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farmersjn_cocncil.
Tlb State Apicttltnral
Society ii Session.
00?. NORTBEN RETIRES FROM
IRE PRESIDENT.
Tbe Society Welcomed to the Hospi.
Ulltiesof Savannah and of Chatham
County— Col. J. O. Waddell Installed
as Gov. Northen’a Successor—His In
augural Address Commissioner
Nesbitt’s R sport Upon Agriculture
in Georgia—Maj. Glessner’s Address
Upon Immigration and Col. Redding
Upon the Work of ths Georgia hx
perimeat Station—The Programme
To-day.
The Georgia State Agricultural Society
began its spring meeting in Masonic Hah
yesterday morning.
A number of delegates arrived Tuesday
night, but the majority arrived by yes
terday morning’s trains. The headquarters
of the retiring president, Gov. Northen,
were at the De Soto, and the hotel corridor
was alive with agriculturists during the
forenoon.
Is was nearly 10:30 o’clock when Mayor
McDonough entered the convention hall,
escorting Gov. Northern
On the stage, besides the mayor and gov
ernor, were Secretary R. W. Jemison, ex-
Fresident Hon. L. F. Livingston. President
elect J. O. Waddell, Treasurer R. J. Powell,
Key. T. H. Blenus, Hon. S. D. Brad well.
Congressman Moses cf tha Fourth district,
Frof. H. C. White; and the
members of the citizens’ committee, Col J.
L. Warren, John R. Young, Col. J. H.
Estill, J. K. Sauß3y, H. P. Smart, Capt. D.
G. Purse, Maj. G. M. Ryals, Hon.
F. W. Meldrim, Col. Peter Reilly, D. R.
Thomas, 8. Guckenheimer, Joseph Rosen
heim, S. B. Adams, Esq., and Aldermen
Mills, Bailey, Haines and McGuire.
THE CONVENTION CALLED TO ORDER.
It was half an hour later before the con
vention was called to order. In
the meanwhile the ball was filling up with
members. A few minutes before 11 o'clock
Mayor McDonough called the convention to
order. Rev. T. H. Blenus of the Christian
church delivered the opening prayer, in
voking the divine blessiug upon Cue con
vention and its deliberations.
Gov. Northen called the roll of vice pre
sidents: J. O. Davis, Jr., First district; H.
Q. Moody, Second district; J. H. Black,
Third district; Roderick Leonard, Fourth
district; W. L. Peek, Fifth district; E. C.
Itamsey, Sixth district; J. J. Lamp
ton, Seventh district; George E.
Heard, Eighth district; W. H. Perkinson,
Ninth district, and J. S. Johnson, Tenth dis
trict, and requested that they take scats
upon the stage. The addresses of welooiae
followed.
WELCOMED TO THE CITT.
Mayor McDonough introduced Hon. P.
W. Meldrim, who delivered the address in
behalf of the city. Mr. Meldrim said:
Gentlemen of the Agricultural Society—
It affords me great pleasure, in behalf of the
city of Savannah, to bid you welcome. Think
not because Savannah is essentially a commer
cial city her welcome is any tbe leas hearty and
sincere, a spirit has gone abroad, as unfounded
in reason as It is pernicious in influence, which
seeks to array agricu ture against com
merce, whicn seeks to array agriculture
against manufacture, against finance,
against transportation, against science
and against art. That the members of every
class should unite for tbe promotion of the wel
fare of that class is wise aud laudable, but to
unite for tbe injury of members of other classes
is unwise and reprehensible. The best citizen is
the man who, without reference to the class to
which he as an individual belongs, sustains the
measure which most conserves the interest of
the state.
Where all classes of a state unite for the pub
lic good the greatest good to the state is the re
sult. Without manufacture the farmer could
not clear the forests nor clothe himself and his
wita and child in comfort, and would only sus
tain the basest existence.
Without finance he would have no medium of
exchange. Without transportation he would
iiave no market. ithout commerce, agricult
ura's handmaiden, to pour the results of the
labor of the people of one land into the laps of
those of other lands, there could be no civiliza
tion.
Without science to investigate and without
art to apply he would reap only a harvest of
barren regret. It is fortunate for Georgia that
this society exists. Devoted to your calling
conservative and patriotic for more than lour
and a half decades, you have upheld the honor
and tne dignity of the state. Guided by a sense
ot justice,youractinus directed with wisdom and
tempered wita moderation, you have earned the
respect of all classes. All classes regard you as
the great conservative_force, the best preserva
,v.of oqullibrium of the state. Tne
mother of Georgia, fair Savannah, welcomes
you, her children, to her heart and homes.
Mr. Meldrim sat down amidst applause.
Although brief, his speech was a model of
eloquence, and was frequently interrupted
with ripples of applause.
THE COUNTY’S ARMS OPEN.
Maj. G. M. Ryals cordially welcomed the
society in behalf of the agriculturists of
Chatham county. Maj. Rvala’ welcome
was a characteristic one. He invited the
members to tho plantations and farms to see
r fu eal truck ing interests and to partake
, hospitalities of Chatham county’s
farmers. J
Col. J. L. Warren, president of the cotton
exchange, delivered the address of welcome
ou tha part of the industrial bodies of Su
sannah. Col. Warren said:
lellow Georgians and Mumpers of the
<lnt^ UL H TURAL Convention—lt is my pleasant
AiF , my privilege to extend to you in be
liMrMl..ourJ comuif ‘ rcial bodies a hearty, a
Y-nr anda cordial greeting to our midst.
hkm-, COve , ntlon is one "'hose history is the
umory ..r tlie progress of the fanners of Geor
*■ n J? r o than a generation,
tl, “hbdlul of farmers who met together more
ini t ,ni ty yßan * a SO originated the idea of
su PPort and co-operation. They budded
hm-n. n - Uey kn<>w - T hat handful of men
TArtf Performed their duties, acted well their
and' lne s "eds of which you are the fruit,
ana nave gone to their reward,
ineir work did not die when God Almighty
\ w h , em to E° U P higher. s
ttoli • , donsf What improvements are
l n ‘he culture of tbe soil, and what In
jtha Intelligence of tha people? It has
of th„ Dot merely farmers, but ail the people
tinn i atate - Toe agricultural assoc a
e' , as been tbe Chautauqua of Goor
oiii-' . has f? iv ®n object lessons which
offlceiJ 1 s. tlnKul president and other
have illustrated. Object lessons are
j n rfr'?hat teach the most. It has produced a
. i 9 i ous development of intelligence, thrift
° od * peed yju in this work,
a>!r!„ I . sUou . id attempt to talk to you gentlemen
CfnL f 'rv'ulture. it would bo like carrying
UDonti 0 Newcastle. It would be audacity
®Mci*l body* 0t a r ' B P reßeDta tive of a com
nr!3. mlnda me of tbe story of the young
Wnr t her who hod just begun his ministerial
tin w “° had had but little experience in
call„!i" arria * e hoc- The first time he was
c,.,.™ upon to perform the marriage
0 „. mony it was to unite a widow and a whl
mr,JilJ v ,h° had each had their share of matri-
i J°ys. ]t was the third time the bride
for into wedlock, and the fourth time
form;- P r , os Pective bridegroom. After per
a short ceremony tho young preacher
ohliU.Fi 10 say a few words upon the solemn
L* atlon °f the married state, but became so
lnt^j r s Sßecl that he forgot everything he
"Yih u to say, and in bis confusion exclaimed:
j ou Enow more about this business than I do. ”
YoifF 1 pist that way about agriculture.
