The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-13
FARMERS TALK OF LABOR LAW Meeting of the Agricul- tural. Club. PROF. DUGGAR NOT HERE Resolution Deplores Condition
 Of Cotton Crop. Pledge Themselves Not to Sacrifice Their Staple Because of Present
 Prices-Proposition to Bet
 ter Organization.

The Montgomery Agricultural Club met | at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon in the Council chamber of the city hall, heard the report of It's special committee on | labor contract legislation and after a discussion of the question endorsed the l Hogue amendments to the present labor | contract laws.
 Yesterdays session Wi called for noon | but was postponed until 3 o'clock. It was | held in pursuance of a resolution of ad- | Journment al it's meeting held on Satur- | day, Sept. 5, when the organization de- cided that for the special purpose of discussing what it considered needed changes in the laws governing the con- | tracts between laborers and their em- ployers. it would convene in session ex- traordinary.
 Thirty members of the club were pres ent. President M. B. Houghton was in the chair and Secretary Barnes was at the desk.
 J. T. Butts of Morgansville and T. P. Riley. who lives near Montgomery. were elected to membership in the club.
 Hour for Meetings.
 Dr. H. S. Stone of a committee appoint ed at the previous meeting to select a day and an hour of meeting. reported that his committee favored the adoption of the early afternoon of Saturday as the time of convention. and after a brief dis cussion the members of the club voted that 2:30 o'clock on Saturday be the time of meeting.
 c. G. Abercrombie suggested that the organization hold semi- monthly instead of monthly sessions, but the disposal of this matter was deferred until the first Mon day in October.
 President Houghton, who is ex-officio chairman of the Committee on Legisla- tion, in regard to labor contracts, read a report of the committee, reviewing the question. The report, in brief, is that the present laws with the addition of the Hogue amendments now pending be- fore the Legislature will mea all re- quirements.
 Discussed Labor Laws.
 The reading of the report was followed by a long discussion.
 MT. Mastin said that he had interviewed Senator Hogue, whose bill lnd just been reported from the House to the Senate. Senator Hogue was willing to hold the bill for recommendations from the club.
 M. s. Scott and others expressed the opinion that the law even if strengthened with it's proposed amendments. would not hold good against a violation of con- tract by the employe if he happened to be irresponsible and possessed of no prop erty; that the law would punish the vio- lator of the contract but would not reim- purse the injured person.
 Several members said that no law could be of assistance to employers ex cept by deterring prospective offenders by the example of stringent punishment.
 All agreed, however, that the Hogue amendments made the present labor law | the best to be obtained and the club, by | unanimous vote, endorsed them.
 MT. Houghton read to the assembly a ] telegram from Professor J. F. Duggar, | of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. | stating that it was impossible for him | to be present at the meeting. Professor | Duggar was to have made speech yes | terday, and his inability to attend the session was regretted.
 " Condition of Cotton.
 w. D. Sayre offered the following reso- lution, which was unanimously adopted:
 Resolved, That it is the sense and | belief of the Montgomery Agricultural Club that the crop of cotton in this State has been so seriously injured by the heat and drought that the probable yield will not exceed the yield of 1902-03, and | in view of this fact we believe that be- fore the true condition of the crop is as- certained our crop should not be sacri- feed by the farmer because it is a little above the prices of former years"
 A. B. Brassell, in an eloquent speech, proposed the adoption of a resolution in- troduced by him, to organize through the offices and efforts of the State Commits sioner of Agriculture, agricultural clubs in each precinct, to organize, these into a county organization, these again into a State body; and finally to call a meet ing of agricultural clubs of the cotton growing States and thus form a cotton growers association.
 MT. Brassell introduced also a resolution to have published from the office of the State Commissioner of Agriculture, a devoted to the agricultural in tcrests of the State.
 These resolutions were referred to the executive committee.
 The club then adjourned until the first Monday in October.