PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 2J 



whether the government has sufficient power to do that. I am rather im- 

 pressed from my casual examination of the law, that additional legisla- 

 tion must be passed to enable your government to cope, in the fullest ex- 

 tent, with the national trouble. 



If I am not trying you, gentlemen, I would like to give you, a few sug- 

 gestions, not as coming from myself, but as the result of discussions with 

 the Secretary, and with members of the Texas delegation and others. 

 For instance, as the Secretary said to me, "I am a very strong State rights 

 man myself, even if I come from the west, I am still with you, to this 

 extent at least, that you have the right to control yourself" ; but afterwards 

 he said: "There should be power lodged in your Governor to take up 

 with us, in necessary cases, the right of quarantine, if you have not got it 

 already ; you should have the right to expropriate, if you have any need of 

 it. It may be necessary to burn up some fields. We are still in an ex- 

 perimental stage; 'we do not know what to do with this bug. We are now 

 trying to find something out about it. It may be necessary to do some 

 extraordinary thing. So it is necessary that your Governor shall co- 

 operate with us, to the fullest extent. 



So, gentlemen, it seems to me if the citizens of this country, the 

 tax-payers to a man, are interested in this thing, that this Convention re- 

 commend the calling together of the Legislature as soon as possible as 

 soon as practicable. But let not there be anything in that legislation to 

 commit you to any particular method or plan, for supressmg that bug, but 

 vest in your Governor the power to take up this matter, with sufficient 

 funds at his disposal, to co-operate with the Government of the United 

 States, as occasion may require, in the matter of suppressing or preventing 

 this weevil from coming into this territory. I should say this would be 

 better than to confine yourself to any particular line or any particular 

 thing, than to say that this was the best method, or that was the best 

 method. But invest him with the power to create a Board to take charge 

 of the matter, composed of practical men, and of scientific men, to meet 

 the emergencies as they may arise. 



The scientist may say: "Here is a good remedy to get rid of that bug 

 in this locality; here is a good method to get rid of him in that locality." 

 Follow his instructions. Do what he says. Do all that you can to reach 

 a conclusion in the premises, and to be able to say positively, "this is the 

 remedy for the evil." I take it for granted from what I read, from the 

 scientific world, that it may take several years before that remedy is 

 found; but I. am willing to pledge my faith in the ability of the Ameri- 

 can people, to find a remedy for any evil, social, natural or otherwise, that 

 may arise. I have no hesitancy in saying that in these various experi- 

 ments which you may make, you will fritter away some of the people's 

 money. It is natural to presume that; but every dollar that you spend 



