The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1912-01-29
PEOPLES FORUM
To the Editor of the News -

corning Tuskegee Institute, of Tus-
gekee, Alabama, would de of inter-
est to the citizens Of Winchester,
white and black, l here give a meal
ger outline Of my impressions
while in attendance at the Far
mer' and Teachers Conference.
Prof. j. II. Baryin, with his
corps Of teachers, with myself
and Mrs. E. S. Taylor left over the
C. & o. to Louisville, where we took
tie l.. & N. via Nashville to Mont
gomery, Alabama where we changed
to the Atlanta and West Point route
to Cheehan, forty miles northwest Of
Montgomery; thence from Cheehan
over the Air Line route five miles to
Tuskegee. The latter road is just
five miles long and is owned and
controlled by the capitalists Of Tus-
kegct, and ought TO pay good d.
vidend, since it costs ten cents per
mile singly or eight cents per mile in
groups of ten or more.
Arriving at the Institute we regis
tered and were given homes; the men
at Rockefeller Hall, large three
story dormitory, and the ladies at
Huntington Hall, ladies' dOrmitOry.
Profs. Garvin and Taylor, by having
their wives with them, were domi-
ciled with private families where
they also took their meals
The conference was IN a chapel
with seating capacity of $500, full
to overflOwing with white and color
ed people. The exhibits were grand
and consisted Of products OF
the farms. Many premiums
were given by the white people
of the town of Tuskegee. Rev. W.
C. Carlisle got the premium on the
best kept farm during the year and
for placing on the market the first
bale of cotton. Premium by Presi-
dent Tuskegee Bank (white) John
Strick. A negro boy, II years OF
age. 1st prize on best ! acre corn
raising ~ bushels at cost of So;
Theo Titus, 9 years old, 2nd prize on
corn raising. 80 bushels, at cost
OF S9.15. Another boy tied Titus,
but did not know the cost of crop.
These prizes were $2j: $15 and
so respectively, the latter prize be-
ing won by a 13-year-old girl. Priz-
es were given for the best kept
house, best garden, preserves, etc.
Most of these prizes are given by the
white plantation owners to encour-
age their tenants. Mr.. Campbell has
60 tenants with families on his plan
tation and only two has moved in
five years. Twenty acres is one
man and mule cotton farm The
prevailing price is one bail OF cotton
to the farm as rent. A man can ge.
all he can attend. The indOlent,
lazy and careless break about even.
while the industrious make good
money. A cabin and one acre of
ground is furnished free to the rent
er. The wife is supposed to take
care of the house and garden. Mr..
w. w. Thompson offers the ten best
housekeepers nice dress each for
1912; also a $50 prize to the man
raising the most corn per acre, and
to the man or men who pay their
debts, attend well his crop and saves
$50 will give one acre of land and
will reserve 40 acres adjoining to
sell to the same man when he builds
house on the acre.
l tell you when l heard this in my
very heart | said, "Go South, young
man, 90 South" We took with lis on
our trip a $4,000 (ten thousand dol
lar) Thoroughbred stallion from the
Patchen Wilkes Stock Farm. Last
summer Booker 7. Washington ex-
pressed to Prof. Garvin desire for
fine Kentucky horse. Mr.. Garvin
took the matter up with Ed Willis,
manager of Patohen Wilkes Farm,
Diclled out the horse he Thought
would suit; Mr. Willis took up the
matter with Mr.. Stokes, of New
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