Page Two
THE CAROLINA UNION PARMER
The Annual Convention.
Some weeks ago we promised to
print all the addresses delivered at
the Annual Convention in Raleigh in
December. Some have already been
printed in this paper, and some we
have been unable to get in proper
shape. We are giving in this issue
addresses of Major Graham, Mr. A.
L. Cox, Dr. Alexander, and Hon.
James R. Young.
MAJOR GRAHAM’S ADDRESS.
The following address was deliver
ed by Major W. A. Graham of the
Department of Agriculture:
“Mr. President:—As the repre
sentative of your Department of the
State Government, it is a great
pleasure to me to bid you welcome.
The Department is at your service
and will be pleased to do anything
in its power for your pleasure or
profit. Come up to see us.
“In accordance with the law, it is
the grown or adult farmer who is
committed to the Agricultural De
partment for instruction and devel
opment. To me personally, it is a
great pleasure to greet the farmers
in organized body. I have given
more than thirty years to the promo
tion of the farmers’ interests. I
have been with him not only in his
resolutions, but also in his acts.
About the only thing remaining of
the great alliance movement in the
United States is the North Carolina
Business Agencies System which I
formulated. !
“As a member of the Legislature,
I prepared both of the acts now upon
the statute books in the interest of
the farmer. It is my purpose to be ,
loyal to the end. j
“I congratulate you upon the im- .
proved condition of the farmer as ;
shown by smiling face when he as- \
sembles to discuss matters with his ,
brother. In the recent past the peo
ple were grouchy. I hope this change
will continue and the prosperity of
the farmer until he comes into his ^
own. j
“A few years ago there was a great
awakening in the State regarding ag- j
ricultural education. The idea seem- j
ed to be that the boys should be pre
pared to be better farmers than their ,
fathers were. The men did not agree
to this, but said: ‘Here am I, send
me; I am still alive and kicking.’
‘Let me have an opportunity in this
work.’
“In 1899 the Department of Agri
culture had been re-organized by act
of the Legislature.
“It was given special work in the
education and development of the
grown farmer. It is wonderful what
has been done. In fifty years the
State increased the corn crop four
million bushels. In 1860 the yield
was thirty million bushels; in 1909 it
was thirty-four million; in 1911, fifty
million, or an increase of seven bush
els to every man, woman, and child
in the State. The wheat crop was
increased 90 per cent, cotton 70 per
cent, and there was a large gain in
all other farm crops. This great im
provement has been accomplished by
the institute and demonstration work
of the Department, which you have
executed. Charlie Parker’s acre yield
ed more corn than that of Mr. Batts.
There were sixteen hundred boys in
the Corn Club, but a hundred and
eighty thousand white farmers in the
corn-field, and they have made the
crops which brought the State so
prominently to the front. It will
take constant care and attention to
preserve this position. Let all be
done that is necessary to promote ag
ricultural knowledge in our educa
tional system, and give the boys full
credit for what they may accom
plish, but it is the father or older
brother that is making the crops
now.
“In 1860 the State called for sol
diers; the men answered the call and
won renown. The Tar Heel will be
known and respected in history wher
ever valor is appreciated. In 1899
the call was for farmers and you re
sponded, and by your acts have call
ed the attention of the world to what
can be done in agricultural, lines in
the good old State.
“I want to thank you for your ef
forts; the Department desires to give
you every assistance in its power. I,
your representative, get the credit,
but you are doing the work.
“Lee and Jackson are great names
in history, but it was the man with
the gun that made these names, and
it is the man with the hoe that is
doing the work to-day.
“Before the war the farmer had
money to lend and this was the case
because he made his farm self
supporting and would have been
ashamed to be seen on the road haul
ing a load of bought corn. I am
glad to see these conditions return
ing, but they have not fully come
yet. In 1909 sixty million dollars
were sent out of the State to pay
for food and feed stuffs which should
have been produced at home. In
1912, on account of the increased
crops, this amount was reduced to
forty million dollars, or one-third,
but it represents $18 for every man,
woman, and child in the State, which
shows that there is a home market
for this amount of food products,
and money can be saved by the far
mers of this State availing them
selves of it.