u are more familiar with the subject. I
would sit at your feet and learn of you. I have
heard about the sufferings and the bard* lips
of the fanner, but the appearance of tbis body
has raised some doubts in my mind. I look at
foil, hearty, well-fed and prosperous, and then
thick of the thin, eager and nervous men of
businasa. Look at tha gentleman who wel
comed you to this city, Hou. P. W. Meidrim.
Look upon his pale face and his attenuated
form. He is a lawyer; and then look
at _my friend here on my left,
Maj. Ryals. who welcomed you
in bshalf of the farms, with his ruddy com
plexion and huge bulx, and contrast the two.
lie i*a representative farmer. Time has dealt
so gently with him that in spite of his years he
is still a boy in feeling. Tell me which you
would prefer.
CoL Warren made tome remarks upon
the relations of the men of other profes
sions and the farmers. He said:
We are all, brethren, members of one great
family. I compare the state of Georgia to oue
great body. Touch one nerve and you affect
the whole. Let us remember that as Georgians,
while we magn fy our own offices, to love our
old state aud to subjrdinate ail selfishness, all
strife, all ambitions .to her welfare. Your peo
ple are my people, your God my God; wnere
you live, there will I live, aud where you are
buried there will I be buried. Let us banish
distrust and stand shoulder to shoulder, an
army of soldiers.
The agricultural society has done much to
educate the people of Georgia. The average
farmer knows more to day than the average
i chemist knew forty years ago. Tae society
has graduated legislators for the state and legis
lators for the natiOD.
UoL Warreu closed with an appeal for
unity and harmony. He urged upon the
members of the society to visit tho wharves
and storehouses aud buildings generally of
the business portion of the city, and
familiarize themselves with the plans and
methods of busiuess men whose interests
are so nearly allied to theirs. The speech
was well received, and was frequently
greeted with laughter and applause.
THE SOCIETY’S RESPONSE.
President Northen announced, with re
gret, the absence of ex-Gov. Gordon, who
was expected to deliver the response to the
addresses of welcome on the part of the
convention, and introduced Hon. T. J. Lyon
of Cartersville. Col. Lvon said:
Mr. President and Gentlemen—l least ex
pected to have anything to say in this connec
tion. much less to fill the place of the distin
guished gentleman, Gen. Gordon, who was
selected for this duty. I was only notified last
evening, and I think our honored president had
some d> sign in withholding notification until
tnat hour. He was afraid I would inqjce a bet
ter speech than he would. I respond most cor
dially aud heartily to the utterances
of welcome by the distinguished gentle
men who have preceded me. Notaing but
the very best and most cordial feelings to other
interests exist in the breasts of the members of
this society. We shall prove it by our manner
of accepting your hospitalities.
We are something like the Virginian who
started south once with a fine horse and a
dandy racing cart. He struck bad roads in
North Carolina, bad roads in South Carolina
bail roads in Tennessee and worse roads in the
mountains of Georgia. When he got out into
the hills he was surprised one day to find a
stretch of good road about three miles long.
He got a long hickory stick, ami laying it onto
his horse he started down the hill as if the devil
was after him. When he got to the end of the
road he turned around and came back at the
same rate. Then he wheeled around and
started down again. A farmer met him and
exclaimed: “Look here, my friend, are you
crazy or are you trying to kill your horse?”
“Oh, no,’ the Virginian replied, "but I have
been traveling in this country a long time, and
this is the first good piece of road I have struck
yet, and I am bound to take advantage of it
while it lasts,”
You needn't fear, gentlemen, but we will
take advantage of your hospitalities.
The roll of the executive committee was
called and the list of delegates to the con
vention was perfected by a call of coun
ties. The roll of life members was also
called aud about a dozen responded.
THE INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS.
The installation of tbe officers-elect
of the society and the members
of the incoming executive committee
followed. President Northen, in introduc
ing President-elect J. O. Waddell and Vice
President 8. D. Bradwell, referred to the
fact that their election at the last meeting
of the society, at LaGrange, had been
wholly unanimous. He charged the in
coming officers as to the responsibility of
their duties.
After the installation, and before giving
up the chair, Gov. Northen spoke a few
words in the most feeling manner, which
were listened to with great interest by the
members.
“Now. gentlemensaid he, “comes the
last hour of my official connection with
this organization. It was a proud moment
of my life when you placed me here. I
thank ycu for it. God forbid that I should
ever utter a word, ever do a deed that
should make you regret it.”
Gov. Northen promised the society his
constant assistance in every manner possi
ble.
President Waddell was welcomed by the
convention with cheers. After briefly re
sponding to President Nortben’s allusions to
the duties of his office, and having paid a
high tribute to the retiring president, his
fidelity to the interests of tho farmers of
Georgia and the ability with which he had
discharged the responsibilities devolving
upon him, be delivered his semi-annual ad
dress.
PRESIDBNT’S WADDELL’S ADDRESS.
Gentlemen of the Agricultural Conven
tion—Profoundly grateful for the honor con
ferred on me by the convention of LaGrange
last August, I enter upon the duties which the
office impli s with an appreciative sense of.its
labors and its responsibilities.
My distinguished predecessors, with their co
workers, have budded for the State Agricult
ural Society, a name of which we are justly
proud. It should be.and I believe it will be, your
aim aud desire to lose none of tbe prestige
already obtained; but, by renewed and per
sistent effort, strive to occupy still higher
ground of usefulness. An intimate acquaintance
with most of you, extending back through
many years, gives the confident assurance that
the same generous support you have given
other administrations in the past in the up
building of the society, will be as cheerfully
accorded the new administration in its efforts
to maintain its vantage ground.
These conventions have beeu rightly esteemed
as being composed of conservative men, seek
ing the common good, and to advance the ma
terial interests of the state. As such, I con
gratulate you on tbis auspicious meeting; that
so many of you are permitted to be here. I
congratulate you that the outlook is so encour
aging and nopeful for the farmers of our state;
for Inquiry, suggested by great solicitude for
your welfare, reveals the gratifying fact that
our farmers are gradually lessening the burden
of debt, and that the number of those who will
be abie this year to live without seeking ware
house accommodations has been largely in
creased.
