The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-21
Farmers of Elizabeth City and
Adjoining Counties III Con-
ference at Hampton.
HUNDREDS IN ATTENDANCE
Other Matters OF General Interest
TO Agriculturists Also
Discussed.
Especial TO The Times-Dispatch. ]

Especial TO The Times Dispatch.1
Hampton. Va, March 20.-The farm
crs OF Elizabeth City County and
many from Warwick, York and James
City Counties had complete possession
Of Hampton to-day, ana they kept in
the saddle all day long. They lis
tened to speeches on better farming
in the morning and again in the after
noon, and they got In dead earnest on
the taxation subject, and 1t looks as
If the gathering here to-day is the
beginning. and a very bright begin
ming, OF a vigorous campaign that will
become Statewide against the unjust.
irregular and altogether abominable
system OF assessing and taxing prop
crty, both real and personal, in the
Commonwealth Of Virginia.
Between four and five hundred
farmers of Elizabeth City County and
adjoining counties durt their plows
and came to town to-day to discuss
and hear discussed tho taxation ques-
ton Other matters pertaining to
farming and better farming were dis
cussed, OF course. FOR tho big meet
ing was combination of farmers
institute, held under the auspices or
the State Department of Agriculture
and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,
which to-day wound up most sue
ctssful two weeks running of one OF
those famous institute trains. and q
general farmers conference held under
the auspices, and in response TO an
invitation from the Hampton Retail
Merchants Association, one of the
Invest trade organizations In Virginia.
Farmers Invited.
The association, through its presi-
dent, Hunter X. Booker, invited the
farmers of this, Elizabeth City County,
and of adjoining counties To meet mere
in general conference to discuss mat
t.xtn ~ IL
culturists and especially the inequality
Of the taxation methods now In vogue
in this state. President Booker and
his executive committee purposely Sc
lccted to- day as the time Tor the con-
ference because this date had already
been named by Commissioners i<oincr
as the time to hold "a farmers insti-
tute here IT was thought we'll to
make n consolidated all-day meeting
that could not fail to interest any
man engaged in agriculture To That
end the association provided for
big spread. which was called lunch.
but to an onlooker and q participant 1t
looked like a mighty big dinner. The
lunch was served by the good wom-
on of the ST Agnes Guild of st. Johns
Church, and grand spread 1t was
Four hundred and fifty horny-handed
sons of toll sat down to the dinner,
and Immediately after doing Justice to
II,
the institute train and thoroughly In
spccted the Bellwood exhibition and
enjoyed it not little. Then they re-
turned to the courthouse and listened
all the afternoon to further discussion
of modern methods of farming and Of
the taxation laws and customs In Vir-
ginia.
The conference was opened at 10
o'clock in the morning in the court
house. and when President Booker
called the meeting to order every
available seat was occupied. there
being I'm the building by actual count
420 farmers. The president of the Re-
tail Merchants Association warmly
welcomed the farmers. and then in
troduccd Harry Houston, editor OF the
Hampton Monitor. and member of
the Virginia Legislature. Mr.. lIous-
tons theme was The Tax Laws. and
How To Improve Them" He was fol-
lowed by Commissioner Koiner, who
talked entertaininGly OF the work OF
tho Agricultural Department and farm
work in general
Harry Holt, the Circuit Court clerk
OF Elizabeth CITY County was the next
speaker. and the paper he presented
brought out some interesting Stats
tics showing tho inequality OF assess