The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-13

annual meeting will be held at the hall
of the house Of representatives
Thursday night in the same hali-
CAPTAIN benson will deliver the ad-
dress upon the life and character n
public services OF the late Governor
Thomas NJ. Holt. This Will follow he
annual meeting OF the state AgricuI-
tural Society. Governor Holt was Tor
many years the president OF the So
ciety and was devoted to IL. as indeed
he was TO all the best interests OF
| North Carolina.
It is a matter OF special pride that
the state fair. amid all vicisitudes, has
been held without missing a yea since
1858. The Virginia State Agricultural
| Society collapsed a few years ago and
its grounds have been sold. The North
| Carolina fair now charges an entrance
fee for exhibitions. This is n wise
plan.
There is great depth OF expression
In the remark OF a western North Caro-
| Nnian. an acute observer, that the
white men in the eastern part OF the
state appear 10 be locked under the
| domination OF the negro. This struck
| him az strange. Al one city he found
the democrats yet divided on the
financial question" a back number
now. as all the world knows. His quick
! comment was: The idea OF such a
division as that" The most thought
full people look upon the question OF
white supremacy AS something on a
| plane far above mere politics. y west
ern North Carolina republican VIII say
that much in a moment. An eastern
republican said 10 me within Eorty-
eight hours that ne believed in much
less than ten years the white republic
cans would lead n movement TO dis
franchise the negro. He added that h
believed within six years OF the date
OF such Acknowledgement the republic
can party would be in control Of the
state. This was rather startling. but
after all, IL was not very far removed
from Senator P~ritchard's pet plan in
1887. Of forming a white republican
party" II shows that the negro qu"s-
ton Is beginning 10 affect other white
men besides democrats in North Car
olina. No other question approaches
II in Importance.
A cotton grower. who in this section
is a slave to the time habit" that is.
of buying fertilizers and farm supplies
in the spring and paying FOR them in
the autumn. from the FIRST fruits "
his crop, says il is the merchants who
make the farmers slaves to King Cot>
ton" He says: Farmer y. Goes to
a merchant and says: i want some
supplies. I am thinking ~ planting
very little cotton, but of raising my
own supplies Well, then says the
merchant can't supply YOU anything
The farmer then says: We'll. III plant
so many acres Of cotton The supplieE
are furnished. The farmer is always
a year behind" OF cours" there are
cotton growers who are not slaves 10
this habit, and a few years ago IL APP
peared as if they were all going to
abandon it, but now il has taken a
fresh hold, thanks to spasmodic high
-
does SO much to dehase true farming
and make il hated drudgery.
The hunting season is near at hand.
This is q great state for game. People
who ought TO know tell me game has
increased in the past twenty years. It
certainly has in this section. one rea-
son is that nowadays hogs. those great
d~eStrOyers, no longer range the woods.
and the latter are growing up thicker
and afford a far better cover for game.
Hogs kept down underground. If peo-
pie who have comparable homes in
good shooting sections would advertise
that fact in papers in the New Eng
land and Middle states and as far south
as Washington. they would attract
sportsmen who would board with them,
to the mutual advantage OF all per
sons concerned. There is more in this
suggestion than may appear to the
casual reade Sportsmen are good
fellows. too, and make the best OF good
company.
Two or three years ago there was
/ considerable talk about two electric
| railways, one from Rutherfordton 10
A~sheville. through the Hickory Nut
gap. and the other from to
Blowing Rock. 1t was all mere talk:
no results. Yet Blowing Rock has
l nnrha a Z DD n f.
which a railway is "A necessity. There
is no doubt water power enough to
| operate one. There is certainly far
more than enough to operate one
through the Hickory Nut gap. Consid-
cred as a spectacle. the latter gap is
far and way in the lead % anything in
all North Carolina.
The recent hot wave has again dem
onstrated the fact that IL is the south
and not the north which offers cool
ness in summer. The contrast between
New York and Raleigh was very
marked-three sunstrokes. swift and
terrible, and death: here not a case.
nor indeed one in all North Carolina.
The open-air life is one thing which
is a powerful factor in the good health
or North Carolinians. 1t seems
strange, but il is true. that the state
first settled should have not one city
OF any size, and the largest rural popu-
lation OF any state in the country
This is largely due to the fact that II
is A homogeneous native population
with but little knowledge OF the for
elgn idea OF herding In great
Ties. There are millions Of peaple
abound and indeed In the great cities
OF the north and west who would rath-
er herd than be separated into smaller
even though herding
means misery and discomfort. There
Is not another state in the union. or
even a territory, which has cot a lar
ger town than any in North Carolina.
F. A. OLDS.