“In order to prosper, the farmers
must co-operate. The man or pro
fession that tries to go it alone in
these times is at the mercy of the
other fellow.
“Log rolling and house raising
were among the first acts of co-opera
tion. So let it be now in purchasing
supplies and selling the products of
the farm. Do not regard the man
who has for sale the same articles
that you do as an enemy, but as a
friend, and by co-operation endeavor
to let each have a fair price for his
goods.
“I again bid you welcome and wish
you an harmonious and prosperous
session.’’
producers, and as such, are the back
bone not only of our State, but of
our nation. Never before in the his
tory of our country has so much
progress been made in the further
ance of agricultural interests as in
the past few years. The farming in
terests in our State have made won
derful strides. With the possible ex
ception of our educational endeavors
nothing has progressed so rapidly as
has the improvement in methods of
tilling the soil. You men and your
association are entitled to a great
deal of credit for this condition. Edu
cation goes hand-in-hand with agri
cultural pursuits.
“The one is an advantage to the
other. Nothing could be better for
the State than for you to continue
this friendly competition which
means so much for the welfare of
our people. In fact, the farmers of
this State are now receiving so much
able and thoughtful attention that
unless our schools are careful agri
culture will develop more rapidly and
our State be known more for its ag
ricultural developments than for its
educational policies.
“Now, my friends, I predict that
within the next few years the won
derful growth which has been made
by you within recent years will be
small in comparison with that which
you will hereafter accomplish. The
people of Raleigh would like to see
you erect here your own building de
voted to an exhibition of the prod
ucts of the soil,—a place in which
new methods may be discussed and
new plans outlined; a sort of head
quarters for you and a place in which
you might hold your annual gather
ings. We were glad to hear of your
coming, and now that you are here,
we are glad to see you. Our wel
come is cordial and we hope that we
may be able to make the time that
you spend here so pleasant that you
will be as sorry to' leave as we are
glad to see you. On behalf of the
city I wish to again extend to you a
thoroughly cordial and most hearty
welcome.’’
RESPONSE TO ADDRESSES OF
WELCOME, RALEIGH CONVEN
TION.
ALBERT L. COX’S ADDRESS.
Mr. Albert L. Cox, representing the
city and Chamber of Commerce,
spoke as follows:
“My friends, I deem it a very great
pleasure as well as privilege to have
an opportunity this afternoon of ex
tending to you on behalf of the city
of Raleigh and its business organiza
tions a hearty welcome—a welcome
for you from your city. Raleigh be
longs to us all, and its citizens hold
it for the benefit of the whole State.
We are glad to see you. In fact, we
are always glad to see the people
from the other sections of the State,
and particularly do we enjoy having
the farmers with us. The people of
Raleigh have never forgotten that
God made the country and man made
the town, and that upon you and up
on your associates who are not here
to-day rests much of the welfare of
our State. Raleigh is your capital
city, and likewise we would like for
you to make it your convention city.
We would have you regard it as your
second home. While you are here to
day it is our desire to do everything
in our power to make you comfort
able and to entertain you. If there
is anything that you see that you
would like to have, take it, and if
there is anything that you would like
to have that you don't see, ask for
it. It is our business and our pleas
ure to provide for it. Farmens are
The program of this Convention
calls for five addresses of welcome
One on behalf of the State by the
Governor, a lawyer; one on behalf
of the Agricultural Department by
the Commissioner, an old soldier and
farmer; one on behalf of the A. & M.
College by the President, a teacher;
one on behalf of Wake County Union
by President Templeton, a physician;
and one on behalf of the city of Ral
eigh by the mayor, a business man.
