The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-29

cooperate
Col: Redhead, of Mississippi, also re-
sponded to the welcome. He said that
the cordial greeting and the hospital
lty they had met. made the eloquent
words OF welcome unnecessary. he
was one who helped to select Raj
eigh as the place of meeting. He had
met SO many fine-natured Tar Heels
that he wanted to see what kind of
ground they grew on. He spoke
of the thrifty looking towns through
which they passed and of the beau
tiful cities, and said he wished ma
ture had not been so bountiful to
his native State, that the people
failed to do their duty, on account
of natures lavish hand.
At 4:30 o'clock in the afternoon,
the convention again met Col. Red
head, of Mississippi, the first vice
president, called the meeting to order.
Mr.. Stevens, the president, then de-
livered the presidents address. The
reading occupied about forty-fve min
utes. 1t was an excellent address, and
showed close knowledge of the sub
ject on the part of the speaker. 1t
was literally applauded, and on mo-
ton of Commissioner Patterson was
incorporated in the official record.
he spoke In part, as follows:
"One thing that makes the outlook
better still is the certainty of another
short cotton crop, which promises
even better profits during the COM
ing season. There seems to be good
reason for the hope that the all-cot-
ton craze of 1898 will not again seize
the farmers of the South, who, from
sad experience, should know that the
thing of greatest Importance is to
raise, first of all, food supplies, and
cultivate their cotton within pro-
titable limit. Our export and import
trade for the year closing June so,
1900, was the largest ever known.
This is due mainly to the increase in
exports of manufactured goods for
the domestic products, breadstuffs,
provisions, cotton and mineral oils
exported, the value of which was
$765, 1861, 79S, while above that of the
previous IL months, is below that of
1897 and 1898, when our export of do
mestic products amounted to $S07,-
S1S,5S1. In that year we exported
the prodigious total of 324,7O6,060 of
breadstutfs, a figure which we have
not reached since. In the matter of
cotton exports, however, there has
been decided improvements; and it
contains valuable hint to the South,
for during the past 10 months we
received $241 ,666,165 for our cotton,
or $32 ,053,321 more than for the pre-
vious year, although we shipped over
100000 bales less. The farmers got
more for a short crop than they
would have received for a large one,
and it is needless to point out that
the cost of harvesting, marketing and
shipping the crop was materially re-
duced. This is on the right line. Our
people should always so manage as
to have the balance of trade in our
favor. The wonderful progress made
by the South in cotton manufacture
ing still continues. According to fig
ures collected by the Boston Textile
World, the North had in 1890 exactly
2,721 ,341 spindles, while the South
had 1,S2S,9S2. Now the North has
15,242, 554 spindles, while the South
has 5,S15,429. The increase in the
South for the last decade is, there
fore, 217 per cent, and for the North
1913 per cent. South Carolina comes
third in the Union, after Massachu-
sets and Rhode Island, with 1.794,6
spindles; North Carolina is fourth,
with 1,429,540 spindles; New Hamp-
shire fifth, with 1,343,923, and Geor-
gia sixth, with 1918, 504."
The report of Mr.. Royal Daniel, the
secretary, followed Mr.. Daniel has
proved an excellent secretary and the
success of the convention is due large
ly to his efforts. He is one of the
brightest young newspaper men of
the South, and is admirably fitted
| for the duties.
Referring to the bond of union be-
| tween the press and agricultural in
| terests of the South, he said:
Representing the press of the cotton
| belt, | would like to say to you, not as
| an official of this association, that the
| newspapers are the allies natural and of
their own volition of the farmers. The
| press extends it's columns for every
figure bearing on the cotton crop for the
dissemination of every item that is of
interest to the tiller Of the soil. No
true Southern newspaper is the friend of
Wall Street, none bear any friendly re-
lation to the assassin of the king of all
field products and all are willing, anX
ious and even pleading for the publica-
ton of such news items that will tend
to overthrow the dominating power in
years past that that has robbed the farm
er and burdened his farm with mortgage.
The farmers can realize not any more
forcibly than the press the fact that cot
ton is the staple product of the South
and the mainstay of the country Page
after page has been devoted by my paper,
the Atlanta Journal, to show to the farm
ers that cotton conservatively produced,
under methods approved by this associa-
ton, and cotton manufactured at home,
where the benefits of the industry all re-
main in the same community, is the royal
road to success. Not only the Journal,
but every Southern paper, has taken up
the same hue and cry, and today the
press of the South stands solidly with
the farmer, helping him lift his burden,
helping him solve the problem and lift
ing him to the vantage ground which
can be reached only through avenues of
modern and enlightened cultivation of
the fields and careful and thoughtful
study of the situation from an intelligent
standpoint"
At $3.50 o'clock the convention
again assembled to hear an address
| by Hon. James A. Wilson. Secretary
of Agriculture of the United States.
Below the address is given in full.