The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-16

will be able to reconcile themselves to the expenditure of the money necessary to the building of good roads, then pros- perlty will come, for with the building of the roads citizenship will seek homes on the farms that will bring from the ground it's richest blessings.
 As proof that other crops than alfalfa can be successfully raised on lands here tofore worn out by cotton culture, let anyone go down the Alabama Great Southern railroad and see the trucking that is done in the neighborhood of Epes and Cuba. Acres that formerly produced nothing but mortgages after a cotton crop or two had been raised thereon, now are making for their owners bank accounts and happiness in the contentment and satisfaction that comes from owing no man.
 Some may say that my theory of using the lands for other than cotton culture is all very good but that the people are not able to undertake anything else. I insist that it is not a question of abil- ity, but it is a question of awakening. If a community knew that an invading army was marching on it, the people would not stop to question the cost of a proper and adequate defense against the invasion, but would immediately summon all aid possible and get ready to repel the invasion. While no army of men are about to invade our land (and may God grant that the days of war are for ever over for this land) yet an army of invasion Is coming against us, and 1t is time to be making our plans of defense. Wake up to a full realization of the re- suits of the invasion by the boil wee vils-everywhere 1t has gone 1t has car ried with 1t an almost complete destruc- ton of the cotton crop-and caused such depressions In business as to bring about A panic-and you will see the necessity for action.
 Others may say that we have the ne- gro laborer in the cotton fields and that there Is a moral responsibility on us to take care of and look after this weaker brother. The departure of cotton culti- vation does not necessarily mean the departure of the negro from the fields. He can be used, and successfully used under trained workmen. for the working of any other crop. He is by nature a field laborer and do not believe that any race can ever do as much work in the field as the negro but to get the best results from his labor 1t is necessary to have over him skilled laborers.
 Now I am not pessimist but on the other hand am an exceedingly hopeful optimist; but I remember motto that was given me when a young man by learned judge. now deceased, Hope for the best. prepare for the worst and sub nit to the inevitable" After reaching
 
 maturer years I have come to realize that this was good rule of life, but the greatest trouble I have had in life has been to see "the worst ahead of time, so as to be prepared Tor It. In the case of the boil weevil the farmers are given ample time in which to pre- pare for the coming. The government has sounded the note of warning, and woe will be the lot of him who needs 1t not.
 I know I am not able to properly ad- wise the farmers what to do, but I am able to see and realize that a change from the present conditions will be neces- sary and if in this short article I shall have impressed one to the point of mak- ing him "sit up and think" I will feel repaid. They, the farmers, can from other sources learn what is best to be done in each individual case and what I want Is for them to do 1t and then act Greensboro, Ala.