and to the country. In the For- ty-third Congress he served as Chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions, and as in that day, both in Congress and at the White House, the pension was held a debt of honor, to be cheerfully paid, he was able to render to the surviving sol- diers of the Union army, and to the widows and orphans of the dead, a service which they have not forgotten or ceased to appreciate. With the expiration of his present term the un- precedented honor will be his of having served as Governor of his State for seven consecutive years. He has so borne himself in every detail of duty in this high office as to win the confidence and re- spect of his constituency, regardless of party lines, and as to endear himself to every man throughout the country who has the brain to dis- cern and the heart to appreciate that the only sure guarantee of our liberties is in the prompt SENATOR SPOONER'S SPEECS. 221 and strict enforcement of tlie law. It will be well and long remembered to the honor of this man, that when insidious and dangerous elements in our midst, wearied of sapping in secret the foun- dations of our social fabric, came boldly into the sunlight with the red flag of anarchy, when men shrank back affrighted at the horrid sight of death in Chicago's streets, when the cry went up from the metropolis of Wisconsin to the chamber of the executive for the' protection which well-ex- ecuted law throws alike around the rich man's palace and the poor man's home, it found there no timorous, vacillating demagogue, to whisper honeyed words into the ears of a mob, but a man with clear eye to discover his duty, and the strength of purpose to discharge it. Tender and sympathetic as a woman, he met emergency with a hand of iron, and, with the over- whelming commendation which his acts evoked, he gave it to be understood, at home and beyond the seas, that this is a nation of law; that this peo- ple has the strength and the will to purge itself of hostile forces, and that neither anarchy, com- munism, nor any kindred abomination can find a permanent, prosperous abiding place in this land of ours. The comrade of labor from his youth up, the fa- vorite of the farmer because himself a farmer, with a just sense of property rights, but never the ally or tool of monopoly, his career would success- 222 JEBEMIAH M. R USK. fully challenge the confidence of every deserving class. Take him, gentlemen of the convention, for your leader, and the Kepublican party of Wisconsin bids me pledge you that vs^hen the fierce white light of the campaign shall beat upon him it will disclose no weakness in his armor, no spot upon his shield; and when our victory shall have been won, you will have installed in the White House once again an American President in favor of pro- tecting American labor and upbuilding American industries, of enforcing to the full extent of ex- ecutive power the constitutional right of a free ballot and a fair count; who knows this wise lib- erality is the only true economy, and that the truest statesmanship, as well as the highest pa- triotism, is to strengthen and dignify one's own nation. LL -^ Oi 2 u. :i Kffi < 'v CO ^- ■/ ^ =c >- 2-=^ 5 2 "-> CL 5 < X > < = o s-5 MIS STAFF OF MAIMED HEROES. 223 CHAPTEE XXVIII. HIS STAFF OF MAIMED HEROES — VISIT TO GENERAL HARRISON. Governor Rusk was one of the first to congratu- late Gen. Harrison upon his nomination, and was one of his most enthusiastic supporters during the campaign which followed. On his return from the National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Eepublic he called upon General Harrison at Indianapolis, escorted by his one-armed and one- legged staff. These maimed heroes attracted a great deal of attention. The staff was made up of officials and employes of the State administra- tion, and accompanied General Husk to a number of encampments of the Grand Army during his service as Governor. The following list will be of interest: George W. Baker, Private Co. G, 19th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost right arm at Petersburg, Va. Eugene Bowen, Private Co. F, 92d N. Y. Vol. Inf.; lost left arm at Cold Harbor, Va. J. W. Curran, Private Co. G, 5th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost left leg at Sailor's Creek, Va. Peter Delmar, Private Co. F, 17th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost left leg at Atlanta, Ga. 224 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. Henry P. Fischer, Private Co. F, 2d Mo. Vol. Inf.; leg crippled at Perry ville, Mo. Henry B. Harshaw, Lieutenant Co. E, 2d Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost left arm at Spottsylvania, Va. W. J. Jones, Private Co. C, 16th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost right arm at Corinth, Miss. W. W. Jones, Capt, Co. A, 2d Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost right arm at Antietam, Md. W. H. McFarland, Private Co. B, .5th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost left leg at Salem Heights, Va. F. L. Phillips, Private Co. A, 2d Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost right arm at Spottsylvania, Va. Henry Shetter, Private Co. D, 7th V7is. Vol. Inf.; shot through thigh. Gravel Eun, Va. Benjamin Smith, Lieutenant Cos. B and A, Quartermaster 5th Wis. Vol. Inf.; injured in left leg. Mark Smith, Private Co. H, 7th Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost right leg at the battle of the Wilderness, Va. David Sommars, Private Co. I, 12th Wis. Vol. Inf. ; lost left arm at Atlanta, Ga. Ernst G. Timme, Private Co. C, 1st Wis. Vol. Inf.; lost left arm at Chickamauga, Ga. This was on September 14, 1888. The occasion was a brilliant one. In the afternoon the streets of Indianapolis were overflowing with marching veterans from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wis- consin and Kansas, headed by the National Drum Corps of Minneapolis, and commanded by Depart- ment Commander Col. James A, Sexton of Chi- SIS STAFF OF MAIMED HEROES. 225 cago and a staff equipped with dazzling uniforms. The great column passed through the city out to the Harrison residence. Conspicuous at the head of the line marched the distinguished Governor of Wisconsin, surrounded by his staff. Eighty members of the Woman's Relief Corps accompanied the veterans, and were given posi- tions of honor at the reception. When Gen. Har- rison appeared he was tendered an ovation. Gov- ernor Rusk said: "Comrades — I consider it both an honor and a pleasure in introducing to you the President of the United States for the next eight years — General Benjamin Harrison." (Cheers.) General Harrison responded as follows: "Gov- ernor Rusk, comrades of the Grand Army, and la- dies — I did not suppose that the constitution of our country would be subjected to so serious a fracture by the executive of one of our great States. (Laughter.) Four years is the constitu- tional term of the President. (Laughter.) I am glad to see you. I return your friendly greetings most heartily. Your association is a most worthy one. As I said to some comrades who visited me this morning, it has the best reason for its exist- ence of any human organization that I know of. (Applause.) I am glad to know that your recent encampment at Columbus was so largely at- tended, and was in all its circumstances so mag- nificent a success. The National Encampment of the G. A. R. is an honor to any city. The proudesti 15 226 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. may well array itself in its best attire to welcome the Union veterans of the late war. In these magnificent gatherings, so impressive in numbers, and so much more impressive in the associations they revive, there is a great teaching force. If it is worth while to build monuments to heroism and patriotic sacrifice that may stand as dumb yet eloquent instructors of the generation that is to come, so it is worth while that these survivors of the war reassemble in their national encamp- ments and march once more, unarmed, through the streets of our cities whose peace and prosper- ity they have secured. (Applause.) "Every man and every woman should do them honor. We have a body of citizen soldiers in- structed in tactics and strategy and accustomed to the points of war that make this nation very strong and formidable. I well remember that even in the second year of the war instructors in tactics were rare in our own camps. They are very numerous now. (Laughter.) Yet while this nation was never so strong in a great instructed trained body of veteran soldiers, I think it was never more strongly smitten with the love of peace. The man that would rather fight than eat has not survived the last war. (Laughter.) He was laid away in an early grave or enrolled on the list of deserters. But he would be mistaken who supposes that all the hardships of the war— its cruel, hard memories — ^would begin to frighten HIS STAFF OF MAIMED HEROES. 227 those veterans from the front if the flag was again assailed or the national security or dignity im- perilled." (Applause, and cries of "You are right!") "The war was also an educator in political econ- omy. These veterans who saw how the poverty of the South in the development of her manufac- turing interests paralyzed the skill of her soldiers and the generalship of her captains, have learned to esteem and value our diversified manufactur- ing interests. (Applause.) You know that woolen mills and flocks would have been more valuable to the Confederacy than battalions ; that foundries and arsenals and skilled mechanical labor was the great lack of the Confederacy. You have learned that lesson so well that you will not wish our res- cued country by any fatal free-trade policy to be brought to a like condition." (Applause, and cries of "Good! good!") "And now, gentlmen, I had a stipulation that I was not to speak at all. (Laughter.) You will surely allow me now te stop this formal address, and to welcome my comrades to our home." (Ap- plause.) 228 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XXIX. CHAUNCEY DEPEW ON GEN. EUSK. At the close of the National Convention Col. Eliott F. Shepard gave a banquet at the Hotel Richelieu in Chicago, at which were present Chauncey M. Depew, Senator Hiscock, Warner Miller, and many other prominent Republicans, and to which General Rusk was invited. Being unable to be present he responded by the follow- ing eloquent telegram: "To the delegates, a royal greeting; to the can- didates, an enthusiastic endorsement; and to the platform, the highest praise, it being as specific as the decalogue, as intelligible as the dictionary, and as comprehensive as the constitution. The grand triumphal march to victory begins in June and will end in November. Wisconsin's motto should be the party's watchword, — 'Forward.' "J. M. Rusk." Chauncey M. Depew, in responding to the senti- ment contained in Governor Rusk's telegram, said: "I had a profound respect for Gov. Rusk when CHAUNCEY DEPEW ON GEN. BUSK. 229 he dared defy the enormous foreign element of the State of Wisconsin and to exercise his power as Governor to put down the Anarchists under the conditions under which he did it. (Applause.) In Milwaukee, when he stood up for law and order and for everything that a man loves to conserve and stand by in the unity which has to live against Anarchism, Gov. Rusk did just that thing by showing his courage. He accomplished what every man does by showing courage on the side of right, secured his own re-election and a na- tional position. (Applause.) I received indi- rectly a. letter from Gov. Rusk prior to coming to this convention, and it amounted to just this: 'So far as I can see, looking over the candidacy of the various gentlemen who are to be presented to this convention, there is one man who can carry New York, and, so far as I can read the philosophy of the Republican conditions at this convention, un- less New York is carried we are defeated before we start in and our whole investment in the can- vass is lost; and if there is one man who can surely carry New York that is the man for this convention to nominate. Now, it so happens that the man who can carry New York would also surely carry New Jersey and Connecticut. Then let New York present us a candidate. No matter who he is, we will carry the West for him.' (Ap- plause.) "That was courage, the sort of courage that is 230 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. rarely found in the world where a man stands up and prefers the accomplishment of a general con- dition against a local condition which may be beneficial to himself, in the sublime confidence that if he is right the local condition will come out all right, providing the general condition is established. Gov. Eusk had the courage of his convictions, and dared to express them. He stood up and said just this: " 'If the candidate of the State of New York, who alone, by reason of his peculiar surroundings and the conditions which now belong to him, can carry New York, let New York take him and give him her thirty-six votes. The people of the State of Wisconsin are an intelligent people. On a dis- cussion of this question the people of the State of Wisconsin will say: 'We separate the candi- date from his business and regard him simply as he is — as a citizen.' "Now, Iowa didn't dare say that; on the con- trary, she said: 'We dare not undertake the task.' Nebraska didn't say that, but she called upon me and said: 'Mr. Depew, in five months we can not separate you from your avocation.' Kansas didn't say that, but she came to me and said: 'Six months is not long enough for us to educate our people up to that point.' Gov. Eusk thoroughly recognized that a man is different from his avoca- tion, and in abandoning his avocation can assume CHA UNCE Y DEPE W ON GEN. B USK. 231 another trust and take another retainer and be as true to it as he -was to the former, (Applause.) Wisconsin was unanimous in supporting Gov. Eusk as a Presidential candidate, and she was right." 232 JEBEMIAH M. BU&K. CHAPTER XXX. A JOURNALIST'S PEN PORTRAIT OF GOVERNOR RUSK. In 1886 Franc B. Wilkie ("Poliuto"), the jour- nalist and novelist, gave to his paper, the Chicago Times, an article entitled "Portrait of a Gov- ernor," from which the following is an extract: "The portly gentleman who well filled the roomy chair in which he was seated was entirely unlike the ideal which the visitor had formed of him. He had supposed the Governor to be a coarse, homespun character, slouchy as to shoul- ders, and rugged in feature and speech. Instead of this he saw a man of commanding size (he is six feet two inches in height, and weighs in the neighborhood of two hundred and fifty pounds), with a massive head, whose effect was increased by an abundant crown of gray hair, pushed back from a wide and high forehead, and by a heavy moustache and chin whiskers; the ensemble being that of an ideal patriarch, at once venerable and imposing. Although gray as to hair and white as to beard, the Governor is venerable only in ap- pearance and not in years, as he is yet a long way A JOUENAHSVS PEN POBTBAIT. 233 from the three score and ten which are assigned as the period of life's further limit. "He has deep blue eyes that are always warm and kindly, and which vary constantly in expres- sion, and withal have a dominant expression of sadness. In conversation, while not always flu- ent in the utterance of words, he is ever interest- ing and interested, and pervaded with an expres- sion of consideration for the one to whom he is speaking. His countenance has none of that gloss which is seen on the faces of men who have worn off the down of inexperience by much contact with the world; he is still fresh, and without a suggestion of a blas6 life in his tone or counte- nance. "Looking at him from a purely physical point of view, he is, with his shaggy mane, his deep chest, his broad shoulders, his colossal neck and thighs, a magnificent animal, and this without a hint of anything gross or sensaal. In fact, his voice, the expression of his eyes, and his senti- ments negative any suggestion of a predominance of the animal in his nature, for his expression is one of gentleness and kindliness, and his senti- ments refined and genial. Not a single unkind thought did he utter in the frequent conversa- tions with which he favored his visitor; he spoke well of his political opponents, and in giving his views of affairs and men in general he was always courteous in tone and charitable in his estimates. 234 JEBEMIAH M. BVSK. "By contact with him one learns in time that he is characterized by a grand simplicity; that he is without affectation, and generous and tolerant in his -views, and still possessed of much of the naturalness which has come up with him from his childhood/' A CABINET OFFICER. 23i CHAPTER XXXI. A CABINET OFFICER. It is not surprising that when President Harri- son was confronted with the duty of selecting his cabinet, the vigorous personality and picturesque figure of the stalwart Husk should have heen al- most from the first among those slated for a place. Farmer and soldier, Congressman and Governor, the choice of his State delegation for the Presi- dency, he was a typical representative of the re- publicans of the Northwest. From the very first his name was included in most of the "guesswork" slates which are so rife among us during the period intervening between a presidential election and the inauguration of the new President. Among Eusk's friends the place most fre- quently assigned to him among cabinet probabili- ties was the Secretaryship of War, and those who knew him best are still inclined to believe that his own bent would have led him to choose that portfolio of all others, had he been invited to make his choice. Mr. Harrison thought differently. Any good 236 JEREMIAH M. B USK. man can make a good Secretary of War, but the new secretaryship of Agriculture, for the bill cre- ating the office was only signed February 9th, 1889, demanded special experience and special qualifications. The elevation of the head of the Department of Agriculture to a cabinet position was in some sense an experiment — an experiment undertaken largely in response to the demands of the farmers of the country that their industry, which employs nearly one half of the workers in our busy hive and practically furnishes all the others with employment and subsistence, should have a representative at the council table of the Chief Magistrate. Of all cabinet positions that of Secretary of Agriculture is the one that is chiefly what the incumbent makes of it. The scope of his work is undefined. His commission is to collect and disseminate by all the means at his command whatever information he believes to be of practical value to agriculture. The only limi- tations to his undertaking are his own good judg- ment, and the Act of Appropriations. No Cabi- net officer depends more upon his own judgment, therefore, to make or mar his reputation, and there is none whose conduct of his Department is liable to attach to or alienate from his party a larger number of votes. Within two weeks after the new portfolio had been created it had been offered by Mr. Harrison to the Ex-Governor of Wisconsin, and unanimously within his own A CABINET OFFICER. 237 party, and very generally among democrats the choice of "Uncle Jerry" for this place was ap- plauded. Whatever may have been Governor Eusk's views or feelings as to the place assigned him in the Cabinet, and although there are some who al- lege that it was a disappointment to him not to be made Secretary of War, it was not very long before the new Secretary showed his appreciation of a position which gave him, as he expressed it, "full swing" and a chance to be "doing some- thing." In response to some good humored banter from a colleague, as to the propriety of his appearing last at a cabinet meeting, inasmuch as he was "the tail of the cabinet," he promptly retorted that, like a good many other bodies, this Cabinet expected the tail to keep the flies off, and he would try not to disappoint them. This jocular remark, all unpremeditated as it was, affords a clue to the view he soon began to entertain of the opportunities afforded to the Secretary of Agri- culture to achieve much for his constituents and country, his own and his party's reputation. How well he acquitted himself in proportion to the opportunities afforded him, as an important figure in President Harrison's administration, the verdict of his countrymen will declare. 238 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XXXII. THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTXJEB. It may not be amiss to here interrupt the bio- graphical narrative in order to take a cursory sur- vey of the Department over which Mr. Eusk was called to preside. Differing as it does in certain respects from all other executive Departments of the Government, it is perhaps, or at least it was at the time of Pres- ident Harrison's inauguration, one of the least known and understood by people generally. The unfortunate and shallow tendency so prev- alent among Americans dwelling in cities to look with s-corn upon agricultural matters, and to ridi- cule the tiller of the soil, had for years invited the cheap wit of penny-a-line paragraphers to make the "pumpkin seed" Department a butt for their quips and jokes, and the free-gift seed-package en- terprise to which the intelligent and purposeful efforts of Patent Commissioner Ellsworth had de- generated, had done much to encourage this un- fortunate condition. In spite, however, of these drawbacks, many DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUBE. 239 capable and ambitious men, seeing no other avenue open to them by which to achieve the ob- jects of their legitimate ambitions, had been at- tracted to the service of the Department and had remained in it in spite of the inadequate remuner- ation awarded to even the highest positions among them, largely from attachment to their work. The work accomplished by these capable and efficient men had for years commanded the sympathy and encomiums of scientific workers abroad, and had eventually, if tardily, secured the recognition of scientific and thoughtful men at home. The movement toward a higher plane of intellectual life among the farmers, in which the Grange and the Farmers' Institutes had been active and influential agents, had led to a consid- erable extension of the appreciation due the De- partment among the class it was specially de- signed to serve, namely, the farmers themselves, and it may be said that the period when General Eusk entered upon his duties as Secretary was a marked one in the history of the Department, a circumstance that added to the responsibility of its chief, at the same time that it offered him spe- cial opportunities for adding to his own reputa- tion. The Department of Agriculture is the only one of our executive Departments designed to directly increase the wealth of the country. Its functions are to conduct investigations and spread informa- 240 JEREMIAH M. B USK. tion whereby not only otir crops may be in- creased, but may be grown with wise discrimina- tion as to the demand existing for them in our own and the world's markets; whereby the rav- ages of disease or of insect parasites upon our plants or domestic animals may be checked or prevented; the ruthless destruction of our mag- nificent forest heritage checked, and a rational policy of profitable utilization and preservation substituted therefor; whereby the results of kin- dred work in all sections of our own land and in all other lands, may be gathered and digested and made available to the intelligent farmer and agricultural scientist; whereby the soils and cli- mate of our vast territory may be known and adapted to the purposes for which they are best fitted. All this, with the plain, practical purpose of adding to the productiveness, and hence to the value, of every tillable acre — not only so, but to render tillable lands, now unproductive, as the growth of our population and the extension of our markets may call for an increase of products. In a. word, the expenses of the Department, wisely directed, should be charged by the American peo- ple, not to Expense Account, but to Investment Account. Indeed it may be claimed, and justly, that, to say nothing of the future, not a year passes that the work of the Department does not in numerous ways effect a saving for, or add a benefit to, agriculture in some or many sections DEPARTMENT OF A GBIC ULTURE. 241 of the country, largely in excess of its entire an- nual appropriation. Such is the Department over which J. M. Rusk of Wisconsin was now called upon to preside. That he himself fully appreciated its importance is amply proved by his annual reports, and the conclusion of the first one is given here as fit- tingly presenting the views with which, a few months after assuming office, he approached the task imposed upon him as Secretary of Agricul- ture: "It is to be assumed that when Congress, in its wisdom, raised this Department to its present dignity, and made its chief a Cabinet officer, the intention of our law-makers was not simply to add the luster of official dignity to an industry al- ready dignified by the labor of its votaries, but to give it added influence and power for good in their behalf. It will not be amiss, then, if here and now I venture to offer some facts no doubt al- ready familiar to you, but which strikingly em- phasize the vast aggregate importance of the in- terests which it is the primary object of this De- partment to serve. "As far back as 1880 the value of the farms of the United States exceeded ten thousand million dollars. To the unremitting industry of their owners these farms yielded an aggregate annual value of nearly four thousand million dollars, in the production of which a vast population of 16 242 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. nearly eight million of toilers utilized nearly half a billion worth of farm implements. The value of live-stock on farms, estimated in the last cen- sus to be worth over one thousand five hundred million of dollars, is shown by the reliable statis- tics collected by this Department to be worth today two thousand five hundred and seven mil- lion dollars. A low estimate of the number of farmers and farm laborers employed on our five million farms places it at nearly ten million per- sons, representing thirty million people, or nearly one-half of our present population. "These few figures are surely enough in them- selves to convince every thoughtful man of the responsibilities thrown upon the Department of Agriculture, but even they do not permit of a realization of their full portent, unless the cor- relation of agriculture with the other industries of this country be properly considered. It may be broadly stated that upon the productiveness of our agriculture and the prosperity of our farm- ers the entire wealth and prosperity of the whole nation depend. The trade and commerce of this vast country of which we so proudly boast, the transportation facilities so wonderfully devel- oped during the past quarter of a century, are all possible only because the underlying industry of them all, agriculture, has called them into being. Even the product of our mines is only valuable because of the commerce and the wealth created DEPAB TMENT OF A GBIC UL T UBE. 243 by our agriculture. These are strong assertions, but they are assertions fully justified by the facts and recognized the world over by the highest au- thorities in political economy. "No wonder, then, that I appeal earnestly and confidently for such support as will enable me to acquit myself creditably in the position to which your confidence has assigned me, and to see to it that the great work entrusted to my direction is efficiently performed. Throughout the country from time to time, and at all times in some parts of this great country we find agriculture suffer- ing from depression, to diagnose the cause of which is oftentimes a difficult matter for pub- licists and political economists, while our law- makers, both State and national, find their most difficult task in the delicate duty of so adjusting the respective rights of every class of our citizens as to secure to each the full benefits of their in- dustry. This is neither the time nor place to analyze causes of agricultural depression nor to discuss at length the many panaceas proposed for its relief, but I do feel that the agencies which already exist primarily for the benefit of the in- dustrial classes must be extended to the full for the advantage of the tiller of the soil. "Protection of American industries is one of the rock-rooted principles of the great party which this administration represents. To all the pro- tection that wise tariff laws can afford, and to the 244 JEREMIAH M. B USK. fullest extent compatible with tlie equal rights of all classes, which is a fundamental principle of republican institutions, the farming industry justly claims its inalienable right. In the diversi- fication of agriculture, which, I am thankful to say, has taken place during the past few years, and which I hope it will be in my power to greatly encourage, the farmer has been enabled to pro- duce many articles comparatively unknown as a home product twenty years ago. For all such ar+icles as our own soil can produce the farmer justly asks that protection which will insure to him all the benefits of our home market. "Another agency looking to the important well-being of the farmer is that which was called into being by the creation of this Department, an agency which, energetically and judiciously di- rected, will not fail of its purpose. Great as are our crops in the aggregate, it must be admitted that our broad acres are not as prolific as they should be, and I am convinced that, with the aid which can be afforded to agriculture by carrying out to the full the purposes for which this Depart- ment exists, and thanks to the rapid growth of intelligence and the remarkable efforts at self- help among our farmers, the yield of every tilla- ble acre in this country can be increased 50 per cent. More than this will science, properly di- rected, enable us to accomplish, for millions of acres at present unproductive can, by its applica- DEPARTMENT OF AGBICTJLTURE. 245 tion, be rendered fertile. The great nations of Europe strain every effort to make science the hand-maid of war; let it be the glory of the great American people to make science the hand-maid of agriculture." As showing Gen. Eusk's estimate of the needs of the farmers of the country, and of the import- ance of the Department of Agriculture it may be well to insert here a letter he addressed to the Hon. E. H. Funston, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, on the 3d day of February, 1890: "U. S. Depaetment of Agriculttire, "Offlce of the Secretary, "February 3, 1890. "Hon. B. H. Fiinston, "Chairman of Committee on Agriculture, "House of Eepresentatives. "Dear Sir: "In accordance with the verbal request which you made to me, I enclose you a statement show- ing the employes of the Department of Agricul- ture now being paid out of miscellaneous appro- priations, whose salaries are estimated for spe- cifically in the appropriations for the next fiscal year under the head of 'Salaries.' This statement shows the salaries of such employes to be in the aggregate, |54,160. The total difference in the aggregate of salaries amounts in round numbers 246 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. to 182,000, thus leaving some |28,000 to be ac- counted for. This last amount is made up first, of the difference between the amount paid under the re-organization of the Department to the Sec- retary and Assistant Secretary ($12,500) by com- parison with the amount formerly paid to the Commissioner (|5,000). Second, of the amount of salaries required for new divisions which I have found it absolutely necessary to establish. Third, of additions to salaries paid in the scientific di- visions of this Department, the necessity for which is made, I think, suflEiciently plain by what follows, "I desire to take this opportunity of laying be- fore you and the Committee of which you are the Chairman, some considerations which I regard as of the highest importance. "This Department has no representation on the floor of Congress except through you and your Committee, which consequently becomes the di- rect representative of the agricultural interests of this country before Congress. The farmers must look to you for the adequate consideration by Congress of their interests. I am sure, therefore, that you will pardon me if as the official repre- sentative of the farmers in an executive sense, I presume to tax your time and patience with a somewhat lengthy communication. "First, let me call your attention to the fact that the limits and scope within which this De- DEPA R TMENT OF A GUI CULT URE. 247 partment was confined before the passage of the law which made it one of the executive branches of the government, and called its head to a seat in the Cabinet, must not be regarded as a correct basis for the consideration of its present needs, and I, for my part, must absolutely refuse to rec- ognize any such standard of comparison. "In my report to the President at the close of last year, I said, 'for years there had been a de- mand on the part of a large majority of the farm- ers of the country, that that Department at the seat of government, which was organized to rep- resent their interests, should be clothed with the same dignity and power that other executive de- partments had, and that it should have its influ- ence in national affairs and be recognized in the councils of the Nation.' I desire to repeat those words here, and to reiterate my conviction of their truth. I will add that there never has been a time in the history of this country, when the farmers so imperatively needed all the aid which this Department was designed to give them as the present. More than that, there never has been a time when the farmers themselves so thor- oughly realized the importance of the aid which this Department, liberally administered, can ren- der them, nor when they were so united in the determination that the promises as to the future of this Department held out to them by the law which re-organized it, should be fulfilled. More 248 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. is now expected by them, and rightly so, from this Department, than at any other time in its history. "If, when Congress, in its wisdom, re-organized the Department and established it on its present basis, it did not intend to give it 'the same dig- nity and power that other Executive Depart- ments had, and to recognize the due influence and importance of the agricultural interests in the affairs of the Nation,' then the law is a delu- sion, encouraging false hopes and holding out false promises, and in the name of justice, I say, let it be promptly repealed. "A grave embarrassment confronts the head of this Department in the difficulty of retaining in the service scientific men of such attainments and experience as they must have, in order to en- able him to administer the affairs of the Depart- ment with due regard to the great interests con- fided to him. Measured by any fair standard, the salaries paid to the chiefs of division in this Department in the past, have been utterly inadequate, and even as re-rated, they will be far from approach- ing a standard which can be designated as lib- eral. The United States Government cannot af- ford to employ cheap help, nor to invite efficient service to labor for inadequate remuneration. Even if it were mean enough to do so, competi- tion with private firms and corporations makes it impossible for the government to command the DEPAETMENT OF AGBICCLTURE. 