PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 69 



him to address us on this subject; and after his address we will consider 

 that question. 



The President called Professor Connell to the platform, who delivered 

 himself as follows, to-wit: 



PROFESSOR CONNELL. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention. The subject 

 of permanent organization was foreign to the conception of 

 Texas fanners a year ago. The idea of calling a convention of the busi- 

 ness interests, and the cotton growing interests of the great State of Texas, 

 for the temporary consideration of the boll weevil, was ridiculed by some 

 of the people of our State ; because, as they said, a convention of that 

 kind would give a black name to Texas; that the business interests of the 

 United States would gather a wrong impression concerning the financial 

 standing and the prosperity of our farmers in Texas; that the business 

 interests of these United States would forget that Texas was actually pro- 

 ducing from two million. six hundred thousand, to three million bales of 

 cotton a year ; and that the Convention idea was a calamity movement. 

 There were others, however, who maintained that the business interests 

 of the country were better informed concerning the boll weevil situation in 

 Texas, that the business interests of Texas were informed concerning 

 those conditions ; that the business interests of Texas understood the boll 

 weevil situation in Texas better than the farmers of Texas understood 

 that situation ; that every business establishment doing business in the 

 State of Texas, has its agents and promoters out in all portions of the 

 State, who gave daily reports upon the situation ; and therefore, that it 

 could do no harm to come together and devise ways and means for com- 

 batting this insidious insect. I speak of this, Mr. Chairman, to show you 

 that a temporary convention was not easily called in Texas. 



In the year 1895, I na d the pleasure of accompanying the Assistant 

 Secretary of Agriculture, Hon. Charles Dabney, on a visit to the Texas 

 Legislature. When he laid before that body, a plain proposition for the 

 destruction of the boll weevil, in Texas, when he first invaded the lower 

 cotton producting counties, the assurance felt by the members of the 

 Texas Legislature was so strong, in the ability, in the ingenuity of Texas 

 farmers and Texas planters, and Texas business men, to throttle that 

 insect, that they laughed the suggestion of Dr. Dabney to scorn, whilst 

 treating him respectfully. The Committee that listened to his recommen- 

 dations merely turned them aside and made no report to either branch 

 of the Legislature. 



When the Dallas business men called the first Boll Weevil Convention, 

 on December i8th, 1902, scarcely a year ago, there were some persons who 

 decried the movement, as I have indicated. I mention these facts, gentle- 



