The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-20
MEETING OF NEGROES
THE woEksas SsAnan AT rcTmnnaASE TusKnGsn. or
Booker Wnshlnxton MaI<es . Hopeful Address And Farmers And othern Report Progress
 Declarations Adopted.

Tuskegee. Feb, 1S--(Special) - Booker T. Washington opened the six teenth annual session. of the Negro Conference at TuskeEeeSt today with an explanation to the farmers. He spoke to them of the seeds which 1t has been the custom of the Agricultural De- partment at Washington to send to the conference for distribution every year.
 .These seeds,v he said, .'are not sent out by the government as q charity. They are given you to encourage you to grow something in your gardens so that you can see the difference bee tween getting your vegetables out of the soil and buying them in the store
 A large number of negro farmers who had come to the conference with samples of the vegetables. they had raised took advantage of these remarks to hand or lift up for the inspection of Washington and the conference sam ples of the Beets and the turnips they had grown during the past year from the seeds they had obtained the ye1r before.
 The biggest turnip produced came from q Macon County farmer, Thomas Sizemore, from Sweet Gum Community. He said this turnip weighed eleven pounds and that he had raised q good many more like it, which sold for from two and one half to three cents a pound.
 T do not believe farmers who raise turnfps and beets like these on their crops will suffer for want of something to eat" Washington continued. .i want all of you to take these seeds and go home and do likewise.v
 Rain and cold discouraged a good <many of the negroes in the surround Ing country from attending the con ference this year. There was not the usual assortment of wagons. carts and ox-teams on the grounds of the Nor nal School when the sessions opened today. But 1t did not discourage the farmers who came from distance They came from Georgia. Florida, Mississippisand Tennessee Wherever the fame of the school has spread men came to the conference to see and to hear and to tell what they had accom- tion.
 Before he proceeded to his annual address Washington cautioned the members of the conference about the importance of telling the truth.
 There is a great temptation. when q man gets on his feet to speak to a crowd" he said ''to state the thing a ittie stronger than 1t is It seems to me It's harder to tell the truth to n large number of people than to one man. We want the truth here, as far as we can get it..
 This sentiment was strongly endorsed by c. ". Jeter, a preacher from near MiIstead, who owns 42O acres of land.
 Washington explaining the purpose of the conference as 1t was orietnaIIv started. said that 1t was for the pur- pose Of encouraging the people to struggle on and improve their condi- tion by showing them actual examples or men and women who had succeeded-
 some people, he said, "criticise ua because we try here to look at inc bright side of things and emphasIze The successes of our people rather than their failures. Now God knows that we have troubles enough. We have them every day. And that's the reaso,, 1p seems to me we can afford to taIre one day In the year to look to fhS bright side of things, to rneShura o,,E successes and get some hope to carrv ns through the next twelve months When q man makes up his mind that ne IS going to die, you know. thars is no medicine can cure him. Well st 1usE 90 with Q race. We must ro patiently and hopefully forward. Yon know what the Bible says: Keen ove,-- coming evil with--what Is 1t the Rshla says--wfth good. That's right.v Tn the course of his address Wash