249 highest service \\ithout offering adequate pay therefor. In the particular line represented by the Agricultural Department , this competition has been greatly increased by creatures of the government's own creation. I refer to the two- score Experiment Stations, drawing subsidy from the National Treasury, and which within the past two years, have created a greatly enlarged de- maud for the services of scientific agriculturists. When I insist thus earnestly that this Depart- ment shall be dealt with liberally, and its wants considered in the light of present requirements and future fulfillment, I beg you to bear in mind that I speak in the name of the agricultural in- terests of the United States, and I opine that no member of either House will for a moment depre- ciate the extent, importance and influence of these interests in this country. "A glance at the record of our export trade during the past twenty-five years will show how large a proportion of it is made up of agricultural products. An average of 444 million dollars per annum, an aggregate for the quarter century Just elapsed of 11,100 millions of dollars, these surely are figures, which it almost transcends the power of the human mind to grasp, and yet they repre- sent but the surplus of agricultural products pro- duced by the farmers of the United States, over and above our home consumption, and for which this country has received pay from foreign na- 250 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. tions. Permit me here to call your attention once more to some facts which I presented to the President for his consideration in my annual re- port: " 'It is to be assumed that when Congress, in its wisdom, raised this department to its present dig- nity, and made its chief a Cabinet officer, the in- tention of our law-makers was not simply to add the luster of official dignity to an industry already dignified by the labor of its votaries, but to give it added influence and power for good in their behalf. It will not be amiss, then, if here and now I venture to offer some facts no doubt already familiar to you, but which strikingly em- phasize the vast aggregate importance of the in- terests which it is the primary object of this De- partment to serve. " 'As far back as 1880 the value of the farms of the United States exceeded ten thousand million dollars. To the unremitting industry of their owners these farms yielded an aggregate annual value of nearly four thousand million dollars, in the production of which a vast population of nearly eight million of toilers utilized nearly half a billion worth of farm implements. The value of live-stock on farms, estimated in the last census to be worth over one thousand five hun- dred million dollars, is shown by reliable statis- tics collected by this Department to be worth to- day two thousand five hundred and seven million DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTVRE. 251 dollars. A low estimate of the number of farmers and farm laborers employed on our five million farms places it at nearly ten million persons, rep- resenting thirty million people, or nearly one- half of our present population. " 'These few figures are surely enough in them- selves to convince every thoughtful man of the responsibilities thrown upon the Department of Agriculture, but even they do not permit of a realization of their full portent, unless the co-rela- tion of agriculture with the other industries of this country be properly considered. It may be broadly stated that upon the productiveness of our agriculture and the prosperity of our farmers the entire wealth and prosperity of the whole na- tion depend. The trade and commerce of this vast country of which we so proudly boast, the transportation facilities so wonderfully devel- oped during the past quarter of a century, are all possible only because of the commerce and the wealth created by our agriculture. These are strong assertions, but they are assertions fully justified by the facts and recognized the world over by the highest authorities in political econ- omy.' "So much for the class whose interests are en- trusted to this Department. Compare now, if you please, the aggregate appropriations asked for on behalf of agriculture with those of any other Department of this government. Over 27 millions of dollars appropriated for the War De- 252 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. partment and Military Establishments, nearly 25 millions for the Navy, while even the Indians are allotted nearly six millions dollars in the annual appropriations. Hovv^ do these compare with the almost paltry sum, less than one million and a quarter dollars asked for for the proper main- tenance of this Department? Consider the enor- mous expenditures aggregating some 300 mil- lions of dollars contemplated for building up the Navy, whose sole purpose must be to defend the wealth created by the great industry of which this Department is the representative. It needs no argument to prove, for this has been admitted by political economists everywhere and at all times, that the source of all rational wealth is in the soil which we till. Millions for defense in- deed, but in God's name let there be something worth defending, and it is to agriculture alone you must look for this. A comparison between the appropriations asked for for this Department and the liberal appropriations devoted to the service of agriculture by Germany, Eussia, France, Austria, Brazil, and the other sister Re- publics in Central and Southern America, is al- most sufficient to make the American blush for the apparent indifference of ^is government to this primal industry which this would indicate. "I have spoken at length, and I have spoken strongly, yet I have but presented to you cold facts, conservatively stated, but realizing as I do how difficult it is, well-nigh impossible indeed, for DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. £53 the farmers of this country to themselves repre- sent the interests of their class before Congress, and that to you and your Committee alone can they look for such representation, I should feel that if I did not here and now, at the beginning of this session, adequately state their case and plead their cause, I should be recreant to the trust im- posed upon and assumed by me when I accepted the portfolio of the Secretary of Agriculture, and in that spirit, I respectfully, but most urgently beg your attentive consideration of the present communication. "To your hands are confided the interests of this Department in Congress, and to your friendly spirit and appreciation of its usefulness, your broad statesmanship and earnest advocacy, I ur- gently commend it, and rest assured that in your labors to give it enlarged powers for greater good, you have the cordial support of ten million American citizens and their families. "In conclusion let me say, that as earnestly as I demand that these powers be dealt out to me with a liberal hand, so cordially do I invite the closest scrutiny by yourself and the entire coun- try as to the manner in which I use them. "I have the honor to be, "Sir, "Very respectfully, "J. M. KUSK, "Secretary." 254 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XXXIII. SECRETARY RUSK'S POLICY. Secretary Eusk's policy in reference to the De- partment was just what might have been ex- pected from his appreciation of its duties and of its possibilities. The only question that arose in his mind in deciding as to work of the Depart- ment was the plain and practical one, "Will it benefit the farmers?" It is possible that some anxiety was felt upon his advent to office, by some of the scientific workers in the Department serv- ice, as to how far a man of his practical experi- ence and tendencies, and doubtless participating more or less in the somewhat prevalent opinion that the scientific work of the Department was not sufficiently directed to practical economic re- sults, would be capable of sympathizing with their work. That Secretary Eusk was somewhat inclined to share in this view, so commonly held among the farmers, especially in the West, there is little doubt, but his natural disposition to fair play — • "to give every fellow a show," to use his own SECRETAR Y R VSICS POLICY. 255 blunt phraseology — kept him from any hasty ac- tion. Moreover, the Secretary's experience when Governor of Wisconsin had fortunately strongly predisposed him to appreciate the value of scien- tific work in behalf of the farmer. During his ad- ministration the practical work for agriculture of the University of Wisconsin had been largely de- veloped and had met with full sympathy from the shrewd, practical man. During his administra- tion the Farmers' Institutes, those agricultural colleges for the people, had been brought to their fullest strength and perfection, and finally estab- lished by a law which he was always proud to have encouraged and eventually signed, under which the Institutes were recognized as a State institution, and provided for by an appropriation under which Institutes were regularly held throughout the State, in charge of a superinten- dent appointed by the Regents of the University. In spite, therefore, of some latent prejudice due to the tendency in some of the Department publi- cations to shoot over the heads of the people. Sec- retary Rusk was fully disposed to recognize the value of scientific work, and to let every man en- gaged in it have a fair opportunity to show the value to agriculture of his particular branch, and to demonstrate, if he could, his fitness for the place he held. The first important question to engage his at- tention was the selection of an assistant secre- 256 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. tary, in which President Harrison wisely allowed him a free hand. In this selection he was chiefly guided by the following considerations: First, he must have a man sufficientlj^ identified with the work of scientific agriculture to not only ap- preciate its purpose and be acquainted personally with the leading men devoted to it, but to be him- self known to and appreciated by them. Second, he must have a man combining the practical ex- perience and training of a man of affairs with the education and tastes of the scholar and student, his purpose being to confide to the immediate per- sonal supervision of the assistant Secretai'y those Divisions of the Department engaged especially in scientific investigations. The office was, after mature consideration, of- fered to Hon. Edwin Willits, a man of large ex- perience in public affairs, who had served several terms in Congress, and who, being a lawyer of high repute, was yet most favorably known in his own State, Michigan, as also widely throughout the country, from his connection with educational matters, more especially with agricultural educa- tion. At the time he was called to act as Assist- ant Secretary of Agriculture, for he fortunately accepted the place without hesitation, Mr. Wil- lits was the President of the State Agricultural College of Michigan, and Director of the Experi- ment Station connected with it. This is not the place to discuss the merits of Mr. SECBETAB Y B USE'S FOLIC T. 257 Willits nor to review his work, but no biographer of Secretary Eusk could perform a duty more in tune with the record and with the disposition of the late Secretaiy than to express briefly but earnestly the value of Mr. Willits' services as principal coadjutor of the Secretary in the im- portant work of laying the foundations for the great and useful edifice, the Department of Agri- culture is bound to become. The feelings of mu- tual esteem and the cordial cooperation with which the two men labored in the work which was their pride, were alike honorable to both, as they are doubtless the source of many grateful memories to the survivor. With the appointment of Mr. Willits the first step was taken in the re-organization of the De- partment. The essentially scientific Divisions were made directly responsible to the Assistant Secretary, and the men in charge of every branch of the work were bidden to move onward with firm step and cheerful confidence, and informed that by the value of their work and by that cri- terion alone should they be judged. A disposition towards segregation, occasionally manifested among the several Divisions as the scope of the work was enlarged, and their number necessarily multiplied, was unsparingly checked; interest in each other's work was invited, a cheer- ful cooperation insisted upon, and every man was early impressed with the fact that no part of the 17 258 JEBEMIAII M. E USK. work of the Department should be indifferent to him, and that while all the latitude possible was to be accorded to every responsible officer, each one was to be held strictly to a recognition of the allegiance he owed to the Department. The next great step undertaken, affecting the general work of the Department, was in regard to the publications, a special Division being cre- ated which should have supervision of them all, which should administer the printing fund, re- port to the Secretary or Assistant Secretary upon the character and contents of each bulletin, and advise with the several chiefs as to the style of the publications, the size of the editions, etc. With the establishment of the new Division the words borne on the title page of each publication — "Published by authority of the Secretary of Agriculture" — ceased to be an empty form. That Secretary Eusk fully appreciated the value and purpose of the publications of the De- partment, as the voice by which it makes itself heard by the public, is shown not only in the great yearly increase of the publications issued by the Department during his administration, but by the following language in which, in his first annual report to the President, he referred to this part of the work and to the means he had adopted for its better administration. He said: "One of the first conclusions forced upon me after a careful review of the valuable work of the SECBETAR Y B USEPS POLICY. 259 several divisions of tlie Department in its appli- cation to the economy of agriculture, was the ab- solute necessity for prompt and effectual means of reaching the class the Department was pri- marily designed to serve, i. e., the farmers. The very essence of the duties devolving on this De- partment of Government is that its results shall be promptly made available to the public by a comprehensive scheme of publication. Time and expense, ability and experience, lavished on the work of this Department, can have no practical results unless we can lay their conclusions promptly before the people who need them. "The frequent issue of special bulletins from the various divisions relating to the work under- taken by them, instead of awaiting the issue of the annual report, already too bulky for the pur- pose for which I conceive it to be designed, meets with my unqualified approval, and I propose to greatly extend this practical method of intercom- munication between the Department and its con- stituents. To reach the farmers of the country effectually, however, even more is needed than the issue of frequent bulletins in editions of 5,000 or 10,000 copies. Many of these are essen- tially and unavoidably scientific, and the careful record of scientific investigation by scientific men, the value of whose conclusions must necessarily bear the scrutiny of scientific investigators the world over. The elimination of all scientific terms 260 JEREMIAH M. B USK. and language from such reports is impossible, ■while at the same time it is feasible and essential that all practical conclusions arrived at, as the result of scientific observation or investigation, must be so expressed as to be readily understood by all ordinarily intelligent people of average ed- ucation. "Again as to the number of copies required and the methods adopted for their circulation, it is clearly impossible to reach every farmer on the nearly 5,000,000 farms of the United States with all the bulletins emanating from this Depart- ment, nor is it desirable that every bulletin should reach every farmer. Farming is becom- ing more and more differentiated, not only into main divisions naturally created by limitations as to climate and soil, but into minor divisions or specialties due to the larger experience, the higher degree of skill required in the present day to enable a farmer to prosecute his w^ork success- fully, and to v^^hich but very few men can attain in more than one or two specialties or branches of farming. Herein we find another strong argu- ment for the diffusion of the results of our De- partment work, in the form of special bulletins, convenient in form, promptly printed, and easily distributed. "The points to be covered in this direction may then be thus briefly summarized: "(1) Frequent publications of the results of SECRETARY Busies POLICY. 261 scientific work in the various divisions, in the form of special bulletins. "(2) The observance, as far as practicable, of such language as will render the contents of each bulletin available to the average layman. "(3) A method of distribution which will se- cure the circulation of the Department bulletins among those who will make practical use of them. "(4) The widespread publication of the prac- tical conclusions of the scientific observations or investigations, undertaken in the various divi- sions, in a brief form and plain terms, and on a scale so extensive as to practically reach all the farmers of this country." (Annual Report 1889, pp. 6 and 7.) 262 JEBEMIAR M. B USK. CHAPTER XXXIV. SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT. Secretary Eusk did not take long to discover that the Department of Agriculture is practically -p'hat its chief malses of it, and he promptly set himself to consider in just what ways he could render it most eflQcacious for the good of the American farmer. We have already stated that his views as to its scope and functions were broad and compretensive He believed it to be one of the first duties of the Department to keep in touch with all the agri- cultural interests throughout the country. For this pi;rpose he held it to be desirable that the Department should be represented as largely as possible at all important agricultural gatherings. He further deemed it of the utmost importance to acquire all the information possible that could be of use to the farmer, whether through its statis- tical or other agents or by scientific investiga- tions, and to present to the practical farmer, plainly and promptly, the results of the inquiries so conducted. "The Statistical Division," he would say, "is SCOPE OF THE DEPABTMENT. 263 here to tell the farmer all he needs to know in re- gard to the commercial side of his business; not only to inquire and report as to the condition of the growing crops, but to inform him as to the extent and value of all crops grown in the coun- try, of the demand therefor, both domestic and foreign, and of the supply contributed by compet- ing countries; to investigate the condition and de- mands of foreign markets, that we may know for which of our agricultural products a demand ex- ists abroad, which are the best and most available ma.rkets, and in what form our products must be exported to attract and satisfy the foreign con- sumer." He would often, in discussing this sub- ject, say with the practical, shrewd good sense which characterized his consideration of these subjects: "What I want to know the farmer is pretty sure to want to know, and the questions I want answered for my own information our sta- tistician must be prepared to answer for the in- formation of the public." From the first. Secretary Eusk took a lively in- terest in the work of those divisions which seemed to him engaged in the most practical phases of agricultural science, such as the study of animal and plant diseases, and of injurious insects by which the value of our crops, both animal and vegetable, are so seriously reduced. Perhaps the best idea obtainable of Secretary Eusk's views as to the scope and functions of the 264 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. Department may be found clearly and vigorously expressed by himself in his last annual report, from which we must necessarily quote frequently and at length for the benefit of those who desire to know just what was Secretary Rusk's own ap- preciation of his work and duty in the great office to which he devoted the closing years of his life, what were his hopes and aspirations in regard to it, and how earnestly he commended it, in his lat- est public utterance in regard to it, to the con- sideration of his countrymen. He thus sets forth "The Scope of the Department's Work" in the report in question : "Before proceeding to any detailed work of the several bureaus and divisions composing this De- partment, I desire to present for your earnest consideration some observations regarding the general character, scope, and object of the work of this Department, which I conceive to be not thoroughly understood, or at least not fully ap- preciated, by many people in this country. In order to fulfill its mission, this Department must be prepared to do with reference to agriculture all that our individual farmers are unable to do for themselves. The great blessing which this country enjoys from the fact that it is far less than some other countries the home of large landed proprietors presents to us certain difficul- ties which it is the province of this Department to remove. The absence of large land-owners, SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 265 commanding extensive capital in our agricultural industries, necessarily limits the lines of individ- ual experiment and investigation into those agri- cultural problems upon the solution of which the future prosperity of agriculture depends. "It is the duty of this Department to investi- gate all these problems, and in this work it is en- titled to receive the heartiest cooperation on the part of the experiment stations in the various States which are recipients of the national bounty. But while the work of these must nec- essarily be differentiated, that of the Department must be broad enough to meet the wants of the entire country. Not only must the diseases of animals and plants and the ravages of their insect enemies be studied and investigated with a view to prevention or remedy, but the condition of soil and climate, rendering various sections specially adapted to this or that crop, must be thoroughly studied and understood. This Department must be prepared to encourage agriculture on certain lines in certain sections which are especially adapted to them, and, on the other hand, to dis- courage certain lines in other sections. Again, the farmer must always depend upon this Depart- ment for information in regard to what may be termed the commercial side of agriculture, the condition of crops at home and abroad, the ques- tion of the demand, and the question of the sup- ply of all great staple crops, not only as to extent, 266 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. but as to character. Only a thoughtful man, fa- miliar with the conditions of agriculture in the country, can fully appreciate the vast breadth and scope of the work required to enable this De- partment to adequately fulfill the mission I have indicated. "The commission of this Department, as I may call the law under which it was orginially estab- lished, is broad enough to cover any work which in the judgment of its Chief may have a bearing upon agriculture in this country; but in its prac- tical application its work is necessarily limited by the extent of the appropriations made for its use, as well as by their distribution to special ob- jects. While the appropriations which I have estimated for have been estimated upon the most economical basis adequate to carrying on the work already undertaken with reasonable effi- ciency, I desire to state emphatically that a much larger sum could be spent to the very great ad- vantage of agriculture in this country, and I will add that I know of no way in which the people of the United States can make a more profitable investment than by supplying the funds neces- sary to an ample enlargement of our work, and an extension of our facilities for the work already undertaken. "In this connection I wish to point out that the Department labors under serious disadvantages from the inadequate compensation which it is au- SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 267 thorized to offer to the men of talent, scientific education, and experience which it needs to carry on its most responsible duties. In this respect the Department's facilities will be found to com- pare very unfavorably with those of the other De- partments of the Government. "There are in other Departments single bureaus commanding the services of a dozen men drawing salaries exceeding by |500 to |1,500 those paid to persons performing corresponding duties or hav- ing corresponding responsibilities in this Depart- ment. In all matters pertaining to agriculture this Department should lead and not follow in the footsteps of State or private enterprise, and I submit that without greater liberality in this re- spect, which will enable the Secretary of Agricul- ture to command the services of the best- equipped men in the country for his purpose, the Department will inevitably be relegated event- ually to a second place unworthy of a National Department, and which will be sure to cripple its usefulness." (Annual Eeport 1892, pp. 18 and 19.) Two other important subjects engaged the Sec- retary's special attention and received his earnest consideration. These were the necessity for a wider representation of the Department at the meetings of agricultural and kindred associations in our own country, and for suitable representa- tion of the Department at important interna- tional gatherings devoted to agricultural matters 268 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. in foreign countries. We cannot refrain from quoting, in illustration of Secretary Eusk's views on these subjects, certain of his remarks thereon in his report for the year 1890. Speaking of rep- resentation at our own agricultural gatherings, the Secretary said: "In my last report I referred to the fact that there are held in this country annually a vast number of fairs — usually a State or Territorial fair in every State and Territory in the Union, many other large district or interstate fairs, while county fairs are very nearly as numerous as the number of counties in the whole country. It is a very essential part of the duty of this De- partment to keep itself well-informed in regard to the extent and character of the agricultural resources of all sections of the country, and I know of no opportunity for adding materially to this information at so slight an expense of time and money as is afforded by these exhibitions which bring together in one place samples of all the best that the country can produce. "It is my desire that the representatives of this Department should be found hereafter at all the principal State fairs, under instructions to make a thorough report on the character of the exhib- its, and at the same time avail themselves of meeting, as they will do on such occasions, the leading representatives of agricultural interests, from whom much can be learned as to the wants SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 269 of the farmers, the nature of their difficulties, and the best manner in which the Department can serve them. Furthermore, I desire to carry this system of representation at the fairs as far as possible, even to include county fairs, by avail- ing myself of the cooperation of the large staff of voluntary correspondents of the Department distributed through' all sections of the country, and to whose enthusiastic devotion to the cause of agriculture the Department has already been often and much indebted. It seems to me that by such means a sort of bird's-eye view, as it were, might be obtained of the agricultural re- sources of the country, with the result of supply- ing this Department with a vast amount of valu- able information which can not only not be se- cured so easily in any other way, but indeed can not be secured at all except by these means. "Among other services which these representa- tives could render the Department would be the collection and forwarding to the Department mu- seum samples of the various exhibits which at present are too frequently scattered and lost. This subject naturally leads to a consideration of the necessity for a more frequent interchange of thought between this Department and the agri- cultural intelligence of the country. I called at- tention in my last report to the fact that there had been, especially in the past few years in the United States, an enormous development in the 270 JEREBIIAII M. BUSK. agricultural organizations devoted to the farm- ers' self-improvement. Our dairy associations, our horticultural, live stock, and kindred societies, have not only multiplied as to number, but today are far more active in holding meetings and con- ventions than they have ever been before. The farmers' institutes are meetings of a general character, attended usually by the best farmers in the sections in v^hich they are held, and bring- ing together the best agricultural thought and practice. Not only do I deem it to be of the ut- most importance, indeed a solemn duty devolving upon this Department, that these meetings and gatherings should be encouraged in every pos- sible way by their representative Department in the national government, but I conceive it to be absolutely necessary for the intelligent conduct of the vpork of this Department that it should be frequently represented at such meetings, not only for the encouragement and benefit of those present, but for the benefit of this Department and its division chiefs. "Speaking from my own experience, I am aware that in the large section of country with which I am familiar, from an agricultural stand- point, most important meetings have been held in recent years. Questions of the gravest im- port to the agriculture of this country have been discussed at these meetings, and yet rarely in- deed has there been present any person repre- SCOPE OF THE DEPAET3IENT. 271 senting the National Department of Agriculture who could speak for it, and what is still more im- portant, learn for it the views and wants of these people. This is a condition of affairs which calls for immediate remedy, and in so far as the liber- ality of Congress will enable me to do so, I am determined to provide that remedy. It is only by the closest cooperation between this Depart- ment and the agricultural societies — the Granges, the Alliances, etc., — that the work of the Depart- ment can be carried to its highest development and attain its greatest usefulness, and I recom- mend that a special fund be placed at my dis- posal for this purpose." Again, speaking on the same subject, in his re- port for 1892 (pp. 19-20) he said: "As I have had occasion to say in former re- ports, one of the objects which I have sought per- sistently to accomplish, but only with moderate success, has been the freer and larger intercourse between the Department and the farmers, by means of adequate representation at the prin- cipal gatherings of agricultural, horticultural, live stock, and kindred industries throughout the country. It is largely due to a lack of this repre- sentation that the cooperation in the interest of agriculture which ought to exist between the va- rious bodies representing the several agricultural industries and the State boards and colleges, etc., does not obtain. What I have been able to do in 272 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. this direction with the limited facilities at my disposal has brought about results most gratify- ing, aad, at the same time, such is afford an earn- est of what might be accDmplished were the De- partment properly equipped with an adequate force of intelligent, energetic special agents, well acquainted with the agricultural interests in their own section of country, and qualified to rep- resent the Department creditably on all public occasions. To reach its full measure of useful- ness, it is essential that the Department be brought home to the farmers in such a manner that they will be made to realize that it is their Department, and that they are acquainted with it and it with them." On the subject of representation of the Depart- ment abroad, Secretary Eusk used the following emphatic language: "I desire to record here very emphatically my conviction that some method must be adopted by which, as occasion requires and without long delays, this Department shall be enabled to send representatives to foreign countries in cases where only personal visits can be relied on to se- cure much-needed information. The subject of world-wide competition has been dwelt upon at length on so many occasions that it would be purely superfluous to insist here upon the active competition which meets our own farmers in every market where their products are offered for SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 273 sale. The commercial side of this condition of things is well understood, but it does not seem to be so clearly understood or so well appreciated that there is an intellectual competition which is even more serious than the other, in that it is the basis of the other. "Where wise economic legislation is the cure, the perfection of agricultural methods, which means the maximum of production at the min- imum of cost, is the prevention of agricultural troubles. In our pursuit after this perfection we must study the methods of all other countries that attain or approach it in any branch of agri- culture. We must be prepared to learn all that is to be learned elsewhere, and then wisely adapt the information so obtained to the conditions of the American farmer. Consequently that infor- mation must be acquired by men who are them- selves familiar with our own agricultural condi- tions. This plan, except in so far as it is now of- fered on behalf of agriculture, is by no means a new or original one. It is but a few years since that a commission of distinguished military of- ficers visited many of the European countries and British India for the purpose of studying the equipment of foreign armies with a view of adapting to our own military service all that might seem to be advantageous. I have under- stood that the report brought back by these gen- tlemen was regarded by high authorities as most 18 274 JEBEMIAH M. RUSK. valuable. In this, as in many other respects, ag- riculture has not had the fair treatment which, in spite of the fact that it is beyond dispute the most important industry in the country, is, after all, all that it asks for. The suggestion of send- ing a well-qualified representative abroad purely in the interest of agriculture is cavilled at as a means of affording a pleasure trip to some broken-down professor. It is time that we rose superior to such humiliating and unworthy puerility. "It may be well, perhaps, in this connection to call attention to the fact that we are in this re- spect far behind the other nations of the world, however disagreeable it may be to confess it. Im- portant gatherings of men devoted to agricul- tural science, and enjoying by the courtesy of the government under whose jurisdiction they as- semble every privilege and facility for gaining in- formation in regard to the agriculture of that country, are constantly being held in various parts of the world, at which representatives of this, the greatest agricultural country in the world, are conspicuous by their absence; and when we are represented, it is often by some wealthy amateur enjoying his ease abroad, or, as is sometimes the case, by some enthusiast, who, at a sacrifice of time and money which he can ill afford to spare, manages to attend; but officially this country and this Department are very rarely SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 275 represented on such occasions. A most notable instance of our omissions in this respect was fur- nished during the meeting last September of an international agricultural congress at Vienna, in which we had been especially invited to partici- pate by the Austro-Hungarian Government, at which over eleven hundred delegates were pres- ent, including distinguished representatives of agricultural interests from every country in Europe, from Japan, from Australia, from India, and from South America, and at which were dis- cussed subjects of profound interest to American agriculture. This was a meeting at which, for many reasons, it was most desirable that the United States, through this Department, should have been officially represented. Unfortunately, for want of adequate provision, the United States alone, of all the leading countries of the world, was absent, "Let me here recall the fact that since I had the honor to assume the offlce of Secretary of Agri- culture I have been visited by gentlemen from Austro-Hungary, Germany, Bavaria, France, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and even from one of the native principal- ities of the East Indies, the official representa- tives of departments analogous to my own in their native countries, traveling under orders from and under the pay of their respective gov- ernments, armed with all the official credentials 276 JEBEMIAH M. RUSK. necessary to secure to them every attention and courtesy necessary to the prosecution of their in- quiries. Thus do these countries indicate their willingness to learn whatever we may be able to teach them. Thus do they recognize the fact upon which I have already insisted — that there is an intellectual as well as a commercial compe- tition, to which the old maxim, 'Knowledge is power,' applies with a force which all must rec- ognize." In his last annual report (1892, p. 20) the secre- tary recurred to the subject, proposing for the ad- equate representation of the Department abroad a plan which curiously enough has since and only recently been adopted by Germany, the country which of all others represents militarism in the mind of the average American. On this occasion he said: "What has been done abroad in the interest of Indian corn shows very clearly the importance and desirability of having this Department repre- sented in foreign countries. These representa- tives should be charged not only with the duty of spreading information abroad in regard to our own agricultural resources and the availability of our agricultural products for foreign use, but they should also keep this Department thor- oughly informed in regard to all matters relating to agriculture and to the markets for agricul- tural products in foreign countries, by which our SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT. 277 own producers could be enabled to compete with the foreign producers. To afford such represent- atives all the facilities they ought to have, and to secure harmonious cooperation between them- selves and our diplomatic representatives abroad, they ought to be, on the recommendation of the head of this Department and with the concur- rence of the Secretary of State, attached in a semi-official character to our foreign legations in those countries where it may be found necessary to station them. Such a course has already been pursued with most satisfactory results in the case of the agent of this Department in London." 278 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. CHAPTER XXXV. EXPERIMENTAL WORK. The second year of Secretary Eusk's adminis- tration was a busy one indeed. The difficult duty devolved upon him of preparing in the fall of 1890 estimates for carrying on the work of the Weather Bureau, which Congress had directed, under an act approved October 1st, 1890, should be established and attached to the Department of Agriculture, upon which should devolve the civilian duties of the signal corps of the army. This transfer was to take place July 1, 1891, and, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, estimates had therefore to be prepared, as is customary under our somewhat anomalous system in the fall of 1890, with the added embarrassment aris- ing from the fact that Secretary Eusk had this duty to perform in reference to a bureau practic- ally as yet uncreated, and to make provisions for work entirely new to him. Obviously but one course was open to him, and this he explains in his report for 1890, as follows: "Under an act approved October 1, 1890, Con- EXPERIMENTAL WOBK. 279 gress directed 'that the civilian duties now per- formed by the Signal Corps of the Army shall hereafter devolve upon a bureau to be knovi^n as the Weather Bureau, which, on and after July 1, 1891, shall be established in and attached to the Department of Agriculture.' "In accordance with this act I have included estimates for the ensuing fiscal year for carrying on the work of the Bureau thus created in this Department I deem it evident from the discus- sion which attended the passage of this act, and from the wording of the act itself, that in making this transfer of the Weather Bureau to this De- partment, it was the intention of Congress that the work of the Bureau should be extended, in so far as might be necessary to a full cooperation of this branch of the service with the work of the several divisions already established in this De- partment for the benefit of agriculture, without in any way restricting its general scope. In this spirit I have submitted estimates for the coming year on the basis of the wider range of work thus contemplated, and I take the opportunity of ex- pressing here my own conviction that in many ways the work of meteorological observation which this Department will be thus enabled to carry on in conjunction with its other work, will be found of great value to the farming interests of the country. It is indeed self-evident that to complete the study of soil conditions, of animal 280 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. and plant life, a study of the climatic conditions of our country is indispensable." The Artesian Wells investigation, under the Office of Irrigation Inquiry, was undertaken under a provision in the urgent deficiency act approved April 4, 1890, and the work was so vig- orously pushed that a report of operations was made to Congress, in spite of the lateness with which the work was begun, on the 22nd of August of the same year. This work was con- tinued under the act approved September 30, 1890. Practically a new division was established for the investigation of our textile fibre industries, and a division of illustrations, combining under one chief all the drawing, engraving and illustra- tion work of the Department was organized. Ar- rangements were undertaken for the preparation of a Departmental exhibit at the World's Colum- bian Exposition in 1893, under the Assistant Sec- retary, acting as special representative of the De- partment of Agriculture on the World's Fair Government Board. An important modification was carried out in regard to the monthly statistical reports, brief summaries of which are sent out through the press associations on the tenth day of each month. The fact that this news was sent by telegraph and could thus only reach business centers im- pressed the Secretary forcibly, and as the full re- EXPERIMENTAL WOItK. 