THE president’s CONGRATULATIONS.
I congratulate you on tbis healthful, hopeful
state of affairs, whether due to closer economy
—a greater diversity of crops—whatever may
be tlie cause; from whatever source it has been
evolved. I sincerely rejoice with you. I con
gratulate you on the general make-up of this
convention, composed, as it is, of men earnestly
interested in the promotion of such enterpr.s -s
as tend to build up our slate in its agricultural,
mechanical and industr.al pursuits and inter
ests. I congratulate you that you have been
so cordially received in tbis splendid city—a
city of glorious memories and an unsurpassed
citizenship.
But in this season of pleasure and rejoicing,
of friendly greetings, and warm haud-clasps, a
degree of sadness will intrude, because of toe
absence of some who have long been accus
tomed to meet with us. Among this number I
am sure I will be pardoned for mentioning the
name of Judge E. O. Ramsey of Baldwin
county, for a number of years the honored vice
president in this society from the Sixth con
gressional district. At the late state fair he
was an active, faithful superintendent of one of
its departments. Suddenly he is cut down,
leaving us a record of a wen spent life. To me,
so valued was his friendship, his loss is a per
sonal bereavement. It is not my purpose to say
more of him and others who have fulfilled their
mission here than to call the attention of the
memorial committee to them. Another one of
the society's mo-t abiringuisbed presidents, the
old man e oquant, the sturdy, unconquered, un
conquerable democratic leader and patriot,
Hon. Thomas Hardeman, is prostrated by sick
ness. Let’s send him messages of love and
sympathy, with our prayers for permanent and
speedy recovery.
FATHER or THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
Much good, of a durable nature, has been ac -
complisbed by your society in its semi-aunual
conventions. In the u was formulated the
plans whereby your state department of agri
culture was created—a department which, for
usefulness aud tbe benefits it has imparted to
agriculture, occupies a position in the fore front
of public esteem.
Your societjr originated the idea ln this state
of tbe analysis of fertilizers, even before tne
creation of tue department of agriculture. The
THE MORNING NEWS: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12.1891.
society, in connection with the recommenda
tions of the commissioner of agriculture per
sistently aid rep notedly urged, caused the es
tablishment of our agricultural experiment
station. Your state fairs have been of incal
culable benefit in stimulAt.ag to health
ful rivalries the farmers of the
atate; in increasing our products, en
hancing the value of our lands, and in ill us- j
trating th- varied resources of the state.
Through your society President White of the I
State Agricultural College has given to the
farmers of Georgia and the south the benefit of
his experiments in scientific agriculture, as well
as teaching firm the value and analyses of com j
merciai fertilizers, and their adaptability to the
various soils and sections.
Who can estimate the value of three achieve
ments to the entire state, especially to the
agricultural interests of the state?
While neither the department of agriculture
nor tbe experiment station have reached the
full measure of their usefulness, or the perfec
tion to which we hope to see them attain, the
delay is due to the laws which govern and con
trol them. Both are comparatively new. The
laws relating to them are necessarily
imperfect. Time and experience will detect
and correct all imperfections. These,
with the remedies, will be suggested
by the officers in charge of these important
departments. In their efforts to make them
more efficient and useful give them your un
stinted support and encouragement, an ! yours
will be the benefit. Communicate to the com
missioner and director any fact known to you,
the knowledge of which will benefit otters.
Give them the benefit of any experiments you
have successfully made in seels, fertilizers,
soil tests, or anything else of practical value.
You will thus be benefited, the state prospered,
and the growth in good and usefulness of these
departments will be sure and rapid. As tne
commissioner and assistant commissioner of
agriculture and the director of the experiment
station will address y ou, they will present, more
forcibly than I can, their respective claims to
your consideration.
THE STATE APPROPRIATION.
Until a few years ngo the state granted to
this society, for ihe purpose of encouraging its
state fairs aud to advertise its agricultural re
sources, an annual appropriation of $2,5(M. A
law to this effect remains on our statutes. It
lias never been repealed, but for twelve years
it has been inoperative, because there seems to
boa constitutional prohibition of such
appropriation. Prominent lawyers differ
as to the status of this ’ law. The
Hon. Joseph K. Brown, Hon. H. K. McCay and
the Hon. A. H. Stephens gave opinions favor
able to its constitutionality, while the distin
guished ex-attorney general, the Hon. Clifford
Anderson, entertain "and a contrary opinion. It
would seem not out of place for this convention
to raise a commit tee to take this subject under
consideration, lo the end that our rights, if any,
in the premises may be ascertained.
The time for sucli a m .veiuent is now most
opportune. He who has long possessed your
confidence and esteem, and who deserves them
both for his devoti n to you and your interests,
tills with honor the executive chair. Tho legis
lature is friendly to your interests, aniito secure
them will go os far os the law permits or justi
fies. The supreme court is wise and just, and it
occurs to me that now is the time to have your
rights defined under the law.
The duty of the state to protect and encourage
its agricultural interests, to say nothing of the
wisdom of such a course, will not be questioned
or denied. Certainly on the success of agricult
ure depends the general welfare. This truth
has been recognized for centuries. Giobon, in
his “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”
quotes Artaxerxes as saying: “The authority
of the prince must be defended with a military
force; that force can only be maintained by
taxes; all taxes must at last fall on agricult
ure, and agriculture can never flourish except
under the protection of justice and modera
tion.”
Can our state, with its boasted civilization, in
this free and enlightened age, afford to tie less
just, and less wise, in its conduct toward that
class of its citizens who have rendered it so
great service in peace and war than was a
Persian monarch hundreds of years ago?
THE STATE FAIR.
Notwithstanding the numerous fairs and ex
positions held in tne state, and the sharp com
petition whicn has necessarily existed, your
state fairs have been a success. Successful in
developing our resources, and in increasing our
productions. Successful in bringing about a
more diversified agriculture, aud successful in
its finances. While the making of
money has never been an object, nor
has it been attempted, enough attention
has been given to It to prevent any de
crease in your treasury, aud thus provide
against any unforeseen contingency. The bal
ances in the treasury at the close of each fair,
for the past ten yearn, have shown gratifying
evidences of prudent management.
A specially gratifying feature of the last fair,
and one from which great benefits are expect
ed, was inaugurated by Gov. Northen. This
scheme--an euucationalChautauqua-w as worthy
of the man who has given so much of thought
and effort to education, as well as to agricul
ture.
This Chautauqua embraced lectures by some
of the most successful educators, as well as
most advanced thinkers of the state. In the
choice of lecturers and the subjects discussed
the Chattauqua was a success. It is our purpose
to continue efforts in this direction, and in
them we ask and expect your support. We
have the assurance, although he has been called
to higher and more laborious responsibilities,
that Gov. Northen has not abated one iota of
interest iD, or solioitude for. the success of our
fairs.
