The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1885-11-13
A COTTON-MADE TOWN.
WILSON FULLY ABREAST WITH
ANY TOBACCO TOWN.
Something of Il Town Which Has Been
Built up Solely by CottOn-.HOw it Has
Grown Fat and Spread its Branches.

lage of the plain n''-has grown more stead
lily, probably. than any town in the 5 ate
to have received as little blowing as it has.
Incorporated only twenty seven years ago
as a town-just six years older than Is
necessary for a man to vote-lt Is now a
well grown, comely yOungster standing
seven feet in its stockings, and ready to
compare records with any tobaccopolis in
the State. 1t is the best illustration, SO
far as illustrations in the way of towns go,
Of what cotton has done and can do have
seen. Depending during every year of its
existence solely upon the cotton crop it has
grown and fattened on the king until it is
beginning to put on airs and calling itself
q city. However, one of its most prOml
nent citizens, Col Thos S. kenan, insists
nounce it ''the model North Carolina vii
lage " How much more sensible to call a
place of 2, 800 population-th s the mum
Der of people who call Wilson home-;t
village, than to petition the legislature to
give its permission for it to be called a
city.
Cotton, the production Of which is 50
much decrIed in certain quarters, is at
home in Wilson county. The soil is we'll
adapted to its cultivation, the labor is suit
ed to its production, and the price paid
until this year has enabled wise and eco
nomical farmers not only to make a living,
but lay up little for rainy day. There
we've 16, O64 people in Wilson county, ac-
cording to the last census, and IN 1894
there were -, ,O49 bales of cotton raised in
the county, nearly as many bales as peo-
Pile To show what the merchants of Will
son can do: They handled and shipped
over $4,000 bales of cotton last year,
nearly twice as much as was raised in the
county. Good prices are paid for the sta ,le
and the merchants are satisfied IT at the
end of the season their balance sheet shows
nothing against them on their cotton trans
actions. Cotton comes to Wilson from
Nash, Greene, Franklin, Edgecombe, Pitt,
and some from Wayne and johnson.
While cotton has made the town of Will
son there are many who believe the town
has prospered at the expense of the coun-
try, and who are trying to induce the peo-
pie to plant more than one crop. \
few farmers tried tobacco on a small scale
this year. The success of tobacco in Nash has
induced some Wilson farnlers to believe
that it can be successfully raised there.
We have seen land in the county which
Granville farmers pronounced as good as
the famous Brassfeld tobacco land. Mr..
Calvin Barnes raised a crop this year.
Some of it is pronounced fine. Seed will
be distributed next year and a greater
effort made to secure the cultivation Of
the golden weed.
Much of the trade Of Wilson comes from
Nash and Franklin and the merchants fear
they will lose some of it on account of the
farmers in these counties going into the
cultivation of tobacco. In order to hold
this trade and to be ready to handle the
tobacco raised in the county Capt. A. }
Hines has rented the Skating Rink-a large
and suitable place-and opened Tobacco
Warehouse He has had no sale yet but
will have and they say Wilson will yet be
a busy tobacco mart The weed is chewed
in abundance there and the home con
sumption would justify a large crop. NJ.
I. Moye & Co.'S cigar iactory-a new en-
terpriSe which is meeting with success
might use some Of the home grown weed.
Wilson county was created in 1855 by
carving ont a slice Of Edgecombe, Nash,
Wayne and johnson counties, and was
named in honor of General Louis d. Will
SON who won distinction in the Mexican
wal. A marble shaft in the count green
at Tarboro recounts his claims to fame.
These counties, with the exception of Edge
combc, did not object to giving to the new
county what they called their dark cor
ners.' To-day these same dark corners
are as brilliant as any part Of the old
counties. This is an argument in favor of
small counties. 1t shows the good of di-
vision Edgecombe was strongly opposed
to giving its territory to the new county
and fought it to the bitter end The Will
son people, vain Of their growth, say the
daughter has outgrOWn the mother. 1t
was Horace, we believe, who i'll one OF his
odes to the daughter Of female friend
wrote: go matrc pulchra fila pulchrior
90, daughter more beautiful than your
beautiful mother" The Wilson people
now use the same expression in comparing
themselves to Edgecombe, the mother
county. How vain these youngsters be-
come.
There are 1854 Whit people and 7,41C
negroes III the county, giving the whites a
voting majority of 24S. The usual Demo
cratic majority is 800, but in exciting elec
ton; 800 majority is sometimes reached
The county went Republican in 1868, but
was redeemed in 1870 and of late years
there has been no organized Repub icar
opposition. They have no leader who car
unite them and the Democrats have little
trouble in electing their candidates. The
political managers of the Democratic per
suasion are active and watchful and are
seldom caught mapping. Wilson is in the
''black" Congressional district, and but
for that would have several formidable
candidates for Congressional honOrs. F
| A. Woodland, Esq, a leading lawyer made
the race for Congress last year and sue
ceeded in being defeated by less thar
/, 5000. This was considered a good record
| Put Wilson in Democratic district anC
he would oe in Congress before a grea
many years.
The bar i'll Wilson stands high. 1t
IN mbers are upright men and wel-rea>
lawyers, and they have the confidence O
the people in a high degree. Judge Ian
caster, the oldest member of the bar G
W Blount, Esq, who has more than one,
been Grand Master of the Masonic Frater
nifty, Hugh F. Murray, Esq, who Lacked
but few votes of receiving the nomina
ton for Judge four years ago; Col Thoma
S. Kenan, the excellent ex-Attorney Gen
eral; Fred A. Woodland, Esq, a good law
yer and tinancier, VicePresident of th
Bank: Jno F. Woodland, Esq, ex-Solici
tor, ex- Mayor, exGrand Master of th
Odd Fellows, and the present member o
the House; D. l.. Ward, Esq, eloquent
studious and POPULAR JnO. F. Bruton
strong, industrious and a good advocate
J. D. Bardin, Esq, new disciple of Black
stone, and s. A. Woodland: Esq, also ne,
at the profession that made the Ruf1in
| and ManlevS and PearSOns and Ashes an