281 port was a publication of considerable size, which could only be issued in a limited edition and after several days' delay, thus leaving an intereg- num during which the information gathered es- pecially for the benefit of the producer was avail- able principally to middlemen and speculators, he decided that there should be issued, simul- taneously with the telegraphic summary, a brief but somewhat extended synopsis of the monthly report, in a form so cheap that a copy might be sent to every applicant, and so promptly that every farmer, as soon after the tenth as the mails CO aid reach him, should be in possession of all the information sent out by telegraph and even more. One hundred and thirty thousand syn- opses are now sent out monthly to as many ap- plicants. This detail affords a fair illustration of Secretary Eusk's practical nature, and of his de- termination that the work of his Department should be directed primarily to the benefit of its immediate constituents, the farmers. The enlargement of the Department and the great increase in the work devolving upon it, was truly gratifying to Rusk's active temperament, and it was characteristic of the man that the greater number of important matters requiring his attention and consideration, the happier and more cheerful did he seem. He attacked his daily duties with all the zest and energy of youth, and fairly exulted in the amplification of each day's 282 JEREMIAH M. EUSK. work. It was in this year also that the important step was taken of appointing a special agent in Europe, charged with the duty of making known to its people the value of Indian corn as an article of human food. The agent chosen for this i)ur- pose was Col. C. J. Murphy, a gentleman who had been engaged in this work for nearly two years at his own expense, as a private citizen, and Sec- retary Rusk thus reported his action in the prem- ises in his annual I'eport for 1890 : "I have long been impressed with the necessity of taking measures to promote the consumption of Indian corn in foreign countries. The facility with which we can raise this cereal, its generally low price, and the occasional glut in the home market in years when the yield has been espe- cially large, make an increase in our exports of corn extremely desirable. It is essentially an American cereal, one which can be grown in all parts of this great country, and the area adapted to which is practically illimitable. Not more than 20 per cent, of the crop on an average is moved outside of the country in which it is grown, and to the extent to which this indicates the utili- zation of the crop for feeding purposes on the farms where it is grown this is well; but when we realize that this fact is due in part at least, es- pecially in years like the last of an ample yield, to the absolute want of demand, our home mar- kets being fully supplied, it is certainly a matter EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 983 of profound regret that there does not exist a for- eign demand sufficient to relieve the glut at home, and to secure for our farmers in the West a price which would be adequate at least to save them from loss on the growing of the crop. "During the past ten years our exports have hardly exceeded 3 or 4 per cent, of the total crop. This is due largely to the fact that corn is utilized throughout the greater portion of Europe solely as food for animals, and then only when its very low price tempts the feeders. As a food for hu- man beings it is practically unknown, save in some sections of Southern Europe, while in the greater part of that continent it can not even be grown to maturity. I have recently determined to avail myself of the presence in Europe of Col. Charles J. Murphy, a well-known authority and enthusiast on the subject of the increase of oup corn export, who has been commissioned by me to make a report to this Department upon the general subject of the promotion of the use of Indian corn as a human food in European coun- tries. Colonel Murphy's report will be made the subject of a special bulletin as soon as it shall have been received, and will no doubt treat of this important subject practically and well." This year was marked by renewed energy in the prosecution of the cane sugar experiments in Louisiana and Florida, and sugar experiments with sorghum in Kansas and with beets in the 284 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. Northwest. The whole subject was gone into in the fullest manner, under the capable leadership of the Chief of the Chemical Division, both cul- turally and from the manufacturer's point of view. In Louisiana the object sought was to so improve the processes of manufacture as to add to the sugar product, and in Florida it was sought to establish the availability of the land for a profitable cane production. In Kansas the ef- forts made were to improve the varieties of sor- ghum, so as to secure an increase in the saccha- rine matter, and to simplify and cheapen the process of manufacture. In Nebraska and the Northwest the experiments were specially di- rected to acquainting the farmers with the sugar beet industry, and demonstrating the adapta- bility of that section of the country to this crop. Thousands of pounds of sugar beet seed were dis- tributed among farmers throughout the country, and numerous analyses were made of the product to determine the sugar-producing capacity of the beets produced on our own soil. This subject was one which from the first engaged the Secretary's earnest attention. He felt convinced of our abil- ity to produce our own sugar, and believed that no efi:"ort should be spared to bring about a con- summation which should have so important an influence in the much needed diversification of our agricultural products, and which should eventually transfer 120 million dollars annually EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 2S5 from the pockets of foreign producers to those of American farmers. The Bureau of Animal Industry, combining as it does large administrative duties with its sci- entific work, had special attractions for his active, energetic and somewhat aggressive disposition, but its work during this and succeeding years was of such a special character and of such mag- nitude that it will be desirable to give it a chap- ter to itself. 286 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTEK XXXVI. BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. The Bureau of Animal Industry had been es- tablished primarily for the eradication of con- tagious pleuro-pneumonia, but it was organized for the general supervision of our cattle industry and the investigation of animal diseases, and thus combined the highest scientific work witli large administrative powers, though these were found by Secretary Eusk to be as inadequate to its responsibilities as were its accommodations to its scientific work. His first efforts were di- rected to securing from Congress legislation greatly enlarging his authority, and covering such subjects as the movement of cattle from the Texas fever region, a system of inspection of all cattle, sheep and swine imported into the coun- try, and an inspection of all pork products. The restrictions imposed by foreign countries upon our cattle and meat trade were especially galling to his intense Americanism, and he par- ticularly resented them not only as being, in his opinion, in the nature of a subterfuge, an effort to B UBJSA U OF ANIMAL IND USTB Y. 287 secure protection without honestly adopting pro- tective principles, but as casting a most unjust reflection upon the sanitary condition of Ameri- can live-stock. He was, however, quick to see that without the exercise of the most rigid supervision and inspec- tion on our part, fully equal to that imposed by foreign governments upon their own products, and which alone could put us in the position to guarantee, as it were, the soundness of our cattle and cattle products exported, we could not pre- sent a strong case to foreign governments. In spite, therefore, of many objections and sinister prognostications as to the impracticability of such a system of inspection as would satisfy for- eign governments, he secured the passage of legislation authorizing inspection of the most searching and comprehensive character of all cat- tle and meats destined for foreign markets. When a movement was inaugurated looking to discouraging if not practically prohibitive regu- lations of our live cattle trade by the British Grov- ernment on the ground of the ill-treatment of animals in transit, he met this too by a law au- thorizing the inspection by the Secretary of Agri- culture of all vessels carrying cattle, and the en- forcement of such regulations as he might lay down for the greater safety and humane treat- ment of all animals shipped across the ocean. Armed with such drastic powers, Secretary Eusk 288 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. entered upon an aggressive campaign, the lead- ing features of wliicli were the prompt and ef- fectual extirpation of contagious diseases among our cattle, the establishment of the most rigid and efficient inspection of all cattle and meat products destined for foreign markets, the abso- lute control and restriction within its own area of Texas fever, an efficient and humane regula- tion of the ocean cattle traffic, and, last but not least, persistent efforts through our representa- tives abroad to induce foreign governments to withdraw or at least to modify the objectionable restrictions. One of the first practical efforts in this direc- tion was the appointment of his own Veterinary Inspectors in Great Britain, who should, with the consent of the British government, exercise a joint supervision with the British inspecting officers of all cattle landed on British soil from this country. This concession was obtained through the efforts of the then United States Minister in London, Mr. Robert Lincoln. By this means and by a system under which every animal inspected for export is tagged and numbered, and is thus susceptible of individual tracing and investigation, the many groundless allegations made by the British inspectors of the existence of contagious pleuro-pneumonia among cattle landed in British ports from the United States would, it was believed, be effectually dis- jB UBEA U of animal IND USTJS Y. 289 proved and the number of such allegations ef- fectually diminished. Such indeed was the re- sult to an extent even greater than could have been reasonably anticipated. Having taken all the measures possible to se- cure the immunity of American cattle from dis- ease; having established such a system of inspec- tion as would enable the prompt identification and tracing to the farm whence purchased, of any individual animal alleged to be affected, and hav- ing secured the opportunity for an inspection by veterinary officers of the Department of any sus- pected case landed in Great Britain, Secretary Kusk lost no opportunity to impress upon the British Government through the Department of State and our Minister in London the fact that the restrictions imposed upon the American cat- tle trade by the British Government were unjust; that the allegations of their inspecting officers involved a charge against the sanitary condition of our cattle which it was impossible for the Gov- ernment to justify upon any grounds — a charge which was therefore unfriendly in its nature, and which would justify any legitimate retalia- tory measures upon our part. At the same time the Secretary resorted to the most energetic measures for the eradication of pleuro-pneumonia, with the result that whereas on assuming office he had found the disease existing in four States, he was able before the second year of his admin- 19 290 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. istration to report all but one State entirely free from it, and the disease in that particular State confined to a small area within the limits of two counties. The effect of these measures was quickly seen in the great diminution of cases of disease among American cattle alleged by British officers, and in the few cases where such allegations were made the value of the trans- Atlantic inspection established by the Secretary was made conspic- uously apparent. In every such case the Depart- ment was promptly advised by its inspectors, re- inspection of the diseased animal being in every case quickly followed by refutation of the alle- gation on the part of the American inspector — • refutation which was in every instance supported by leading European veterinarians and justified by the life-history of the suspected animal, which, being traced back by the system of identification already referred to, to the farm where it had been originally sold, was invariably found not only to have come from a section in which the disease was unknown, but not to have been exposed to it for one moment while in transit. Finally, a pe- riod of six months having elapsed during which not a single case of the disease had been discov- ered in the United States, notwithstanding the fact that the force of veterinary inspectors was not diminished in the meantime, and that, more- over, owing to the recently established instiec- B UBEA U OF ANIMAL IND USTB Y. 291 tion laws, the general system of inspection at all the leading markets of the country had been greatly extended, Secretary Eusk on the 25th day of September, 1892, issued the following procla- mation announcing the complete eradication of pleuro-pneumonia : PEOOLAMATION. Eradication of Pleuro-Pneumonia, U. S, Department of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary. To all whom it may concern: Notice is hereby given that the quarantine heretofore existing in the counties of Kings and Queens, State of New York, and the counties of Essex and Hudson, State of New Jersey, for the suppression of contagious pleuro-pneumonia among cattle, are this day removed. The removal of the aforesaid quarantines com- pletes the dissolving of all quarantines estab- lished by this Department in the several sections of the United States for the suppression of the above-named disease. No case of this disease has occurred in the State of Illinois since December 29, 1887, a period of more than four years and eight months. No case has occurred in the State of Pennsyl- vania since September 29, 1888, a period of four years within a few days. 292 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. No case has occurred in the State of Maryland since September 18, 1889, a period of three years. No case has occurred in the State of New York since April 30th, 1891, a period of more than one year and three months. No case has occurred in the State of New Jer- sey since March 25, 1892, a period of six months, and no case has occurred in any other portion of the United States within the past five years. I do, therefore, hereby officially declare that the United States is free from the disease known as contagious pleuro-pneumonia. Done at the city of Washington, D. C, this 26th day of September, A. D. 1892. J. M. EUSK, Secretary. In accordance with Secretary Kusk's sug- gestion, copies of this proclamation were placed in the hands of all the diplomatic and consular representatives of the United States throughout Europe. This action was followed by a vigorous letter addressed, under date of October 3, 1892, to the Secretary of State, on the subject of the re- strictions still maintained against American cat- tle by the British Government. This letter we reproduce entire. "U. S. Depauxment of Agriculture, '■^Office of the Secretary, "Washington, D. C, October 3, 1892. "Sir: I have the honor to request that you will B UEEA U OF ANIMAL IND USTB Y. 293 take the proper steps to bring to the attention of the Government of Great Britain the unnecessary and injurious restrictions which are still enforced upon all shipments of live cattle from the United States to Great Britain and to Canada. The reg- ulations referred to require that all live cattle landed in Great Britain shall be slaughtered on the docks within ten days after quitting the ships which transport them, and that all animals of tnis species entering the Dominion of Canada shall be held in a quarantine station for a period of ninety days. "It is almost unnecessary to add that such reg- ulations prevent the shipment of cattle, except those intended for immediate slaughter. The trade in pure-bred animals and in those for graz- ing purposes is entirely prevented, while animals for slaughter do not realize the prices which they otherwise would. These regulations, therefore, cause hardship and loss to our shippers, and en- tirely prevent a trade which would undoubtedly prove advantageous to both countries. "The regulations in question were adopted in 1879 because of the supposed danger of the intro- duction of the contagious pleuro-pneumonia from the United States. Since that time, however, this Government has provided for the eradication of that disease, and it no longer exists in any part of the United States. A period of more than six months has elapsed since the last affected animal 294 JEBEMIAB. M. B USK. was slaughtered, and every precaution has been observed during this period to discover the dis- ease in case of its existence. As no other cases have occurred subsequent to that time, I have of- ficially declared this country to be free from con- tagion, and copies of this declaration vrere sent you on the 24th ultimo. "It should not be forgotten that during the period these restrictions have been enforced upon our cattle trade, Canadian cattle for sale in this country and for export to Europe have been ad- mitted through the United States ports without detention, and that those from Great Britain and Ireland have been admitted, after a reasonable period of quarantine, although it is well known that pleuro-pneumonia has long prevailed in the British Isles. It may also be said that there is no disposition to enforce this quarantine after the disease in question has been eradicated from Great Britain and Ireland, provided these coun- tries remain free from other contagious diseases dangerous to the stock interests of this country. "I trust, therefore, that the British Govern- ment will see the injustice and unnecessary char- acter of the present regulations, and will be dis- posed to revoke them at an early day. "J. M. EUSK, "Secretary. "The Secretary of State.*' This letter was followed by further correspond- B UBEA U OF ANIMAL IND USTB Y. 295 ence on the subject in November of the same year, and in February of the year following, shortly before the Secretary's retirement from of- fice. In regard to the prohibitions against importa- tions of American meat products enforced by the countries of continental Europe for so many years. Secretary Rusk was not less energetic and persistent. The same principle dictated his ac- tion and controlled his administration. This was to undertake a rigid inspection however onerous or costly, sufficient to guarantee the immunity from unsoundness of American meat products, and thus to compel foreign countries to accept the alternative of either withdrawing their pro- hibitions, or of assuming the distinctly illogical and unfriendly attitude of declaring that com- mercial not sanitary protection was what they sought, and that they would not accept any guar- antee of immunity from the American Govern- ment, however rigid the inspection upon which it was based. The result of this policy in regard to American pork products was more fortunate than in the case of the British Government with reference to American cattle, and Secretary Rusk was gratified by the withdrawal in quick succes- sion of the prohibition against pork and other manufactured swine products of the United States, by the governments of Germany, Den- mark, Italy, France, Austria and Spain, and by 293 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the adoption of a distinctly more liberal policy on the part of all European countries in reference to American meat products generally. While, in spite of the evidence adduced as to the freedom of our cattle from disease, and of the frequent efforts made by Minister Lincoln to this end the British Government has obdurately adhered to its policy of protection. The course of that government in regard to our pork products has always been liberal, and they have been ad- mitted to the United Kingdom without restric- tion and even without exacting any certificate of inspection by our government. In marked contrast to this liberality was the course which had been adopted by other Euro- pean governments which had maintained for years an absolute prohibition against our pork products. It was to render this policy impossi- ble without an admission that it was based not on sanitary but on economic grounds, and that it was to be taken as an evidence of hostile legis- lation, that Secretary Eusk carried out his plan of a thorough inspection by agents of the Bureau of Animal Industry, even to the extent of micro- scopical inspection for trichina. His plan proved effectual and one after another these European governments withdrew their edicts against the American hog until finally its entry was secured into every civilized country. HIS LAST BEPOBT. 297 CHAPTER XXXVII. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT— HIS LAST REPORT. The work done by Secretary Eusk in laying down a broad foundation for the future work of the Department of Agriculture was so univer- sally recognized that it needs no special testi- mony at the hands of his biographer, but without some record of its growth and development a sketch of his work as Secretary of Agriculture would be manifestly incomplete. Fortunately for the reader there is extant his own modest es- timate of the work of the Department under his administration in the form of a "Retrospect," which formed a part of the Secretary's last an- nual report, that for 1892, which was written in November of that year, nearly a month later than usual, and which hence reviews a period lacking barely four months of his entire administration. In this review he thus addresses the President: "I shall offer no apology, in presenting to you this my fourth and last report as Secretary of Agriculture, for submitting for your considera- tion a brief retrospect of the work accomplished in the Department under the present administra- 298 JEBEMIAH M. B USK. tion. The passage of the law making the Depart- ment one of the Executive Departments of the Government antedated by but a few weeks your own inauguration and my assumption of the du- ties of Secretary of Agriculture. In consequence, the entire work of reorganizing the Department in accordance with its new dignity, and to meet the enlarged field of labor which I assume to be the most practical result of its elevation, de- volved upon myself, with the assistance of the dis- tinguished gentleman whom you selected to serve as Assistant Secretary. "In my first report I said: 'It is to be as- sumed that when Congress in its wisdom raised this Department to its present dignity and made its chief a Cabinet officer the intention of our law- makers was not simply to add the luster of official dignity to an industry already dignified by the labors of its votaries, but to give it added influ- ence and power for good in their behalf.' It is with that sentiment ever in mind that I have pro- ceeded in the discharge of the responsible duties imposed upon me. I may venture to recall the fact that the work of reorganization was made none the less arduous for the reason that the ap- propriations at my disposal, not only for the fiscal year in which I assumed office, but for the fiscal year following, had been made for the Depart- ment under its old regime, no further provision being made for it as an Executive Department HIS LAST BEPOR T. 299 than the appropriation for the salaries of the Sec- retary and Assistant Secretary in lieu of the sal- ary formerly paid to its Commissioner. A brief enumeration of the practical features added to the work of the Department since March, 1889, can not fail, I think, to satisfy the most exacting- friend of agriculture of the earnestness with which I have sought to increase the utility of the Department and promote the interests of Amer- ican agriculture. "My first step in the work of reorganization was to divide the Department into two grand divisions, one embracing all branches which in- volved administrative and executive features, which I retained under my personal supervision, the other embracing those branches engaged purely in scientific investigations, the immediate supervision of which I assigned to the Assistant Secretary. In accordance with this division my personal attention was devoted to the enlarge- ment of the scope of work in the interest of prac- tical agriculture, and particularly to three prin- cipal objects: The extension of the market for the disposal of the surplus of our great staple crops and of our vast animal products; the en- largement of our productive capacity with a view to substituting as far as possible home-grown for imported products; and to bringing the Depart- ment into such close relations with the farmers as would make them acquainted with our work, SOO JEBEMIAH M. RUSK. inspire them with confidence in our ability to serve them, and to impress more forcibly upon the responsible officers of the Department them- selves the wants and conditions of the tiller of the soil. "The great enlargement of the scope of work assigned to the Bureau of Animal Industry, which resulted in compelling me to thoroughly reorganize it administratively a little over a year ago, has been especially marked along the lines of the first of these objects. The thorough con- trol of contagious and other cattle diseases, in- volving a careful and systematic regulation of our cattle traffic, and achieving, I am glad to say, the complete eradication of the most serious of the diseases with which our cattle industry was threatened; the comparative immunity obtained from the ravages of Texas fever among Northern cattle, and the establishment of a great sytsem of national cattle and meat inspection with the twofold object of guarding our cattle from the possible introduction of communicable diseases and of opening the markets of the world to our meat products — these of themselves furnish suffi- cient cause for congratulation as the work of one administration. The great results of this work and the benefits secured to our cattle-growers and the live-stock interests generally I have al- ready sufficiently emphasized in this report. "The extension of our Division of Statistics so HIS LAST REPORT. 301 as to cover the agricultural resources of other lands, and the demand of foreign markets for products which it was in the power of the Ameri- can farmer to produce, marks another and import- ant step in the same direction; and to this I may add the establishment of an efficient agency in Europe for the investigation of the feasibility of extending markets abroad for American agricul- tural products, which, for obvious reasons, as al- ready explained, has been directed chiefly to the introduction of our Indian com to the people of Europe as a cheap and economic substitute for other cereal foods. In the efforts for the substi- tution of home grown for foreign products in our own markets the developijient of a domestic sugar holds an important place, and it is, I am gratified to say, the work of the past three years in this direction which has placed our domestic sugar industry upon a footing which justifies and in- vites the extension of private capital and indi- vidual enterprise to its development. "The development of the fiber investigation from the point of simply gathering information in relation thereto to the extent of practical in- vestigation and experiment has been accom- plished, and affords marked encouragement for the hope that the time is not far distant when a large proportion of the enormous sum now paid to foreign producers for vegetable fibers and their 302 JEBEMIAR M. RUSK. manufactures may be diverted to the pockets of our own farmers. "Inyestigations into the resources of the Rocky Mountain region, together with the vast amount of information collected and published in regard to our facilities for irrigation both from surface and subterranean supplies, and extensive experi- ments in the production of grasses and fodder plants within the limits of the vast territory, em- bracing not less than 300,000,000 acres, outside of irrigable limits, and which, as I have shown, promise a reasonable degree of success, the value of which to the country can hardly be overesti- mated, and the important and highly satisfactory efforts made in the prevention or remedy for plant diseases and in checking the ravages of the insect enemies of plant and animal life — these represent fairly some of the more important work accomplished towards the development and ex- tension of our own domestic production. "Of the twelve divisions of the work which I found in existence on assuming control of the De- partment, one which was then but a section of another division, Vegetable Pathology, has be- come a separate and distinct division, the import- ance and value of which has been widely recog- nized by horticulturists throughout the country, while one, the Silk Division, has been discontin- ued owing to the refusal of Congress to make the SIS LAST BE FOB T. 303 necessary appropriations therefor. Many new di- visions have, however, been organized. One of these, it is true, the Office of Experiment Sta- tions, had been called into being a short time be- fore my assumption of office, under section 3 of the act of March 2, 1887, which established the State experiment stations. It had, however, practically just begun its work, and its entire organization and development has been a part of the work of this administration. Its utility as the connecting link between this Department and the stations and on behalf of the stations has been shown by the unanimity with which the directors and officers of the various stations have sought to have its appropriations increased; and while this has been done, so that today the appropria- tion for this branch of our work is twice what it was in 1889, its labors have been so far extended that the sum devoted from the printing fund of the Department to its work in the line of publica- tions alone exceeds the original appropriations made for it. "The Division of Eecords and Editing is an en- tirely new division and one which has had a large share in increasing the influence and the effi- ciency of the Department and at the same time in effecting much needed modification in its pub- lications and exercising general supervision over its publishing interests so as to promote in a marked degree the advantageous and economic 304 ' JEREMIAH M. BUSK. use of the printing fund. The increased appre- ciation of the character and utility of the Depart- ment publications has most fortunately led, in accordance with my repeated representations, to a large increase in our printing fund, the careful and economic administration of which, however, has been such as to secure a far more than cor- responding increase in the number of our publi- cations, to say nothing of the general improve- ment in their character, an improvement which has been especially directed to subserve the needs of the practical farmers of the country. "The work of the Division of Forestry has been so systematized and extended as to largely ex- tend both the influence of the division itself and to awaken widespread and most gratifying inter- est among the people of this country in regard to the important subject of our forest resources, the preservation of our forest supplies, their condi- tion and character, and the climatic influences of our forests, while, thanks to the enlightened ini- tiative of the Chief Executive, important steps have been taken in the direction of administering many of the forest lands of the Government in accordance with the principles of economic for- estry. "One of the most important additions to the work of the Department has been made in the transfer to it of the "Weather Bureau, a transfer calculated to greatly extend the work of the HIS LAST BEPORT. 305 Bureau itself for the benefit of agriculture and supplying opportunities for the much-needed co- operation of this branch of the service with the work of several of the other divisions of the De- partment — a transfer, indeed, which was abso- lutely essential in order to successfully conjoin studies of animal and plant life with that of the soil and climatic conditions, and, I may add fur- ther, a transfer which has elicited most gratify- ing evidences of general approval in all sections of the country. "To enumerate even a small proportion of the valuable publications issued during the past three years would be impossible within the lim- its of this report. They have been many, varied, and most useful to the agricultural interests, and, while the information to the practical farmer has been, as I believe it ought to be, my chief care, the interests of scientists and the students of agricultural science have been by no means for- gotten. Congress itself has shown a high appre- ciation of the value of some of these publications by ordering their reproduction in very large edi- tions for distribution by Senators and Kepresen- tatives, and I am gratified to be able to state that educational establishments and agricultural as- sociations throughout the entire country have shown a steadily growing and keen appreciation of the publications of the Department and of their educational value. 20 B06 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. "In concluding this review of the work of the Department under your administration, I may properly say a word in regard to the earnest ef- fort which has been made to administer its affairs with due regard to economy. Eeferences to great increase of the annual appropriations of this De- partment during the past two years have been not infrequent, but I think it will surprise those who have taken these references at their face value without much thought and consideration of the facts underlying them to learn that, after de- ducting the appropriation for the Weather Bu- reau, which was not an increase but a transfer, and the appropriations necessitated under the law endowing the State experiment stations, over which the head of this Department exercises no control whatever, the total sum remaining of the present year's appropriations barely exceeds the total appropriations of the Department, less ex- periment station work, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1889. And this in spite of the fact that the present appropriation includes sums devoted to special features of the work not then in exist- ence nor even contemplated, such as fiber and ir- rigation inquiries, extension of foreign markets, rainfall experiments, etc., to say nothing of the large sum necessarily devoted to the work of meat inspection. I will candidly admit that the restriction of the appropriations for the work of this Department within these narrow limits is HIS LAST BEPOBT. 807 not my fault, but I think that it is not unreason- able that I should take some credit for the ac- complishment of the objects which I have enum- erated within the limits to which I was restricted by a want of greater liberality on the part of Congress." If to the above retrospect we add the final rec- ommendations with which the Secretary prac- tically concluded his last report, we will have be- fore us, summarized in the present chapter, not only Secretary Eusk's own estimate of the foun- dation work done, but his broad and statesman- like views as to the superstructure which the future ought to see erected thereon. In this sketch he outlines a plan of organization for car- rying on the future work of the Department which has already received ample commendation from many of those who are the best qualified to judge as to how the work of the Department in the future can best be carried on. We quote: "Before closing this report it seems to me im- portant that, as the result of nearly four years' experience in conducting the work of this Depart- ment, I should indicate, as definitely as possible, some of the plans for its future administration which seem to me eminently desirable in order to maintain and promote its efficiency. Before pro- ceeding to state these plans in detail I desire once more to emphasize the fact that, in all plans de- signed for the future conduct of this Department, 308 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the future growth and development of this coun- try and of its agricultural resources, its popula- tion, and its standing among the nations of the world must be duly appreciated and considered. The possibilities of the present may do for the consideration of private enterprise seeking im- mediate return on capital invested, but in the af- fairs of the nation true prescience is an essential attribute to the wise administrator. I must not, therefore, be deemed extravagant if I present de- signs for the future development of the Depart- ment which I conceive to be necessary to meet the demands not only of the near future but those of a score of years hence. "One of the first difficulties confronting the head of this Department under its present organi- zation is the fact that the number of responsible heads of the several branches of the work who are in direct consultation with the Secretary or his Assistant is too great; and desiring to adhere as closely as possible to the methods which have been found satisfactory in the administration of the other great Departments of the Government, I should advise the application of the bureau sys- tem which obtains in most of them to the wants of this Department. The grouping of the several branches of the work into various bureaus, each one having for its chief the right kind of man, would most sensibly facilitate the administration of the work, reducing the number of persons in HIS LAST BE FOR T. 309 direct consultation with the head of the Depart- ment from 18 to 20 down to about one-third of that number, and placing the chief of each divi- sion, as at present organized, under a chief whom he would find readily accessible, and who, on his part, would secure thorough and systematic co- operation between the several divisions grouped together under his control. "Another advantage of this system is that it would provide in the Department several offices of sufficient emolument and dignity to attract men of the highest standing in the several de- partments of the work which it maintains, men thoroughly qualified to lead in their several spe- cialties, and to command the respect and api^re- ciation of all workers on the same lines not only in this but in foreign countries. Under our pres- ent system it is extremely difficult to retain in the depar-tmental service men combining the highest attainments with administrative capacity. The following groups, as the basis of bureau organ- ization, suggest themselves to my mind, without, however, suggesting names at present other than those necessary to indicate the general character of each group: "First, plant culture, which should embrace the present Divisions of Horticulture, Vegetable Pa- thology, Pomology, Gardens and Grounds, and iiie Seed Division. "Second, biological, to embrace the Divisions 310 JEJREMIAH M. BUSK. of Botany, Ornithology and Mammalogy, and En- tomology. "Third, statistical, the present division to be made a bureau of agricultural statistics, and to cover, in addition to its present work, the entire field of economic agriculture, the extension of markets abroad, and to embrace, say, three divi- sions, one of statistics of crop conditions, one of agricultural economics, and one of foreign mar- kets and crops. "Fourth, educational. This should control the relations of the Department with the various channels of agricultural education, such as agri- cultural societies, granges, farmers' institutes, etc., and should include the present Office of Ex- periment Stations, the Division of Eecords and Editing, the Division of Illustrations, the Library and Museum, and the Folding and Document Room. There should also for the present be in- cluded in this group a division of agricultural engineering, covering the subjects of drainage, irrigation, public roads, farm buildings, etc. "The Bureau of Animal Industry is already or- ganized, and constitutes a well-defined group as it stands, including divisions of inspection, field investigation and miscellaneous work, animal pathology, and quarantine. "The Weather Bureau would also stand with- out essential modification. There remain, then, not included in any groups enumerated, two MIS LAST BEPOBT. 