Let me beg you, the members of this conven
to come to the help of your state fair. When
you return to your homes, seek to interest your
people, at least in the importance of advertis
ing, through it, their productions and the re
sources of thetr counties. Success ln this de
mands county organizations, and the hearty co
operation of its farmera and manufacturers. In
this connection, I am reminded that this con
vention should take steps, devise some plan,
whereby the agricultural, mechanical and in
dustrial interests of our state may be properly
represented at the world's fair to be held
in the city of Chicago. The con
stitution of the state forbids auy appropriation
for such purposes—hence we can look for no
aid from the state While this is to be regretted
other means may be employed to attract the at
tention of the thousands who will attend that
great exposition to the advantages possessed
by the great state of Georgia and the induce
ments it offers to settler sand Investors. This
matter should claim your prompt attention.
Would it not he wise to refer the subject to a
committee to report their suggestions to the
convention just before its close?
THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION.
The question of immigration, which is very
properly engaging so much attention just now,
demands careful consideration. The fact is
known to all of you that the supply of ordinary
labor is far less than is needed, while the ineffi
ciency of such as wo have is increased and
aggravated by reason of its scarcity,and enables
them to dictate prices entirely disproportioned
to the prices w obtain for the products of
that labor. Inquiry made of every branch
of industry reveals the scarcity and inefficiency
to be universal. While to a limile 1 extent this
scarcity may be due to the emigration of quite
a number of negroes to the wost and north
west during the past fourteen months, we are
satisfied the great cause should be attributed to
the vast increase in the number of industries
springing up all over the state. In the mining
region alone these industries have increased
fivefold.
For this season’s operations it Is too late to
attempt to supply the deficiency. The question
is a serious one. That negro labor, at best, is,
as a class, unreliable, need not be tola to a con
vention of farmers. The recent “African craze,”
which culminated in causing hundreds of them
to rendezvous in Atlanta, breaking, without a
thought of excuse, contracts made with farm
ers, demons) rates how easily they can be led off
and deceived by designing men.
Wisdom and prudence demand that we shape
our affairs to meet the changed conditions
which are before us. The experience of the
past two years teaches us that It is unsafe to
pitch n crop for a greater number of hands than
we have already engaged, eod are reasonably
sure of. The custom of trusting to chance to
secure hoe hands in tbe spring is not only
hazardous, but places you at their mercy.
Under r.o circumstances attempt to cultivate a
larger area than you have a sufficiency of labor
to perform the work well and seasonably.
ORGANIZATION URGED.
The Immigration convention recently held at
Asheville, .\\ C., Inaugurated measures which
we trust will result in bringing to our state both
men and money. As aids and adjuncts to the
main organization it is proposed that every
county in each of the states represented in that
convention shall organize a county immigration
society. Each county being the best judge of
its particular needs, the class of labor required,
would take such steps to advertise its resources,
as well as its needs, as would accomplish the
desired results.
Maj. W. L. Glessner, a gentleman of large ex
perience ln questions affecting immigration,
was chosen tbe member for this state on th
executive committee of the international immi
gration Society.
Another matter, and closely allied to immi
gration, is that of direct trade. The action of tbe
two direct trade conventions held during the past
few months is known to you. Regarded only
as an aid to immigration, the benefits to tbe
south would repay us for every effort which
may be made to estabiisa it. The subject as
sumes vastly greater importance when it is
considered that it will mark the beginning of
our release from Wall street, the money center
of this country. We hope during this sitting of
tbe convention to be entertained on these sub
jects with suggestions by Maj. Glessner and
others.
As germane to the labor question and ita
scarcity, let me suggest a thought or two, and
lam done. The scarcity of labor demands the
adoption of the intensive system of farming.
Reduce the acreage of ou Grated crops at least
oue half. Correspondingly Increase tbe area in
oats, clover and ihe grasses. Expenses will tie
decreased—while the products of cultivated
crops can be increased. This is not an un
pboven theory, but a fully demonstrated fact.
If tnis course is pucsi#d the scarcity of labor
w.U prove a blessing to Georgia farmers.
And now, gentlemen, let us perform the
work before us, actuated by a desire to advance
the prosperity of our state in all her interests.
Let’s adopt and exemplify the motto of the
farmers' alliance: "Justice to all. special
privileges to none;” justice all classes, pro
fessions aud interests; special privileges
to none, even to ourselves, which
would conflict with the rights of others.
Invoking your aid ln the effort to make this a
profitable and pleasant convention, ami asking
your charitable consideration of whatever
errors of judgment I may commit, I now an
nounce the regular order of business.
Preudent Waddell’s address was received
with cheers and applause.
COURTESIES TO THE CONVENTION.
President Warren of the cotton exchange
was recognized by the chair, aud he an
nounced that by invitation of the mayor of
Havaun&h a reception would be tendered
Gov. Northen at the city exchange at 1
o’clock, and he urged that the society at
tend the reception. He also announced
that there would be a review of
the military and parade of tho fire depart
ment at 4 o’clock. Col. Warren urged that
the society take the afternoon to attend the
reception and to witness the parades, and
in the iuterim to take advantage of tho
opportunity to visit- the cotton exchange
and tho board of trade, and the business
houses of the city, e-pecially the cotton
houses ou tho Bay.
The convention was inclined to accept
President Warren’s invitati n, and on mo
tion of Hou. T. J. Lyon the invitation was
accepted.
The secretary read invitations from tho
cotton exchange aud the board of trade ex
tending the privileges of the oxchauges to
the society, which were accented.
Hou. J. J. Lamptou of Ceilartown moved
the appointment of a committee to confer
with the state officials to know what are the
rights of the society iu tbe matter of tiie
state appropriation to the agricultural
society, which it has never received. The
motiou was carried.
Tbe president later on announced tbe fol
lowing committee:
First District—W. R. Kemps.
Second District—A. <J. Moody.
Third District—J. C. Clements.
Fourth District—C. L. Moses.
Fifth District—J. D. Boyd.
Sixth District—R. E. Park.
Seventh District—J. J. Lampton.
Eighth District — J. C. Mcßryde.
Ninth District Twitty.
Tenth District—James Barrett.
COMMISSIONER NESBITT’S REPORT.
Hon. Robert T. Nesbitt, commissioner of
agriculture, was to have made his report
upon tha condition of agriculture in Ueorgia
in the afternoon. By request of the so
ciety a change in the programme was
made, and Col. Nesbitt folio ned President
W addell:
Mr. President and Fellow Farmers—lt is
a source of gratification to me to appear before
you to day, and while I do not intend to weary
you with a formal address, I do wish to submit
for your patient hearing and careful considera
tion some of the grave questions wliicu con
front us as farmers.
