The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-28

- the public at a much lower price than the
swine fat which the Dawes bill PROPOSES
to protect. Il is wholesome article of
food, and no protest ha been made by those
who are in the habit Of using it.
There is another fact that congress ought
to bear in mind. The consumers Of lard
have not asked for this legislation. There
is not today a single petition signed by any
respectable body of consumers. There is
no comp!ant-therc is no protest-from
that source. 1t is to be hoped, moreover,
that congress viii bear in mind that it is
against sound public policy to tax food pro-
ducts, or to restrict the sale of those which
cheaper the cost Of living; and that it is
also against public policy to discourage
those industries which add to the wealth of
the country by making valuable articles of
commerce products that would otherwise be
worthless
If wholesome article of food is to be
subjected to federal taxation, where is
such legislation to end? The proposed leg
islation will not only be destructive of the
cotton seed oil industry, bat it will enhance
the price of valuable article of food. 1t
win enable 4 ring of lard spectators to
corner swine fat, and this is the object
of the whole movement. Whether certain
congressman are paid to further this specu-
lation we do not know, but since the success
of the whisky ring, it would be difficult to
believe that such is not the case.
A writer in the Chicago Tribune puts the
case very neatly. The growth of the cotton
seed industry and its benefitto the country
may be illustrated by few facts. In 1879
only one-seyenth of the available cotton
seed of the United States was actually
milled for oil, while during the last year,
with far larger crop, it is estimated that
two-thirds or three-fourths of the available
seed has been thoroughly utilized. The
price of cotton has been declining for years,
like the price of wheat; but the loss to the
planter in the price of cotton seems to have
been more than made up to him in the
steadily-increasing value of his seed and
this while our wheat dealers have felt the
force OF competition from India, Russia,
and many other distant markets in the
steadily decreasing price of our staple
cereal; cur cotton planters, on the other
hand, have received profitable returns from
their crops because of the value of cotton
seed although the price Of the cotton alone
has declined. as aforesaid.
The seed is raised in the south and the
crude oil is manufactured in southern mills.
But this crude material is refined chiefly in
the north, there being extensive refneries
in Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburg
Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Providence, r. l.,
etc. Then the settings or foots
are used for soap by nearly all
the great soap manufacturers OF
the north; so that cotton seed is in no sense
q sectional product. twenty-five years ago
Europe received large proportions of its an
nual supply of cotton from India, Brazil,
Egypt and many other countries. Today it
is said that the United States produces four
fifths Of the worlds supply OF cotton. In
1881 it was said that the capacity of this
country for producing cotton was so great
that the state of Texas alone was capable of
producing, if thoroughly cultivated, ten
times as much cotton as the entire crop Of
the United States for that year.
Taking all these things into consideration,
is congress prepared to levy tax which will
benefit only few speculators--w which will
destroy an industry that is national in its
proportions-an which will increase the
price to consumers of an article of prime
necessity?