311 highly important divisions, one of which, how- ever, Forestry, will, I believe, ere long, if properly fostered and administered, develop into a bureau embracing at least two divisions, one of scientific investigation and study, the other of an adminis- trative character and closely akin in its general administrative features to the present organiza- tion of the Bureau of Animal Industry. "To include the Division of Chemistry in any of the groups enumerated would be impossible, owing to the relations which it must necessarily hold to the general scientific chemical work of the Department, since the chief, with his princi- pal assistants, must be at all times available as scientific chemical advisers in any branch of the work requiring the highest chemical ability and laboratory service. "The work of the Department hitherto has been but foundation work, as I may say. Moreover, until the Department was given its present status in the National Government it was impossible that even foundation work should be undertaken and carried on with any great degree of success, from the fact that the ultimate plan of the super- structure to be erected upon it had never been fully depicted nor carefully laid out. During my administration as Secretary my endeavor has been to gather together all that was available for the future work of the Department, to reor- ganize, rearrange, fit, and combine the several 312 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. branches of the work, adding thereto all that seemed necessary to lay a broad and lasting foun- dation for the ultimate carrying out of plans which I have kept constantly in my mind in per- forming the work assigned to me. If in the future my humble share of credit in the history of the Department should be that I had been in- strumental in securely laying a broad and lasting foundation for a magnificent superstructure of which every American farmer, and, I may say, every American citizen, will feel proud, I shall be more than compensated for my labors during the past few years. "The motto of this Department must be 'ever onward.' It has, in my opinion, succeeded dur- ing the few years since it has been an executive department of the Government in impressing upon the 10,000,000 of industrious citizens who represent the workers in the field of agriculture in the United States its capacity to advance their interests, and with the growth of this confidence on the part of the American farmers, we must not forget there is a corresponding growth in the re- sponsibilities of the head of this Department. The National Government has taken, as it were, a contract with the farmers, and to carry it out efficiently this Department must be prepared to answer all reasonable expectations in bringing into the service of agriculture all that science, whether in this country or in any other country HIS LAST REPORT. 313 upon the globe, has been able to evolve for its benefit. The history of science is a history of continual discovery, and all discoveries in the so- lution of agricultural problems calculated to lighten the burdens of the farmer and increase his profits must be made the property of the De- partment through the energy and intelligence of its head and its responsible officers, and be thus made available through them to the farmers of the United States. I have already shown the im- portant part which agriculture plays in the com- mercial interests of the country, and in this re- spect also the Department must prove itself a capable source of information, an intrepid leader into new fields, and a worthy representative of the interest upon which all other interests, and thus the entire prosperity of our country, de- pends. "In the earnest hope that the wisdom of suc- ceeding administrations may find the men and the means to carry on the work of this Department to the high destiny which I conceive it to be de- signed to attain, I have the honor, Mr. President, to submit this, my last report, and I desire, as my last word, to express to you my profound appre- ciation of the cordial sympathy and broad intelli- gence with which you have uniformly, through- out your administration, heeded the needs of the agricultural interests of this country. While no one has been so situated as to understand and 314 JEREMIAH M. BVSK. appreciate this better than myself, I confidently believe that the people, and especially the farm- ing people of this country, will learn to appre- ciate more and more the fact that the first admin- istration during which their representative de- partment held the rank of an executive depart- ment of the Government was presided over by a Chief Executive who never failed to appreciate the importance of agriculture, its dignity, and its value to the country at large." QEN. BUSK'S JDJEAS ON FMOTECTION. 315 CHAPTER XXXVIII. GEN. RUSK'S IDEAS ON PROTECTION. Secretary Rusk was always regarded as, in a special manner, a representative of the farmers in tlie government. He assumed the purpose of the creation of a Secretary of Agriculture to be a concession by Congress to the farmers, secur- ing to the latter, so meagerly represented in our national legislature, and so helpless as regards the maintenance of a strong central organization of their own, a fixed representation in the coun- cils of the Chief Executive, and one who could and would act as a special adviser in regard to legislation needed for or affecting agriculture. It is needless to say that Eusk was an ardent protectionist, but he was not an extremist, often declaring that the worst enemies of protection were those who asked for too much, and he held strongly to the opinion that protection should be afforded to every product of domestic industry, whether in field or factory, threatened or liable to be threatened with foreign competition in our home markets. 316 JJEREMIA-H M. BUSK. In the following article, in which he presented his views as a protectionist to the News Eecord of Chicago on October 5th, 1892, his attitude toward the farmers is plainly seen: "The question of protection has been the sub- ject of so much discussion, and discussion by peo- ple who looked at the subject from a single point of view, that it has become very much involved, and people frequently refer to it as a subject so ponderous and so complicated as to make its con- sideration and its solution difficult for the ordi- nary individual. This is unfortunate, as it is a question which is of special interest to the ordi- nary individual. "The main difficulty lies in the fact that people have mixed up in their discussion two things which ought to have been kept separate — namely, the principle of protection and its application. You will find, for instance, a great many people quoting Gen. Hancock's declaration that the tar- iff was a local question, and declaring that the more they think of it the more convinced they are that he was right. But it is impossible that this remark could apply to the principle of pro- tection, while it must necessarily apply to the application of protection. Consequently, to be perfectly clear, when I speak of protection and call myself a protectionist I refer to the principle of protection — namely, the levying of a tariff not simply for revenue, but for the purpose also of OEN. BUSK'S IDEAS ON PROTEGTION. 317 protecting our American industries from de- structive foreign competition. When I speak of tlie tariff I refer merely to the application of this principle; for the same reason I discard the terms 'high tariff' and ^ow tariff' as expressing a prin- ciple, "A low tariff may produce a greater revenue than a higher tariff, so I may argue in favor of a lovsr tariff on certain goods and a high tariff on other goods, as either seems to me necessary in order to protect this or that industry in our own country from a foreign competition that might prove destructive, without in either case surren- dering one iota of my principles as a protection- ist. The principle I adhere to in both cases is to give as much protection as is adequate to be thor- oughly protected and no more. I think if we would steadily avoid confounding the details of tariff legislation with the principle of protection we would avoid a great deal of trouble; we would clear the air of much misunderstanding and preju- dice, and, what is more, I believe firmly that a majority of the American people would be found to be protectionists. "Now, when it comes to a question of the tar- iff, the principle of protection having been ac- cepted, the whole thing revolves itself into an investigation as to the practical conditions of the various industries of the United States, the cost of producing certain articles in foreign countries S18 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. and the cost of producing them in the United States, our duty being so to adjust the tariff upon every class of goods as to equalize this cost and not to allow any foreign producer to sell his goods in our country to the disadvantage of American labor. In other words, on all articles except those we can not produce or manufacture ourselves under any circumstances I would levy a duty sufficient to make foreign goods cost, when landed and duty paid in any port of the United States, fully as much as the same goods in this country amounts to; and this I believe in, with- out any reference to the old accepted argument of 'infant industries.' "I would stick to this principle all the waj through, except only in the case of foreign goods coming from countries which could make such concessions on American goods as would fully offset any concessions we might make to them — for I am a believer in reciprocity. In fact, so long ago as April, 1890, in a communication which I prepared to send to all persons — and they were legion — ^who addressed me on the subject of agricultural depression, I referred to the advan- tages of reciprocity as follows: " 'Accompanying this principle of protection to the American farmer is that of reciprocity, which should invariably be applied whenever that of protection is relaxed. If there are products grown to better advantage in other countries, re- GUN. BUSK'S IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 319 mission of duty on which, would seem to be in the interest of a large portion of our population, such remission should only be accorded as the result of reciprocal concession in the way of a remission of duties by such other countries on products more readily grown here. Many of those coun- tries which would be specially benefited by a re- mission of the duty on sugar by our government, would afford an excellent market for our bread- stuffs and dairy and meat products were it not for the high duties imposed thereon by them. So with other products, and whenever duty on such products is lowered or removed, and the protec- tion to our farmers thus diminished, it should be as the price of concessions made to us in the tar- iff of other countries in favor of our own farm products. In this way and in this way only can our farmers be adequately protected, new mar- kets being thus thrown open to them for those products which they can most easily and cheaply produce.' "At the same time I think it will very seldom be found necessary to surrender adequate pro- tective duties on any foreign goods such as we can manufacture in this country. Our reciprocal relations with countries in the temperate zone, growing largely the same kind of agricultural products and living under comparatively the same conditions, will always be very limited. But just as we have exemplified in the case of sugar. 320 JEREMIAH M. BURK. of whicli, at present, we do not produce a quan- tity sufficient for our domestic supply, so in re- gard to tea, coffee and spices, which come to us from tropical or semi-tropical countries, there is a considerable opportunity for the exercise of this sound economic principle. I would have America buy these goods in countries that buy American goods, putting a duty upon such as come to us from countries that put a duty upon our goods. "In the case of any new industry, such as might properly be termed an infant industry, if it could be shown to me that there was a reasonable pros- pect of such being eventually established on a sound footing in this country, I should be willing to afford them for a time even greater protection than would be necessary to simply equalize the cost of home and foreign products when offered for sale in the United States. "I can not see that there are any insuperable difficulties in carrying out the principle of pro- tection in this way. It is a matter simply for practical investigation, in order that we may know just what rate of duty will furnish our home manufacturers and producers adequate pro- tection. I say manufacturers and producers, be- cause I wish to be distinctly understood as advo- cating adequate protection for all American in- dustries, and I have no more patience with this free raw material talk than I have with free-trade talk. GJSJSr. SUSJCS IDEAS ON PEOTECTION. 321 "It is American labor we want to protect, and American homes, and I do not, as a consistent protectionist, regard as a subject for free trade any article into tlie production of which, in a form available for use, American labor enters. If the conditions are such, for instance, in Can- ada, that a Canadian farmer can raise certain crops more cheaply than we can, I would protect our American farmers by putting such a duty on these products that Canadian farmers could not undersell them. In the same manner I would pro- tect our fruit growers from Mediterranean fruits, and would encourage the fibre industry in our own country, so that eventually the bulk of our hemp, flax and other vegetable fibres should be produced at home. I am for the protection of the American laborer's home and labor, but I am equally intent on protecting the American farmer's home and labor. "Some time ago I received a letter from an editor of a journal published in the south, asking me if I was aware that the importation of Egyptian cotton had greatly increased during the last few years, and whether, that being the case, I would favor protecting the cotton-grower in this country by the imposition of a duty on foreign cottons. I replied that if it was found possible to grow cotton in this country possessing the characteristics which induced our cotton man- ufacturers to send to Egypt or elsewhere for cer- 21 322 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. tain cottons, I certainly should, and I may state incidentally that this department is now engaged in cooperation with certain experiment stations in the cotton states, in an endeavor to ascertain whether these cottons, or cottons possessing the same characteristics as those we now import, can be produced in the United States. "I trust and believe that as the result of care- ful experiment with foreign cotton seed we will be able in time to produce every variety of cotton needed by the manufacturer, and when that tirae comes I shall be ready to give our cotton pro- ducers all the protection they require, even, for a time, to the extent of imposing on foreign cotton a duty so high as to be prohibitive. For the pro- duction of these new varieties of cotton in this country would, in my opinion, properly come under the head, for a time at least, of an infant industry. "The other day T came across an interesting statement in regard to one class of foreign, the imports of which have increased from four- teen bales in 1885, to more than 12,000 bales last year; I refer to rough Peruvian cotton, which, I am informed on good authority, is not used at all by cotton manufacturers, but which is, owing to its peculiar characteristics, exclusively used by woolen manufacturers for admixture with wool in the manufacture of woolen goods. My in- formant added that 'if the framers of our last GEN. HUSK'S IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 323 tariff had known of the peculiar qualities of this cotton, it would doubtless have been subjected to a good round duty in the interest of the wool- growers of the United States.' And I will add that I think it would, and that I, for one, would have advocated it. "It may be interesting to call attention to the fact here that our total imports of foreign cottons have increased from the fiscal year ending in 1885 to the fiscal year just closed, from 4,567 bales in the first-mentioned year to 36,000 bales in the last. So you see we are not any too soon in undertaking experiments with a view to supply- ing ourselves with a home-grown product to take the place of these foreign cottons. "There is another form of protection which I firmly believe should be at all times afforded to our people. I refer to protection from fraudulent or adulterated goods. All such goods should be subjected either to a tariff high enough to be pro- hibitive or should be prohibited absolutely. Under the circumstances it will not be a surprise that I should regard our present tariff as coming nearer to the true standard of protection than any we have had heretofore. "The discussion of tariff details is not, in my opinion, the essential thing in the present cam- paign. I would confine the issue to protection or no protection, and, as I said before, I am firmly convinced that the majority of the American peo- 324 JJSBEMIAH M. H USK. pie are in favor of the principle of protection to American industries, whether these be repre- sented by manufacturers or by farmers. Such being the case, there ought to be no question in any man's mind as to leaving the tariff to be ad- justed by that party which is, and alwaj's has been, the firm advocate of this principle of pro- tection. "The argument that a protective tariff is un- constitutional will not stand for a minute. Con- gress has a perfect right to enact such laws as are designed for the greatest good of the greatest number. If it can be shown that a protective duty on any particular article is not for the greatest good of the greatest number, it can be surrendered without any surrender of the prin- ciple of protection; but as long as the majority of the American people are believers in that prin- ciple, the ultimate decision in such cases should be left to those who are protectionists on prin- ciple. "A great deal has been said as to whether the tariff is a tax paid by our own people, or whether it is paid by the foreign producer. So far as that is concerned, I believe that the tariff is on some articles and under some conditions a burden borne by our own people, and in other cases it is as clearly a burden borne by the foreign pro- ducers. In other words, it largely depends on the question of supply and demand. Where con- GEN. BUSK'S IBB AS ON PROTECTION. 325 ditions are such that the purchaser is in a meas- ure dependent on the seller, the purchaser must pay the tariff, but where the seller must, to get rid of his goods, offer inducements to the pur- chaser, the duty will be paid by the foreign pro- ducer, and this I believe to be the case in regard to the largest number of articles upon which we levy duty; but however it may be, I hold firmly that the greatest good of the greatest number demands the adequate protection of our home- grown or home-manufactured products. "While I have the floor, as it were, I can not drop this subject without reference to the vast, and, at present greatly preponderating interest of our farmers in our foreign trade. During the fiscal year just ended, our exports, for the first time in our history, exceeded |1,000,000,000; and, at the same time, as though to emphasize the relations of our agriculture and our foreign trade, the proportion of agricultural exports increased in the same year to over 78 per cent, of the total, an excess of 3 to 4 per cent, over the record of the last few years. "The battles of the future will not be fought with balls and bayonets for territorial possession so much as with brains for the possession of commercial advantages, and consequently I be- lieve that in the battles of the future between rival nations, protection must play a very im- portant part. But it should not be considered by 326 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. itself alone, but as a part of a general system, the ultimate result of which, will be to furnish us with large markets for our main products and at the same time to secure to our own producers and manufacturers our own home markets, free from disastrous foreign competition. "Protection must go hand in hand with reci- procity, by which we can afford to receive on most liberal terms non-competing products from countries that reciprocate with us, and it must go hand in hand with the spreading of information throughout all foreign countries of the character and extent of our own products, with such efforts, in fact, as I have exemplified, so far as my facili- ties would allow, in reference to the introduction of Indian corn into Europe; and it must go hand in hand with the application to our agriculture in this country of brains, intelligence and study, so as to greatly increase the number of articles we produce for the consumption of our own people. "By reducing our wants for foreign products to a minimum and enlarging by every legitimate means the foreign demand for those products of which we produce a surplus, and by a judicious protection of our home industries, we Americans can rest in the comfortable assurance of a grand commercial future, which will enable us to attain a national prosperity hitherto unrecorded in the history of nations." GEN. BUSK'S IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 327 The above article contains an extract from a general letter, issued in April, 1890, in reply to in- numerable inquiries, almost amounting to de- mands, for an expression of opinion on the gen- eral agricultural depression, which shows that of all President Harrison's advisors Secretary Kusk was the first to publicly advocate the principle of reciprocity afterwards so clearly recognized in the tariff act of 1890. At the same time it may be noted that the retaliatory clause of the Act of August 30, 1890 (Sec. 5), was more than once in- voked by him in reference especially to the markedly illiberal policy maintained by certain foreign governments towards our cattle and meat products. The general letter referred to, which was given to the press, so fully states the views held by Secretary Rusk at the time of its publication that it is here quoted in full: "U. S. Department op AGEicirLTUKE, OiJice of the Secretary, Washington, D. 0., April 21, 1890. agricixlttjkaij depression, its causes and pos- sible REMEDIES. For months past from all parts of the country, there have reached me communications, many of them from large bodies of men, all of them from persons deserving consideration, and all of them 328 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. deeply in earnest respecting the present condi- tion of agricultural depression. In most cases the communications suggest the conviction of the writers, not only as to the gravity of the emergency, but as to its cause or causes and pos- sible remedies, and all of them appeal to me for some expression of my vievps on the subject. To answer each one of these communications separ- ately, would be more than any one man can un- dertake to do, and, moreover, I am reluctant to send out an expression of my views in letters con- vering merely a phase or a portion of the ques- tions involved. Such a course would be unjust to myself and to those who address me. I can only consent to express my views, such as they are, on the entire question, reviewing the whole subject and considering it in all its various phases. It would be a work of superogation at this time to undertake to prove the existence of severe agri- cultural depression. This is universally ad- mitted. Kepresentative farmers and farmers' associations are constantly calling my attention to their condition, urging the necessity for some measure of relief. The situation warrants all the attention which our wisest minds can devote to it. What is to be done? Such is the question which confronts every thinking man. Too many of those who are giving the matter consideration GEX. BUSIOS IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 329 look at it from only one point of view. One attributes the difficulty to one caase, and one to another, and most people seem to regard, two or three causes at most as entirely responsible for the present condition of affairs. This is a mis- take. The fact, however, explains to a certain extent that some of the remedies proposed, bid fair, if carried out, to bring about a result as ob- jectionable as is the present situation. Great discouragement is very apt to lead to extrav- agance in devising remedial agencies, and we must beware of remedies tliat may be worse than the disease. It is only by a very careful diag- nosis of the case, that we can possibly attain to efficient remedy. The present agricultural de- pression, it seems to me, can be traced to a com- bination of many causes, so many, that probably no one man can enumerate them all. I will only endeavor to point out some which seem to me more directly responsible. They may be divided into two classes. First: Those causes inherent to the farmers themselves, and for which they alone can provide a possible remedy. Second: Those over which the farmer himself has no direct control, and the remedy for which must be provided as far as remedy is possible, by law, and for such legislation the responsibility devolves upon the legislative bodies of the States and of the Nation. I will confine myself to a mere enumeration of 330 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. the first class of causes indicated. On many farms, I regret to say, we find a depreciation of the productive power of the land due to careless culture. We find a want too often of business- like methods, due to the fact that in earlier times, business training was not regarded as an essen- tial preparation for the farmer's work, whereas, today with altered conditions, when every penny, and I may say every moment of time has to be profitably accounted for and in the face of world- wide competition, a successful farmer must be as well trained and careful in business as the store- keeper, and his equal in intelligence and general education. Nor are the important questions of supply and demand of market prices studied with the vigilance which characterizes the methods of our merchants and manufacturers. These last moreover, have the advantage of transacting their business in immediate proximity to trade centers, where the widest information in refer- ence thereto is readily obtainable. Our farmers' organizations are wisely seeking to supplement this want for the farmer; the agricultural press is earnestly working in the same direction and one of the most important duties devolving upon this Department, consists in gathering and promptly distributing reliable information on all those subjects which are essentially interesting to the farmer. It remains for him to avail him- self of the information thus supplied as his chief GEN. RUSK'S IDEAS ON PBOTECTION. 831 protection not only against over-supply of certain products, but against possible over-reaching on the part of purchasers. The farmer must look with suspicion upon any attempts to abridge the sources of his information. His advantage will always be in the fullest knowledge of the facts. He must carefully study the character and the quality of his products rather than mere quan- tity, and always bear in mind, that whether prices are high or low, it is always the best goods at the be&t obtainable prices that are the most readily sold. Many of our farmers have been land-greedy, and find themselves the owners of more land than they can properly care for in view of the comparatively high price of labor in the rural districts, and in view of the fact that but a small portion of mankind, comparatively, can profitably control the labor of others. The pru- dent farmer will limit his efforts to that which he can efficiently perform. Again, — more attention must be given, especially on our Western farms, to the raising by the farmer, for his own use, everything that may be utilized by himself and his household, as far as soil and climate will per- mit. I have passed over these various causes briefly, I do not deem it necessary to dwell upon them at leno-th, but will merely reiterate the fact, that for them the remedy is feasible, and it depends upon the farmers themselves to provide it. No 332 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. one can relieve them of this responsibility, but I am thankful to say, that owing partly to their own efforts, there exist today in many States, val- uable instrumentalities capable of materially aid- ing them in their work, and today in this coun- try no farmer need be without all the aid that knowledge and science can impart. FARM MORTGAGES. The burden of mortgages upon farms, homes and lands, is unquestionably discouraging in the extreme, and while in some cases no doubt this load maj' have been too readily assumed, still in the majority of cases, the mortgage has been the result of necessity. I except of course, such mortgages as represent balances of purchase money, which are rather evidences of the farmer's ambition and enterprise than of his poverty. On the other hand, those mortgages with which land has been encumbered from the necessities of its owner, drawing high rates of interest, often taxed in addition with a heavy commission, have today, in the face of continued depression in the prices of staple products, became very irksome and in many cases threaten the farmer with loss of home and land. It is a question of grave difficulty to all those who seek to remedy the ills from which our farmers are suffering. At present prices the farmer finds that it takes more of his products to GEN. BUSK'S IBS AS ON PROTECTION. 33S get a dollar wherewith to pay back the dollar he borrowed than it did when he borrowed it. The interest accumulates, while payment of the prin- cipal seems utterly hopeless, and the very depres- sion which we are discussing makes the renewal of the mortgage most diflftcult. Many people are disposed to associate this phase of the subject with the question of an undue limitation of our currency. Many carry this line of argument to extremes, but it is by no means impossible that these subjects are corelated. However the ques- tion of currency is now receiving special atten- tion from another branch of the government; legislation on the subject is now pending before Congress and we can no doubt look for an early and satisfactory solution of this vexed problem. TKANSPORTATION. The question of transportation is one of pro- found interest to the American farmer. The trouble begins near home, between the farm and the nearest railroad station. It would be diffi- cult to estimate the amount of loss in time and labor, in depreciation and wear and tear of horses and conveyances, entailed upon the farmers by the wretched condition of country roads before arriving at the station; he there meets the vexed question of freight rates, a difficult one to settle satisfactorily to all parties under any circum- 334 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. stances, but in many cases still further compli- cated by the condition of our whole railroad sys- tem. Many of the roads -were built at a time and under conditions that greatly enhanced their cost. Competing lines built under more favorable cir- cumstances, present comparisons of inequality which often seem like injustice and on the other hand it must not be forgotten, that many roads are over-taxing their constituents in an effort to secure dividends upon a total capital and bonded debt, a portion of which is purely fictitious. That many roads fail to pay any dividends at all, while the total profits of the railroads throughout the country represent but a comparatively small divi- dend upon the actual cost of construction, plant and equipment, still in no wise palliates the griev- ous wrong of attempting to secure a profit upon fictitious values. It is still too early to suggest any important modifications in the Inter-State Commerce law. A fuller trial is needed to judge properly of its effects and to suggest judicious amendments. The condition of our agriculture is such that a large proportion of our farmers must depend upon facilities for reaching distant mar- kets, and the law will hardly accomplish its pur- pose of securing the greatest good for the great- est number, if its ultimate result should be to raise the cost of the long haul. Its most valuable office will be to prevent injustice by forbidding the granting by the railroads of special privileges GlJJSr. HUSIPS IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 835 to certain classes or corporations, which are de- nied to the community at large. THE inDDLE MAN. 'Another cause operating to depress the price of the farmer's honest toil, is the undue increase of the class of middle-men and the dishonesty and greed of many of them. Hence the wide gulf be- tween the high prices charged to the consumer, and the low prices paid to the producer. The middle-man within certain limits must be re- garded as a necessity. There are many things he can do for the farmers which the latter cannot do so profitably for themselves, and under such conditions it is wise to employ him. The evil which exists at the present day in this direction could undoubtedly be mitigated by, first, a fa- miliarity on the part of the farmer himself with the market value of that which he has to sell, and second, a better system of cooperation among the farmers both in the disposal of their crops, and in the purchase of their supplies. GAJMBLING IN FAEM PEODTJOTS. Few there are but are familiar with and de- plore the conversion of our exchanges and boards of trade, originally designed for the encourage- ment and convenience of legitimate trading, into 336 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. vast gambling places, fraught Tvith the gravest danger to the country at large, but of which the farmer, whose products are thus made the toy and plaything of the game, is the immediate and chief sufferer. The frequent and extreme fluc- tuations of price occasioned by the operation of irresponsible speculators is the bane of the pro- ducer, whose best interests will ever be served by the maintenance of a firm and reliable market. To the allegation, not infrequently made, that if at times prices are thus unduly depressed, there are also times when they are unduly raised, there is a simple reply. As already asserted, not only are fluctuation and uncertainty the bane of the producer, but the speculative combinations which result in unduly raising or depressing prices are carefully calculated to raise them when the goods are no longer in the producer's hands and to de- press them when they are. Unquestionably legis- lation is needed to remedy this evil, and it should be based on the principle that the evil is not a necessary one, requiring regulation, but an ut- terly inexcusable one, to be cured by eradication. CONTROLLING COMBINATIONS. Much has been said and written alleging the existence of unlawful combinations for the ex- press purpose of so controlling the markets as to lower the price of the farmer's products, and of GEN. It VS£P S IDEA S ON PSO TE CTION. 337 other combinations whose object is to raise the price of the articles which the farmer consumes. That such combinations exist it is impossible to doubt, and the serious results of their greed and selfishness are enhanced by the grave difficulties attending any effort to limit their evil effects. This is one of those evils so closely allied to the matter of interstate commerce, that its regulation may possibly fall within the legitimate province of national legislation. , The great difficulty lies in the close observance of that line of demarca- tion which clearly exists between combinations for mutual self-help, protection, and the advance- ment by legitimate means of the interests of a class, craft, or industry and combinations or trusts inspired by greed, whose objects are unat- tainable save as they infringe upon the legitimate rights of others. In spite of these difficulties, however, there cannot be any doubt that an earnest demand for adequate legislation on this subject, sustained by popular opinion, receiving the earnest attention of our strongest minds, will eventually result in some adequate means of con- trolling this gigantic evil. PBOTECTION FOR THE FABMER. I now come to the consideration of one of the gravest causes in my opinion of the present agri- cultural depression, but which I am happy to 22 338 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. state can be effectually and directly dealt with through national legislation. Few people realize that our imports of agricultural products esti- mated at prices paid by the consumers are about equal to our agricultural exports estimated at prices paid to the farmer, yet such is the case. Our imports of products sold in competition with those actually produced on our own soil, amount to nearly 115 million dollars and as much more could be produced on our own soil under favor- able conditions. We must surely conclude that we have here another cause of depression. The subject is so vast that I cannot dismiss it briefly. Indeed I can do no better than to repeat here views already expressed by me on this subject. IlIPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. Of all the wonderful phases of development of which the United States furnishes such striking examples, none is perhaps more remarkable, than the wonderful increase, totally disproportionate to our increase of population, in our imports of products, which are distinctly agricultural. In 1850 the imports of such products amounted to 40 million dollars; for the fiscal year ending in 1889, they amounted to the enormous sum of 356 millions, an increase of nearly 900 per cent., while the increase in population during the correspond- ing period, was considerably less than 300 per oi:]sr. BUSK'S ideas on protection. 