The first and most formidable is the gradual
deterioration of our lands. Many of you who
are here to-day were just budding into young
manhood when the war between the states be
gan, and onn remember the magnificent growth
uud splendid yield of our standard crops ou our
best lands, then comparatively fresh. Those
crops were made on large areas, without the ap
plication of fertilizers exoept such material
as was gathered about the lots and tho
excess of cotton seed which was applied to tho
corn crops. During the war, when the confed
erate government passed a restrictive law per
mitting only a small part of our tillable lands
to be planted in cotton, the energies of our
farming population were devoted to raising
food crops, and, until our lands were devas
tated, we succeeded not only in supporting our
home population, but in sending Large food
supplies to our men “at the front. " After hos
tilities ceased, the high price of cotton tempted
many to put every available acre in this crop,
and to look to the overflowing barns and pack
ing houses of the west for their corn and meat.
Our lands were filled with humus, the re ,uit
of our agricultural methods for
the four preceeding years, and
were in the most favorable condition
to receive and utilize for plant food the highly
ammoniated Peruvian guanos, then so largely
invested in. Doubtless many of you remember
how the young plants would respond to tho
quickening influences of tbis splendid fertilizer,
and even at S9O and SIOO a ton we
cheerfully made the investment, never
doubting its remunerative returns
At that period many of us
doubted tne efficiency of tbe freedman as a
laborer, and feared that he would cease to beau
important factor in the production of cotton.
But time, that settler of many vexed questions,
has proven our mistake, and though some have
left the cotton fields, their places have been
more than filled by white labor, chiefly on small
farms, aud by the use of commercial fertilizers.
TOO MUCH COTTON.
In 1866 the crop in Georgia was 888,000 bales,
with scarcely a pouud of fertilizer. In 1890, by
a largely increased acreage and tho use of
nearly 300,000 tons of commercial fertilizers, we
produced nearly 1,000,000 bales. We have gone
ou mindly adding arro after acre to our cotton
fields, applying fertilizers, often with little re
gard to tne soil, or adaptability of the manure
to the plant food required. And
while our cotton crop has been trebled,
what good results have tho tanners de
rived from the increase, and iu what condition
do we find our lands? With u lew individual
exceptions, the large number, fully 86 per cent.,
of our farmers have either retreated and given
up the fight, or are only by tho most strenuous
efforts holding on to their birthright. And
our lands—what of them? They are at last
revenging themselves for tbe ruthless butchery
practiced on them for so many years, and are
gradually deteriorating and losing each year
much of their productive power.
When we add to tbis the fact that cotton, the
crop produced at such tremendous outlay of
time, money and labor, and on which we de
pand to meet our obligations, scarcely pays the
cost of production, have we not tho key to the
anomalous condition of affairs which places
the farming interest next to last in the list of
profitable industries. All other industries are
prospering and building up, towns i 12 percent.,
railroads 299 per cent., iron works and foundries
197 per cent., banking capital 158 per cent., cot
ton mil is-145 per cent., farming 33 per cent. 1
Why should all other industries be quick
ened into renewed life, while their very
mudsill and sustaining power, the power
which has made their success possi
ble, languishes and grows less proflttble each
year? why this disposition on the part of our
people to abandon the far ns and seek employ
ment ln tlie towns and cities? If not check# l
will it not eventuate in relinquishing our farms
Intel the hands of tenants who cannot feel the
intorest, and in many cases do not appreciate
th# necessity for ttiat thorough preparation
and fertilization, skillful cultivation and care
ful marketing which are so essential to success?
Does the history of any country show that
favorable results have followed such a system?
TIME TO CALL A HALT.
When wo know that this course, persisted In,
will result In poverty to the individual and ruin
to the farms, can -we not call a halt anil con
sider better methods? I have called your atten
tion to the increase of town property, railroads,
factories, etc. We have built citi-is, extended
our railroads, building last year more miles than
any other southern state, factories and smaller
industries are springing up all over the state,
but the farmers are simply holding on at the
bottom of the list. When we inquire into the
causes which have brought about tbis
condition of things I believe a ma
jority of this body will sustain me
when I Bay that it is from a system of
farm management which puts every available
acre in cotton, and only enough in food crops
to supply, under favorable circumstanc-s, our
barest necessities. The cotton takes from our
land each year far more than we put back.
The price scarce pays for the production. The
average of good grain crops is about one in
three. Thus it takes only a glance
to see that, with land deterior
ating, food supplies, at best, only enough, and
ev my expense, clothing, me lical bill, schooling,
farm utensils, and often work animals to be
paid for out of the cotton crop, the farmer
comes out lou ring, and often with a debt, that
y rare of toil, exposure and bitter hardship will
not meet.
The question for us to consider is, how shall
we reiu jdy this? Permit me as one of y.ur
number who for years floundered in tbe pitfalls
and sloughs of oar agricultural mistakes to
suggest that w# reduce our farms. Farming on a
large seals demands a large financial backing, a
bank account -liat will stand the strain of occa
sional failure. As long as the big plantations,
with tenants working on shares, or renting by
the year, are kept up, so long will the south be
oom polled to get ber meat and bread and mules
from tbe we'd:.* The hope of tbe south, agri
culturally speaking, is in smaller farms
and diversified crops. Is it uot bvt-
Uir to prepare and cultivate thoroughly
fifty acre* than to scratch over a hundred?
Dues it not seem folly to pay taxes on laud that
bnugs a halo to three acres when, by a little
more forethought, a little more attention to de
tails and the same labor, we can get a bale from
one acre?
REDUCE TUX FARMS.
I/'t us then reduoe our farms, cu'tlrate only
auch lauds and crops as we And profitable, en
courage immigration, get rid of the tenaul
system as rapidly as possible, and in its place
substitute tha: of small farms. This can be
done by selliug to enterprising tenants, on easy
terms, much of the land we cannot now culti
vate successfully. In these hoivt fid land
owners we will hae a class that will
soou feel and appreciate all the
attachment which tlie word home awaken*
in the human heart. To illustrate: Contrast
France, the country of small farms and small
industries, shouldering and paying a war debt
which would have staggered s'.outer hearts, and
Ireland. sulTerliiglreland, at the marcy of alien
landlords and with a tenantry almost wttnout
hope. Coming nearer home let us take a lesson
from Dooly county, in our own state. I quote
from a recent publloatlon as to its resources:
"Her farmers are not -d for their prosperity
and pregressiveness, and they furnish the moss
substantial bucklug to Vienna. They supply a
trade that naver fails. They work in a business
whose importance and whose scope never dimin
ishes. Many of them have money In the Hank
of Vienna. Nearly all of them lire free from
obligations. Among them the small farmer
predominates—tha small farmer who Is not
afraid of work, who is not dependent on
hired labor, who pays for what he
gets when he gets it, who is us inde
pendent as a wood sawyer, and who is, In fact,
the hope of the c ountry. This cta&s of farmers
accounts for the fact that there Is now a surplus
of *IO,OOO In the Dooly comity treasury "
We want more slock farms, more fruit farms
more truck farms, more grass farms, and,
fewer cotton farms. We have a glorious
country, but we are sadly In need of men who
have the ne> re to inaugurate a different system
in our agriculture: men who realise the Im
portance of resting their lands, rotating crops,
of feediug stock well, making and saying good,
rich barnyard mauure, as well as using liber
ally and Intelligently commercial fertilisers.