The response to all to be made by
the President of the Union.
A friend on reading this program
remarked: “They have put double
work on you.’’ He surely was right,
for while I might have ambushed the
old soldier and played truant or fool
ed the teacher, the man who falls in
to the hands of a lawyer and a doc
tor and a business man is very apt
to share the fate of a “certain man
who went from Jerusalem down to
Jericho.”
When the committee of arrange
ments notified me that I was to make
this response, I was very busy finish
ing up my address to the annual con
vention; and as this is election year,
and I am a candidate for re-election,
I wanted to get my address just
about right. If the committee had
notified me by ’phone I expect my
answer would have been similar to
that made by a merchant to a young
man who wanted to marry. We will
call the merchant John Blank, and
there lived in the town a prominent
preacher of the same name. The
preacher wishing to avoid the many
calls thafe are made upon a city min
ister for gratuitous services, would
not allow his name put into the tele
[Thursday, January 16, 1913.
phone directory; consequently the
merchant was frequently called up
by 'phone to officiate at marriages,
baptisms or funerals. He was great
ly annoyed and insisted that the Rev.
Blank should allow his name put in
to the telephone directory; but he
refused. At last the merchant de
cided to anneal to the telenhone com
pany, and while engaged in writing
out his complaint the telephone bell
rang and the timid voice of a young
man was heard to ask: “Will you
marry me at once!” A happy thought
struck the merchant and he answer
ed promptly: “No; I am too d
busy writing my sermon.”
A great preacher said once upon
a notable occasion many centuries
ago: ' “It is good to be here. Let us
build three tabernacles.” As I stand
before you to-day I feel that it is
good to be here, and that we would
do well to build in our minds and
hearts three tabernacles and dedicate
them to organization, education, and
co-operation.
This is an auspicious occasion that
promises much to the Farmers’ Union
and the upbuilding of North Carolina.
On behalf of the Farmers’ Union I
want to say to these brethren who
have given us such a royal welcome,
that it is no more than we expected.
We came to our own and our own re
ceived us with open arms.
Of course we expected a welcome
from the State because we are 82 per
cent of the folks who make the State.
It was our labor that created the
wealth and builded the institutions
of our State, and it is largely from
taxes paid by us that these institu
tions are supported.
We expected a welcome from the
Agricultural Department, not only
because it is headed by an old-time
Southern gentleman, but because we
furnish the “dough” to run it with.
It is true that we do not pay it di
rectly, but we pay it nevertheless.
We only ask that the Department be
continued in our interest and its use
fulness greatly increased by teaching
economic co-operative marketing.
We knew that we would be wel
comed by the A. & M. College, not
only because it is presided over by a
broad-minded, genial. Democratic
man whom we all love and who is a
member of our family, but because
this institution is the result of the
organized efforts of the farmers
through the Farmers’ Alliance. More
over, if the farmers did not furnish
the boys this institution would have
empty dormitories and its President
out of a job.
We were confident of a welcome
from Wake County Union because
she is one of our most promising
daughters and her eloquent Presi
dent is an efficient officer in our own
body. Of course, our daughter is
glad to have us visit her and, no
doubt, she will “put her best foot
foremost.”
We had a right to expect a wel
come from our capital city because
we built it. We furnish the raw ma
terial and most of the people for
building all the cities. We furnish
them the good things that they eat.
We create all that is necessary to the
growth and prosperity of the cities.
I want to appeal to the cities for their
support and co-operation in estab
lishing a practical, economical meth
od for the sale and distribution of
manufactured products, as well as
direct marketing of raw materials, to
the end that the high cost of living
may be lowered to both the produc
ers and consumers.
We appeal to all the departments
of our State and to all the people,
rural and urban, for their earnest
co-operation in developing North
Carolina materially, intellectually
and morally. We have the greatest
State in the Union, but reforms are
needed along many lines. We must
all unite our efforts to secure them-
We must make it possible for the