The gold leaf., 1904-04-07
OUR RALEIGH LETTER.
THINGS SEEN AND HEARD AT THE STATE
CAPITAL.
GoRMAN NEWS BUREAU |

The majority Of those who read these
letters are farmers and land owners di-
rectly interested in agricultural pursuits,
largely cotton growing. | am, there
fore, going to talk to you a little while
today on that subject, and give you the
benefit of some information that has
come into my possession through per-
sOnal observation and conversation with
well informed farmers and cotton manu-
facturers.
In the first place. there is going to be
| more cotton in North Carolina this year
than in many years past-the natural
result of the high prices secured for the
last crop. The statement has been freely
made in certain quarters that this would
be impossible, because there is no re-
serve force of labor available" to culti-
vate large crop. But, to some extent
at least, that statement is not true.
One of the principal causes of the
growing scarcity of farm labor in this
and several other Southern States OF re-
cent years has been the rapid growth of
the cotton manufacturing industry.
Thousands of small farmers and farrn
hands have left the farms and gone to
work in the mills. Last year there were
$4,000 operatives employed in the North
Carolina cotton mills, and the great ma
iOrity of them were drawn from the
farms. Most of them left the farms
when the price ofcotton was so low that
there was little or no profit to be made
in growing it,
Now the conditions are reversed \
number of the mills have temporarily
discontinued operations and thrown out
OF work hundreds and hundreds of oper-
a nt r.,,p oh nrf
| time, thereby curtailing the wages of the
employees. | am informed that very
large proportion of the mill hands that
have been affected by these conditions
have returned to the farms And not only
| so, but a considerable number who had
| regular work in mills, including even a
number of Overseers. have voluntarily
| taken up farming again. One OF these
| said to me today:
| I'VE may not get sixteen cents for our
| cotton this year, but | will be satisfied
| if we realize twelve cents for it. In fact
! there's money in cotton at ten cents, and
| think we will be pretty certain to get
as much as that for this years CROP and
as far as | am personally concerned, do
| not intend to desert the farm again as
| long as cotton brings ten cents OrmOre." p"
| 1t is no uncommon thing to see cotton
growers buying additional stock l
have seen dozens of them come into
Raleigh during the last three months,
bringing loads of cotton and carrying
back one to three extra mules or horses
to work an increased acreage with this
year. With the present outlook, cotton
| growing farmers can afford topay better
| prices for labor and will therefore be
better able to secure it.
The general opinion seems to be that
our farmers are not acting unwisely in
| increasing their cotton acreage; for it is
| generally conceded that owing to the
short crops of the two last seasons,
cotton is pretty certain to bring a good
price again next season. 1t may not
| reach Is or 16 cents, but it will bring
enough to make its cultivation profta-
able
| the charge of conspiracy will not occur
g continuance But the defendants had
sci took advantage of it by making some
of the A. & n c. Railroad and the At
lantic Hotel at Morehead (Which the
| railroad bought a year or so ago) in
their argument before the court, and
through the filing of adffiavits. Judge
| Brown reserved his decision on the mo-
| tons to quash the bill of Indictment and
for a removal of the case to the Federal
Court. He will probably file his decision
! with the clerk OF the Superior Court here
today or tomorrow. The answer to
these affidavits and the report of the
committee appointed by the Governor
to examine into the moral, physical
and financial condition. of the road are
| awaited with much interest.
| 1t looks now to be more than ever
probable that tie Democrats of the
South will get together on the presi-
dental nominee question by uniting on
Judge Parker. Ii he secures the delega-
ton from New York they will be ALMOST
certain to do SO, in which case his nOmi-
nation will be assured.
In the gubernatoral race Mai. Sted-
man apparently continues to lead, and
visitors from various sections say he is
still growing in favor all over the State
lie has very large number of friends in
every locality and they are devoted to
his interests and are doing all they can
to effect his nomination, and many OF
them say they are confident of success.
| | have heretofore alluded to the
strength that Lieut.. Gov. Turner is de-
veloping. If the reports that reach here
are true the claim of his friends, that he
will receive the second highest vote on
first ballot in the convention, appears
likely to prove true. He is unquestion.
ably strong candidate, and he too
seems to be gaining strength every day.
For instance, the Morganton News
Herald of last week, in a column editori.
al commencing his candidacy, says he