The gold leaf., 1894-06-21
THE PRESS CONVENTION.
ANNUAL SES-
SION.

+
Morganton Captures and Capt.
Yates the Editors---Her Whole
souled and Hospitable Citizens
Vie With Each Other in Their
Attentions and Courtesies to
the Press Men---The "Gem OF
the Upper Catawaba Valley
Does Itself Proud-The Most
Pleasant Meeting in the History
Of the Association.
The North Carolina Press Associa-
ton held its twenty-second annual
session in Morganton last week.
Tie good people Of that delightful
town not only captured the convention
but captivated the editors as well.
| Never did visitors meet with more
| cordial welcome or receive more hos
pitable entertainment. Our stay was
one delightful round Of pleasure and il
was the verdict of all that this was the
most pleasant meeting in the history
! of the Association. And this is saying
a good deal. as the older members can
| testify to.
| The convention met in the city hall,
which had been handsomely decorated
| for the occasion, $3.50 O'Clock Wednes-
day afternoon, and was called to order
by President w. F. Burbank, of the
Winston Sentinel The meeting was
opened with an earnest, fervent and
impressive prayer by Rev. Jesse II.
Page, pastor of the Methodist Episco-
| pal church, invoking the blessing of
Almighty God upon the editors and
| their deliberations after which Hon.
John II. Pearson, Mayor, in speech
full of warmth and cordiality, well con-
ceived and gracefully delivered, well
coined the editors to Morganton and
| to the homes of its citizens. Mayor
Pearson spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the North Carolina Press As
ISOLATION With no slight degree of en-
| barrassment, | accept the pleasure and
privilege accorded me as Mayor to extend
| to you the freedom of this city and the
| welcome of its citizens.
Pleasing indeed would be this task
were | assured of my ability to convey to
you, gentlemen, in fitting words aprOper
expression of our cordiality on this oc-
| casion and earnest desire that your stay
| while with US be one of pleasure, rest and
recretion, freeing yourselves from those
cares and responsibilities left behind.
We, gentlemen, welcome you as among
those who have our best interest and
welfare at stake; we welcome you as our
greatest search lights, placed as it were
on the watch towers throughout our
grand old State whose searching rays
Il bD4 hn ND al
horizon to see that no insidious enemy
or foe enters or interferes with that good
government and conservative policy
which has ever marked the Old North
State. We welcome you to a town whose
young business men and citizens have
been content to keep up with that in
dustrial procession now moving through
out the South but who have never, by any
cheap heraldry to the world, endeavored
to lead that procession; we welcome you
to a town endowed by Nature with her
greatest gifts-climate and scenery.
We as citizens of North Carolina point
with pride to those magnificent institu-
tions which sweet charity has dictated
should be built for her unfortunate sons
and daughters and placed in our midst
and where could a more fitting place be
found for their location? Our State has
recognized a son to the manner born
whose evident fitness and humane treat
ment so we'll entitle him to be the head of
the Western State Hospital.
We are not alone in our estimate and
appreciation of our climatic and scenic
advantages. A gentleman from the far
North, who recently located among us,
purchased from a neighbor of mine a
beautiful site overlooking the valley of
the Catawba and the Blue Ridge, for
which he paid 81 500. A citizen of our
town, one of the old landmarks found in
every progressive place to tell us of the
"has beens,' but in no way interested in
the future welfare and development of
the place, remarked to our Northern
settler that he had paid very high
price for such poor land the reply was
prompt and gratifying. 'My FRIEND"
said he, 81 bought $50 miles of the finest
mountain scenery in Western North Caro-
lima at only $1,000 per mile and the
owner made no charge whatever for the
poor land you refer to-
Now, sirs, do you wonder with such
commendatiOn at the hands OF strangers
that we occasionally present the claims
of our modest little town for recognition
before the State? Gentlemen, be assured
our wish is that your sOjOurn be a
pleasant one and that when you return
to your homes, your short visit in
MOrgantOn will be one green spot to be
remembered. In short, gentlemen of the
North Carolina Press Association, in the
language of a once popular actress,
"We's so glad you came
President Burbank responded in a
few we'll chosen words, thanking the
Mayor and people Of Morganton for
the hearty welcome extended the As
sociation and expressing the grateful
sense of appreciation felt by each in
dividual member present.
The Secretary Of the Association,
John B. Sheriff., Of the Concord Times,
being unavoidably detained at home
and unable to arrive until the next
afternoon, Thad r. Manning, of the
Henderson GOLD LEAF, and D. j.
Whichard, of the Greenyille Reflector,
were elected temporary secretaries.
The roll call showed about forty editors
present, ten or fifteen arriving later.
Capt. S. A. Ashe, Of the Raleigh
NeUs- Observer Chronicle, read an in
teresting paper on ''Books," and after
some routine business and short re-
marks on various topics by several
members, the first days session ad-
.journed.
Conveyances having been provided
the editors were driven to various
points of interest in and about Nor
canton and given views of the well
titled farms and beautiful scenery sur
rounding it. The town itself as well
as many of its private enterprises and
public institutions was revelation to
many of us. There is nothing Of the
quaint or curious about the place al
though it is one Of the oldest towns in
the State. The old has given place to
the new. 1t is modern and model
town in many respects with an atmos-
phere Of culture and refinement, pro-
gress and prosperity combined in a
happy degree. AS is we'll known Nor
canton is the home of a Justice of the
Srprap,o n Ayorv\ T,l,ro