339 cent. This is all the more remarkable when taken in conjunction with the fact, that this is preeminently an agricultural country, opening up year after year, with a rapidity which has alarmed the producers of the Old World, immense tracts of country to be devoted exclusively to till- age; all the more remarkable when we realize furthermore that over 70 per cent, of our total exports are the direct product of the soil. Ac- companying this extraordinary movement, there has been during the past decade, in which the greatest increase of such imports has taken place, a steady decrease in the prices of home grown products. To any reasonable man the conclusion must be obvious; namely, that in the line of products, with the exception of cotton, upon which our farmers chiefly depend, there has grown up a well-nigh ruinous competition in which the labor of the peasant of Europe, of the miserable fellah of Egypt, and of the unfortunate half-starved Indian ryot, working for pauper wages, neglecting all the amenities of life in order that women and chil- dren as well as men may work in the fields, is pitted against that of the American farmer, re- lying upon his own and his son's labor, or where he employs hired help, paying them a fair rate of wages according to our American standard, besides providing them with the same food and shelter as he gives to his own family. 340 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. Growing a surplus of wheat, that surplus, whose price is forced down by the competition of Eussia and India, regulates the price of the entire crop. The product of our vast corn fields, for which a comparatively insignificant foreign de- mand exists, must be utilized largely by the farmer for the raising of cattle and hogs. The foreign market for live cattle which exists in Great Britain is so hampered by the oppressive regulations requiring slaughter at point of land- ing, as to exercise little or no beneficial influence on the price of his product while the obstructive measures adopted by several of the Continental countries in regard to American pork has reduced the exports of that product since 1881 over 40 per cent, annually. Under such circumstances there can be but one cause assignable for the neglect by American farmers to turn their attention to other crops in the line of such agricultural prod- ucts as we now import, and that is that in this they would meet an even more overwhelming and disastrous competition than they are now con- fronted with, in the raising of cereals and live stock. Obviously then, the only course possible to enlightened statesmanship, is to assure to the farmer adequate protection in the diversification of his crops and the production of a larger pro- portion of the articles which we now import. These may be summarized as follows, the fig- GEN. Busies IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 341 ures given, being for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1889, and the values, those at the ports of ex- port: Sugar and Molasses 93,301,894 Animals and their, products, except wool 42,263,014 Fibers, Animal and Vegetable 59,453,936 Miscellaneous, incl. bread-stuffs, fruits, hay, hops, oils, rice, seed, tobacco, vegetables and wines, etc 71,254,894 For obvious reasons I omit any reference here to the 90 millions expended for tea, coffee and cocoa, but omitting these, we have still the enor- mous sum of 1266,273,738 imports of agricultural products, the far greater part of which, amount- ing probably to not less than 240 or 250 millions, could, with proper encouragement, be produced on our own soil. The establishment of our Agri- cultural Stations, the energetic research by the Department of Agriculture into the Resources of different sections of this country, investigation of their soils and climate, and the application, in general, of scientific principles to agriculture, all combining, make this assurance doubly sure, pro- vided always, that this diversification be encour- aged and fostered by the application of the prin- ciple of protection to the development of new in- dustries on the farm. It is simply the extension to our agriculture of the protection so bene- ficially extended in the past to our manufacturing 342 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. industries. In the days -when the farmers were prosperous, when good crops were accompanied with high prices, and the value of agricultural land went up accordingly, the farmers to a man, stood by the principle of protection urged on be- half of the manufacturers, who, burdened then with the heavy load of taxation imposed upon them by the Civil War, were threatened with grave disaster in the face of European competi- tion. Now in the face of the severe competition which today confronts the farmer in foreign mar- kets, duty, fairness, and in the long run, self-in- terest demand that we should afford him the ben- efits of a home market for all that he may be able to produce on our own soil. This includes all the sugar and molasses, all animal products, wool, silk, flax and other fibers, all our bread-stuffs, fruits, hay, hops, rice, tobacco, vegetables and wines; but many of these things will never, can never be produced on American soil in competi- tion with the labor of European nations, espe- cially when, as in the case of sugar, the industry abroad has been helped by liberal government bounties. It is worth while noting that the price per pound of the great bulk of the sugar im- ported, was at the point of shipment, 2.91 cents. It should also be borne in mind, that while we estimate in our statistics the value of imports at the price in the foreigi; port of shipment, the value of the export is on the other hand estimated GEN. BUSK'S IDEAS ON PBOTECTION. 343 at the price at the port of shipment in our coun- try, so that to the former must be added, trans- portation, commissions, exchange and dealers' profits, which, without the duty, would add fully 25 to 30 per cent, more to arrive at its value at the point of consumption — this would bring up the cost, to the consumer, of our agricultural im- ports, to nearly 500 millions, or, estimating solely such as could be with proper encouragement grown on our own soil, we have a value of not much less than 350 million dollars as the possible reward of diversified agriculture, a sum almost equal to our agricultxiral exports, estimated at farmers' prices — that is less cost of transporta- tion and commissions or other shipping charges to point of shipment. COMPETITION ON OUK OWN LAND. Before leaving this subject, a glance at the com- petition which our farmers have hitherto been compelled to meet, even on our own soil, will be found most interesting. Of the 7 or 8 million dollars worth of live animals imported into this country, the greater proportion were of ordinary marketable stock, as contra-distinguished from pure bred stock imported for breeding purposes and admitted free. Of all other animal products, including wool, there is not one that cannot now, indeed that is not now being raised upon our own 344 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. soil, and yet, including wool and hides, the im- ports of these animal products amounted in the year referred to, to over 60 million dollars; to this add 20 millions for fruits; 8 millions for bar- ley; over 2 millions for hay and hops; 3 and one- half millions for rice; 11 millions for tobacco; 3 millions for oils; 2 and one-half millions worth of vegetables, the same of eggs; over a million dol- lars worth of cheese, — these represent some of the imports, aggregating nearly 115 million dol- lars, which, in spite of the productiveness of our own soil, are brought into this country and sold in competition with our farmers. The region of the United States where this competition is doubtless most severely felt, is in New England, the seat of manufacturing enterprises which owe their existence to the fostering care of protective tariff laws, and what is the result? That year after year, farms in New England States are abandoned and allowed to run to waste, while in some of them so startling has this evil become, that legislators are cudgeling their brains to de- vise some method of re-populating their aban- doned agricultural lands. One glance at the comparative rates of duty levied upon agricultural as compared with other products, one glance at the free list, the greater portion of which consists of agricultural prod- ucts, either grown or which could be grown upon our own soil, and a comparison of these figures G£!]Sr. BVSJPS IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 345 with the average rate of duty levied upon manu- factured articles, ought to be sufficient to silence forever, any opposition to the demand I have made on behalf of the American farmer in my Annual Eeport, namely — that by a wise applica- tion of our admirable protective system all the benefits of our home market be secured to him for everything he may be able to produce. FOREIGN MAHKETS. Accompanying this principle of protection to the American farmer, is that of reciprocity, which should invariably be applied whenever that of protection is relaxed. If there are products grown to better advantage in other countries, re- mission of duty on which would seem to be in the interest of a large portion of our population, such remission should only be accorded as the result of reciprocal concession in the way of a remission of duties by such other countries on products more readily grown here. Many of those coun- tries which would be specially benefited by a re- mission of the duty on sugar by our government, would afford an excellent market for our bread- stuffs and dairy and meat products, were it not for the high duties imposed thereon by them. So with other products, and whenever duty on such products is lowered or removed and the protec- tion to our farmers thus diminished, it should be MQ JEREMIAH M. BUSK. as the price of concessions made to us in the tar- iff of other countries in favor of our own farm products. In this way, and in this way only, can our farmers be adequately protected, new mar- kets being thus thrown open to them for those products which they can most easily and cheaply produce. To farmers producing, as do ours, a vast sur- plus of agricultural products the question of for- eign markets is and should be deeply interesting. Not only do they offer an outlet for this surplus, but if untramelled by irksome restrictions and uncontrolled by combinations such as I have re- ferred to elsewhere, they serve as useful checks upon those who might otherwise succeed in con- trolling our home markets. Unfortunately, irk- some restrictions do exist and especially is this the case with reference to our live-stock industry. Evidence is not wanting that a demand exists in Great Britain for our live-stock, and but for the oppressive restrictions imposed by the British government, and said to be necessary owing to the alleged existence of contagious diseases among American cattle, there is little doubt but a large proportion of our product of live cattle would find there a profitable market, thus greatly relieving our home markets. So with our pork products, oppressed by the embargoes placed upon them by certain European powers, with the result of an enormous decrease during the past QEN. BUSEPS IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 347 six years in our exports of bacon and hams; for whereas these exports in 1879, 1880 and 1881 averaged about 745,000,000 pounds, they had fallen in 1883 to less than 400,000,000, and until last year never exceeded 420,000,000. The effect of this has naturally been to greatly restrict com- petition among purchasers, and to §eriously de- press the price of our hogs. Aided as the farm- ers and cattle growers must be by supplying them with authentic statistics as to supply and de- mand of their products, much remains for them to do directly through their own intelligent and active cooperation directed to an intelligent con- trol of the supply. This is a matter worthy of the earnest attention of our numerous farmers' organizations. On the other hand, the national government owes it to the farming and cattle growing community that no effort shall be spared to secure a removal of those restrictions upon our live-stock and meat trade which we know to be unnecessary, and therefore feel to be unjust. First of all we must maintain an absolute and ef- ficient control of cattle diseases, and pursue with the utmost energy the course which has resulted today in the almost complete extirpation from American soil of the most dreaded disease of all, contagious pleuro-pneumonia. The energetic ap- plication of efficient measures must effectually stamp out this disease from its last remaining stronghold, and once banished from American 348 JEREMIAH M. BUHK. soil it must be kept out by the most rigid regula- tions. As to our meat products, I can see but one way to accomplish the desired results, and that is by the enactment of a thoroughly efficient meat inspection law. Another duty devolves upon us in connection with our foreign markets, and that is a careful study of their wants. It is a_ stigma upon Ameri- can agriculture that our butter exports, for in- stance, should be reported as small in quantity and poor in quality, and that the South Ameri- can supply should be largely derived from Euro- pean countries. Having taken all precautions necessary to guarantee the immunity of our live-stock from disease and the healthfulness of our meat prod- ucts, we must then protect them from unjust al- legations on the part of foreign competitors and, as not infrequently happens, of foreign govern- ments or their representatives. To do this it be- comes necessary that we should maintain, at- tached to some of the American legations abroad, a properly qualified officer representing the Agri- cultural interest, whose special duty it shall be to watch over the interests of American agricul- tural products in foreign markets. With the proper cooperation on the part of our Consuls and others such an officer could be of incalcula- ble service in the manner indicated as well as in supplying valuable information as to the demand GEN. R USK' S IDEA S ON PRO TEC TION. 349 existing in foreign countries for such products as our farmers are able to supply, as to the best manner of preparing the same to meet the wants of foreign consumers, etc. TAXATION. It seems to me that our system of taxation de- mands improvement in certain directions. The cost of supporting the government needs to be most equitably adjusted among the different classes of our people. At present in many States, the burden of local taxation presses heavily upon farm property, its very nature rendering it easily assessable. Every corporation created by the State, and to whom special privileges are granted either by State, county, or incorporated village or city, should be taxed in proportion to its earn- ings, and in all ways the principle of taxation should be to place the burden of maintaining the government, whether State, municipal or na- tional, upon the luxuries and comforts which the wealthy enjoy, and to reduce it to a minimum in its application to the hardly earned property of the poor man. No doubt many more causes could be assigned for the present agricultural depression, still less is there any doubt, but that other and more effi- cient remedies than those suggested might be found, I may say will be found, to relieve it, I S50 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. have merely tried to indicate what seemed to me the more important causes and to point out such remedies as a long and solicitous consideration of the situation, and I may add, long familiarity and sympathy with the hard working, frugal class which is the immediate and chief sufferer, have suggested to my mind as both necessary and feas- ible. I candidly confess, that my personal sympa- thies are with the farmers, and they must bear with me if I offer them an earnest word of cau- tion. No possible relief can come to them or to the country, no permanent remedy for present ills is to be found in measures which are rather the outcome of resentment than the product of reason. I would say to the farmers, stand firm as the ever-lasting hills in demanding what is right, and resisting any possible infringement on your rights as citizens by any other class or com- bination of people, but beware, lest in your just eagerness to secure your own rights, you seek to infringe upon the rights of others. No measure that conflicts with the rights of any one class of citizens, but what is sure to follow the course of the boomerang and return to injure the hand that shaped it. On the other hand, let it be borne in mind by all other classes of our citizens, that the present conditions demand consideration now and that consideration must be full and fair; for the time being it is paramount to all other ques- GEN. BUSKPS IDEAS ON PROTECTION. 351 tions and if necessary, every other interest must be prepared to stand aside in favor of measures looking to the relief^ of agricultural depression. J. M. EusK. During his administration Secretary Eusk con- tributed to the North American Eeview two ar- ticles — one, which appeared April, 1891, upon "The Duty of the Hour," and the other, in March, 1893, on "American Farming a Hundred Years Hence." The first was an earnest plea for a bet- ter understanding of the farmer and his needs by the statesmen and men of affairs of the day, and a prediction, as it might be called in view of later events, that like other patients, failing relief at the hand of the regular practitioners, the farmers, conscious of an unequal participation in the gen- eral increase of wealth and advance of civiliza- tion and luxury, and finding in the leaders of the hour little sympathy, less understanding and no relief, would in despair follow the demagogue. He was particularly earnest in denouncing the common tendency of those who are not farmers themselves, to pooh-pooh the farmers' discontent as groundless and to answer all his complaints with the assertion that he is better off and has an easier time than his father before him. He points out that this will be admitted even by most farmers, but that what the modern farmer complains of is that he has not shared equally 352 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. with other classes of citizens in the great increase in wealth which has characterized the last half century. These few extracts afford, in conjunc- tion with the views of the Secretary as to the farmer's relations to the tariff above quoted, a fair illustration of his broad sj-mpathy with the farmer's troubles and his clear appreciation of the farmer's needs. At the same time the second of the two articles referred to, "American Agri- culture a Hundred Years Hence," shows very clearly that he fully understood what share the farmer's own deficiencies had in his condition and what radical changes must inevitably be brought about in many respects in the personality of the farmer before the full realization of the possibili- ties and pleasures of rural life among us. FABMING A MUyDBED YEARS HENCE. 353 CHAPTEE XXXIX. AMERICAN FAEMING A HUiSfDEED TEARS HENCE. The following article by Secretary Eusk, origi- nally published in the North American Keview, of March, 1893, is here reprinted by the kind per- mission of Gen. Lloyd Bryce, editor of that excel- lent magazine: What farming will be a century hence may at first sight seem to be a matter of pure specula- tion; nevertheless, it deserves the most thought- ful consideration of those who take a patriotic in- terest in the future of the country with which the future of our agriculture is indissolubly bound. To those who have the shaping of the country's destinies in their hands the future must be ever present. It is only the shallow, superficial or selfish man, never the statesman, who considers a subject afPecting deeply the interests of his country solely from the standpoint of present ex- pediency. My recollections of farm life, with which I have always been closely, and at times exclusively, 23 354 J E BE MI A H M. B USK. identified, go back over forty years, and retro- spectively I can thus gather material upon which to predicate some of the changed conditions which will attend the growth of our country dur- ing the next century. My boyhood was passed on a farm in what was then one of the Western States (Ohio) in the days of the flail and the old-fashioned plow; of the spinning wheel and hand loom, and homemade clothing; when settlers migrated westward in "prairie schooners," and business and professional men traveling on business or for pleasure rode in the old-fashioned mail coach or on the canal boats; when the farmer's main object was to pro- duce on his land what he needed for his own and his family's consumption, the home markets be- ing scattered and foreign markets hardly accessi- ble, when millionaires were unknown, and land was plentiful — so plentiful that the possibility of the exhaustion of the public domain in the life- time of persons then living could not have been suggested without ridicule. What changes have taken place since those days are patent to all who use their sight and hearing, and they may be readily divided into four classes: (1) Extent and character of our population. (2) Methods of farming. (3) Our trade relations, both interstate and international. FASMINa A II UNDBED YE ASS HENCE. 355 (4) The conditions of rural life. Our population has increased in the past fifty years from seventeen millions to over sixty-two millions, while the population of our cities has increased beyond all proportion to the general increase throughout the country. The age of steam and electricity, of speculation and monop- olies, with opportunities for accumulation of wealth never before dreamed of, has drawn from the healthful, peaceful and reasonably prosper- ous occupation of agriculture many of the brain- iest of our young Americans, and many who, without being exceptionally gifted, have yet been readily persuaded to abandon the certainty of moderate well-being in the country for the de- lusive chances of fortune in the cities. Their places have been largely taken by foreigners in many States, and the result has been that in its character, although not in ratio of increase, the farming population has changed as much as that of our cities. It is my opinion, however, that in diversity of character the change in our agri- cultural population will be less marked in the future than in the past, and this for reasons which are set forth sufficiently in the following pages. Should our population increase as rapidly dur- ing the coming hundred years as in the past fifty, it will be at the end of that period not less than four hundred millions. I think it will not so in- 356 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. crease; for one thing, we will not liave the same inducements to offer to immigrants. When the price of land goes up, as it is bound to do, and its acquisition requires more money; when more cap- ital is required to undertake farming, except on the smallest scale, and truck farms near cities bring a high rent and call for the greatest intelli- gence as well as industry on the part of the farmer, one of the chief inducements to foreign- ers to seek our shores, namely the acquisition of farms of their own, will disappear. At the same time the liberal tendencies of all civilized coun- tries, even under monarchical governments, will lessen the number of those who leave the older countries for the sake of greater political free- dom. Immigration to the United States will con- sist more and more of a few comparatively well- to-do persons, seeking opportunities for the profit- able investment of a small capital, and who, pos- sessing some education and training in the art of self-government, will readily amalgamate with our own people; or of the poorest classes well con- tent to serve for a time in the ranks of labor, pro- vided the rate of wages is high enough to reward their frugality with moderate savings. While recognizing thus the changes which are likely to occur in the character of the immigra- tion to this country, I emphatically do not wish to be understood as opposing immigration. On the field of battle as on the field of labor, I have FARMING A IIUNDSED YEARS HENCE. 357 found immigrants from foreign shores doing their duty heroically and creditably, side by side with their fellow citizens of American birth. I am not insensible to the important part played by foreign immigrants in the wonderful development of our country during the past generation. It is not de- sirable to forbid immigration, though it is our duty to control it. I am ready now as ever to ex- tend a welcome to every honest, hard-working man seeking our shores to better his condition, and to carve out a home for himself and his de- scendants in this land of promise. It is no of- fence that he is poor. Let us take precautions to exclude the criminal and pauper classes, the po- litical maniacs who have declared themselves enemies of all society and government, and then with a proper enforcement of our laws, so that every voter may recognize the full responsibilities of citizenship, we shall have done all that in my opinion is needed for the protection of our peo- ple and our institutions. The most remarkable changes in the character of our agricultural population will be found in the occupation and the possession by private own- ers of every foot of land available for tillage. From semi-tropical Florida to the State of Wash- ington, from the lakes and forests of Maine to the orange groves and vineyards of southern Cali- fornia, every acre of land, save what is absolutely untillable or necessarily devoted to the forest and 358 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the mine, will be taxed to supply the needs of three, if not four, hundred millions of people, who will doubtless be then, as now, the wealthiest and least self-denying of any people in the world. More bushels of wheat will be needed to supply our own people with bread than our present aver- age yield of corn, which means three and a half times more than last year's crop, the largest but one of any wheat crop ever harvested in the United States. Irrigation will be practiced as a matter of course, wherever water is obtainable, and millions of acres now unproductive will yield rich harvests. American farmers will supply American consumers with half a billion dollars' worth of sugar, whether cane, sorghum, or beet; the demands of our home markets for meat and dairy products will be met by a system of care and feeding which will convert the now com- monly accepted ratio of four acres to one cow into something more like four cows to one acre. Science, aided by necessity, will have solved the problems of feeding, so as to secure the maximum result for the minimum feed; waste products will be utilized in a hundred ways not now dreamed of, and we can readily realize that, besides the increased yield due to a better understanding of plant life and culture, and to the remedies for the prevention of the injuries, whether by disease or insects, whereby agriculture today loses hun- dreds of millions of dollars yearly, the applica- FASMING A HUNDRED YEARS HENCE. 359 tion of every acre of our vast territory to the par- ticular uses for which it is best adapted will add immensely to our aggregate productiveness. What the worth of land will be in those days no man can venture to estimate; but of one thing we can all rest assured, and that is, that the rich- est inheritance a man can leave to his grandchil- dren and their immediate descendants will be a farm of many broad fertile acres in the United States of America. It may not be uninteresting to point out a dif- ferentiation into classes among farmers, which I can readily see will gradually take place in this country, and which will have attained its full de- velopment before the period of which I write. Every large city already affects the method of farming in the country contiguous to it, and as this suburban land becomes more and more valu- able every acre of it will be taxed to its utmost capacity to supply the needs and the luxuries of the city people. For these, glass houses will ob- literate the seasons, and strawberries and lettuce in midwinter will no longer occasion surprise. Such methods of tillage demand the best kind of labor and the constant, personal supervision of the owner or farmer himself, and this of neces- sity means farms of a few acres. On the other hand, the large farms will no longer be conducted by men who, with their own hands, feed the stock and milk the cows, and follow the plow or culti- 360 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. vate the corn. The exigencies of farm life in: those days will tax all the brain power and busi- ness qualifications of a man whose life work will demand a better education, in the scientific branches at least, than that of the merchant or the banker, or even the lawyer. The man who farms a large farm successfully in 1993 must be such a man as would be successful in any career, whether professional or mercantile, and who, like the merchant or manufacturer, must command some capital, and be capable of utilizing profit- ably the labor of his fellows. The natural evolution of agriculture, under ita changed and changing conditions, involves a sur- vival of the fittest, which will necessarily rele- gate poor farmers — I use the word "poor" in the intellectual sense — not, let us hope, and I truly believe, to the level of the English agricultural laborer, but to the condition of a thrifty peas- antry, owning their own homes, with perhaps a few acres of land, but depending principally for support upon wages earned by laboring for others. In my opinion, the changes in methods of farm- ing in the future will be brought about by a wide knowledge and application of scientific princi- ples. I do not think it probable that farm im- plements will be improved very much, although doubtless on the larger farms means will be de- FABMING A HUNDRED YEARS HENCE. 361 vised to perform certain operations by electricity or steam. Nor do I lay any stress upon the pos- sible revolution in metliods of farming antici- pated by those who think that the rainfall may be controlled at will by explosives, a theory which will, long before the time of ^A'hich I write, have been itself thoroughly exploded and given a place among the curiosities of so-called scientific inves- tigation, in company with its twin absurdity, the flying machine. There will be some change in our methods, owing to a differentiation of farm- ing purposes brought about hj the demand for new products, and by the necessity, in order to make farming profitable, of providing for the home demand all that our soil and climate can produce, and by the devoting of certain sections, and even of certain farms, to those products for which they may be specially adapted. Such spe- cialization will be rendered more and more easy as the cost, if not the diflaculty, of transportation is reduced. Our means of transportation have been so greatly increased during the past twenty- five years that it is very difficult to imagine their being carried much further; but means will doubtless be found by which the cost of carriage may be greatly reduced, with corresponding fa- cility and ease in transportation. Our trade relations, probably, will not exercise so great an influence in the changes of the future as they have done in the past. Without in any 362 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. degree sharing the melancholy forebodings of those who anticipate that a comparatively slight increase in our present population will compel the United States to become a large importer of food products such as our own soil produces, I am of the opinion that long before a hundred years have rolled by we will have ceased to export food prod- ucts to foreign countries, with the exception of a few products in concentrated form. Our trade in farm products will hence be interstate, not inter- national, and will be regulated by the growth of our population and the consequent extension of our home markets. It is the conditions of rural life to which I look for the greatest change, amounting to a veritable transformation in the future of agriculture in this country. At first glance it may appear that I have underestimated the transformation which has taken place in those conditions during the period covered by my personal experience. It is unquestionably true that modern manufacturing methods have entirely destroyed such home in- dustries as shoemaking, coopering, tailoring, spin- ning, weaving, etc., by which so many farmers ia the first half of the century occupied their time and added to their modest incomes during the winter months. The farmer's grain is no longer: carried to the mill in a sack thrown over a horse's back and kept in place as a saddle for the bare- footed boy who, taking the grain to mill, brought FARMING A HUNDRED YEARS HENCE. 363 back flour Tor domestic consumption. The old- fashioned bees, the husking and the corn-shelling, with their accompanying sociability and the cus- tomary dance, have become almost obsolete in many parts of the country, and with the excep- tion of the South, where, in spite of the changes effected by the war and the abolition of slavery, matters seem to go on in the country districts very much as of yore, there are many features in which farming life differs from that of forty years ago. The difference is not always, perhaps, in the line of improvement. But in the main, and in its most important features, I believe the con- ditions of rural life to have changed less in the past half century than the other features of farm- ing to which I have referred; for, while farming- implements have been practically revolutionized, while our methods of farming, as, for instance, in dairying, have undergone marked changes, while our population has increased, and the trade in our agricultural products has developed be- yond the most imaginative conceptions of the farmer of fifty years ago, many of the conditions of rural life, including, I am sorry to say, many of those which are its principal drawbacks still remain. There is today almost the same isola- tion, for example, as compared with the life of town or city, the same unceasing round of labor, beginning with the dawn and scarce ending with 364 JEREMIAH M. B USE. the dark; our country roads are little, indeed, I may say, no better, and school and church facili- ties in the country districts are not much greater than they were. Now it is in these very condi- tions that I look for, perhaps, the most marked change to occur in the agricultural life of the future. In the first place, the average size of our farms will be considerably less than now. There will be large farms, no doubt; but under such a mod- ernized system of agriculture as will unquestion- ably prevail a hundred years hence, what will be a large farm then would not be regarded as a particularly large farm at the present day. More- over, for reasons which I have already indicated, there will be a very much greater number of small farms than now, not only in the neighbor- hood of cities, but in all those sections where ir- rigation is practised. The result of this will be a greater concentration of population even in rural districts, and hence far less isolation than exists at present, and this isolation will be still further diminished by good, smooth, well-kept roads, bordered with handsome shade trees, and available for travel at all seasons. With such a dense population as we shall then have, electric motors will be established, without a doubt, along many of the principal roads, extending out sev- eral miles into the country from every town or FAJRMING A HUNDRED YJEAHS HENCE. 365 city of any consequence. The telephone will be found in every farmhouse, and should the pres- ent Postmaster-General be privileged to revisit the scene of his earthly labors, he will find his dream a reality, with a rural mail delivery which will carry mails daily to every farmhouse in the land. The residents in the country will vie in culture and education with the corresponding classes in the cities, while, with the disappear- ance of the many inconveniences which now prej- udice the wealthy against country life, the busi- ness and professional men will look forward to the acquisition of wealth as a means for securing a home in the country, where they can end their days in peace and comfort. No one questions the healthfulness of country life, and its many advan- tages so far as physical well-being is concerned over the city, and when the country home is equal in comfort and culture to that of the city, no ar- gument will be needed to prove its superiority to the latter. It would take more eloquence than I have at my command to present to the reader a picture of agricultural life a hundred years from now as it exists in my mind, but I trust I have said enough to interest even those who are not directly con- cerned with agriculture in its future development, and to impress upon them the importance of giv- ing to the agricultural interests due weight in all 366 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. plans or legislation looking to the future pros- perity of our great country. It seems not inappropriate that I should take this occasion to emphasize the fact that the De- partment which represents agriculture in the na- tional government is practically in its infancy. That it does render good service to agricul- ture there is no question, although the total ap- propriation for its support, some three million dollars, is considerably less than one per cent, of the aggregate appropriations made for the sup- port of the national government. As the import- ance of agriculture becomes more and more ap- preciated by the whole people, and the large part it is destined to play in the development of our country is more widely recognized, it is reason- able to believe, and I personally have every ex- pectation, that the National Department of Agri- culture will become more and more liberally en- dowed, so that at the time of which I write the appropriations made for it, by comparison with those devoted to the other purposes of govern- ment, will be proportionate to its true position in relation to the other industries of the country. AN AGBICULTUBAL ADDRESS. 