American citizen, the appeal to reason and to common sense would not be in vain, for there are none who will knowingly exchange pleasure for sorrow, profitable employment for idleness, or prosperity for adversity. All may rest assured that the very life of our people, their comfort, pleasure, and continuing progress toward higher planes and better spheres of activity -conditions applicable to all whether rich or poor-are possible only through the support and maintenance of present national conditions. Considerations of national honor, the perpetuity of our free institutions, the security of vested interests, the investment of capital necessary to the continued development of our natural resources; the earnings of American labor and its savings, together with the peace of mind, the contentment of all our people, and the continuance of the present condition of unparalleled prosperity, are sufficient to justify the earnest personal interest and influence of every individual and business organization in the United States of America, who desires a realization of that quiet, restful enjoyment of the proverbial "peace on earth good will toward men."

The PRESIDENT. I will request the Secretary to read several letters from distinguished persons who are unable to be present with us on this occasion.

The Secretary read the following letter from Hon. CHARLES EMORY SMITH, Postmaster General:

OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL,
WASHINGTON, October 4, 1900.

MR. C. J. H. WOODBURY, Secretary,

Boston, Mass.

My Dear Sir-It would give me great pleasure to meet the representatives and members of your organization from Boston and elsewhere when they come to Washington, but arrangements already made will take me into Kansas at that time, and it will be impossible for me to be present at the meeting of your Association.

With renewed thanks, I am

Very truly yours,

CHARLES EMORY SMITH,

Postmaster General.

The SECRETARY. His predecessor and our fellow-member, Hon. JAMES A. GARY, of Baltimore, wires me:

"Regret my inability to be with you and the Association tonight." JAMES A. GARY.

Secretary ELIHU ROOT has telephoned me this evening since we have been at the hotel that he regrets very much that the state of his health - he is recovering from a severe illness will not permit him to come out this evening, and he wished me to extend to you his best wishes. Hon. JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture, through a misunderstanding and on account of conflicting engagements, is expected to be here tomorrow evening instead of this evening, and you will have an opportunity to hear from him at the opening of the session. I have a cablegram from Manchester, England:

WOODBURY, Arlington Hotel, Washington, D. C.

OCTOBER 16th, 1900.

9.47 A. M.

Extremely regret unable to attend sixty-ninth meeting. All good wishes.

LAWTON, AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY.

Also one from a member who has been prevented by business from being at this meeting:

C. J. H. WOODBURY, ESQ., Sec'y.,

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 11, 1900.

P. O. Box 3672, Boston, Mass.

Dear Sir-On behalf of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, I desire to convey to your Association the sincere thanks and appreciation of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial. Art, of which I am a member of the Board of Trustees, for the action which your Association has taken in providing a medal to be awarded to a student of the Philadelphia Textile School, one of the departments of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, and in this way recognizing their work.

Very respectfully yours,

M. A. FURBUSH.

The SECRETARY. I am instructed to report that it is the opinion of the Board of Government that it is advisable to hold the meeting of a year hence at Buffalo during the Pan-American Exposition. As a preliminary measure a number of rooms have been provisionally engaged for the last Wednesday and Thursday in September. There are a number of circulars of the Pan-American Exposition here for distribution to the members.

The PRESIDENT. I now declare this session adjourned until 2.30 tomorrow afternoon.

On Wednesday, October 17, 1900, at 11.30 A. M., the members and guests called at the Executive Mansion, where President WILLIAM MCKINLEY, assisted by Hon. JOHN D. LONG, Secretary of the Navy, gave a private reception to the party.

SECOND SESSION.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1900.

Meeting called to order at 2.30 P. M., President THOMPSON in the chair.

The SECRETARY. In regard to the Southern trip. The Southern Railway gives this invitation for about 1,800 miles of transportation. The cost of meals and sleeping car service will be probably about four dollars per day. According to the itinerary, the party is to leave the station at 10.45 Thursday evening.

It will be necessary to register your names in advance in order that arrangements for sleeping cars may be made. the return the party will arrive in Washington on Wednesday, October 24. That will give you an opportunity to return from Washington any time on the 25th. The route includes Danville, Greensboro, Concord, Charlotte, Gastonia, Gaffney, Spartanburg, Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and, if occasion calls, stopping at some other places on the route.

The following papers were read:

The Cotton Plant.

WALTER H. EVANS, Ph. D.

U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

American-grown Egyptian Cotton.

LYSTER H. DEWEY,

U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

America's Textile Industry.-A Southern View.

R. H. EDMONDS, Baltimore, Md.

The Possibility of Cotton Manufacturing in the United States and Especially in the South.

R. M. MILLER, JR., Charlotte, N. C.

The PRESIDENT. I am pleased to announce that this evening there will be present with us Hon. JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture, who was unavoidably absent last evening, and whom you will all be very desirous to meet. I will now announce this session as adjourned until this evening at eight o'clock.