SUCCESS IN FAtIMINO.
To be successful in farming requires, ns in
other business, thorough business methods,
constant effort, and a careful and patient at
tention to details. Guess-work will not bring
the farmer any better returns than it does the
merchant or mechanic. When we know ex
actly where the profits and lo ses come in, we
can then intelligently increase the
one and avoid the other. Friendly
legislation is a good thing, but
it will not bring relief to the farmers, unless it
is supplemented bv a careful and judiuious
cultivation of the solL When the farmers are
thoroughly organized, and fanning is conducted
ou business principles, when "emphatic'’ farm
ing is the rule und not the exception, then, and
not tilt then, will we see the farmers begin to
prosper ntiii to receive their share of the long
looked for ‘‘profits.”
There is another subject to which I would call
the attention of this representative body of
farmers, and that is the imperfection of the
laws governing and controlling the department
of agriculture, and more especially to that in
regard to the inspection or fertilizers. When
this law was framed there were t etween 40,(XX)
and 50,000 tons sold in the state. There are sold
now nearly 300.000 tong, an amount of which
the ordinary man has no proper conception.
To bring ttds subject more clearly before us, 1
will state it in this way. Thfee hundred thou
sand tons is 3,(HX),fO) sacks, which is 30,003 car
loads, .1.000 average trains, representing 000,000
feet, 800,000 yards, or 170 5-10 tulles loaded
cars.
FERTILIZER BY THE MILE.
Piled in sacks four deep, they would stretch
out nearly 300 miles, or across the state from
Columbus to Augusta, and considerably into
Carolina. ladd down singly side by side, the
row of sacks would be 1,300 miles loug, or from
Havaunah to New York, and nearly !>aek. End
to end they would extend about 3,.100 miles, or
from New Y ork to Ban Francisco. For nearly
four months in the busy season the railroads
are heavily taxed In moving this Im
mense pile, hundreds of tnen are em
ployed in sacking, hauling, loading
and unloading and otherwise handling
this product of wlmt has become an enormous
industry. In the limits of our own state, the
nurnbor of fertilizer factories has increased
from three in 1877-7S to seventy six In 1890.
Now, the question arises, liow shall a law be
framed which will work no hardship to our
home manufacturers and dealers, and at the
same time give the farmers the security to
which they are entitled. Some of the beat men
of our state are engaged In the fertilizer
business, but we, as farmers, know that there
have been spurious brands on the market, which
act not only to the injury of the farmers, but,
by creating a feeling of uncertainty and dis
trust, Injure holiest manufacturers as well.
Farmers cansot afford to wait twelve months
to test a guano. We wish to bo secured in the
quality of the goods we buy. And honest
manufacturers cannot afford to compete with
thosj who are unscrupulous or careless.
The law should be so ample, so complete,
that our farmers would Incur no risk in using
these goods, and the agricultural department
should be furnished the power to carry out the
la w-in every particular. From what I have
said it is patent that the use of fertilizers lias
entirely outgrown the present law, and that the
corps of six inspectors, the same uow as when
the amount to r>e inspected was only about one
seventh as large, is entirely insufficient to
meet the immeuse increase of the work.
I have given this question much thought,
and I wish to suggest a plan for your attention
and careful consideration, which 1 will a.k that
you take homo with you, and, after discussing
it with your fellow farmers and your immediate
representatives, write me your opinion as to its
value, send a few linos stating your approval or
disapproval.
A NEW PLAN OF INSPECTION.
Divide the state into as many inspection ills
trlcts, say twenty or thirty, as. after a very
careful investigation, the case may demand;
have a local inspector in each district, who will
be required to draw the samples from the sacks
as they arrive at their destination, making
a reasonable number of drawings, and
have tags applied under bis supervision.
Increase the force of the chemical depart
ment. The present force is entirely inadequate,
even by unremitting labor, to meet the de
mands made upon them, until long after the
busy season close*, and necessarily many of
the inspected samples cannot be analyzed when
needed. Often, too, samples are sent reqniring
immediate analysis. This plan will perhaps
somewhat iDCrease the expense, although all the
inspectors need not bo kept on duty the
entire year, but, as the farmers
pay the Inspection fees, they should receive the
benefit, and should be protected as far as possi
ble, and the manufacturers should also be
assured of every facility, not only In prompt
analysis of their good*, but also iu preventing
any "blockading” of the trade, so difficult to
avoid under the present system. The farmers,
once secured, wilt tie encouraged to apply more
bountifully the food needed by their crops, and
the fertilizer trade, so Important to both
farmers and manufacturers, will be
adjusted on an equitable basis. When we real
ize the large amount of capital involved in the
manufacture of fertilizers, the tremendous
revenue to the railroads of the state, and last,
but not least, the large sum which the farmers
have at stake, we see that the department
should be granted every convenience and
facility, and that its power for usefulness
should be Increased as far as possible. Even
under the low Inspection fee of 10 cents per ton
the revenues from this source would lieample to
support these reforms without drawing a single
dollar from any other source; indeed, I believe
there would still be a surplus, and this surplus
! could not be better applied than in the appoint
ment of a thoroughly qualified aud competent
lecturer, who, during the spare weeks of the
summer, could toke the experiments as made
by the experiment station, and so Intelligently
explain them that the wayfaring man could
receive and profit by them.
MONET FOB EXPERT RENTS,
There will be also a large surplus under the
recent law reorganizing the inspection of the
illuminating oils. As the law formerly stood,
the inspector received all thu fees; the greater
part of these fee., under the new law, will t>e
diverted into the treasury. The law will not be
in full force until January, 1852. but when it
goes Into full operation there will be a surplus
of at least $3,000 or *9,000. bet us work to
secure n part of this, to be used
In inaugurating a series of experi
ments in tlio four sections of the state not in
reach of the experiment station. These experi
ments, conducted under tha wise and careful
supervision of practical farmers, and directed
by the department, should be confiued to our
standard crops, and could accomplish much lu
which the station necessarily falls short, in that
its powers are limited by climate aud condi
tions.
Glanders has undoubtedly obtained a foothold
in our state, aud unless suppressed may event
ually prove a terrible scourge. By decisive
measures in destroying every clearly marked
case, and a carat ul inspection of all stock
brought into the state, we could have reason
able nope of escaping. Every citizen is in
terested in this vital question. but the depart
ment has no power or means to act, unless the
legislature will come to Its assistance, enact
a law be&riog on this question, and provide
means to carry It out. To what better purpose
could the remainder of this surplus be applied?
