The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-17
Nrw NruRrR OF THE BOARD OF

New MEMBER OF TIL A OF
AGRICULTURE.-It is not generally
known that the Changers, at their re-
cent meeting. elected a new Grand
Master for North Carolina, rice Col. W.
n. Cheek. resigned. The head OF tie
Grange is a member Of the Board o.
A -riculiure. by virtue of h.s office. MIR.
Willis Williams, of Pitt count. IS Tie
new member. He j. a respectable TAR
mcr. residing not far from Capt. Jas. L.
Thiupen. another member OF the Bonrd.
This occurrence shows the faulty con-
structiun of tie Board. We were
among tie first of the State Press 10
take up and advocate tie creation OF an
Agricultural Departn' mt; and rs a
member Of the Legislature we leu our
best efforts to pass the Act establishing
it. But we now see that the measure
was very crude, complex, and faulty.
Why should the Governor Ga politician)
and the President of the University Gan
educator). lie the chief managers OF a
:" FARMERS Department? How
would il look for the Governor TO be a
member of the Insane Asylum Board.
or one of the State Railroad Directors :
How absurd to make the Geolo.r a
member of the very Board which is to
supervise his work, and examine his ac-
counts! How ABSURD to give a mere
private .secret society" Ike the
Grange the right to choose the Rep
resentative of the 100000 farmers in
North Carolina? 1t is true that when
the Department was created there were
500 of Lodges or Oranges in the State
whereas now there are about that num-
Der of members, and all IN n section,
east of the w. w. K. X.
BY the by, it is announced that State
Geologist Washington c. Kerr has ten
dered his resignation, to take effect at
some future date, unknown to us. He
has now a Federal office, and the law
forbids the holding of two offices. We
presume, however, that His EXcellen-
cy'' (as certain folks address him) will
not accept" the resignation at present;
because you recollect that in 1880 when
one or two of the farmer members
of the Board brought in a resolution de-
claring that a vacancy had been created
by act of Legislature, Jarvis said per-
emptorily,-"Well, gentlemen, you may
pass your resolution, but I'll re-appoint
Prof. Kerr in FIVE minutes So no ac-
ton was taken, This was two years
ago. but we suppose the GG-ern0r will
still retain the Geologist,-Or perhaps
put in PhilupS.-in order to keep the
Board under his control. we sincerely
hope that our friends Capt. Thigpen and
Maj. Jonathan Evans (who wanted to
resign last summer, but were persuaded
to hold ON will now send in their resig.
nations and insist upon acceptance.
We say this because we are a true friend
of the Department and of North Caro-
lima. and we desire to see the 10000 a
year spent-not in building fancy hotels,
farms. fish ponds, and fertilizer factor.
les around Raleigh.-but in filling uT
our grand old commonwealth with in
dustrious. wide-awake workers. We
have no ill-wiil, whatsoever, to the
present Board. We should like to see
Messrs. Holt, Battle, Thigpen, Evans,
Kerr, and Williams. as member of a
New Board. They are qualified per.
sonally, and by experience to head and
direct a new Board,-constituted fol
real work, practical work, not ''theo.
ries'' and schemes.
If these gentlemen will all send in
their designations the Legislature will
feel free to make the necessary changes.
If the Department f Agriculture be
properly organized, and immigration
made its lealing feature, there IS no,
an acre Of land in the State phich riL
not be north ten times its present price
fire years hence.
The greatest need of North Carolina
to-day is-MORE people,! People
to buy fro II our farmers. people to pa
tronize our merchants. our railroads, our
schools, our churches More people to
help pay taxes!