The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-11-18
Knight
Direction of Ben Fk Grand Theatre Monday Night

found that you were alittle earlier in
doing everything that had to be done
in the crises of the Nation than any
body else. | have found that you
made declaration os independence at
Mecklenburg about a year before we
thought OF it in other parts of the
country. And | understand that YOU
suppressed the stamp tax and emptied
out the tea Il very cOnsidera ble time
before they had that tea-party in Bos-
ton harbOr. 1t is, therefore, matter
OF extreme self-congratuation on my
part to havefrOm your distinguished
men and from the people of a State
like this, such a cordial welcome.
"We have been travelling the streets
of your city since early morn, and
feel reasonably certain now that ]
+ know every face in North Carolina. In
the course of that travel we met that
beautiful bevy of your children ar
ranged according o he national flag,
and we saw i'll their bright eyes and
Well-nOuriSiIpd cheeks and chubby lit
tie legs, evidence of the prosperity OF
this community prosperity that
recognizes its responsibilities by put
ting the profits that you make out OF
cotton into education.
81 observe that you count a good
deal on the long leaf pine, and | con-
graduate that you are the third or
fourth State in the treasure of timber
in the United States. But-I urge upon
you the lesson that the history of the
| timber treasure of other States and
its destruction ought to teach you in
the preservation of that which makes
your State rich today among the
States. We have reached a time in
the history of this country when if we
would have timber at all we must pur-
sue the ecOmmOn-SenSe course Of treat
ing it in such q way that twill re-
produce itself; and of cutting it in
such way that we shall not destroy
it altogether. We must-preserve it
from destructive fires, and we must
take steps of caution and precaution
in order to do that. You have within
the boundary of your State a gentle
man named Vanderbilt, who has gone
before any one in the science of for
estry, and congratulate you on hay
ing that example that thereby you
may formulate laws which shall pre-
serve to you the timber of your State,
continue your wealth and prosperity,
and form a model to other States in
the preservation of that which God
has given you and preserved to this
moment.
"1ou have also fourteen-cent cot
ton. The Governor said fourteen cents
| have just come from the State of
South Carolina where their new Sena-
tor has made it fifteen cents; and |
am a little bit doubtful whether we
ought to admit 1 4 cents; at any rate
IA Or u cents is enough to make
every one smile that comes within
the borders of the cotton raising
States. 1t brings about a wealth to
the cotton producer and the farmer
and it strengthens that element
in our community that ought to be
and is the basis of the progress of our
civilization. | congratulate the peo-
pie of North Carolina that next to
the State of Mississippi it has popu-
latiOn more devoted to the soil and
its cultivation than any other State
in the Union. You do not have large
cities, and | do not think that a defect
at all in your civilization. The fact is
that the tendency toward concentra-