Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-26
GREAT IS BOIL WEVILL.
S0.Called Pest a BeDefaCtOf TO the
South.
TEXAS BROKERS INTERESTING VIEWS.

TEXAS BROKERS INTERESTING VIEWS.
Mike II. Thomas Says Insect Has Put
$40 In the Pockets of the Southern
Farmer For Every Dollar II Has
Taken out-some Points to Think
About.
The following address was deliv-
cred before the Arkansas Cotton con-
vention at Monte Ne, Ark, last We'd
nesday, by Mike H. Thomas, a we'll
known cotton broker of Dallas,
Texas:
I was born and raised in Texas.
and the boil weevil is the only thing
that 1 ever saw that raised so much
devilment as he has In that great
state and still live. He has done
more than the country he came from
ever did, and that was to lick the
stuffing out Of Texas and the United
States thrown in as lagniappe.
When anybody or anything that
wears hair and hide, walks, flies or
crawls, whips a native-born Texan,
they have my greatest admiration,
for 1 am forty years old and have
matched at least 100 fights with them
myself, and have my first one to win
yet.
1t Is said that a male and female
boil weevil, after having passed
through their counting days and have
been party to the ceremony and
taken the solemn marriage VOWS, will
ri mr.
one year, and they belong to the
union at that. But 1t Is not the guam
tity that licks the Texan, its the size
OF the brute, varmint or bug. That
is where he has his advantage, for
anything that a Texan cannot go af-
ter with a gun Is safe, for he has not
yet learned the modern up-to-date
warfare practiced so successfully in
the United States senate. But Tex
as Is great and growing state, and
her people are the best and smartest
on earth, and II will be but question
of a short time until they adopt other
and more harmless methods of over
coming their enemies.
The efforts that have been made in
the past to lick the boil weevil not
by the United States government,
have proved such bowling failures
that they are ridiculous. They first
went after him with Paris Green.
George Aldredge and Horatio Adams
bought IL in carload lots and had
their plantations smeared so thick
with 1t that ii looked like the EN-
erald Island. Hugh Fitzgerald and
Dan Sullivan went into spasms at
the sight Of them and wanted to
erect a monument to Tom Moore on
the spot The following Sunday
morning Aldredge and Adams went
out to see the effect Of the Paris
Green and they had not gone over
fifty feet when they saw an old cock
weevil on the top Of a nine-foot cot
ton stalk as fat as Jew goose, who
scratched his third rib with his sew
enth left hind foot and winking his
right eye, cried out to his wife, Good
morning, Carrie, the pair Is green,
If they think they can kill us with
this stuff"
The next attempt was made by the
United States government. They i'm
ported some ferocious man-eating
Guatemalan ants. South Texas was
selected as the battle-ground, and
while 1t Is strictly against the laws
of the state to pull off a prize fight
within it's borders, the United States
seems to claim to be larger and have
more authority. but we do not believe
It, DIR. Knapp was selected as referee;
DR.. Hunter was chosen as second and
bottle-holder for the ant, and DR..
Morrill, was given the honor Of filling
the same position for the weevil.
The bears sold the cotton market
down forty points, anticipating a ia
vorable result for the ant, and the
whole world waited breathlessly for
the final result Of this great battle.
Labor and capital labored together
as one and sought the telegraph Of
fees TO get the earliest returns by
rounds. Eureka" was on the tongue
Of every man, woman and child. 1t
was cried from the housetops, from
the press and from the lowlands what
our country would be saved.
But, like nature, the unexpected
happened. The ant and the weevil
were placed in the ring together-at
the sound of the gong the ant gave
scream like a panther and made a
rush for the weevil. Knapp says,
ITS all over" Hunter says, He
eats 'em alive" But to their dismay,
the weevl side-stepped. caught the
ants fifth right wing, jerked it from
his body and beat the ant over the
head with the bloody end Of it until
he cried for help.
But, seriously, the boil weevil like
everything else put on the earth by
the Great Artificer Of the universe,
is for the good Of man. For example,
the house moth. 1t is condemned by
every good housewife in every civil
lied land, and yet, it plays its part as
nature intended, and Is great bene-
factor TO man. For the birds build
ing their nests in trees Of countries
like the United States, England and
Scotland. who are great producers OF
wool, bind the twigs and straws to-
gether with threads of wool, and II 1t
were not for the moths who cut the
threads when the nests are aban-
doned, it is estimated by scientific
men that our forests would be ruined
in less than 100 years.
So 1t Is with the weevil. He has
already proven himself to be the
greatest benefactor the south has
ever known. While he destroys mil
lions of dollars worth of cotton. and
Is looked upon as an enemy, ne mas
put SO into the pocket Of the south
to where he has cost 1t one. He has
destroyed 100000 bales Of cotton at
$40 per bale, which is equal to $lO,-
10000 and advanced the price OF
II, 100000 bales SO per bale which
Is equal to $1O0.OOO,OO0. And while
Texas alone suffered the loss and 1t
looked like she was bearing all the
burden, and the remainder Of the
cotton states reaping all the rewards,
such Is not the case. for while 1t cost
her the entire S10.OO0.OOO il increased
the value of her 100000 bales $40
per bale, which is equal TO 100000
900.
But the real benefit to this great
state Is yet to come, for the good this
pest has done the state in the past
will be as nothing compared to what
it will do for it in the future. Our
one Great Creator made us all equal
and alike, and while we complain of
the weevis' ravages and think we are
cursed, it is because not one man out