The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20

as the fellow said of making spoon
or spelling a horn," everybody is going
into the cotton business with u reckless
ness that will either make or break. In
1867 farmers went wild over cotton be-
cause, in the latter part of 1866, it brought
a big price, and everybody was certain
that the price would keep up at least
one more year; SO, acting on their judg-
ment, they went it wild on the next crop.
NY father sold most of his cotton in the
fall of 1866, at high figure, but held
dozen bales to be sold, as he might need
money during the spring and summer OF
the next year, while he was making that
expected big crop. But, all at once, the
price went down so that the dozen bales
which he could have sold for 20 cents a
pound, did not bring when he needed the
money, half that price; and what made
1t worse, such were the seasons and the
conditions that the cotton crop OF that
year was almost total failure. l made
short speech to my brother farmers
Jew weeks ago, in which l suggested 1t
would be safer to diversity a little, and
not risk all on a single crop. There's one
thing that is certain: if tobacco runs
away, up in price next fall, the men who
planted none Will wish they had. II /
were running farm IN a tobacco growing
section, I think would plant enough to
get o. pull on the high price that may
prevail next fall when cotton probably
will be about half what it is now selling
at. And, then, farmers can make money
on poultry, Judging by what hen sells
at, from % to so cents, while eggs bring,
for at least half of the year, from Is to
90 cents dozen. Diversity brother farm
ers, and then, if you cannot get big money
on one crop, you'll hit it on the other.
An old time squirrel hunter I knew
when I was a boy had two guns--a small
bore rifle and a shot gun, both OF which
he took along when he was going out for
O days hunt. The shot gun was all right
when hunting among the dog woods, oaks
and hickorys on the high land; he could
just pile the squirrels with it; but when
he got down in the low ground, where the
roplars, gums and pines were hundred
feet high, and a squirrel was right IN
the top, the shot gun wouldn't do: but
with that little rifle he could pick him
out, in nine cases out of ten. So, sug.
gest the farmer would do well to take
beth the rifle and the shot gun along;
by go doing he will be surer of game.
What wonderful stride has public SEN
timent made on the prohibition question
In the last quarter of century, Twenty
three years ago, there was q prohibition
campaign in this State that was almost a
failure, so far as votes were concerned.
but, in reality. it was the most important
and far-reaching movement on moral
line TINT had ever been made, in the old
Commonwealth. The Legislature, in re-
spouse to the hundreds of petitions that
were presented to that body, passed a
bill allowing an election to be held on
the question of prohibition. and in 1881,
a campaign was made that some of US
can never forget. In the early part of
the campaign, it seemed that the measure
would receive an overwhelming majority
of the popular vote All the ministers,
white and colored, with but few excep-
tions, in the State, were for prohibition.
and the colored people, if anything. were
more favorable to it than were the
whites. A great convention was held here
In Raleigh over which Judge James c.
McRae presided. and such was the en-
thusiasm manifested that one could hard
ly see how the State could go otherwise
than for prohibition. But, somebody dis
tics i'll the movement, and so call was
made for meeting OF the Republican
State Executive Committee, to consider
the pros and cons of the matter. The
committee consisted of seven men, as I
remember. end five of them came together
here In Raleigh, and after talking over
the matter, three of the five, decided
it would be a good thing to array the
Republican party Of the State against
prohibition, and make an appeal to the
negroes on the score of politics, telling
them prohibition was Democratic meas
ure that would take away their rights,
and put them ali back into slavery. That
act of three Of the committee was publish
ed and acquieSced in, as the distum OF the
Republican party In North Carolina; the
result of which was the great bulk or the
negroes turned right about and were as
much opposed to the movement as they
had before favored it. The ReDubhc
PARTY snapped off its name Tor The Id
uuor Dealers Association, under which
name two campaigns were conducted. l
want TO say to his everlasting credit that
Col. J. G.. L. Harris was one of the two
committeeman who opposed making poll
tics out of the movement, and would not
be led into the fight against prohibition,
but worked for it. AS a further conse-
quence of that political move, as soon as
It was seen the negro vote would be cast
almost solidly against prohibition, hun
dreds of white men who had intended TO
vote for it, began to ease off, and TO trim
their sails for the future. They did not
care 10 be identified with a moral move
ment that was, in their opinion, doomed
to be failure. So. that, it was for
lorn hope almost from the beginning of
the campaign. Many white politician
who, if the chances had been better. would
have been a staunch friend and advocate
of prohibition, played weather-cock for
a while. and veered clear around to the
whiskey crowd. when he became satisfied
how the wind would blow on election day
was sorry for some of them, whom |
knew. Their better judgments and their
corsc encas pro, ested, but they were afraid
of the whiskey power, and did not care
TO be stranded on as dry a. thing as
prohibition. I met some of that class in
debate several times, and before large
crowds of negroes, who were ignorant
III x-arxy ,,a,-oh 81 tboxy y,o;r1,t 1ao MT