2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 



Mr. W. B. Marston, of Red River Parish, moved that the recommenda- 

 tigais he accepted. 



Me. W. L. Foster^ of Gaddo Parish, moved as a substitute, that the 

 recommendations, be read .section by section. 



Tkis motion was seconded by Mr. T. P. Sullivan, of Rapides Parish. 



The President stated the motion. 



Thereupon Mr. Pugh, Chairman of the Committee, obtained the floor 

 aai spoke as follows, to-wit: 



Mr. Pugh. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention: I want 

 to say to you that we are confronted now with a serious situation. We 

 hve met here for action. Now, I want to say, further, that we have had 

 occasion to investigate the law of every State of the Union; there is a 

 party- at Washington,, who has sent me the statutes of every State of the 

 Uwion, that have been passed upon subjects of this character. Now, if 

 you go into the details of this matter, I want to say that you are gojng to 

 hamper the action of the State Legislature, and you are going to hamper 

 the action of the State authorities in their work along these lines. 

 .The first section of the resolutions here provides that the State of 

 Louisiana, by reason of the inherent powers which it possesses should pro- 

 vi^e a heavy fine and penalty as against the firm, person or corporation 

 that comes within the borders of this State with a boll weevil, or any cot- 

 ton square, or anything else appertaining to the boll weevil. I want to say 

 to. you, gentlemen, that I have fears along these lines. I want to say, 

 without fear o,f successful contradiction, that if the boll weevil is imported 

 into this State, and I think we have it now on the border line, of this 

 State, it will be brought here by designing individuals. I do not like to 

 attribute evil motives to my fellow men, but there is a strong likelihood that 

 sqrne men who have planted cotton and not been able to raise more than 

 a half crop, will be selfish enough to be caught with the idea that they 

 would like to see every State of the Union impregnated with this evil. I 

 tell you that dozens of men in my section of the country have been seen 

 with their pockets full of these bugs. The danger that threatens our State 

 to-day, lies more in the fact that designing individuals may distribute these 

 weevils over the country, for the purpose of speculating in the cotton 

 markets of the world. Now, there could be no objection to this clause, 

 because it is absolutely necessary as an effective safeguard against this 

 danger. I do not see how there can be any difference of opinion among 

 us, when it is proposed to make it a criminal offense for any man to be 

 found in this State, with a boll weevil in his possession. 



Now, as: to the next clause, I want to say that it is an absolute neces- 

 sity that the State of Louisiana should establish what I would call a strict 

 quarantine. I would say to the gentlemen, that this Commission that is 

 provided for here, is to be composed of the Chief Executive of the State, 

 the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Director of the Experimental 



