The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-03-09
MR.. BYRD'S
FINE SPEECH
In Congress Inspires Hope for Democracy
All Leading Democratic Papers North
end South Pronounce Il One Of
the Greatest In Congress.

the Greatest In Congress.
The New York Americans Wash.
ington special says:
In a great speech on the cotton
situation In the south, Representa-.
tive Adam M. Byrd, Of Mississippi,
in the House of Representatives, ar.
raigned the Republican party for its
neglect of the great industry and the
evil results brought upon that section
OF the country by the Republican high
protective policy. Representative
Byrd was congratulated after his
speech by most of the Representatives
from his own State, and by many
Democratic and Republican Represen.
tatives from other States.
In clear logical and straightfor.
ward manner Representative Byrd
told the story of cotton in the south.
The dignity and force of his address
were impressed upon his fellow mem.
bers, Democrats and Republicans
alike.
Mr.. Byrd said
'Mr. Chairman, when the great
convention that met at New Orleans a
few days ago solemnly declared in
favor OF curtailing the cotton acreage
% per cent in order that all classes
dependent upon the farmer might
prosper, it expressed q sentiment Of
condemnation Of the dominant policy
OF this Government that should sink
deep into and long linger about the
heart OF every protectionist in this
House.
BLAME PUT ON PROTECTION.
''There are many who believe that
the threatened condition of the south
is but the elimination of the evils
following in the wake of the pro.
tective policy; not only do they
believe that this pet policy of the
Republican party has enslaved the
agricultural masses Of the south to
the trusts, forcing them to pay from
twenty to forty per cent more than
they should for the necessaries of life,
but they also believe that it has iso-
lated them by a veritable Chinese wall
from the naked and hungry millions
Of other countries who are begging
for their products now rotting in the
fields.
ITO rob the weak in order to enrich
the strong is, indeed, indefensible in
any government; but there are still
greater wrongs. A government that
boasts Of the most magnificent civil.
ization that the world has ever
known, that is contented to stand
pat'' by policy that threatens to
dwarf the energies of ONE fourth Of
its citizens by compelling them to
labor, not to the full measure of their
capacity, to consign one-fourth Of
cheir fertile acres to the growth of
thistles and weeds, to force them to
discharge one.fourth of their laborers
who daily eat bread in the sweat of
their faces and to reduce to state of
miserable poverty 5000, 900 of that
simple race whose God never inspired
them with capacity above toiling in
the cotton field-this, I declare, Mr..
Chairman, to be deeper wrong than
robbery, for ioleness and penury sap
every virtue racial and national man
hood.
GREAT MARKETS OPEN.
Much could be done by wise
statesinanship toward the expansion
of the American cotton market
There are in China, South America
and Oceanica, nearly seven hundred
millions of people who are anxiously
awaiting an opportunity to consume
our great surplus, and were our states
men liberal enough to negotiate re-
ciprocal treaties, removing all tariff
distinctions between these people and
our cotton fields. never again would
we hear Of production and too,
this condition could be greatly i'm.
proved If our statesmen were te 90 on
one step further and grant every
American citizen desiring to send his
products to these far-away people, the
right to hoist the American flag over
his ship, purchased in any quarter Of
the globe for this purpose.
How could such . concession al
this fraught with so much good to the
southern people, injure any legiti.
mate American industry? Il could
not possibly hurt any Of the pet in.
dustries If the Republican party.
The Steel Trust, the Harvester Trust
or the Tin Trust could not possibly