367 CHAPTER XL. AN AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS. In 1889 General Rusk delivered, upon invita- tion, the follovping address on Agriculture, at Co- lumbus, Ohio: Farmers and Fellow Citizens: Sometime ago I received an invitation of the State Board of Agriculture of this State, to at- tend this imposing and interesting exhibition of agricultural products today, and to meet here in joint assembly the members of the two leading agricultural organizations, and the farmers of the State generally. I desire to thank the State Board of Agriculture and those who united with them in tendering me this invitation. I desire to express my pleasure at meeting you, my appre- ciation of the generous welcome accorded to me, and of the handsome compliment paid me in giv- ing my name to one day of the exhibition. I am especially glad to have this opportunity to speak to you upon some topics in which we are all in- terested. My eyes first saw the light of day in this grand 368 JEBEMIAH M. liUSK. old State of Ohio, and as I rejoice today in being again upon her soil, I am reminded that my last appearance at an agricultural fair in this State, was in 1853, in this very city, being then on my way to Wisconsin to assume the duties of citizen- ship in that, my adopted State. The third of a century that has elapsed since that day has brought with it the ebb and flow of prosperity and adversity; since that time many a man who now listens to me has gone out from his farm — and like Cincinnatus, left his plow, to engage in the mighty struggle so valiantly fought and gloriously won to save the union of States and to preserve secure the liberties of men. Like decorated china, baked by fire in order to harden it and preserve its rich colors, the farmer soldiery of this State passed through the fiery fur- nace of heated and blazing war, which forever cemented their patriotism and loyalty, and they stand today among the leaders, tried and true, in their avocation of peace. Many an empty sleeve, or missing leg, or painful wound, or honorable scar, silently attests the loyalty of your citizens in that crisis of the Nation's life. During all that time, we, who were the early citizens of Ohio, have witnessed the efforts of its farming people to secure a livelihood, have noted their indomitable energy, their thrift and perse- verance, triumphing over the hardships and try- ing surroundings of the farmer, and have seen AN A QBIC ULTUBAL ADDRESS. 369 grow up the firm, strong column of a sturdy citi- zenship, and listened to the tread of the builders of this mighty commonwealth, today so remark- able for its enterprise, its industry, and its suc- cess. Ohio is today a potent factor, not only in the agricultural but in the commercial transactions of the United States. It is the link between the Western and Eastern States; though adjoining an Atlantic State, its rivers drain into the great Mississippi itself; it possesses two of the most considerable cities on our northern boundary line, important ports upon the great inland sea which separates the State from Canada; while its prin- cipal commercial city stands at the very gate of the great South, — that great New South which is destined within the next few years to startle the world by its extraordinary material development. During all these years I have watched with the keenest interest and pride the progress of events in my native State. Her development and ad- vancement along the lines of civilization, agricul- tural, industrial, mechanical, and social, have never failed to excite the pride of her citizens, the wonder of her sister States, and she stands today radiant and beaming, a bright jewel in the di- adem of the Union. I am happy to see arrayed here in friendly competition, the products of your toil and handiwork, and to discuss with you some problems which affect the farmer's welfare— for 24 370 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. upon that all prosperity rests, and without it the entire structure falls. I ca_uot expect to review with you the entire field of agriculture in the brief time that I shall occupy. It is as boundless, almost, as the space in which we move, and there are as many phases of it as there are stars in the firmament above us. But perhaps there are some questions which bear directly upon your calling and which, being uppermost in the minds of agriculturists at the present time, may be discussed by us today with profit to all concerned. First let me direct your attention to some significant facts and figures which relate to the general cause. The development of agriculture in the United States has been the wonder of the civilized world. The face of our country has only waited for the plow and harrow to reward us with nature's gen- erous return, the blessing of a country to which hunger or famine is unknown. On every side the landscape has been painted in the verdure of growing crops, while the world waited, open mouthed, to be fed by the toil of our farmers. Think of it — more than five million farms in this country! This indicates such an enormous busi- ness that we cannot pay too much attention to it. Oovernments, State and National, cannot foster it with too much care, statesmen cannot discuss it too much, and farmers, you cannot think too much about it. AN A ORICULTURAL ADDRESS. 371 Especially is this true, if you realize the respon- sibility which devolves upon you and upon those to whom you will leave your precious inheritance. Glance at the figures which show our population. In 1870 we had a population of about 39 millions; in 1880 it had increased to 50 millions, and now, in 1890, we have nearly 65 millions. The increase in twenty years will make us at least 100 mil- lions, and in fifty years from now 190 millions of people will wake up some morning wanting a breakfast. I don't mean by this to say that we shall have trouble in feeding this multitude. The resources of this country are sufficient to meet the demands of three times that many souls. But the increas- ing demand upon our farm products between now and 1940 must be met by methods unknown in the agriculture of our forefathers. The future farmer will be more enlightened than we are today in an even greater degree than we are more enlightened than those who preceded us — because of the greater advantages he will enjoy. The effects, aye! the necessity of the school- bouse — the common school — the prime conser- vator of our language, our patriotism, and our in- telligence — the business college, the agricultural college, the Experiment Station, all will be felt, — indeed they are now being felt, in a greater de- gree than ever. I know they are being felt, be- cause I recognize in the present unrest of the 372 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. farmers, in the present feeling of depression and dissatisfaction, in the present stand for more free- dom of action in this demand for a larger partici- pation in the general prosperity of mankind, — I say I recognize in all these, simply the signs of the evolution through which the farmer is now passing. He is no longer content to make a com- parison between his present condition and that of his father, or his grandfather, in order to prove that he is better off than they were. He is thank- ful for the many advantages of human progress and social intercourse which he enjoys, and which they had not; but his ambition now is, to enjoy his share equally with the lawyer, the doctor, the merchant and the resident of the city, in the greater civilization, in the greater prosperity of this country, to all of which he contributes so much. It is a mistake for farmers, to assume that the success of their calling depends entirely upon this or that act of a political body. That man is helped who helps himself, and there are many things which will ameliorate the present condi- tion of the farmer which are within his own grasp, and waiting to be utilized. The demand for his products will have to be satisfied, for the most part, from lands already occupied, as our unoc- cupied arable lands have dwindled to compara- tively small proportions. It must follow that farms will increase in value, AN AOSICULTUBAL ADDRESS. 373 that the number of acres which any one farmer can own and cultivate will decrease, and that only the most intelligent and most wisely di- rected culture will insure profitable returns. Hence it is that those who follow agriculture must follow it in the near future as a profession rather than as a mere occupation. Agricultural education must point the way toward the highest knowledge and most improved methods in tak- ing advantage of different conditions of soil, cli- mate, and nature's forces. The success of no other profession on earth depends so entirely upon seasons and varying climatic conditions as that of agriculture. Then let me urge upon you the importance of such an education. Congress has been awakened to this necessity, and has recently provided for the maintenance of experiment stations in the different States — and Ohio has a grand one, let me tell you — indeed the present session of Con- gress has passed a bill which materially in- creases the scope and usefulness of our State Agricultural Colleges, and that bill is now a law. These advantages are within your reach and it is for you to avail yourselves of them. In other words, you should exhaust every means known to science or business which will aid you in getting a profitable return upon your enormous investments — investments which repre- sent a sum of money beyond the comprehension 374 JEBEMIAH M. BVSK. of the human mind. You have in this State 250 thousand farms. Their value amounts in round numbers to the enormous sum of one billion and a quarter of dollars; as much more is invested in implements, machinery, and farm animals to ope- rate those farms, making a total investment of nearly 2 billion 500 millions of dollars. Now farmer friends, do you realize that that sum — the sum of your investments in this single State — exceeds by more than three times our present national debt? And can we not, through the application of better culture, better methods, better farming, better business principles, better understanding of the laws of supply and demand, more intelligent observation, improved processes, a larger conception of our duties, and last, but not least, by a "long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether," — can we not by all these, I say, in- crease the percentage of our return upon this enormous investment? Even one per cent, in- crease would mean 25 millions increase in your returns. I think we can. Ohio has a prominent place among the States noted for their wealth of natural resources and agricultural production. It occupies a small part of the national domain, only one and four-tenths per cent, of the whole, yet its farm lands are over four per cent, of the farm area of the country. Ohio has the distinction of having the largest pro- portion of its surface occupied by farms of any AN A GUI CULTURAL ADDRESS. 375 State in the Union, all but 6 per cent., while the older and more populous State of New York has 22 per cent, not included in farms, Pennsylvania 31 per cent., and the densely populated State of Massachusetts has 35 per cent. The farms of Ohio are small, averaging less than one hundred acres, naturally productive and well cultivated, and their value is more than one- tenth of the value of the farms of the United States. The tenth census returned the average value of Ohio farm lands at |45.97 per acre, higher even than the average for New York and Massachusetts, and only exceeded by four States. Only 40 per cent, of the people of Ohio are em- ployed in agricultural pursuits, a smaller propor- tion than in any other of the Western or South- ern States, which range from 42 in Michigan to 83 in Arkansas. This accounts for the compara- tive prosperity of Ohio farmers, as 30 per cent, of the population is a proportion more than ample to supply the wants of all the people ujider the beneficent rule of an advanced and scientific agri- culture. The farmers of Ohio are enterprising, progres- sive and prosperous, with fewer exceptions than in almost any other -portion of the country. The wheat product of last year was about seven per cent, of the national crop, and that of corn was about twenty-two bushels per capita. Other crops in variety and large volume increase the resources 376 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. of the people for consumption, and swell the value of the products of the farm. The farmers of Ohio have a home market, and prices higher than the average farm prices of the country for nearly all the products of their farms. It is true, these prices of late have been low, yet marked improvement has already taken place and everything points to a marked advance in prices in the near future. In the agriculture of Ohio wool has ever held a prominent place; and now only Texas and Cali- fornia hold higher ranlv in numbers of sheep. Not merely in the number of flocks, but in quantity and quality of wool, does your State excel most others. The medium Merino grades, character- ized by a long staple and dense fleece, have almost entirely superseded the combing wool of the Eng- lish breeds, commanding prices relatively high. Yet prices have been reduced by the injurious competition of foreign wools, imported in extraor- dinary volume under the classiflcation of car- pet wool, and used for all purposes, largely for fabrics similar to those into which these comb- ing wools enter, thus reducing the price of Ohio wools. In six years this competition reduced the flocks of the United States by six millions. The law of 1881 and its hostile construction wrought great injury to sheep husbandry; while a more just con- struction, and the prospect of a more protective AN AORICULTURAL ADDRESS. 377 law, have already advanced prices and assured a brighter future for wool growing. In the older States, where agriculture is im- proving and lands are valuable, it seems to me to be the dictate of wisdom, to give more prom- inence to mutton production in sheep husbandry. The example of England and of the best districts of France and Germany is worthy of our prac- tical consideration in this respect. Meat and wool promise greater profit than wool alone, and furnish a double incentive to effort for the high- est attainable excellence of product. With a con- tinuance of the intelligence and zeal which have characterized the breeders of Ohio, and by a wise adaptation to existing circumstances, I firmly be- lieve that a future prosperity awaits their con- tinued efforts. The State of Ohio has made a phenomenal ad- vance in manufactures during the past genera- tion, the value of which increased from 122 mil- lions in 1860 to 348 millions in 1880, when this Western State surpassed the average production of the country per capita. The workers in manu- factures and mining were then about one-fourth of all in the State, numbering 242 thousand while farmers and farm laborers numbered 397 thou- sand. The State is destined to become populous and opulent, with a profitable distribution of labor in 378 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the various arts and industries. Its productive lands, healthful climate, central position, and large development of manual and mental culture, will insure a high civilization and a large degree of prosperity among all classes of people. The farmers of this country supply material for the food of 64 millions of people, who consume and waste more than any 100 millions of any other part of the globe. They last year pro- duced 53 bushels of grain for every man, woman,, and child in the land, while little more than 3 bushels per head of wheat and corn were mar- keted in foreign countries. They produced nearly 200 pounds of meat for every individual, while only 25 pounds were sold to foreigners. They made not less than 16 pounds of butter for each inhabitant, of which but 7 ounces went abroad. What do these figures teach?' First, they teach the relative importance of our home and foreign markets, and justify all our efforts in the past to expand and multiply our home markets. Sec- ond, they teach us that farmers must first of all, cultivate the home markets and seek to so diver- sify farm products as to supply them with the main portion of all they demand, instead of, as now, allowing foreigners to supply them with nearly as much as our own farmers supply to for- eign markets. Third, they show us that we have a surplus, which, little as it may be, must yet be AN A ORIC ULTUBAL ADDRESS. 379 disposed of in foreign markets; but they do not show one fact, which we must not overlook, namely, that in some cases the price of a surplus, small as it is, is fixed in the foreign market as the result of competition, and that the price so fixed plays an important part in regulating prices in our home markets. Now, what can we do to maintain a steady demand for farm products? With the population increasing yearly at the rate of a million and a half our home markets must afford a rapidly in- creasing demand. But what if the increase in the farming population maintains the same ratio to the general increase as heretofore? Well, in view of such a possibility, I have three courses to advise: First, for the 250 million dollars worth of agri- cultural products annually imported from foreign markets, and for which American consumers .pay at least 325 millions, we must, by wise laws and intelligent farming, substitute home-grown prod- ucts. Second, we must limit our generosity in the matter of homestead laws to actual citizens of the United States. I would have no man Owning and cultivating a farm in this land who is not an American citizen. I say that those who come to the United States to reap the reward and ben- efits that come from the soil, should be citizens of this country, be enrolled under our flag and Con- 380 JEBEMIAII M. BUSK. stitution, and be interested in their protection and the promotion of only those interests which are truly American and patriotic. There is room for but one flag and one people in this country — none for those whose allegiance is elsewhere; we have room for those who seek our country for its heaven-born liberties — none for those who come here to breed discord and discontent and preach their infernal doctrines of disorder and of anar- chy, which are as un-American as monarchy and as treasonable as secession. Third, we must increase and extend our for- eign markets by every legitimate means in our power, by surrounding the manufacture of our various food-products with such stringent regu- lations that the word "American," or the brand "U. S.," on any food-product, will be recognized the world over as synonymous with the words "pure" and "wholesome;" by attentively watch- ing the markets in all foreign countries, and be- ing alert to seize every opportunity to supply a want with American-grown products; by intro- ducing American products in sections where they are unknown, as, for instance, our Indian corn, which is practically unknown abroad as hu- man food; and, lastly, by special treaties on the basis of what you have all heard of in recent days as reciprocity — a sort of "give and take" com- mercial policy. The trouble has been heretofore that we have AN A GBIG UL TUEA L ADDRESS. 381 been giving all the time and never taking. "We gave up the duty on coffee, of Avhich we import 75 million dollars VForth yearly, and that act transferred 17 million dollars from our Treasury to that of Brazil, for as soon as we took off our duty Brazil raised her export duty a correspond- ing amount. We gave up the duties on hides, of which we annually import 25 million dollars worth, without securing the slightest reciprocal advantage in favor of American flour, American meat and American dairy-products. I presume there are some manufacturers in this country who would be willing to sacrifice your wool interests for a kind of reciprocity that would benefit them as much as it might hurt you. I am opposed to that sort of reciprocity. So far as reciprocity means "never give something for nothing," I favor it. Whenever it is evident that a treaty of reciprocity means the benefit of the larger part of the American people, I agree to it, and whenever it is evident that reciprocity with this or that country, or in this or that product, would injure any industry or the larger part of our people, I am against it. I am for America first, last and all the time. I am attached to no mere form of words, to no policy because of its name. What I am after is results — results bene- ficial to a majority of my countrymen. Now I rejoice that I have lived to see a strong combination of farmers associated together 382 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. throughout the land for the purpose of discussing these and other questions which especially relate to their interests. The brisk competition and en- terprise of past years resulted long ago in com- binations, and associations, and organizations of men in every avocation except that of agri- culture. The time has now come when agricul- ture, also, is to be aided by organized effort through a union of farmers to discuss public questions, to make themselves heard and felt in public affairs; — a band of brothers who will op- pose a firm front to all wrong and injustice. There is no man living today who believes more firmly than I in the value and potency of such organization. Self-defence is the first law of nature — organization is a necessity of the times. The farmer, isolated as he is, standing alone as he did for many years, is like a single reed, easily broken; an association of farmers, like the bundle of rods in the fable, cannot be broken. All hail to every known form of agricultural organization. I hope the work will go on, and that its growth will never stop until every farmer has been en- rolled on the lists of this agricultural host. But now, my friends, I want to offer you some words of caution. Let me say that there is danger as well as hopefulness in such a movement. You must keep in mind that permanent ad- vantage is only compatible with justice. If in the enthusiasm of the hour you work a wrong to AN A GBIC ULTUBAL ADDEESS. 383 other classes of workers, that act will in the end prove a dangerous blow to your own prospects. Overreaching by other guilds may be combatted, but it surely is not wise to meet it with similar aggression. You must determine never to suffer another wrong, come from what source it may, but you must be equally steadfast in the de- termination and care to do no wrong to others. I believe, with you, in the politics of agriculture. But in this connection, there is a warning also that should be given. Eemember that in our Government the majority must rule; that the in- dividual, sovereign though he may be, willingly submits to limitations of natural rights if it be for the general good, and gratefully accepts the most that can be obtained whenever he fails to secure all that he desires. Therefore, it is wise, under the circumstances, to bend every energy toward educating the public toward creating a public sentiment which shall find itself embodied in the platform of the strong parties now exist- ing, rather than toward antagonizing all existing parties, disorganizing and scattering, which is wealiness and self destruction, and which is, moreover, opposed to those principles which were the very motive of association and the promise of success. You can rely upon it, my friends, that organization will prove a fruitless resource unless accompanied with wisdom and prudence. 38i JEREMIAH M. R USK. Theue is another point which is vital to success. You are to seek some amelioration of your pres- ent condition through legislation. Let me direct your attention to the importance of having all those measures which are to be endorsed by you, most carefully considered in their preparation, and practical and efficient in their results. Keep in mind the fact always that if wild and imprac- ticable measures are endorsed by you they may, and probably will, fail of enactment, thus casting discredit upon your judgment and impairing the further influence of their promoters. Study deeply, discuss thoroughly, consider dispassion- ately all measures intended for the statute-books of the country, present only those which really adjust present difficulties, which prohibit injus- tice and promote absolutely the effect desired, which are conducive to the general welfare — and you will not only compel the assent, but invoke the cooperation of all classes of the great body politic. Then will your success be assured, and your victory permanent and secure. Such are some of the problems of the day ; such are some of the transitions affecting agriculture. I have endeavored to point out to you your own responsibilities; I have endeavored to show how far you must depend and insist upon legislative aid; and I am not unmindful that you have a right to look to the Department of Agriculture for material aid, and that aid I cordially pledge AN AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS. 385 to you. The work of that Department is con- stantly enlarging, and I shall assume that you are comparatively familiar with the scientific and practical results we are securing. There are some questions, however, in regard to which I have thought it necessary for the De- partment to assume an aggressive policy, and which I regard as so pregnant with important consequences that I beg your indulgence for a moment while I refer to them specially. More than one-half of the income of the aver- age wage-earners of the human race is spent for food. The Department's special sphere of work is to enlarge the facilities for providing food. Let it also be part of the special sphere of the Department to see that the food supplied be pure and wholesome. Every product must be sold for what it really is. The adulteration of food is in- jurious to public morals. It tends to lower the prices of the legitimate product, and hence in- jures the farmer. I am unalterably opposed to any deception in the naming of any article which uses the prestige of the farm to cover up the fraud of the manufacturer. Another important matter has been the sub- ject of much anxiety and solicitude on my part. The experience of the older countries of the world in dealing with animal diseases admonishes us of their far-reaching effects and of the great dififl- 25 386 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. culty of controlling them when once they have obtained a foothold in a country. In many countries vast sums of money have been spent, the struggle has been going on for years, and yet the most strenuous efforts have so far proved in- effectual. Not so with us. So far as pleuro-pneumonia is concerned, its foothold in this country has never been firmly established. We have secured results which jus- tify me in the conviction that before the year 1890 closes I shall be able to issue the official declaration of the Government of the United States, that pleuro-pneumonia no longer exists upon its soil. Even today I can state officially that this disease has been eradicated from the United States, with the possible exception of two counties on Long Island, New York. These two counties are rigidly quarantined, but a sufficient time has not elapsed since the last case occurred there to enable me to assert unqualifiedly at this moment that the disease has been utterly stamped out from that section, although there is every reason to believe that it has been. A most serious consequence of this disease is the pretext afforded to European governments by its occasional occurrence in this country, to im- pose the most vexatious restrictions upon the im- portation of our live cattle — requiring nothing less than the slaughter of every animal shipped from this country to England on the docks, AN AGBICULTUBAL ADDRESS. 387 within ten days after arrival. This depreciates the value of our cattle by at least ten or twelve dollars per head, while Canada lands her cattle without restrictions, thus giving her farmers the benefit of the difference. It is this outrageous injustice which I complain of and which I am trying to rectify. The moment I found it possible to declare these allegations unwarranted, I requested the Department of State to enter into negotiations for their modification. As a result we have se- cured the removal of the restriction relative to sheep, and a concession on the part of the British Government, which permits our own veterinari- ans to inspect all live cattle landed in Great Britain. This will enable us to prove the fallacy of the charge made against our cattle, and com- pel the British Government to either withdraw its restrictions, or to admit the real cause of this discrimination. So far as our pork products are concerned and the unjust war waged upon them by some Euro- pean governments, the meat inspection bill re- cently passed by Congress and which has become a law, will enable us to warrant the wholesome- ness of our food products under the seal of an of- ficial inspection; and, having proved the injustice of those foreign discriminations, we can demand their withdrawal, or else enforce retaliatory measures against their exports to this country. 388 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. Already the good effects of this bill are found in the attitude of the French press, which very gen- erally favors a modification of the restrictions imposed by the French Government on our hog products. Our cattle and meat industries aggre- gate such a vast sum annually, that they are well entitled to a vigorous national policy for their protection. We do not desire to interfere in any way with the fiscal policy of any nation. A majority of our own people believe in a policy of protection to our home markets and home in- dustries, and we concede the same right to every other country, but this country must no longer permit discriminations against our meat pro- ducts based upon false allegations of impurity or disease. If, when all has been done that it is in our power to do, they still refuse to deal justly with us, they must take the consequences, and we will try to make these equal to the occasion. Again the Department is extending the scope of its statistical inquiries, and promises to fur- nish to the farmers of the United States the latest and best information at hand regarding crops and markets. You have long been victims of the greed and avarice of the speculator, the monop- olist, and combinations of wealthy operators. Their circulation of false reports, their manipula- tion of the markets, their misrepresentations and exaggerations have been the bane of the farmer's AJS! AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS. 389 life, and their ill-gotten gains have been wrung from the legitimate returns of your labors. I am giving you on the 10th of each month such a complete statement of the conditions of crops and markets that you need not longer be imposed upon. Study that statement; persist in enlisting public opinion in your behalf and in se- curing legal enactments against the pernicious operations of these people. Finally, farmers of Ohio, the struggle for agri- cultural victory today is no less arduous or vital than our struggle for national supremacy in the past; but the present contest is one of peace and not of war, the weapons are not swords but plough-shares and pruning-hooks, and the results to the Union will be no less important for the cause is no less patriotic. The destiny of agriculture is in your hands. I invoke for you in your duties the blessings of a wisely-conducted government economically ad- ministered, of beneficent laws which insure your prosperity, and the blessings of a kindly Provi- dence upon all your aspirations. 390 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. CHAPTEE XLI. HIS DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. In 1892, during the pending campaign, General Eusk prepared and delivered the following speech, showing what the Administration, of which he was an honored member, had done for the American farmer and giving his reasons from a Eepublican standpoint why the Administration should be continued: I do not appear before you today for the pur- pose of assailing any party or individual, but to present to you my ideas on the great questions before the country from the standpoint of a Ee- publican and of a loyal citizen. I do not know that there is anything I can say that will be in- structive. I simply want to tell you what I think of the Eepublican party, of the present adminis- tration, and of what it has done to add to the su- premacy, the stability, and the prosperity of the Eepublic. You are all reading and observing peo- ple, and have probably noted and appreciated the work done by President Harrison and his admin- istration to enhance the material interests of the people of this whole country. DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTBATION. 391 I may be pardoned if I address you first in re- gard to those subjects with which I am most fa- miliar, and which for the past few years have ab- sorbed my attention in the Department of Agri- culture. I desire to mention first, as one of the most im- portant works accomplished by the Department, the complete eradication of the contagious pleuro- pneumonia of cattle. This was the principal ob- ject in view in establishing the Bureau of Ani- mal Industry. The disease had been widely spread, it was known to be extending, and it threatened the destruction of the great cattle in- dustry of the country. The eradication was un- dertaken in the face of many difficulties. We had no trained force accustomed to such work; our laws were imperfect; our people did not under- stand the necessity of the measures which were required, and were inclined to resist them. Not- withstanding these obstacles, the work went on successfully, and in March of this year the last affected cow was slaughtered. The States which have contained the original and worst hotbeds of this disease have been cleared of it during the last three years. Of the other great nations of the world which were engaged in efforts to stamp out this disease at the time we began, not one has yet been suc- cessful. Great Britain, France, Germany, Aus- tria, and Italy have all been endeavoring to ac- 392 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. complish what we have done, but although they have had the advantage of having experienced men, and stringent laws, and circumscribed ter- ritory, the disease still exists in all of these coun- tries. In some of them no appreciable progress has been made towards its removal. But while the eradication of pleuro-pneumonia is a great work, and one over which our people should congratulate themselves, it is only one of a series of measures which have been undertaken and carried out for the protection and prosperity of the live-stock industry of the United States. The regulations for the prevention of Texas fever save three times as much money to cattle-growers each year as is required to run the whole Depart- ment of Agriculture. By separating the infec- tious from the healthy cattle in the cars and stock yards, and by requiring proper cleaning and dis- infection of the cars and yards, this disease has been almost entirely prevented. These regula- tions have not only guarded against the direct loss from the disease, but they have greatly fa- cilitated the transportation of cattle, and have been the chief factor in securing the reduction in insurance which saves, in that item alone, about $5 a head on every steer exported. Another measure which has had something to do with this saving is the inspection of vessels carrying export cattle. Such vessels must now have proper fittings and ventilation, and must DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTBATION. 393 carry a sufficient number of men to ensure the comfort and safety of the cattle. This saves losses from overcrowding, suffocation, poor care, and breakage of the fittings, amounting in a year to a considerable aggregate. The losses at sea from Texas fever and all other causes were greatly reduced during 1890 and 1891, and in the year ending June 30, 1891, were only 1 3-5 per cent. This loss was considered very small and the insurance rates were reduced from 8 per cent, on the value of the animals to about 2 per cent. During the year ending June 30, 1892, the loss has been still further reduced to 7-8 of 1 per cent. This reduces the loss about 45 per cent, in one year, and is a much better show- ing than any one expected could be made. In addition to this the Department has insti- tuted an inspection of all live animals which are exported. It also inspects all the dressed beef which is shipped from one State to another, or exported. Finally, it makes a microscopic ex- amination of all pork exported to the continent of Europe. These measures were necessary to re- store the confidence of the trade in our animals and meats — confidence which had been shaken and in some cases destroyed by exaggerated and false reports of disease, circulated by our com- petitors abroad or by alarmists in this country. If we would understand the results of this pol- icy to the farmers of the country we must recall 394 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. the condition of our trade before it was put into operation. At that time our pork was absolutely prohibited from entering the markets of Ger- many, France, Denmark, Austria, Spain, and Italy. Our cattle, sheep, and swine were all killed on the docks where landed in Great Britain, Our trade in animals and meats was depressed, our markets glutted, and prices ruinously low. In 1881, the last year before these prohibitions went into effect, we exported 104 million dollars' worth of hog products. The next year our ex- ports dropped suddenly to 82 millions, a loss in trade of 22 million dollars in one year. But this was not the worst, for they kept shrinking more and more until 1886, when they reached the low- est notch and were but 57 millions, showing a loss in trade from 1881 of 47 million dollars a year, or 45 per cent. From this time the recovery of the trade up to 1889 was very slight, as it then amounted to only 66 million dollars and still showed a loss of 38 million dollars as compared with 1881. Today we find the situation greatly changed. Our inspected pork is now received by all the countries which had adopted the destructive pro- hibitions. The prohibition enforced by Great Britain against our sheep has been removed. The confidence of the trade has been restored, and our animals and meats are now going abroad in greatly increased quantities. DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 895 In 1889 we exported 205,786 head of cattle, while in 1892 we exported 394,607, an increase of 188,821 head, or about 92 per cent. The value of the exported cattle increased from $16,600,000 in 1889 to |35,000,000 in 1892, or 111 per cent. That is, notwithstanding the great increase in numbers, the increase in value was so much larger that it showed the animals to be worth $8 per head more than in 1889. The exports of dressed beef increased from 137,900,000 pounds in 1889 to 220,500,000 pounds in 1892, or just about 60 per cent. The removal of the prohibition against our pork occurred so recently that its full effect upon the trade has been manifested for only a few months. Since this prohibition was removed more than 40,000,000 pounds of inspected pork have been shipped to Europe. Comparing the trade in hog products with Europe during corresponding- months in 1891 and 1892, we find that in May, 1892, there were shipped 82,000,000 pounds against 46,900,000 pounds in the same months of 1891. This shows an increase of 75 per cent. In June, 1892, the exports were 85,700,000 pounds against 46,500,000 pounds in the same month last year — an increase of 84 per cent. In July the in- crease was 41 per cent., and in August 55 per cent, over the corresponding months of 1891. Taking the four months of May, June, July, and August together, we find an increase of 62 per 396 JEREMIAH M. B U8K. cent, in the quantity of hog products sent to Eu- rope as compared with the same period in the preceding year. And this, in spite of an increase in the price of the exported articles. The great question is, however, what has been the effect of all this upon the prices received by farmers for the animals they have for sale? I have taken as a fair comparison the quotations for cattle in Chicago for the month of September, 1889 and 1892. Although there were 37 per cent, more cattle marketed in September, 1892, than in the corresponding month of 1889, there was a sat- isfactory increase in prices ranging from 24 1-2 cents per 100 pounds on common steers to 78 cents per iDO pounds on what is known as second quality steers. The common butcher steers have been shipped in such enormous numbers that it Is wonderful that they have held their own in price. We find, however, that they have not only held their own, but that their selling price in- creased 8 1-2 per cent. All other grades of steers have done much better than this. First quality steers increased 13 per cent.; second quality, 18 per cent.; good to choice, 181-4 per cent.; and medium to fair, 16 per cent This makes an average increase all around of about 15 per cent., and amounts to from |4 to |15 per head accord- ing to the weight of each steer sold. The price of hogs has increased to an even greater degree. Taking September, 1890, the year DIJFJENSJE OF THE ADMTNISTBATION. 