﻿160 
  History 
  of 
  Durham. 
  

  

  delivered 
  to 
  him, 
  the 
  planter 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  gather 
  only 
  

   twelve 
  leaves 
  from 
  each 
  plant. 
  In 
  its 
  early 
  histor}'-, 
  as 
  

   in 
  its 
  modern 
  experience, 
  tobacco 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  sport 
  of 
  

   legislation, 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  vexatious 
  laws 
  and 
  tyrannical 
  ex- 
  

   actions, 
  as 
  if 
  law-makers 
  had 
  conspired 
  to 
  punish 
  mankind 
  

   for 
  the 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  yielded 
  to 
  its 
  seductive 
  

   dominion. 
  

  

  North 
  Carolina 
  lagged 
  many 
  years 
  behind 
  Virginia 
  in 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  tobacco; 
  for 
  whereas 
  all 
  the 
  tide- 
  

   water 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  State 
  became 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  this 
  staple, 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  Revolutionar}' 
  War, 
  

   but 
  comparatively 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  was 
  given 
  

   up 
  to 
  it. 
  The 
  counties 
  of 
  Warren 
  and 
  Granville, 
  and 
  the 
  

   counties 
  along 
  the 
  Dan, 
  with 
  portions 
  of 
  Orange 
  and 
  Chat- 
  

   ham, 
  under 
  their 
  former 
  limits, 
  were 
  probably 
  the 
  only 
  

   counties 
  in 
  which 
  tobacco 
  was 
  extensively 
  cultivated 
  for 
  

   market. 
  

  

  In 
  North 
  Carolina 
  is 
  produced 
  tobacco 
  unequalled 
  even 
  

   in 
  Virginia; 
  and 
  yet 
  she 
  is 
  deprived 
  of 
  her 
  due 
  credit 
  

   both 
  for 
  quantity 
  and 
  quality. 
  Virginia 
  has 
  absorbed 
  her 
  

   fame 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  her 
  products. 
  Statistical 
  tables 
  put 
  North 
  

   Carolina 
  as 
  the 
  fourth 
  State 
  in 
  extent 
  of 
  crop, 
  yet 
  foreign 
  

   commercial 
  tables 
  take 
  no 
  note 
  of 
  this, 
  and 
  the 
  fifty 
  or 
  

   more 
  millions 
  of 
  leaf 
  tobacco 
  that 
  go 
  out 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  

   go 
  upon 
  the 
  world 
  as 
  Virginia 
  tobacco. 
  It 
  is 
  no 
  reproach 
  

   to 
  Virginia 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  so. 
  She 
  has 
  systematized 
  her 
  busi- 
  

   ness 
  by 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  two 
  centuries, 
  and 
  shipments 
  from 
  

   Richmond 
  and 
  Petersburg 
  had 
  a 
  guarantee 
  for 
  their 
  excel- 
  

   lence 
  in 
  the 
  fidelity, 
  knowledge 
  and 
  skill 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  con- 
  

   trolled 
  the 
  market. 
  And 
  Virginia 
  had 
  given 
  North 
  Carolina 
  

   the 
  only 
  market 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  her 
  producing 
  regions 
  un- 
  

   til 
  the 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  sales, 
  established 
  since 
  the 
  

   war, 
  has 
  given 
  her 
  markets 
  of 
  her 
  ov/n. 
  It 
  is 
  our 
  duty 
  to 
  

   show 
  to 
  the 
  world 
  what 
  we 
  are 
  doing, 
  and 
  vindicate 
  our 
  

   fame 
  and 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  our 
  resources. 
  

  

  But 
  she 
  must 
  part 
  with 
  her 
  title 
  in 
  the 
  fame 
  of 
  her 
  

   " 
  bright 
  yellow 
  tobacco," 
  a 
  fame 
  based 
  upon 
  its 
  North 
  Caro- 
  

   lina 
  origin 
  and 
  almost 
  exclusive 
  North 
  Carolina 
  production. 
  

  

  Tobacco 
  is 
  our 
  crowning 
  glory 
  to-day, 
  and 
  it 
  behooves 
  us, 
  

   as 
  patriotic 
  citizens, 
  to 
  see 
  to 
  it 
  that 
  our 
  State 
  shall 
  have 
  

   credit 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  quantity 
  but 
  quality 
  of 
  this 
  product. 
  

   Affluent 
  in 
  everything 
  that 
  contributes 
  to 
  the 
  wealth 
  and 
  

   prosperity 
  of 
  a 
  State, 
  in 
  our 
  tobacco, 
  crude 
  and 
  manufact- 
  

  

  