The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-11-09
RALEIGH LETTER.
Southern immigration Conference to
be Held in Chattanooga this Week
Gov. Glenn to Preside-Cotton
Growers Association, etc.
german News BUREAU. !
Raleigh, n. c., Nov. 5, 1905. I

Raleigh n. c., Nov. 5, 1905.
r. On Thursday and Friday OF the present
week, that is to say November 9th and
10th. there will be held the first South
ern Conference on Immigration since the
National Southern immigration Conven-
was held six months ago in Washington,
over which Gov Glenn presided and of
which he was elected permanent presi
dent. This Conference will be held at
Chattanooga. Tenn, and Gov. Glenn
says that be has received letters from
most OF the governors OF the Southern
States and that the ma ority OF them
will attend.
Governor Glenn states that it is hoped
to make the Conference permanent ad-
iunct OF the national parliament and to
arrange for regular annual conferences OF
representative Southern men interested
in the immigration and industrial move
ment OF the various Southern States and
thereby better facilitate the work in
hand. Not much has yet been accom-
plished in the matter Of inducing foreign
immigration to North Carolina although
it has been figured out recently that two
immigrants from the old countries ar
rive in New York every minute of the
three hundred and sixty-fve days OF the
year. We all understand that the class
needed most at this time is that which
can be readily utilized on the farms, eth
err as farm hands employed at regular
wages or as small farmers on their own
account who will farm on shares
Housekeepers in the cities, Raleigh es-
pecially, are feeling about as seriously as
the farmers for the lack of domestic help.
Not one third of the families of this city
today, who are accustomed to employ
ing servants, have the help they desire
and need. And this too. in the face of
the fact that the wages of negro women
have been raised from thirty-three to
fiftey per cent. more than was paid two
or three years ago. Many families who
are able to employ help and desire to do
SO have no servants at all, and cannot
get any that are worth having at any
price. The majority of negro women
here today will not go out any more into
domestic service at ALL
But as Governor Glenn and several
other prominent North Caro,nians who
are interesting themselves in the matter
OF bringing white farm laborers and do
nestle servants down here to take the
places once filled by the negroes are now
telling the people: We cannot expect to
be successful to any extent until we raise
the standard of wages for both classes.
And in the matter o. farm labor, we
must prepare to give the newcomers bet
ter accommodations than we have pro-
vided for the negro farm hands.
If ten thousand of the more desirable
classes of farm laborers We're induced to
come to North Carolina this month and
should be distributed over the State
among the farm owners who are calling
70 bnx tIn
State thirty days unless they We're given
better quarters than has been the aver
age custom and paid better wages than
our farmers as rule are now paying,
and more than most Of them seem will
ing to pay.
This is a plain truth that some may
not appreciate, but it is written in the
hope that it will have a good effect
written to home weekly papers only, for
home cOnsumption-fOr it is much better
that our people should fully understand
the subject beforehand and act accord
ingly. 1t is infinitely better to do this
than to bring a lot OF these white labor
ers down here under mistaken conditions,
only to have most of them pull out and
leave dissatisfied and give the State
bad name in the matter to their fellows
up North. The latter course would so
hamper all attempts in the future to Sc
cure immigrants that practically nothing
could be done in that line for many years
to come at least. What we want to do
is to make the needed changes of condi-
ton and advance in wage scale before
the immigrants come, SO as to hold those
that do come and get them to induce
Others to follow them.
AS cotton reached and passed the eleven
cents notch on the Raleigh market last
Saturday the farmers of the State are
naturally feeling good today and the
prospect that the staple will continue to
advance during the present week is add
ing to that comfortable feeling.
AS it happened the Wake County Cot
ton Growers Association was scheduled
to hold a meeting in this city Saturday,
and it was just as the delegates from the
county were making their way to the
hall to attend that meeting that they
learned that the figure I'll cents) fixed
by the recent meeting of the National
Association had been reached and slight
ly passed, for the highest grade brought
eleven and one-sixteenth cents, and is
selling for that on the Raleigh market
today (Monday)
OF course the delegates were highly
elated and the first thing they did was
to send a congratulatory telegram to
PRESIDENT Harvie Jordan and adopt a
set of resolutions, smacking of the costa