897 before our inspection began, and comparing the price then with that of September, 1892, we find an increase of 80 cents per 100 pounds, or 18 1-4 per cent, of the value. This adds an average of |2 per head to the selling price of every hog sold in the United States. Prices have been advanced to this extent notwithstanding the heaviest mar- keting of hogs that has been known in the his- tory of the country occurred during the last two years. Taking the two years ending March 1, 1892, we find there were marketed in the United States 44,878,000 hogs as against 34,556,000 in the two preceding years — an increase of 10,322,000 head, or 30 per cent. If the average selling price of cattle has in- creased only |8 per head — and this is a moderate estimate from the figures just given — that would make about 40 million dollars a year. Adding to this the 45 millions increase in the selling price of the hog crop, and we have a total of 85 million dollars put into the pockets of the farmers by the increase in price of their cattle and hogs sold in a single year. Then, of course, the breeding stock which is carried over is also increased in value, making altogether an enormous sum which can not fail to have a marked effect upon the pros- perity of those engaged in agricultural pursuits. It is surprising how much alarm to consumers and how much loss to producers have resulted from the constant receipt of cattle at our great S98 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. stock yards affected with the disease known as "lumpy jaw." Many steers in fine condition, weighing from 1,200 to 1,800 pounds, and which, if they had been free from this disease, would have brought from 70 to 90 dollars, have been condemned and sold for a cent a pound. Many others badly affected have not brought enough to pay the expenses of their transportation and sale. This direct loss, added to the depressing effect of exaggerated and sensational reports concerning the disease, was extremely discouraging to an in- dustry which is only beginning to recuperate after years of depression. With this condition of affairs existing, it was gratifying to learn of a treatment that could be easily administered by stockmen and which promised much greater suc- cess than usually follows the treatment of other serious diseases of animals. This treatment had been used successfully with a disease of the same nature in Europe and by one of our inspectors in a few cases of lumpy jaw in this country. If uni- formly successful, it would be of so much value to our farmers that I determined to test it on a large scale. Accordingly, 150 head of diseased cattle were purchased by the Department of Agricul- ture and put under treatment, which consists sim- ply in giving one dose of iodide of potash every day. This experiment is not yet concluded. One- third of the animals, however, have been cured. Another third are so nearly cured as to leave no DEFENSE OF THE ADMIXISTBATION. 399 doubt of the successful result of the treatment. The remaining third, comprising the worst cases and those animals last purchased, are still in doubt. We know enough now, therefore, to make this treatment a great success; for if two-thirds of the diseased animals can be cured so easily and so cheaply', the losses from this cause will no longer have a serious effect upon the cattle in- dustry of the country. Now, as regards the question of the tariff, which has been made the subject of so much wild discussion that people approach it with awe, it is after all, so far as the present campaign is con- cerned, a very simple one. There is no occasion for discussion just now as to the details of the tariff; whether the duty on one article is too high, on another too low; whether this should be ad- mitted free or that subject to duty — it is whether the principle of protection to American labor is to stand as the basis for our tariff legislation. For many reasons I believe the present tariff to approach more nearly to the standard of full pro- tection to American labor than any we have ever had. To speak only of the benefits it has secured to the farmers : 1. It has saved to the American farmer a home market for his barley, worth over $5,000,000 yearly. 2. It has saved to the American farmer a home market for his tobacco, worth |7,000,000 yearly. •400 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. 3. It has saved to the American farmer a home market for his potatoes, amounting to $1,600,000. 4. It his saved to the American poultry-raiser a home market for his eggs, amounting to |1,700,- 000 yearly. 5. It has saved to the American fruit-grower a home market for his raisins, his prunes, nuts, and other fruits, worth |5,250,000 a year. 6. It has saved the American wool-grower from utter ruin by protecting him from a disastrous competition with foreign 8-cent wool, keeping the price of American wool at an average of 30.5 cents per pound by comparison with an average of 13.7 cents per pound, as shown by quotations of sim- ilar grades at corresponding dates in Philadel- phia and London. Difference in favor of the pro- tected American wool-grower, 16.8 cents per pound. This is good enough for me as far as it goes. I am not a half-way protectionist. When I say I believe in adequate protection to American labor, 1 use the term in its broadest sense, and seek to protect it, whether it be labor in the factory or la- bor on the farm. Some people say. Would you put a duty on raw material? My reply is: I would put a duty upon every article^ whether manufactured or grown, which foreigners can manufacture or grow so cheaply that they could, without a duty, undersell our American manufacturers and producers in our own markets. I do not dis- DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTBATION. 401 CUSS the question of a high or low tariff. These are mere details in the application of the princi- ple of protection. A low duty may be adequate in one case, while a high duty may be necessary in another. The object is to make the protection afforded adequate. Moreover, I am convinced that the majority of the American people are be- lievers in the principle of protection to American labor, and consequently, I hold that tariff legis- lation must be entrusted to those who believe in it. Likewise it would be the height of folly to en- trust to those who oppose protection, either as unconstitutional or as unwise, the duty of adjust- ing our tariff. An ofiScial report of Great Britain, just issued, affords interesting evidence, showing that if our latest customs law is a tax, British manufactur- ers help to pay it. It shows that the value of British and Irish produce and manufactures has declined nearly 72 million dollars during seven months of the present year, from January to July, inclusive. This decline is due to falling off of trade in part, but mainly to a reduction in price, to offset the tariff charges which their goods meet here. As prices have not advanced here, the British are compelled to cut prices or fail to sell. We are controlling our own market, keeping tens of millions of money at home, and requiring for- eigners who want a share of our trade to pay for the privilege. 26 402 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. You will often hear the argument that protec- tion imposes a heavy tax upon the bulk of our people for the benefit of a few. We distinctly re- pudiate the claim that it is for the benefit of a few, our contention being that it is justified by the fact that it is for the greatest good of the greatest number, and that the whole country shares in the benefits of a judicious protective system. But we claim even more, namely, that It is the only method of raising revenue by which a share of the burden is thrown upon foreign na- tions. The question of who pays the tariff is a good deal like that of who pays the transporta- tion on goods bought in our own country. If you want goods very badly which you can't get in your own town, you must buy them elsewhere, and in that case you will probably have to pay the freight. On the other hand, where a factory produces more goods than its home custom will take and is compelled to find a market for them elsewhere, it is very likely to have to pay the freight to the point of delivery. So if we put a duty upon things which we can not produce in this country, we are pretty sure to have to pay the duty, or at least the largest share of it. But on a great many articles, I believe most of the articles imported from abroad, the duty or the greater part of it, is paid by the foreign producer. This will be disputed, of course, by the enemies of pro- tection, but I think I can cite one or two facts BE FEN si: of THE ADMINISTRATION. 403 which will convince you that such is the case. First, as regards British trade. The reports of the Board of Trade of that country — and the Board of Trade there is a government institution — indicate a large falling off in British exports during the past twelve months; and they further indicate that, while the falling off in quantity was very small, the falling off in value was very considerable. The total decline amounted to over 71 million dollars, of which by far the greater part was due to the reduction in values, and this reduction was particularly marked in the case of textile fabrics and metal goods. Add to this the fact that English papers are constantly criticis- ing our present tariff as hostile to the interest of British manufacturers. Another instance I may mention, and that is that there recently came un- der my notice an extract from a paper published at Munich, Germany, in which, after referring to the heavy losses imposed upon German manufac- turers by the present tariff in the United States, Germans in the old country were urged to write earnestly to their German friends and relatives in this country, urging them to vote against the Re- publican party at the coming elections, and thus help to effect a repeal of the present tariff law in the United States. This fact will, I think, show clearly enough whether the foreigners believe and feel that a large portion of the duties levied in this country comes out of their pockets. 404 JEREMIAH M. 11 USK. The allegation of some of the enemies of pro- tection, namely, that it is unconstitutional, seems to me almost too absurd for discussion. What we have to consider is what is for the greatest good of the greatest number, and if on this basis we decide in favor of protection, it is obviously within the constitutional prerogative of Congress to make such laws as will carry this principle into effect; but if there are any weak-kneed ultra- constitutionalists who have doubts on that score,. I would refer them to Mr. George Ticknor Curtis, a Democratic lawyer who antagonizes Senator Hill's allegation that a protective tariff is uncon- stitutional, by a reference to the first revenue law of the United States passed in 1789. There were in that House ten members who had been mem- bers of the convention which framed the Consti- tution. Mr. Madison was the leader on the floor, and conducted the bill through the House; Wash- ington was President, Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury, Jefferson was Secretary of State, and Kandolph was Attorney-General. These men ought to be pretty good authorities for Ameri- cans as to what was in accordance with the Con- stitution which they had framed. The preamble of this tariff act, passed July 4, 1789, reads as fol- lows: Whereas, It is necessary for the support of Government, for the discharge of the debts of the United States, and the encouragement and pro- DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 405 tectioQ of manufactures, that duties be laid on goods, wares, and merchandise imported: Be it enacted, etc., That from and after the first day of August next ensuing, the several duties herein- after mentioned shall be laid on the following goods, wares, and merchandise imported into the United States from any foreign port or place. The subject of reciprocity must always be con- sidered in connection with that of protection. As long ago as April, 1890, I had occasion to speak in a discussion of this subject, as follows: Accompanying this principle of protection to the American farmer is that of reciprocity, which should invariably be applied whenever that of protection is relaxed. If there are products grown to better advantage in other countries, remission of duty on which would seem to be in the interest of a large portion of our population, such remission should only be accorded as the re- sult of reciprocal concession in the way of a re- mission of duty by such other countries on prod- ucts more readily grown here. Many of those countries which would be specially benefited by a remission of the duty on sugar by our Govern- ment .would afford an excellent market for our bread stuffs and dairy and meat products, were it not for the high duties imposed thereon by them. So with other products, and whenever duty on such products is lowered or removed and the protection to our farmers thus diminished, it 406 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. should be as the price of concessions made to us in the tariff of other countries in favor of our own farm products. In this way, and in this way only, can our farmers be adequately protected, new mariiets being thus thrown open to them for those products which they can most easily and cheaply produce. I will add to the above statement that reci- procity, so far as it has been tried under our pres- ent tariff law, has not failed to effect some of the good results which were then anticipated. In the island of Cuba alone, the imports of products of the United States showed an increase for the ten months ending June 30, of nearly 6 millions of dollars over and above the corresponding pe- riod of the year previous, while the total value of our exports of domestic products to the countries south of us from the time these treaties went into effect to June 30 last showed an increase of more than 8 millions of dollars as compared with cor- responding periods prior to the establishment of reciprocal relations, an increase practically amounting to 24 per cent, in that trade. We must naturally look for an increase of our trade by means of reciprocity to those countries par- ticularly which lie in the tropical regions, and which, consequently, produce many things which are not grown in this country, while they stand in need of many things we produce. It is particu- larly desirable, therefore, for the benefit of our DEFENSE OF THE ABMINISTBATION. 407 American agriculture, that we should largely ex- tend our trade with the equatorial countries of this continent. At the same time, there are many ways in which foreign markets in other parts of the world can be reached and a demand estab- lished there for our agricultural products. I have already shown what has been accom- plished through the work of the Bureau of Ani- mal Industry, which, by the eradication and con- trol of animal diseases and by a careful inspec- tion of animals both live and slaughtered, raises the estimation in which our animal food products are held abroad. But there are other ways to increase the de- mand for products. I have been trying to do what I could to extend our foreign markets for American agricultural products by spreading in- formation regarding them. I have taken corn as one of the most important of our staple crops, and one of which we export but a very small pro- portion, on an average, about 4 per cent. Hereto- fore, when our corn exports have been large, it has always been in years of great abundance and very low prices. The reason is, that people in Europe have heretofore used American Indian corn solely as feed for cattle, and, consequently, have only used it extensively when the price was very low. I have been trying to show the peo- ple in that part of the world the value of Indian corn as a food for human beings, so. as to estab- 408 JEREMIAH M. R USE. lish, if possible, a steady demand for Indian corn or corn meal, or some of the other forms of Indian corn so favorably known in the domestic economy of our American homes. It has been difficult work, because nothing is harder than to remove prejudice, and when people have been accus- tomed for years to regard an article as fit only for the food of cattle and swine, it is not easy to per- suade them to eat it themselves. Patience and perseverance have, however, at last succeeded in giving us some good results. The work has been directed especially to the markets of Great Brit- ain and Germany, the two countries in Europe that are obliged every year to import a large pro- portion of their cereal foods. In Great Britain, the use of Indian corn in some of its various forms is slowly, but steadily and surely, gaining ground. In Germany it has, for obvious reasons, been more rapid, the main reason being that a large proportion of the German people use rye bread, and that last year the export of rye from Eussia, whence the Germans used to draw a large portion of their supply, was cut off, with the re- sult of raising the price of rye very materially. As soon as the Russian supply was cut off, I dis- patched our corn agent in Europe to Germany, and he has been indefatigable in his efforts there since that time, with the result that today there are a dozen cities in Germany, outside of Berlin, where bread is sold made of rye and corn meal DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTEATION. 409 mixed, and there are no less than fourteen mills to our knowledge into which corn-grinding ap- paratus from America has been introduced for the purpose of preparing the meal. You will not be surprised to know that as a result, the first six months of this calendar year showed an export of over 55 millions of bushels valued at 29 mil- lion dollars, against 11 million bushels valued at ^7,800,000 for the same period of the previous year. But another gratifying fact is to be noted. As I have already stated, whenever our ship- ments of corn abroad have been large heretofore the price has been low, while this year such is not the case. Thus in 1890, the only year in which exports were as large as those of the past season, the average price at port of shipment was less than 42 cents, while the average price at port of shipment in 1892, has been a trifle over 55 cents per bushel. Could we secure an advance of even 5 cents a bushel on an average for corn during the next ten years, which might well be done and still en- able us to supply the foreign demand at a price far below that of other cereal foods of equal value the result would be to add a thousand mil- lion dollars to the value of this crop during that period. It is gratifying to note in these days when so many people are prone to raise the cry of calam- ity, especially as regards our agricultural inter- 410 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. ests, that our foreign trade for the fiscal year end- ing June 30, 1892, presents the most favorable re- turns of any year in our history, especially as re- gards agricultural products. For the first time in our history our export trade has passed the billion dollar mark, amounting to over 1,030 mil- lion dollars, of which 1,015 millions consisted of domestic products, and of this enormous sum, farm products furnished 78.1 per cent., or an ag- gregate value of 794 million dollars. This ex- ceeds by more than 150 millions the value of our shipments of agricultural products in any single previous year, while it surpasses the record of 1889, in which year the present administration undertook the direction of affairs, by more than 260 millions. In 1888 ajid 1889 the balance of trade was against us by several million dollars, while in the past fiscal year the balance of trade in our favor exceeded 202 millions against 40 mil- lions last year. One of the most gratifying fea- tures connected with this most favorable show- ing is the fact that in the items showing heavy in- crease in shipments there is an increase in the prices received. Not only has the market been larger, but the prices realized by our producers were better. I have already shown this in de- tail in the case of our animal products, and also in the case of corn. Our import trade for the past fiscal year aggregated 827 millions, of which it appears that more than half was made DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 411 up of agricultural products, these showing an in- crease of 18 millions over similar imports in 1891, and of 53 millions over 1890. It must be noted, however, that this increase is mainly confined to such products as do not compete with our own production. There are, however, among our im- ports a sufficient number coming into competi- tion with our own agricultural products to em- phasize the necessity upon which I have so often insisted — of our making persistent efforts to en- large the scope of our agricultural production in this country, so as to remove altogether our de- pendence upon foreign countries for such pro- ducts as can be grown in this country. All pos- sible encouragement should therefore be given to efforts designed to substitute home-grown for foreign products. I need not enumerate to you the splendid achievements of the administration in matters affected by diplomacy, notably in the Bering Sea matter, the Chilean affair, the Venezuelan epi- sode, and in the matter of Canadian tolls. These are matters of history and have won the commen- dation and praise of patriotic citizens of every political creed. The diplomatic policy of the country under the preceding administration had lessened the respect entertained for America by every other nation on the globe. The weak, vac- illating, hesitating policy of this branch of the Government under the previous administration. 412 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. humiliating to every American and lover of his country, will be well remembered by you all. Happily for the nation's honor and integrity a change came, all of these conditions were re- versed, and today the American flag is respected and honored in every nation of the world. The management of the national finances un- der this administration has been all that was promised the people during the last campaign. The public debt has been largely reduced, and also the annual interest thereon. A two per cent, loan has been negotiated, and an increase in the circulating volume of the currency has been made. The financial condition of the Government was never better or more satisfactory than at the present time. The administration of the War Department since the present administration came into power has resulted in great good for the service. The standing and efficiency of the Army have been improved, and a constant effort is being made to raise that standard. Encouragement has been given to new methods and ideas in im- proved implements and munitions of war, and a studied effort has been at all times made to place our small standing army on a thorough war footing. The work of the Navy Department during the present administration has been in the line of the construction of the new navy which was com- DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 413 menced in 1SS3 under the administration ol President Artliur. During this administration the keels of twenty-three vessels have been laid, these vessels aggregating 94,265 tons tonnage. This tonnage is greatly in excess of that con- structed in the previous administration. Four of these battle-ships possess in an unusual degree a happy combination of the characteristic feat- ures necessary to produce vessels of the highest possible efficiency as sea fighting machines. These characteristics are those of high speed, powerful all-around fire, and heavy armor. They are vessels of a little over 10,000 tons displace- ment, and equipped with the most modern style of war implements. When the vessels now in course of construction are completed, the Navy of the United States will consist of 14 armored ships and 32 unarmored ships. Before this ad- ministration came into power this country pos- sessed no armor-piercing projectiles, without which it would be foolish to attempt to fight with foreign armorclads, and there was no establish- ment in this great country which could manu- facture them. Through the efforts of the present Secretary of the Navy, American firms obtained the secret of the manufacture of two of the finest types of armor-piercing projectiles known and the service is now being furnished with these pro- jectiles of a quality equal to, if not superior to, those of foreign make. The Avork of this Depart 414 JEREMIAH M. RTJSK. ment has been progressive with the single view of placing our Navy upon a first-class war footing. The Department of the Interior presents an- other striking instance of the economy of man- agement which has characterized all of the great departments of the Government under President Harrison. To attempt a summary of all these different lines of retrenchment would occupy more time than I am able to give. This great De- partment embraces the General Land Office, all Indian matters, pensions, patents, and the cen- sus. It is a vast machine, and under its present management has proved of incalculable benefit to the people. During the preceding administra- tion the work in the Patent Office was practically at a standstill. Patents were withheld from many thousands of applicants. When the pres- ent administration came into power a vast ac- cumulation of work was found on hand. This great volume of business has been transacted sat- isfactorily, new applications have been attended to and the Patent Office is now fully up with the current work. The record made by the Postoffice Depart- ment under its present management has given marked satisfaction to the people of this country. All of the people are vitally interested in an ad- equate postal service, and this has been given us. During the present administration the Postoffice DEFENSE OF THE ADMIXISTEATION. 415 Department has been reorganized, placed on a broader and more effective working basis, and has given better results with even less ex- penditure than ever before. The reduction in the annual deficiency asked for from Congress in the postal appropriation indicates a decided ap- proach to a self-sustaining basis. Efforts in the direction of a universal free delivery are among the possibilities of postal affairs under a continu- ance of its present management. The Department of Justice, during the incum- bency of its present head, has increased in effi- ciency, and has given that faithful attention to details which the important matters submitted to it demand. Nothing has been slighted, and everything has received conscientious attention. The important work of this Department during the past three and a half years for the commer- cial interests of the country can not be over esti- mated, and the work performed has received the merited approval of the people of the whole coun- try. Among the many questions submitted to the Department of Justice was the suit testing the constitutionality of the McKinley tariff law; the suit brought by importers to have the law known as the Dingley law, providing that worsteds should be classed as woolens, declared invalid; the Texas boundary question; and the ♦ enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Added to this was the immense amount of work 416 JEBEMIAH M. RVSK. necessary to defeat dishonest claims against the Government, in the Circuit and District Courts and the Court of Claims. Now I want to say a few words to you about the Union soldier and pension matters. A few weeks ago we were treated in Washington to an object lesson in patriotism that will never be for- gotten by those who were fortunate enough to be present and see the eighty thousand men who had bared their breasts to the enemies of their country marching in line with their tattered bat- tle flags over the same line of march pursued in 1865 by the victorious army which had put down the rebellion. This procession was made up of men who had all passed middle life, and all suf- fered untold privations and sufferings to main- tain their country's honor when foes assailed it. During the administration of President Cleveland about 1,800 bills granting pensions to these sol- diers were passed by Congress. Of this number 524 were vetoed by the President, who had not participated in the war, who had not lifted his voice in favor of the perpetuation of the Union, and who had never uttered one word of sympa- thy during that great struggle for the men who were at the front. During President Harrison's administration about 1,500 bills granting pensions to Union sol- diers have passed the two Houses of Congress, every one of which received Executive approval. DEFENSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. 417 I ask the Union soldiers present to mark the con- trast between these two records— the first that of a man without sympathy for the cause they rep- resented in the field, and the latter that of a com- rade who recently said — I quote his words exact- ly, for I think they will touch the heart of every Union soldier — "The Union soldiers and sailors are now veterans of time as well as of war. The parallels of age have approached close to the cit- adels of life, and the end for each of a brave and honorable struggle is not remote. Increasing in- firmity and years give the minor tones of sadness and pathos to the mighty appeal of service and suffering. The ear that does not listen with sym- pathy and the heart that does not respond with generosity are the ear and heart of an alien and not of an American. Now, soon again, the sur- viving veterans are to parade upon the great avenue of the National Capital, and every tribute of honor and love should attend the march. A comrade in the column of the victors in 1865, I am not less a comrade now." These are the words of gallant Ben Harrison, your President, the words of a patriot who was at the front dur- ing the whole of the war, and whose whole heart and sympathies are with the survivors of that war. 27 418 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XLIL SECRETARY RUSK'S LOYALTY TO HIS CHIEF. It would have been a pleasing and grateful, as well as an appropriate task, to supplement the foregoing brief sketch of General Rusk's adminis- trative work as Secretary of Agriculture with a picture of the Secretary at the President's council table, and to speak of his place and work in the Cabinet. The sanctity of Cabinet councils, how- ever, is never invaded. The veil of confidence which shelters them from curious eyes is never drawn aside. No man could have been more scrupulous than was Secretary Rusk, even among his closest friends, in observing absolute discre- tion as to Cabinet matters. We must therefore be content to gauge his place among his col- leagues and in the confidence of his chief by the unanimous tributes of respect and regard with which they sought to express their sympathy for his bereaved family, and their sense of their own and the (>overnment's loss in his death, and es- pecially by the introductory chapter of this work which ex-President Harrison has himself con- tributed. HUSK'S LOYALTY TO HIS CHIEF. 419 One fact which testifies strongly to the confi- dence he inspired is that almost from his first as- sociation with President Harrison as a member of his Cabinet his relations assumed a confiden- tial and friendly character, which grew and strengthened during every year of the adminis- tration. As Secretary Eusk often said of himself, when he gave a man his confidence he gave it to him absolutely, and there was no man whom he called friend but learned to appreciate the fact that no stronger bond exists than that which represented in Secretary Rusk's mind the sacred tie of friend- ship. The confidence and friendship bestowed upon him by his chief was reciprocated in the highest degree. So well was this understood by those who knew the Secretary best that many of them, even without having addressed him on the subject, unhesitatingly asserted his position in regard to Mr. Harrison's renomination by the Re- publican party. They were not mistaken. When the time came for an expression of his views. Secretary Rusk spoke promptly, briefly and em- phatically. "I believe," he said, "that President Harrison has made one of the best Presidents we have ever had. I believe him to be one of the most capable men in the Republican party. I am convinced that that party can win with Har- rison if it can win with anyone, and that his re- election, followed by another four years of his 420 JEBEMIAH M. RUSK. administration, would be conducive to the best interests of the country. Mr. Harrison is willing to serve again, and I am with him first, last and all the time. I hope to see him nominated on the first ballot." Such was the plain statement of his attitude in anticipation of the Minneapolis convention, and even when interested friends as- sured him that Mr. Harrison could not be nom- inated, and besought him to permit the use of his own name, yes, even when some went so far as to assure him that the Blaine men were ready to ac- cept him in place of their chosen candidate, that nothing could save the Eepublican party but the nomination of a "dark horse" candidate (and only those who were very close to Secretary Eusk dur- ing those exciting days know how strong and persistent was the pressure brought to bear upon him), the grand old man remained unmoved to the end until, finally, determined to put an end to any possible speculation as to his attitude and to any possible anticipation of his yielding to the pressure of friends and the promptings of per- sonal ambition, he himself dictated to a repre- sentative of the press the following brief but pointed declaration: "My name cannot be used either singly or in combination against the Pres- ident, and no friend of mine will suggest such use." His loyalty to his friend and chief never wavered for an instant, and it will not be amiss to reproduce here the personal letter with which HUSK'S LOYALTY TO HIS CHIEF. 421 on the 3d of March, 1893, Secretary Rusk accom- panied his formal letter of resignation to the Pres- ident as Secretary of Agriculture: "March 3, 1893. "Dear Mr. President: "In forwarding to you the customary letter of resignation I cannot refrain from adding a few lines expressive of my warm appreciation of the courtesy — I may add the friendliness, which has ever characterized your intercourse with me dur- ing the four years that I have had the honor of being so closely associated with you. That our relations have been so harmonious and so con- genial, I attribute in large measure to the rare good judgment, unvarying courtesy of manner, and true kindliness of heart which so markedly characterizes him whom I now have the honor to address for the last time as my honored chief. It is gratifying to me in the highest degree to have been associated with the official life of one who will, as the years roll on, stand higher and higher, I am convinced, in the appreciation of his fellow- citizens. Moreover, to the honor of serving in your Cabinet, I now add the more than ever proud privilege of calling you my friend, and I do assure you, Mr. President, that above all the hon- ors and dignity, and the credit .which perchance I may have won as a member of your Cabinet, I esteem that privilege of personal friendship with yoxirself. My chief regret, believe me, apart from 422 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. that which as an American citizen I must always feel in the retirement of one whom my every con- viction pronounces one of the best Presidents our country has ever known, is that for the future my intercourse with one whom I have learned to re- gard with so much affection and esteem, will be interrupted. In retiring from the high office you have filled so acceptably you take with you the earnest commendation of all upright, thoughtful men, of whatever political party they may be. To this most gratifying reflection you can add that which I am sure will give you almost as much gratification, namely, that you carry with you into private life the sincere friendship, the heart- felt regard and the warmest good wishes of those who gathered around your official table as your official advisers and who leave it, at the close of your Administration, your earnest well-wishers and most affectionate friends, than whom none can subscribe himself more sincerely yours, Mr. President, than J. M. EUSK. The President's note of the same date to his re- tiring Secretary was as follows: Executive Mansion, March 3d, 1893. Dear Gen'l: No man ever had a truer friend than you have been to me. You have made reputation for your- BUSK'S LOYALTY TO HIS CHIEF. 