The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-11-13
TILLMAN IN TEXAS.
He Discusses Agricultural and Tech
incal Schools-Contrasts the Mer-
its Of Clemson with the Texas
School to the Advantage of
South Carolina.
Houston Post.


dress delivered before the faculty and
student body Of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College Of Texas by Sem
ator Ben R. Tillman, Of South Car
olina, on the morning Of October II:
DR.. Harrington, Ladies and Gen.
tlemen and Students of the Texas
Agricultural and Mechanical College:
1t is a peculiar pleasure to me, from
associations which have just been
mentioned, to be with you. 1t is a
source Of great qualification always
to look into the bright young faces OF
college students any time or any
where. The world looks so bright
to them, everything is so full of hope
and ambition and purposes that it
does an old man like me good to 60
back once in while, even for
brief time, and drink from the spring,
as it we're, Of youthful inspiration.
In addition to what has been said
about my having had something to
do with founding the State College OF
Agriculture in our State, I claim as
an equal or superior distinction the
paternity of a college for women in
South Carolina, so I have a double in
terest in education along technical
and industrial lines. In thinking
about the subject or the subjects that
I should talk to you on this morning,
7 am led to make brief allusion to
your school here, because it is i'm
possible for us not to make compari-
sons, and while some author on good
manners has said that comparisons
arc odious they are not always useless
because it sometimes causes attention
to be attracted to the subject or to
conditions which otherwise escape
notice.
Texas is a great Commonwealth
great in very many ways. The lars-
est in all the sistcrhood Of States in
area, and the largest in possession
of very rich arabic land. You have
an immense area Of fertile soil, SIM
liar to very large number of East
crn States, but you have more Of
what I would call rich soil; soil
adopted to profitable agriculture,
than any other State. I have made
it nv business since I have been in
public life and had opportunity to
60 about over this country of ours as
often re duties would allow. l felt
that it was an obligation that I owed
to the position I hold rs one Of the
ninety Senators who make laws for
the United States to familiarize my
self with the people and with the
geography Of the country. l have,
therefore, been in every State in the
Union except three, and | have roam
ed up and down, back and forth,
North, South, East and West; so that
I have birdscyc view Of the entire
Union, and | can speak with author
ity in declaring that the possibilities
of this imperial Commonwealth and
its capacity for maintaining popula-
ton are immense.
Some Comparisons Made.
The State Of Iowa, believe, is the
one gem in the collection Of Common
wealths which has more rich land, ac-
cording to it's size, than any and all
others. It is about onc-siXth as lar
&c rs Texas, but it will make in the
ncighborhood Of 4O0,090,000 bushels
Of corn this year; but every acre Of
it is practically under cultivation and
it has less waste land in it than any
other State in the Union, hence its
magnificent record as producer. I
started to make some comparisons
and I want every person to under
stand that it is solely for the purpose
of helping this school rs I know how
that is all I have in view. South
Carolina, with $4,000 square miles,
and very large proportion Of that
is very inferior soil, agriculturally,
has only about 100000 white people
in it. We have about 100000 negroes
--more's the pity; but South Caro-
lima with about the one-fifth Of your
white population and about one-tenth
Of your area can outclass you on an
agricultural and mechanical college
so badly that it ought to make Texas
hang her head in shame. I do not
speak now of the students, please, be-
cause I would not like to run the risk
Of making any comparison between
the manhood and all the other admir-