You will understand that I consider it only just
that, as the farmers pay all fertilizer inspection
fees, all these fees should be applied to bene
ftting the farmers, and, ae they also pay a large
proportion of the oil fees, muoh of this fund
should lie applied In helping them in their
efforts to improve their condition.
1 have made these suggestions to this honor
able body because Ism earnestly desirous of aid
ing the farmers, and because I believe that the
agricultural society should go hand In hand
with the department of agriculture and the
Georgia experimantal station in aiding the
movement which will eventually sweep our
state into prosjieriiy.
After Commissioner Nesbitt’s report the
oonvention adjourned until last night.
TUB NIGHT SESSION.
Col. Redding on the Experiment Sta
tion and Maj. Oleaener on Immigra
tion.
A few members gathered in the ball at 7
o'clock last night—the hour to which the
convention adjourned. The programme
announced, however, that the oonvention
would reassemble at 7:45 o'olock. This,
with a lack of understanding whether the
convention tvua running on local time or
standard time, led to some confusion, and
it was considerably after 8 o’clock before
the convention got in working order. To
avoid further oonfusion President Waddell
announced tnat the oonvention would here
after be run ou standard time. It took an
other quarter of au hour to determine
whether the regular programme should be
tu'.uu up where it was left off at the ad
journment in the afternoon.
The hall, by this time, was pretty well
filled. A large number of citizens and a
sprinkling of ladies were in the audience
aud took an active interest in the proceed
ings.
The experience meeting, which was the
first Ins mess of the night session, was tem-
Sirarlly postponed upon motion of Col.
oody of Thomas county.
The invitations of the cltixons’ committee
aud the Central railroad to visit Tybee this
afternoon and to participate in the oyster
roast tendered the society by the committee
on entertainment were accepted aud the so
ciety’s thauit* were vo .ed to its entertainers.
The selection of the place for the summer
meeting was taken up. L)r. N. B. Drewry
of .Spalding oounty nominated Uriffln as the
next place of meeting. No other place
being placed in nomination the question was
put to h vote and Griffin was selected as the
place for the summer meeting.
Col. Redding, director of the Georgia
experiment station, read his report upon
“The Experiment Station and its Work.”
Tue report was a lengthy one, giving in
detail tho work of the ststicn, with the ex
periment* which had been made. The re
port was a very Interestiug one.
MAJ. OI.EHHNEH’S ADDRESS.
Maj. W. L. Ulessner’s address upon “Im
migration and Labor,” with CoL Redding’s
report upon the Georgia experiment station
was the principal topic of the session. Maj.
Glesvner dwelt at, some length upon the ad
vantages to Georgia’s farming interests of
northern mid western immigration, and be
gave some of tho results so far of immigra
tion to Georgia. It is drawing attention to
Georgia’s resources, he said, aud not only
that, it is doing away with the sectional
feelings which have existed between the
north and south.
The bringing of northern capital aouth
and its investment here Maj. Gleaner re
garded us the saving of the south from the
foroe bill.
“No class of people of this state,” said
Maj. Glessner, “need immigration so much
as the farmers. They need increased popu
lation. It is not that tho lands of Pennsyl
vania and Ohio are richer than the lands of
Georgia and the other southern states, but
that the population is so much denser that
tho demand for the laud has raised the price
as high as *75 to $l5O per acre.”
Mayor Glessner referred to hie work as
immigration commissioner of the Central
railroad, and the bringing to Georgiu of
tha Ohio farmers and business men, aud
their investments here. He urged the Im
portance of organization and referred to his
former efforts to secure the establishment
by the legislature of a state bureau of im
migration, to be attached to the depart
ment of agriculture. A state organization,
he said, is what is wanted. He reoognlzed
the fact thut the legislature under the con
stitution cannot organize another depart
ment. Ho believed if a committee
were appointed by the society to go before
the legislature and urge the Importance of
such a bureau that it may bo organized
aud attached to the department of agricult
ure, and would subserve every purpose for
which it is intended.
MAJ. GLKSSNEH’S views indorsed.
Maj. Glessnor's address was followed by a
general discussion of the subject of immi
gration, in whiob the views advanced by
Maj. Glessner were hoartily indorsed. His
suggestion of applying for state aid mot
with general favor.
Iu Alai. Gleaner’s remarks he referred to
a very pleasing incident in connection with
the visit of the Georgia farmers and editors
to Handusky, 0., last summer, in whicn he
toklhow Hon. JohnT. Alack of Handusky, a
prominent citizen and farmer, and a strong
republican,yearly on the federal Decoration
day carried tho children of Handusky over
to Johnson’s Island, where so many con
federate soldiers wore buried, and saw that
their graves were neatly cleared
off ana properly decorated with
flowers. This aroused the interest
of the convention, and, after many feeling
remarks upon tbs subject, a rising vote of
thanks was tendered Mr. Mack for his'ohris
tiuu kindness in tbis matter from the Geor
gia Agricultural Society, and the president
was instructed to notify Mr. Mack
of the action of the convention.
Mr. Mack will visit Georgia soon with a
party of Ohio farmers.
Col. Park of Macon called on Mayor
Glessner to answer if he had not, since bis
residence in the south, been treated with as
much kindness, courtesy and hospitality as
he would have been had he remained in his
native state, Ohio.
TO DO AWAY WITH SECTIONALISM.
Maj. Ulessner replied by giving his ex
perience in the south, which was a very
complimeutary oue to the people of this
sectiou. He said that when he
first came south, cine years ago, he
did not know a single person
south of Mason snd Dixon’s line. The kind
reception with which he met at GriiHn and
in other places in the state was so hearty
and overwhelming that he was hardly able
to bear up under the many kindnesses be
stowed upon him. He has cast his lot In
Georgia and bus been at home here ever
since, and to-day be feels more at home in
Georgia than be ever did in the state of
Ohio, where he was born, or the state of
Illinois, where be lived for thirteen years.
There is no trouble with sootional
feeling, he said, whan the peo
ple of the north and the south
once got together and meet each other in
fnendiy intercourse, and in his belief the
immigration now going on from the north
to the south and tho friendly intercourse
resulting thereby, are doing more than all
other means to destroy the sectional feel
ings.
THE NEXT PLACE OF MEZTINO.
lii the selection of a place for the summer
meeting, Secretary Jem.son moved that the
convention rescind its action taken earlier
in tho evening, because the matter had been
placed as the very last thing upon th pro
gramme, and delegatee who bad just
arrived aud who wished to pre
sent the claims of other
points were not present when the action
was taken. The convention accordingly
rescinded its action in the selection of Grif
fin, though with no intention of prejudicing
GrifQn’s claims. Athens will apply for the
meeting.
