The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-05
ASSIST NEGROES OF
 TENNESSEE VALLEY
Inspiring Talks by Prominent Madi- son County Citizens to Negro Ten nants and Land Owners

Normal November 4.-(Special )-In
 clearing away their agricultural exhibits
 from the courthouse today, the negroes
 of Madison county are winding up one
 of the most significant agricultural meet
 ings which has ever been held in this sec
 tion. The meeting was called to order
 by Prof P. c. Parks director of agri-
 culture at the Agricultural and Mechan-
 ical college for negroes at Normal, and agents for the Smith-Lever extension fund in the Tennessee valley.
 The courthouse was decorated with the choicest products of the Tennessee valley and the walls were placarded with pointed epigrams which indicate that the negroes are waking up to the latest ideas in farming The subject of the conference was Alabama Must Feed Herself" The audience was made up principally of ne- gro tenants and land owners, but there was large number of white people present also. Speeches were made by prominent white landlords. among them MT. Roe of Triana. From MT. Roe's ad- dress it would appear that the large land owners of the Tennessee valley are anx- ious to Join in any movement which Will tend to improve the efficiency and happi- ness of their tenants.
 Ben P. Hunt trustee of the Agricul- tural and Mechanical college at Normal, expressed great pleasure in the fact that the regroes of this section are awaken ing to their opportunities and that they are taking a greater interest in improved methods of agriculture. Mr. Hunt intro duced MT. Stripling, demonstration agent for the white people of Madison county. MT. Stripling spoke on better breeds oI plants and animals and urged the negro farmers to pay greater attention to what Is being written and said about modern agriculture.
 The meeting was opened by David A. Crayson. chairman of the board of trus- tees of the Agricultural and Mechanical | college at Normal, who introduced Ed. Johnston, who in turn presented Con gressman B. B. Almon. who delivered the principal address. Congressman All | mon spoke at length upon the natura! re- sources of the Tennessee valley and the 1 superior agricultural advantages which l it offers. He said that the one-crop sys- l tenn has throttled the south since the civil I war and caused the southern farmers to be borrowers instead of lenders. He said ! that only 15 per cent of the western farm lands are under mortgage, while So per | cent of the southern farm lands are un- | der mortgage Congressman Almon favors a rural credit system with low in
 terest and long term payments. He seems I to regard rural credit. crop diversified ton and intensive farming as the salva- tion of the south.
 l Dr. w. H. Nixon, presiding elder Of the
 Huntsville district of the African Meth cdist Episcopal church, made very brief and apt response to the addrdess of Con-
 gressrnan AllnCn in which he urged more
 friendly relations between the races and paid high tribute to the friendship or the white man for the negro.
 l In closing the conference, Presiden5 l Buchanan called attention to the fact
 that in the Tennessee valley alone are | about 17.0OO negro tenants, 1500 negro farm owners and about 25,000 negro boys and girls of school age who must be the future negro farmers of this valley. This great host of 24O0O negro farm workers must l be taught to improve their own efficiency and the productive power of the soil which they cultivate and be made better satisfied with life upon the farm To this end he expressed great satisfaction in 1 the fact that negro tenants and owners
 had assembled in this conference and dis
 cusaed in the most encouraging manner
 the most fundamental problems of rural l life, namely, better farming. better re- i ligious and educational facilities and bet 1 ter business relations between landlords
 turn to their farms feeling that they