The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-11-10
A VOICE FROM THE EAST.
Eastern Farmer Gives Expression to
a Few Pertinent and Pointed Remarks.
MARLBORO, PITT COUNTY, n. c.,
November 8, 1886. {

from Captain OctaTips Coke, Of
Raleigh, in which he paid&high com
pliment to the county Commenting
upon it's pleasing topography and
the neatness and pr~oductivehess Of
our farms. He spoke words Of cheer
and congratulation to us upon hav-
ing such a goodly land to dwell in,
and urged the Importance ofall good
people thinking and acting upon the
political issues of the day. He not
only urged it as a right but as a
Christian duty, as citizens of a great
commonwealth. He spoke of the
necessity # an industrial school
where our youth could be trained
lin the different branches of Archi-
lecture and Mechanism and showed
how each community might rear its
own a%rtizans and organize its w
manufactures. He charged us to
instruct our representatives to sup
port in the next legislature Il bill
for the establishment Of such a
school, but, alas! through all his
eloquence, and in all his advice, not
n word fell from his lips as to the
advantages Of educating the head
and the hand together for the man.
agement of the agricultural interests
of our grand old State. He said
nothing about refunding to the farm
ers the S125,O0O that has, these
many years, been misappropriated
to the State University nor of return
ing to it's proper channel that $500
interest per annum, that the farmer
boy, too, may stand in the ranks,
shoulder to shoulder with the me-
chanics, the m%achinists and archi-
tects in their rapid strides to promi-
hence and power. This may have
been an oversight with the honor
able gentleman, but n peculiar to
the politician, for | have never
heard of its being mentioned by one
on the stump. And just here L am
reminded Of the facility with which
politicians will appropriate to them
selves the glory of every public
enterprise, as was exemplitied in a
speech by Governor Scales at the
laying OF the corner stone of the
building on the State Experiment
Farm near Raleigh last summer;
when, before a large audience, he
eXtolled the services of the State
Board Of Agriculture and declared
that to Senator Vance and President
Battle Of the State University be-
longed the credit for the establish
ment of that Board, when it ought to
be known to every intelligent man
IN the State that to another, whose
SENSE of delicacy prevents him from
laying claim to it, belongs the honor
not only of urging that branch but
of the establishment of the State
Department of Agriculture, which,
when it shall have been restored to
its former useful line of labors for
the State, will be a source of pride
to every friend of State enterprise.
Honor to whom honor is due is my
motto, and when an humble citizen
performs a labor of great and perma-
nent good let him not be robbed of
the honor in order that still more
glory may be added to those already
honored to the highest. Yet such is
often done and many a lucky fellow
allowed to attain prominence on the
merits of some patient, toiling neigh
bor whose native modesty beclouds
the work of his genius and patri-
otiSm.
Believing in the right Of every
citizen to inquire into the workings
of public institutions and the acts of
public servants, [ hope [ don't over
step that right Or the bounds of pro-
priety in suggesting to the voters Of
Eastern Carolina that it might be
worth their while to inquire whether
the good they derive from the State
Department of Agriculture is com
mensurate with the amount of taxes
they pay into the State Treasury?
If not, let them know the cause and
ask that it be removed.
There was a time when the voice
of the Commissioner Of Agriculture
was heard and the influence of the
Department was felt from one end
of the State to the other. To-day [
meet numbers of men who think the
department. of Agriculture dead and
SO far as any material good to us it
is, for it is evident that it's best ener-
gies as we'll as those Of the State
immigration agent have been and
are devoted to the development Of
the resources of the West almost to
tho nvEl,S.n> 20 kIo Eo-4 .- rI ~.