The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-02-07
Leigh Hunt Means to Establish
There the Greatest PIanta-
ton in the World.
HAS POWERFUL BACKING.
Will Take Large Number of
Negro Farmers From United
States and Cultivate
100000 Acres.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Washington. Feb. 6.-Romantic as has
been the story of the successes and fail
ures of Leigh Hunt. friends who believe
in him predict that more romantic sue
cesses are in store for min in the future.
His latest project Is the development of a
great agricultural empire in the valley of
the Upper Nile for the raising Of Egyp-
tan cotton.
With the Government Of Egypt and the
English influence at his back, he has his
plan we'll started. and the cotton growers
of the United States have in him n most
formidable rival. He intends to take to
the Soudan a large number of negro farm
ers from the United States. and in the
course of a few years expects to have two
million acres under cultivation. When he
gets this-the largest plantation in the
world-in operation. he expects to give a
death blow to cotton corners and to sup
ply the markets of the United Kingdom
with the cotton for which it now depends
on the United States.
HIS FIRST VENTURE.
Leigh Hunt not many years ago was q
school teacher in Iowa. He became presi-
dent of the Iowa Agricultural College. He
decided to go farther West and seek his
fortune and selected Seattle as the point
where he would make his first attempt.
He became 4 newspaper proprietor there
and specialized in real estate. Those were
the boom" days and he accumulated
money last and real estate faster. He
was In a rev years worth several million
dollars. Tie panic of 1893 ruined him, and
MIR. Hunt awoke one morning to find him
self without a dollar and owing q million.
Instead Of being crushed. adversely only
served to bring out the strong points in
the man. He turned his back to the United
States and went to the Orient. After wan
dering through Japan and China looking
for an opportunity to retrieve his fortunes.
he went to Korea. and there he found 1t.
MINES GOLD IN KOREA.
He located gold-bearing quartz in large
quantities in the mountains of Korea and
set about turning this information to ad-
vantage. He finally obtained a concession
from the King Of Korea, by which he and
those associated with him were to oper-
ate the mines which 1t was proposed to
establish, INK the King was to receive %
per cent of the net receipts Here he re-
trieved his fortunes and went to Africa
to live.
He felt sure that the country lying south
of Berber was capable of exactly the agri-
cultural development that was attained in
the Valley of the Nile nearer its mouth.
These studies in time resulted in a propo-
sition from Mr.. Hunt to the Egyptian
Government, which was entertained, and
the project Of founding a great cotton
growing plantation in the very heart of
what was the desert of the Dervishes a
few days ago is in a fair way OF accom-
plishment.
VALUE OF PRESENT SCHEME.
OF all the manufactured goods of the
United Kingdom. cotton goods are chief
in importance. Eighty per cent Of the raw
| cotton produced in the world Is grown in
the United States. and the cotton-spinners
Of the United States are requiring a con-
stantly increasing share of it.
Cotton-spinners of England have been
watching the growing consumption of raw
| material by their American competitors
Until they can anticipate a time in the not
distant future when this country's entire
crop will be wanted by the mills at home.
Leigh Hunts plan in the Soudan has no
| speculative features. The money Is all
| provided to open and conduct actual-farm-
ing operations in the Soudan upon what
| ever scale shall at first be found feasible
and to extend them as fast as a suitable
, population can be obtained to do the work
| Of tillage.
To what extent Mr.. Hunts plan is prac-
tscable remains to be seen, but his pro-
| Iosal should not be confused with the
philanthropic dreams that have had for
| their purpose the solving Of the race prob
| lem. in the Unitei States. He is not pro-
| noting any scheme of deportation.