The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1890-07-24
RECEPTION AND BANQUET
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.l
Tobacco Trade of Durham.
Response by Alex. Walker, of Durham.

response by Alex. Walker, of Durham.
How wonderful the growth of this al
most universal trade, since Columbus
discovered America and found the to-
bacco plant growing on the banks of the
James river and was used by the abor-
iginese for its medical qualities. 1t grew
in favor with the people until Sir Walter
Raleigh introduced it into England as the
Virginia tobacco. 1t then became more
popular and at once took its place as one
of the articles Of trade, and it was so
popular that the English women were
brought over to this country and put
upon the block and sold for wives to The
American men, the man that bid the
largest amount in pounds of Virginia to-
bacco became purchaser and the woman
became the wife of the purchaser. SO it
is not to be wondered at that our mater
nal ancestry were so fond Of smoking.
While many of our fair maidens would
blush to think their mothers were bought
with tobacco, doubtless some who have
already reached the last wonders of life
would exclaim, ooh. that those good old
~times would come again"
Many hard sayings against the grand
Ole commonwealth of Virginia were very
unjust. Al American tobacco was styled
Virginiy tobacco and not unjustly so,
and his continued until other states by
r successful cultivation and manage
mMEent won for themselves a name on ac-
count of the peculiar characteristics Of
the production of said states. North
Carolina, for instance, grew the same
character of tobacco that Virginia grew
and sold all her tobacco on the Virginia
markets, not having any markets of her
own. She had nothing of a distinguish
ing character differing from Virginia to-
bacco until she introduced the new pro-
cess Of curing by coal and o thereafter
by t1ue, When she produced the finest to-
bacco the world has ever known and is
now known as the North Carolina to-
baccO the world over. The article of
American tobacco, the production of
which at one time was confined to such
narrow limits, but with a continued grow
ing and widening influence reaches out
and to-day takes in nearly every nation
on the face of the globe, until but few
articles afford half the employment for
honest living that the tobacco trade
affords. We have reached that point in
improvement in the advanced arts and
labor saving, with our wonderful increase |
of population, that there is scarcely en-
ployment to be found for our multiplying |
numbers'tO make an honest living. The
tobacco trade gives employment to more
men, women and children, Knight almost
venture to say, than any other article in
the known world. 1tpays more revenue,
affords more tonnage and gives more honest
employment and saves more suffering by
feeding more poor people than any other
trade known to man.
AS proof look at Durham. See its
growth, and other towns Of North Caro-
lima and the great towns and cities OF the
commercial world, and see its mammoth
proportions in giving employment to
suffering humanity. There is no class of
business men that can shOW a better
record as q class than the tobacco trade.
And now, gentlemen of the press, allow
me to say in conclusion that the wonder
full growth of this trade may be said to
be due, in a large measure, to the press.
May it be preserved pure and powerful in
doing good.
The Ideal Newspaper.
Response by II. c. Wall, Editor of the Rock
ingham Rocket.
1t is useless for one, at least only atyrO
in the profession Of journalism, to at
tempt an ideal delineation of features
which should characterize an ideal news
paper. 1t is far easier to describe that
which is not than to tell that which is an
ideal newspaper. | think | am safe in
saying, to start with, that the ideal
standard has not yet been reached, al
though some papers may be said to APP
proach very near it. To call names in
the presence of these editors, to institute
comparisons, would be invidious; hence
/ prefer to leave each editor in the con-
tinued indulgence of the happy fancy
that his own paper, in its get up style
and editorial substance, especially, makes
TIC HGdIGSl dpIIodSh W AN StuA
dard. Touching upon a subject that has
already been SO thoroughly discussed
through the papers and magazines, it can
only be expected that l may enlarge, with
out elaboration, however, upon themes
which nave been presented before. In
the first place, San ideainewspaper should
furnish news but its true criterion is what
it considers news" Not every item is an
"item." in the true sense; and it is SIM
ply ridiculous to print Mr. Jones, or Mr.
Smiths, name everytime either OF those
individuals may come to own 1t has
become a dry rot" business, the per
sonal mention" practice of the newspa-
per of to-day. In properly discriminate
ing in the matter of selecting news, edi-
tors need to be wise as serpents and I