423 self and for me in your department, but in part- ing with you I can think only of my friend. You will always be a most welcome guest at my fire- side. Most sincerely your friend, Benj. Hahkison. Gen. J. M. Eusk. 424 JEJREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XLIir. CLOSING WOEK. It was characteristic of Secretary Rusk's en- ergy and loyalty to duty that after the election of 1892, in which the Republican party had been de- feated, and which had set a definite term to his career as a Cabinet officer, he returned to his work with zest and energy. He resumed his ef- forts through the State Department towards a re- moval of the restrictions on the American cattle trade still persistently maintained by the British Government in spite of the continued immunity of this country from the contagious pleuro-pneu- monia upon the existence of which these restric- tions were based. Secretary Rusk had for some time contemplated with grave concern the prac- tical eflacement of our export butter trade, through the persistent efforts of the Danish farm- ers, backed by their extraordinary skill in dairy- ing, which in that country had been reduced to a science, and by the scrupulousness with which they preserved the integrity of that product, and he determined that one of the first steps to b«» CLOSING WORK. 425 taken in the hope of enabling the American dairy farmer to regain his place in foreign mar- kets, was to closely study Danish methods and the conditions of Danish dairying, thus acquir- ing a knowledge of the causes which had led to the wonderful success of this small and compara- tively insignificant country in almost monopoliz- ing the London trade in foreign 'butter. Al- though he knew that it would be impossible to secure such a report in time for publication dur- ing his own administration, once his mind was made up as to the value of it he did not hesitate a moment, and as soon as he was able to engage the services of a suitable person, he despatched him to Denmark for the purpose of making a thorough study of dairying in that country, with the result that a most practical report on the sub- ject was published during the summer of 1893. No chief could possibly have endeared himself more to the employes of the Department than did "Uncle Jerry," for many of them had adopted in speaking of him the friendly cognomen bestowed upon him by his Wisconsin constituents. His genial, kindly manner, even the ring of the hearty laughter which was often heard to emanate from his room, impressed all his subordinates favor- ably. Warm-hearted and kindly towards all those with whom he was brought into personal contact, purely democratic in the original sense of the ■i 2 (J J ERE MI A H M. B USK. word, he was nevertheless always dignified and thoroughly observant of the proprieties which in his position became the high office he held, al- though he never hestitated to ridicule an exces- sive assumption of formality and the exaggerated tendency to multiply needless forms and cere- monies which seems to develop so naturally in the atmosphere of the nation's capital, fanned as it is by the presence of foreign diplomats to the manor born as regards questions of etiquette and ceremonial detail. It always went hard with him to find fault with a subordinate deliberately, though when ac- tuated by impulse he would often express himself with such vigor as to positively startle the of- fender, until the Secretary's sudden transition from apparently frenzied indignation to quiet good humor, and the sudden conversion of violent vituperation into a hearty laugh at his own ex- aggerated expressions of wrath, would convince him that the bark was worse than the bite. Very often a rebuke or criticism was followed by some good humored remark calculated to restore the victim's equanimity, such as, "If I didn't know you were worth scolding I would not have jumped on you. I never do scold a man unless I know he is a good fellow and worth it." His favorite method of reproof, if reproof it could be called, which was rather an expression of dissent from another's judgment than aught else, was to com- CLOSING WORK. 427 bine a humorous thrust at the object of his dis- approval with a flattering observation as to the ability displayed. Two of the most important publications which ever emanated from the National Government and which materially affected the interests of nearly the whole people were the Special Eeport on Diseases of the Horse and Special Report on Diseases of Cattle, which were issued under Sec- retary Rusk's direction. These books were in great demand and several editions were printed by the General Government. In addition to this, private parties issued editions of them and they probably had a wider circulation than any books ever issued in America. Of the work on Diseases of the Horse Senator Joe Blackburn of Kentucky made the statement on the floor of the United States Senate that this book alone was worth one and a half millions of dollars annually to the state of Kentucky. These books were written in plain English language, free from all technical terms, and were within the comprehension of the most uneducated farmer. The chapter on Shoe- ing of Horses, in the horse book, by the lamented Dr. Dixon, is concededly the most valuable in its results of any single chapter ever issued by an American author, while the chapter on Feeding of Cattle, in the cattle book, by Prof. William A. Henry, Dean of the College of Agriculture of the 428 JEBEMIAH M. HUSK. University of Wisconsin, possesses tlie highest value to all intelligent cattle growers. In 1892, Secretary Eusk accompanied Presi- dent Harrison on his trip to the Pacific Coast. Nest to the President himself, most eagerness was manifested to see "Uncle Jerry," who had made himself the idol of the Pacific Coast through the interest he had taken in protecting their fruit growing interests. At every point a scramble was made to get to him and he was always heart- ily and enthusiastically received. The General did but little talking on the trip; only when called upon he would indulge in a few little pleas- antries, leaving the crowd always in the best of humor. At Omaha, on the return trip, the em- ployes of the Postal Service, all fully uniformed, were drawn up in line to give greeting to Post- master General Wanamaker, who was one of the party. Shortly after their procession had dis- banded an immense herd of Texas cattle, which were being driven through the streets, passed by the reviewing stand where the President and the visiting party were, and about the same time that General Eusk was called upon to make a few re- marks. He referred to the fact that his constitu- ents were not so well dressed and didn't make such a good appearance as Postmaster General Wanamaker's did, but that they were of the greatest importance to the material interests of CLOSING WORK. 429 the country. General Eusk's quick and ready repartee stood him well in hand at every point on the trip and the recollections of the people of his visit are borne very keenly in mind. 430 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XLIV. EETIEES TO PRIVATE LIFE. On the 8th of March, 1893, General Eusk sur- rendered the trust as Secretary of Agriculture which had been placed in his hands by General Harrison, and which had been so faithfully ad- ministered during four years, to Hon. J, Sterling Morton, of Nebraska, and after a short residence in Washington to arrange his affairs retired to his farm at Viroqua. He assumed the active charge of this beautiful farm of 400 acres, re- modeled his house, placed everything in repair, and settled down to an agricultural life. One of the Washington correspondents, ever on the alert for news of their old friends, suc- ceeded in obtaining this information as to what he was doing through a private letter, written by a lady: "I saw Secretary Rusk yesterday, and what do you suppose he was doing? Building and fixing up the house on his farm — papering, painting and repairing it — and to this he expects to remove in a very short time. I drove out to the farm, as BE TIRES TO PRIVATE LIFE. 431 I was told he spent all his time there. He re- ceived me in a long room, which had cheerful double windows on all sides looking out upon his broad acres. He gave me the one chair in the room and seated himself on a pile of books, which extended almost the entire length of the room. He was attired in an old suit of clothes, which bore evidence of the work going on, as here and there was an occasional splash of green, white or brown paint, and his hands, big and generous as they are, showed plainly that he knew how to lend a helping hand when occasion demanded. He looked the farmers' friend, ready at all times to work for their interest. He had none the less the look of the statesman, with a broad idea of life and people, ready to grasp the situation at a moment's notice and act accordingly. I felt proud of our Wisconsin Governor and ex-Secre- tary of Agriculture, and felt like crying, 'Hurrah for Uncle Jerry.' He can always see what is to be done, and does it." The General was a thorough farmer, and it was but a short time before his place was the admira- tion of all the surrounding tillers of the soil. In- deed it was referred to as the "model farm." His guiding hand could be seen everywhere, and it was his ambition to make it the best conducted farm in the whole country. Here he received his friends, and on his broad porch talked over na- tional affairs, in which he always felt the keenest 432 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. interest. Probably no other man ever held him- self so close to the wants and desires of the farm- ers of this country as did General Rusk, and this he did by actual contact with the farmers them- selves. The interest he had manifested in their welfare while conducting the Department of Agriculture was not abated in the least degree after his retirement. During his service as Gov- ernor he had paid especial attention to the inter- ests of agriculture, and had given encouragement in every way possible to the upbuilding of its in- terests in the State. Called upon at the meeting of the State Agricultural Society in 1887 for a few remarks, the General had presented some statistics which were surprising to those who had not had occasion to look them up. The news had leaked out that Gov. Eusk was coming to the State Fair at Milwaukee, and would speak, and the people rightly judged that the grand stand was the best place from which to see and hear "Wisconsin's chief executive. He appeared on the track at 1:30 o'clock, accompanied by President Sanger, and was greeted with hearty and long continued cheers by the 15,000 people present as his carriage passed before the grand stand. Ris- ing in the vehicle. Gov. Rusk said: "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens: A few days since I received a very kind and cordial invi- tation from the secretary of your society to visit your fair and speak to your people. My time has RETIBES TO PRIVATE LIFE. 433 all been taken up with other matters since then, so that I promise you my remarks will be brief. Then as I came upon the grounds I remembered that a man who tries to speak against a horse race is very likely to be left (laughter), which is yet another reason why I should be brief. "I have just returned from a gathering at Columbus, Ohio, of the men who kept step to the music of the Union in the dark days of '61--'65, and I have not recovered entirely from the in- spiration I received at that grand meeting. One of the objects of our visit to Columbus was to as- sist in securing the meeting of the Grand Army next year for Milwaukee. In this we were suc- cessful, and this city will witness the gathering of 250,000 survivors of the great patriotic army who defended their country and her flag. Wis- consin is making rapid strides to the front in agri- culture and other industries. No State in the Union stands higher for fertile soil, pure water, good health and intelligent people. The indus- tries of the State are so diversified that prosperity attends them all. While other portions of our country are afflicted with contagious diseases, we are free from everything of the description among our people. Wisconsin is in the advance guard of enlightenment in many respects. Our univer- sity has grown to be one of the leading institu- tions of the country for a higher education; our normal schools and our public schools are among 28 434 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. the best of the land. Our farmers' institutes have attracted the attention of the whole nation. These are all the results of a liberal and progres- sive citizenship, without which laws could not have been enacted for their maintenance. "Wisconsin has this year an acreage of wheat, 1,000,000; corn, 1,500,000; oats, 1,500,000; barley, 500,000; rye, 250,000. Last year the money value of grain raised was fully |50,000,000; of live stock, 125,000,000; of hay, |15,000,000; of dairy products, 121,000,000; of wool, |6,000,000; of potatoes, 14,000,000; of tobacco, |2,000,000; of beans, peas, sorghum, buckwheat and other products, |10,000,- 000; of fruits, |1,000,000; and of seeds, |500,000; making a grand total of products of |134,500,000. Our dairymen have a capital invested in their business, including land, of 1100,000,000. Last year they produced 45,000,000 pounds of cheese and 43,000,000 pounds of butter, valued at |11,- 000,000. Add to this the milk not included in butter and cheese, and the entire dairy product reached |21,000,000. This statement shows the wonderful progress we are making in this indus- try, — a certain indication of prosperity. Those of our farmers who have abandoned raising grain for market and gone into dairying have bettered their condition and the soil of their farms, worn and weakened by years of wheat raising, is every day gaining in fertility. I would not advise that all farmers engage in dairying. To enjoy a full BETIBES TO PRIVATE LIFE. 435 degree of prosperity we must have a diversity of industries. The selection of profitable breeds for beef and cattle must not be neglected. The im- provement of all kinds of farm stock should be a constant study by the farmer who hopes to be suc- cessful in his calling. "I came near forgetting one important product of Wisconsin — that of poultry. Just think of it; the product alone amounts to nearly ten millions of dollars annually. The peaceful, unobtrusive hen has finally, for the first time after all the years of the existence of our country, had her cause championed on the floors of the national congress, and a demand made that her product should be protected, and this was done by a Wis- consin man — Hon. Eichard Guenther. The mod- est hen, heretofore considered an insignificant quantity in our resources, has come to the front; her star is in the ascendancy, and it is perfectly safe to say that her sun (son) will never set. (Laughter.) Sixteen million acres are owned by our farmers, half of which are cultivated and the other half is grass land and unimproved, all val- ued at 1350,000,000. The stock on the farms rep- resents a value of |90,000,000 and the farm imple- ments a value of |20,000,000, making a capital in- vested of 1460,000,000, yielding a product of |134,- 000,000. In addition to the capital invested to produce this result, the labor of 350,000 people is required. 436 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. "More than half the population of Wisconsin live on farms. This great army of people repre- sent the sober, conservative element of the State. In their quiet and peaceful homes and communi- ties riots and mobs are unknown. They are on the side of law, order and morality. When the flag of their country was fired on, the boys from the farm quietly stepped from the plow to the ranks, and when the great conflict was over and the Union again restored, they quietly returned to the plow and resumed their peaceful vocations. The transition was complete — from the quiet farm home to the battlefield and thence to the farm again — all but those whose patriotic lives were sacrificed for their country. "Hardly a farm home in this broad country but mourned the loss of a dear one who gave up his life that his country might live. Our children should be educated to a full appreciation of the blessings bestowed upon us as a nation by the sacrifices of the Union army, comprised in large part by the boys who were reared on the farm, and who received their lessons in patriotism in the quiet farm home." ILLNESS AND DEATH. 437 CHAPTER XLV. ILLNESS AND DEATH. In the fall of 1893, General Rusk was invited by some large land owners to inspect and report upon an eighty thousand acre tract of land in the Kankakee Valley in Illinois, which they were about to sell to a European colony. During his tour of inspection of this land he contracted ma- laria and on his return to Chicago consulted a physician as to his trouble. He returned home slightly indisposed but paid little attention to his trouble. A few weeks afterwards he was stricken with inflammation of the prostate glands and con- fined to his bed. This, added to his original aflflic- tion, made him a great sufferer and after an ill- ness of a few weeks the attending physicians de- cided, upon the advice of Dr. Hamilton, ex-Sur- geon General of the United States Marine Corps, that a surgical operation was necessary. This operation appeared to be successful but the pa- tient constantly suffered the most intense pain. On the evening of the twentieth of November, General Rusk for the first time believed that he 438 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. would recover from his illness. Prior to this he had been very despondent and had little hope of ever rising from his bed. On the evening in ques- tion he dismissed the writer from his bedside with the remark that he believed his physicians had pulled him over the rocky road and that he was going to get well. Throughout the length and breadth of the coun- try he had loved and served so well the press des- patches reporting Gen. Eusk's condition from day to day were eagerly read and sympathetically commented upon. The anxiety felt by his friend, Gen, Harrison, is shown in the following letter: 674 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Ind., Sunday, November 20, 1893. My Dear Friend: I have been so anxious about you during your illness. The newspapers always make such things worse than they are, but Mrs. McKee and I have watched them daily for some news of you, and when they failed I have telegraphed Mrs. Rusk for information. Her answer of yesterday and the press news of this morning seem to encourage the hope that you have passed the crisis, and will now gain strength and be soon well again. And now if I can help in any way, body or spirit, let me know, and I will put everything aside and go to you, for I do very much value and cherish you as a friend, and am very grateful for ILLNESS AND DEATH. 439 your manly and loyal support, never wanting, and always so unselfish. God bless you, and give you many years and every good thing that heart and soul can wish. Most sincerely your friend, BENjAiiiN Harrison. At the last General Rusk's death was entirely unexpected by his family and by the attending physicians, Dr. William A. Gott, of Viroqua, who was for three years surgeon of the General's regi- ment, and Dr. J. K. Schreiner, of Westby. The improvement in the patient's condition which be- gan on the preceding Friday (the 17th) had been steadily maintained up to within fifteen minutes of the time of his death, which occurred at 7:45 o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, November 21. Indeed, so marked had been this improvement that the general himself, who had been despond- ent ever since he had taken to his bed, had for the first time expressed to his family and his friends confidence in his recovery, and at 9 o'clock on the evening before the writer had been authorized by the physicians to give to the press a bulletin stat- ing that the crisis had been passed and that the sufferer was out of danger, a bulletin received with thanksgiving in all parts of the land. But his time had come. His ever faithful daughter, Miss Mary E. Rusk, watching at the bedside, no- ticed with alarm a sudden change in her father's 440 JEBEMIAH M. BUSK. appearance, and immediately summoned Dr. Gott, who was resting in a room below. In a moment the doctor was again with his patient, and saw that he was sinking. He quickly notified the General's devoted wife, his son Blaine and his daughter, Mrs. Craig, who at once joined Miss Mary in the sick-room. The physician applied in turn all the restoratives at his command, but his efforts were of no avail. Jeremiah Rusk, only able to articulate the words, "I am dying — I am dying," passed away, seemingly without pain. General Rusk had been a resident of Viroqua for forty years. His private life during that time had been as an open book to his neighbors and friends. The record of the kindly deeds done by him in that forty years in the community were sufficient of themselves to endear him for all time to come to those who were privileged to know him. There are but very few of the older in- habitants of the community who have not at some time or other received kindness at his hands. His home life during the portion of that forty years which had been spent in Viroqua had been of the purest type. In his family circle he had been a perfect father and a kind husband and at all times had been the idol of his household; He had been, as the Chicago Tribune said, "the nation's Uncle Jerry," and the country mourned his loss. Sectional and party lines were for the time obliterated, and telegrams and letters of ILLNESS AND DEATH. 441 heartfelt condolence were received by the sorrow- ing family from every hand. If more conspicu- ous throughout Wisconsin and in the city of Washington, the general grief, widespread, was none the less deep in other places where the strik- ing personality of the man as well as the wisely and bravely ordered deeds of the officer were fa- miliarly known. At Madison and Milwaukee, in Wisconsin, and at the Department of Agriculture, in Washington, the flags were lowered to half- mast in his honor. Many societies of which he was a member, and many others to whose inter- ests he had been especially friendly, met to pass resolutions in recognition of his worth and of their own regret at his departure from the field of earthly endeavor. 442 JEREMIAH 21. MUSK. CHAPTER XL VI. THE FUNERAL. General Eusk's funeral occurred on Friday,. November 24th, 1893. On Thursday afternoon, November 23d, after a brief private family serv- ice at the home, conducted by Rev. G. W. Nuzum, the remains were removed from the pleasant home where so much of happiness had been experi- enced, and in charge of a delegation of intimate friends and brother Knights Templar, were borne to the Methodist church where they lay in state till the closing services on Frida3^ A guard of honor from Alex. Lowrie G. A. R. Post took charge of the remains during the hours that they lay in state. An army of school children quickly reviewed the familiar features of one whom they were always glad to respect in life. Until late at night a stream of sorrowing people passed the bier. The throng was renewed at an early hour Friday morning and continued till the church doors were closed shortly after one o'clock. Thousands of people from the surrounding coun- try took a farewell look at their old friend and THE FUNERAL. 443 neighbor. Those who came on special trains were permitted to take a lingering look at his features between 12 and 2 o'clock. Many strong men who had been with the general in war or in public life gave way to feelings of emotion and wept like children when they beheld the familiar features and realized that he would be with them no more forever. The body was clad in a suit of black broadcloth and in the left lapel of the coat was fixed the blue and red button of the Loyal Legion with the regu- lation badge of the Grand Army a little below. The left hand, thrown across the chest in appar- ently careless ease, clasped a bunch of violets. The face was as calm and as peaceful in expres- sion as that of a sleeping child. The countenance was but slightly wasted by the six weeks of ill- ness the General had endured and was surpris- ingly natural and life-like. The casket was par- tially covered with the folds of a beautiful silk flag. The interior of the church was heavily and ap- propriately draped in black. High up and to the rear of the pulpit hung a large portrait of Gen- eral Eusk, with an American flag extending en- tirely across the wall. The pulpit and casket were nearly buried by the floral tributes of friends. Not one-tenth of those who came from outside of Viroqaa to attend the obsequies, not to men- 444 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. tion the members of the various orders, could get in. The honorary pall-bearers were: Attorney General Miller, Assistant Secretary "Willets, of the Agricultural department, Senators Angus Cameron, Philetus Sawyer, John C. Spooner, Gov- ernors Lucius Fairchild and W. D, Hoard, Judge Cassoday, General F. C. Winckler, H. 0. Payne and W. G. Collins; they occupied the front seats of the middle section, directly back of the casket. In the next two rows sat the members of the family and relatives, and ex-President Harrison. Behind them were Governor Peck and other state officers. On the front row of the middle section were the active pall-bearers, all members of General Kusk's old regiment — Major W. H. Joslin of Kichland Center, Dr. M. E. Gage of Sparta, Dr. W. A. Gott of Viroqua, Captain C. A. Hunt of Melvina, Cap- tain E. J. Whittleton of Harvard, 111., Captain John E. Casson of Viroqua, Captain M. E. Leon- ard of Sparta, Captain J. B. McCoy of Platte- ville. Senator E. I. Kidd of Prairie du Chien and Jesse G. Bunell of Eichland Center. The east section was occupied by the members of the Wisconsin consistory of the Loyal legion, the Masonic orders (the commandery and blue lodge), the G. A. E. and the Odd Fellows in the order named. The remaining seats and available standing room was filled by the distinguished people from various parts of the country and those of the citizens who could get in. THE FUNERAL. 445 Rev. Dr. Butler, of Madison, a profound old minister of eighty years, a firm friend of General Rusk, delivered the funeral discourse, taking as his text the seventeenth verse of the forty-eighth chapter of Jeremiah: "All ye that are about him bemoan him, and all ye that know his name say how is the strong staff broken and the beautiful rod." Dr. Butler said: "All they that are about him bemoan him, and all they that know his name say how is the strong staff broken and the beautiful rod." This is the third time that I have used this text at a public funeral. The first time was nearly half a cen- tury ago in Vermont at the obsequies of Eansom, colonel of a New England regiment, killed at the storming of Chepultepec and brought home for burial where he and I were associated in a mili- tary academy. The next time was in our own state capital over the remains of Theodore Read, killed in a desperate endeavor, largely successful, in Grant's opinion, to stop the escape of General Lee. For years there was daily danger that Gen- eral Rusk's remains would likewise have been brought home. But God saved him then, having greater service for him in peace than in war. What that service has been you know full well. He has rounded the full circle; he has won golden opinions from all sorts of people in all walks of life; he has been clean in his great office — in all 446 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. his offices. He had, as becometh old age, honor, love, obedience, hosts of friends. We love to trace great things to their snaall be- ginnings. I have myself taken no small pains to reach the very source of the Jordan. I love to trace the great man who has fallen, to his boy- hood. Early bereaved of his father and thrown upon his own resources, I love to observe his first endeavors for making his way in the world. Horses seemed to have been the most efficient in- strument of his early culture. His ability to manage wild horses was the earliest talent he de- veloped — his first stepping stone to success. It is noticeable that this was also the experience of Alexander the Great of whom the first thing we hear is the dexterity in training the wild steed of the plain. The child is father to the man, and in the sub- sequent career of Rusk we behold many repeti- tions of his childhood experience. It is a vast removal from the seat of a stage driver to that in a cabinet, where his influence extends from ocean to ocean and from the great Gulf to the unsalted seas. As sheriff he had wilder men to tame than any horses. So he had gone through the war of the rebellion. And during the anarchistic riots in Milwaukee those riots he quelled seven years ago so effectually that they have known no resur- rection. From first to last he has shown him- THE FUNERAL. 447 Self not only competent for every position he has been called to fill, but equal to every emergency. One is inclined to say he should have lived longer — ^he should have died hereafter. Such men are few; we need them longer — longer. He still lacked seven years of the psalmist's 70. We love to imagine what in another score he might have achieved — ^what greater influence for good his long experience, his prestige and the hearts of the people in his hand might have enabled him to exert. Death has blasted our hopes, cast down our high imaginations. We behold here the end of earth. But is it the end? No — a thousand times no! I call it the beginning. No feeling is more pervasive among men than that this life is the threshold of another. It has been my fortune to circle the globe, traveling as far as the sun travels, and from the equator, where man casts no shadow at noon, to the land of the midnight sun, where the night was ever as the day; but I found no people who do not by their funeral cere- monies and monuments attest their faith in life beyond life. The preaching of Paul was "Jesus and the resurrection." Christ raised the dead and rose himself as a pledge and a proof that He shall raise our vile bodies in the likeness of His glorious body — not having spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing. It is an anchor to the soul when bereaved to feel that What is sown in weakness shall be raised in power; sown a natural body, 448 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. raised a spiritual body; sown in dishonor, raised in honor. Strong is the consolation to feel that the friend we bury has gone where he can know God better and serve him more effectually than belongs to the lot of earth. Time would fail me to speak of the manifold excellencies in the departed; of the popularity that rah after him, but after which he did not run; of his honesty — public and private; of his temperance — I should say abstinence from his youth up. His associates felt that he was so good that they would gladly believe him great — even greater than he was. He has left this life; let us not lose the lesson of his death. Let it cause the spiritual, heavenly, eternal and divine to predominate in our souls. "When we lay down this garment of clay in which we have ministered here, may it be ours to stand in the host on Mount Zion, who ascribe unto Him that sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb, power and riches and wisdom and strength and glory and honor and blessing — world without end. Amen. When the Eev. Butler had finished, the choir sang "Lead Me Savior." The Eev. Nuzum made a prayer, closing with the Lord's prayer, and the Masonic bodies then took charge of the remains. It was an imposing procession that escorted the remains of General Eusk to their last resting place. From the church the procession moved north one block, west one block to Main street, THE FUNEBAL. 449 thence to the cemetery. The Viroqua comet band led the way and played appropriate funeral marches. Then came the Uniformed Knights, Wisconsin Consistory and Blue lodge Masons. Following these came the carriages containing the honorary pall-bearers; then the funeral car drawn by four bright bay horses. The carriages containing the active pall-bearers, representatives of the Loyal legion, the G. A. E. and the Odd Fel- lows, preceded the mourners. In the mourners' carriages were the members of the immediate family and relatives and a few intimate friends of the family. The next carriage contained ex- President Harrison. Then followed the carriages containing distinguished guests from abroad and citizens. The last act at the grave was the firing of a salute over the grave by the soldier comrades of the departed. 29 450 JEREMIAH M. BUSK. CHAPTER XL VII. DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT — EX-SENATOR SPOONER'S EULOGY. Early in 1895 Alex. Lowrie Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Viroqua, asked permission of the family to dedicate with appropriate cere- monies the monument erected on the family lot to the memory of General Husk. This permis- sion was granted, and upon invitation Senator Spooner promised to make the dedicatory speech. The monument is of the obelisk order, made of Vermont granite, and its entire height is thirty- three feet, the shaft being twenty-six feet and the base and die seven feet. On the heavy base is the family name, "Eusk," in raised letters, and on the die block there is cut on the east or front side a brief synopsis of the distinguished dead, as fol- lows: JEREMIAH M'LAIN RUSK. BORN JUNE 7th, 1830. DIED NOV. 21sT, 1893. Entered U. S. Vol. Army July, 1862, as Major 25th Wis. Infantry. "For gallant and meritorious service during the war," and "For conspicuous gallantry at the battle of Salkehatchie, S. C, was DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT. 451 breveted colonel and brigadier general of the U. S. Vols., March, 1865." Bank comptroller of Wisconsin, 1866--1870. Member of the 42d, 43d and 44th congresses. Governor of Wisconsin, 1882--1889. U. S. secretary of agriculture, 1889--1893. On the side of the shaft above the die is a bronze shield, crossed swords and a pen with the motto, "Non sibi sed patriae" — "not for himselt bat for his country." On Memorial Day, May 30th, thousands of peo- ple gathered at Viroqua to pay respect to the dis- tinguished dead, and to listen to the eloquent words of his life-time friend. Eain fell in tor- rents but this did not deter the thousands from standing in the streets and going to the cemetery to look upon the monument to the man they had all loved so well. People from all over Wiscon- sin attended the exercises which were held within the Opera House, the largest bailding obtainable in the city. Beautiful floral tributes were sent from all over the State and every indication was that the memory of the man whose services had been so valuable to his State and his country was still kept green. Senator's Spooner's oration is as follows: There could not be a more fitting thing than that on this Memorial Day we should gather from every section of our commonwealth around this 452 JEREMIAH M. BVSK. marble shaft, placed here by tbe loved ones of Ms desolate home to mark the last resting place of Jeremiah McLain Eusk, and pay special trib- ute to his honored memory. The heart of Wisconsin is with us here today, for he was of all her public men the best beloved. Viewed from any standpoint, and subjected to any test, his was a wonderful career. Born upon a farm in Ohio sixty-five years ago, the death of his father put upon him while still a boy in large part the responsibilities of a man. Duty to the widowed mother, whom he tenderly loved, made of him a toiler from the beginning. There was little of school for him but the school of hardship. He wrought upon the farm, wielding the axe and following the furrow. Barrels he made with his own hands and transported them to the market. He drove a four-in-hand, not the four-in-hand of the city park, but the Concord stage of the olden time. One might almost say that he had no child- hood. But such were the characteristics and fibre of the boy that the self-denial and sacrifice which were his lot, and the hardships to which he be- came inured, were great factors for strength and good in his after life. He learned to love the country better than the town. Toil gave him strength and muscle, a clear eye and a healthy brain. Kesponsibility taught him industry, de- veloped in him an indomitable energy, gave him in abundance thrift, patience and endurance. He DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT. 4o3 was noted as a young man in all the region round for his splendid physique, his great strength, his willingness to turn his hand to any honorable employment, and his absolute freedom from every taint of dissipation. He laid during those years, which from the luxurious standpoint of this day might be regarded as harsh and ca- lamitous, the strong foundation of vitality, of hopefulness, of courage and of self-reliance, upon which was builded in after years the splendid structure of a great life, which won the admira- tion and respect of the whole people. He was wont, among his most intimate friends, now and again to lament the dearth of early edu- cational advantages, but, looking at the man, bearing in mind what he made of himself, and what he accomplished, it may well be doubted if, all things considered, he would have been stronger, or wiser, or better, or more successful, had the lines of his youth fallen in more pleasant places, and had his early life been differently or- dered. He was but twenty-three when he traveled with his wife and two children by wagon, after the fashion of the emigrant in those days, from the childhood home in Ohio, to pitch his tent on this spot, then fairly to be considered the frontier, here again to take up the life and labor of the farmer. So long was he a conspicuous citizen of Wiscon- 454 JEREMIAH M. RUSK. sin, and so familiar have our people become with the incidents of his early life within our borders, that it is needless, if indeed it were proper, to re- count them. It is enough to say that from the outset he was an attractive and popular man. He was an excellent farmer; he was an excellent tavern-keeper; he was a safe and skillful stage- driver; he was an admirable sheriff; he was a genial, courteous, kindly gentleman, albeit in rough and homely garb; and by these traits he won the confidence and affection of this people, never in any degree to lose either. It was altogether impossible that he should be other than a leader, for he was born a leader. He served a term in the legislature of 1862, se- curing, be it remembered to his credit, a change of the name of this county from "Bad Ax" to "Vernon." War with all its fury was upon this country. Everywhere was heard the music of fife and drum, and on every hand were to be seen the rustling- flags and the moving bodies of armed men. It was not possible that Jeremiah McLain Rusk should remain in civil life during a war for the preservation of the republic, and we find in 1862 our Ohio boy and stage