A resolution that a committee of one
from eaoh congressional district be ap
pointed to memorialize the legislature upon
the subject of talcing some steps for the
encouragement of immigration was carried,
and Presid-nt Waddell will announce the
committee to-day.
Another fruit grower expressed his
pleasure at beiag present at tho meeting.
He expressed surprise at the small acreage
of fruit in this state, which he said should
be ono its chief industries.
THE PROGRAMME TO-DAY.
A discussion arose as to the time
ef meeting tnis morning, and
8 o’clock standard time was fixed upon.
It is the intention to conclude the business
of the convention by 13 o’clook, so as to
leave the member* free to spend the re
mainder of the day at Tybee. Capt, D. G.
I‘urae, chairman of the committee on enter
tainment, annonnees the following arrange
ment for transporting tho members
to the Tybee depot. At 1:30 o’clock,
standard time, members who an guests of
the De Soto and other bouses in that portion
of the city will taka the street cars on the
liberty street track in front of the De
Ho to for the Tybee depot. At
the same hour members who are
guests of the Pulaski, Screven, Marshall
and other houses in the northern portion of
the city will take the street cars on Bay
street, la front of the city exchange. Those
who do not wish to be left should be on
hand promptly. The special train will leave
the Tybee depot at 2 o'clock standard tuna.
Convention Personals.
I’rof. H. C. White, professor of chemistry
at the state university, is in attendance
upon the meeting of the society.
Hon. C. L. M ses, one of Georgia’s demo
cratic alliance congressmen,from the Fourth
district, is a member of the convention.
W. G. Whidby, one of the editors of tha
Southern Cultirat or, is calling the atten
tion of the members of the oonvention to
the Cultivator.
George B. Richter of Msooa i* the official
stenographer of tha society .and is reporting
its proceedings. Mr. Richter is a young,
but most efficient .stenographer.
Rev. T. J. Pilcher aud Rev. S. L. Patttllo
of Warren county, Baptist ministers well
known in the upper portion of the state, and
who have been connected with the society
for a number of years, are in attendance
upon the convention.
Hon. L. F. Livingston, president of tha
state nil lance and congressman-elect from
the Fifth district, is one of the most striking
figures of the convention. Col. Livingston,
bos been identified with the society for many
years, and is one of its ex-presidents,
Hon. A. G. McArthur of Montgomery
couuty is in attendance on the agricultural
society meeting. Mr. MoArthur is an old
Havannahiau and carried on business for
years in tills city. He ably represented
this county in tho legislature in the session*
of l u 7l-73.
Judge James R. Brown of Canton is a
delegate to the convention. Judge Brown
is a brother of Senator Joseph E. Brown,
and, though not so wealthy and widely
known as the senator, he Is a very prosper
ous farmer, and of great iolluence in his
section of the state.
Patent medicines differ—
One has reasonableness, an
other has not. One has
reputation—another has
not. One has confidence,
bom of success—another
has only “ hopes.“
Don’t take it for granted
that all patent medicines
are alike. They are not.
Let the years of uninter
rupted success and the tens
of thousands of cured and
happy men and women, place
Dr. Pierce’s Golden Med
ical Discovery and Dr.
Pierce’s Favo rite Prescrip
tion on the side of the
comparison they belong.
And there isn’t a state or
territory, no—nor hardly a
country in the world, wheth
er its people realize it or
not, but have men and wo
men in them that’re happier
because of their discovery
and their effects.
Think of this in health.
Think of it io sickness.
And then think whether
you can afford to make the
trial if the makers can
afford to take the risk to
give your money back as
they do if they do not
benefit or cure you.
FEDERAL COURT IRREGULARITIES.
Judge Rpeer’s Answer to the Report of
the Congressional Subcommittee.
In the dispatches of the Morning News
yesterday thers appeared an extract from
the report of the subcommittee of oongrea*
whioh has been investigating the chargee of
irregularities in the federal courts of *ev
oral states. In the extract in question ap
peared the testimony of the United State*
district attorney for the Northern district >0
Georgia, in which the district attorney
stated that Judge Speer bad suspended tha
sentenoes of many convicted persons, and
permitted them to return to their home*
In answer to the report of the subcommit'*
tee Judge Spier prepared the following:
Chambers U. 8. Jtiooz, 1
Savannah, Ua., Feb. 11, 1881. f <
The Honorable the Chairman of the 1/ouM
Judiciary Committee. WaehinotoH, D. C.:
The report of the subcommittee relative to ths
suspensions of sentenoes in the Northern dis
tricts of Georgia, was made without opportu
nity to me to call attention to the reasons tot
such suspensions. The occurrences referred to
were nearly six years ago, during a term of
court I had been designated to hold on accouns
of the disability of Judge McCay, but I am sure,
had the attention of the subcommittee been
called to tha facta, they would have
ascertained that a multitude of pro*'ca
tions, many for the most trivial offienses, and
all mala prohibita merely, had been instituted
in that district; that the accused countrymen
and farmers, not accustomed to confinement,
had. many of them, been Incarcerated fop
months In a crowded and noisome jail during
the fiercest heats of summer; that the sanitary
condition of the jail was fearful; that tiietp
long imprisonment pending trial, itself punish
ment or the severest character, had resulted
from the physical and mental disability of
Judge MoCay; that many of them had been
prosecuted on information filed by the dis
trict attorney, and not by Indictment; that
a short time previously, if not then,
the deadliest euidemios of measles, meningitis,
and other diseases had prevailed, as the records
will show, among the federal prisoners con
fined in that jail, and that it was, upon every
consideration of simple humanity, the duty of
the court to enlarge prisoners so situated dur
ing their pool behavior, as had been uniformly,
on such grounds, the practice of the courts
theretofore. So far as the testimony of the ex
district attorney. Hill, published to-day, may
liave affected tho subcommittee, it would bar*
been, perhaps, a sufficient reply to have called
their attention to the Interview published at th
time in the Atlanta papers in which he honored
the action an l the bumanity of th 9 court
with his distinct approval.
The committee can form no adequate concep
tion of the suffering endured by federal prison
ers in many state jails, and before the power of
the court to suspend sentences is wholly abro
gated I respectfully submit that federal jail*
should be provided where confinement will not
destroy life or endanger health.
Emory Spur.
United States Judge Southern District m Goof
ffi*
Tried and True
Is the positive verdict of the people who
take Hood’s Sarsaparilla When used ac
cording to directions the good effects of thia
excellent medicine are soon felt in nerv*
strength restored, that tired feeling driven
off, a good appetite created, headache and
dyspepsia relieved, scrofula cured, and all
the bad effects of impure blood overcoma
For a good blood purifier, take Hood’s Sar
saparilla,—Ad,
3