7 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL CONVENTION. 



cultural Department of the Federal Government were perfectly willing to 

 leave to Mr. Morgan in this State, whatever it was to do with reference 

 to the boll weevil, as he was as perfectly competent, as the Federal Govern- 

 ment, to deal with that subject. 



Now, I say there could be no possible objection to that. We have a 

 peculiar condition here. We have a peculiar State. There is no State in 

 the Union like ours. We find out here, in this great Southern section, that 

 the main crop is cane, we find in another where the main crop is rice, 

 we find again in the Northern section of the State that the great masses of 

 the people are engaged in the cotton culture. 



In my limited experience in the political and legislative history of this 

 State, I have found that it is often necessary to compromise, so as to 

 satisfy the different sections of the State, on account of our diversified 

 interests. Therefore, we have a peculiar State. But whenever the sugar 

 interests of the South were at stake, you found the people of the North 

 patriotic enough to come to their support to relieve them in times of 

 emergency. On the other hand we have found that whenever any great 

 peril have menaced us, that every section of the State has come to our 

 aid, including the sugar planters in South Louisiana, and this great City 

 of New Orleans, which, with the suppression of the boll weevil is destined 

 to become the metropolis of the world. 



Now, there is an impression in the minds of some people to-day, and 

 that objection has been raised to this measure, that you are simply going 

 to provide for the appointment of a Commission, which means more money 

 out of the public treasury. I want to say to you, and I say it conscien- 

 tiously and honestly, that in a great peril like this, it is the duty of every 

 man to lay aside his prejudices, and put his shoulder to the wheel, and do 

 what he can to help our people; and I believe we have enough patriotic 

 people in Louisiana to lay aside their prejudices and pass this measure 

 into a law, and I predict that it will become a law. The people of the 

 State of Louisiana have been able, financially, morally, physically and 

 otherwise to cope with every problem that has confronted them in the 

 past; and I believe they are able to cope fully with the situation which has 

 presented itself to-day. 



Now, I want to say that we have all got to act together. But we have 

 got to entrust this matter to experts. I am no expert myself, but if the 

 Governor of this State, and the other members of that Commission were 

 to come to me and tell me that it is necessary to cut down every stalk of 

 cotton in my fields, I would say that I have implicit confidence in the 

 judgment of these gentlemen, and I would say, 'let her go." 



We all know that there is a great danger threatening us, and I tell you 

 gentlemen, that it is a serious matter. We are raising in this State a con- 

 siderable quantity of cotton; and if it were established that fifteen million 

 dollars were necessary to exterminate the boll weevil, and there was any 



