The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-19

them to every TdnClAbd2A aAta
your state; and. In fact. the ranchsnen
ard dealers of other states as well. LOT
they would naturally be represented en-
our State bureau II they contemplate
purchase Of Texas stock rather lilAii
the one or two local buyers In your own
Immediate neiEhborhocd?
You must admit " there was any oe
mand for steer cattle at all. your agent
would be able to find you buyer IN
very few moments.
Imagine. now. what an enormous VOL
ure OF business would he represented II
all the transactions In cattle. and other
live stock, we're recorded daily Al one
central point In Texas. Th- prices tha'
sales were made at could be published In
the Associated Press, which would IN
form every one OF the exact tone OF our
M arket, and condition OF values, from
day to day, and this would stimulate
trading and specializing In the same ne
gree that the concentration OF any other
business does. Whenever catGemen nave
great convention and are together for
few days Is 1t not common for many
trades to be nader
This bureau would be the same a
convention, only upon a much larger
scale. for every ranchman In the State
would be there through his agent.
Let me illustrate to YOU, now how easy
II would be TO "corner" the "Blg Four"
II *
1t Is not near 80 difficult as you might
suppose and predict II We ever have our
business concentrated In the manner /
have outlined to you. the "corner!ng sys-
tenn" will be introduced into our bust
ness, and the big Four will have to be
represented upon our bureau, just as the
wheat manufacturer and cotton manufac-
turer Is represented on the floor Of those
trades exchanges
We will suppose the big Four have
enough stock IN their Cooling rooms" to
supply their wants one week, and 1t -
necessary for us to hold back our ship
ments until they have exhausted this
supply what Is to prevent our agents
from agreeing with the agents In all
other states to withhold Shipments for that
time?
II you knew such a combination had
been made and your agent advised You
not to ship any cattle for one week, don
YOU think you would be- likely TO follow
his advice? When the pig Four ind out
that we arr m position to corner" them
in this manner you may depend on 1t
they will come down to Texas. and buy
our cattle direct
There Is no telling what changes will he
made In the way Of handling live stock,
II We are ever able to concentrate our
business forces. The old adaGe In union
there Is strength, is a very true one, ana
feel quite sure IT will prove to be so in
our case whenever we get together'
One thing is certain:
We will know every year what our pro-
duction has been. and can tell II we are
overbroducing or not.
And we can tell how many head of cat
tie are imported from Mexico. anu can
ada from day to day.
When we started our cotton exchange
In New York in 1869 we had no uniformity
In the grades Of cotton; each State had It's
own peculiar way OF grading, and there
wa. no way of telling what cotton was
really selling at because We could not
keep the run of so many different Gus
toms.
When the exchange was organized It
drew together all the merchants, ana
dealers In cotton, and they soon agreed
upon a uniform standard of grades, the
market value Of which to he telegraphed
to all points every day, and the result Is
we have a series of standard grades now
that all the States recognize, and trade
under.
There is no telling what changes may
be made In our own customs.
This will come through the combined
wisdom OF our business representatives,
when they are thrown together.
You may denend on It that eat i'm
provements viii be made on our present
ways of dealing.
y
selling for SIC per head, for instance. when
some clever fellow Is trying to coax you
into selling him yours for go.
And 1t is not At all unllS 'ly nut they
viii devise some way OF selling cattle by
grade, the same as is done in cotton.
coffee and wheat.
But this Is matter OF secondary import
ance
What we want to know first, IS:
Is the the supply Of cattle too great for
the demand? If II Is and ;herc Is no like
lihood OF the supply being reduced very
soon, l. for one, will retire from the cattle
business. know there are plenty of You
who would he glad to do the fame thing.
| and the supply viii soon adjust Itself
| to the demand.
Our product Is not like cotton, Of
| wheat, subject to great and sudden squirt
| of production according to the seasons
1t is m IRE in the order of manufacturing
and | am quite certain the producers o
| cattle Will find a way to reduce the sup
! ply, whenever they learn that they ar,
! producing too many
! As some of you are aware, this systeu
of Il Bureau for Information and Stats
| tics Concerning Live Stock was recon
mended ny the interstate convention O
! cattlemen that was held In Fort Wortl
| in March 1890, and committee was ap
| pointed by that convention to memorabilia
same introduced. | had the honor of bein,
made chairman OF that committee and tn
fact of not having completed our work
| after SO long a time. might operate Il
| prejudice your minds as to the feasibilit!
OF the plan, ] would state that Senate
| George Vest of Missouri introduced u bill
| In the senate on December s, 1892, In &C
cordance with the wishes of tho conven
ton, and 1t was referred to, and was rec
| commended by the select Committee OF
tho transportation and Sale of Mea
| Products" Since that time there hav
been several sessions of congress, but 70,
all know there has been but little inclina
tIon to take up any new matters, particu
larry when money appropriations wer
| involved.
The fact is Mr., Vest wrote as follows
In December 1898:
Some time ago sent to Secretary Nor
ton Of the agricultural department a cop!
OF my bill establishing bureau OF inform
alton and statistics concerning live stock
and called upon him in person In regard t
the matter
'Fle promised me that he would look owe