The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-14
AN ANTI-OPTION PLATFORM.
Mr.. Halves States His Grounds of On
position TO Dealing in Futures.

position TO Dealing in Futures.
To the People of the Second Congressional
District:-When my announcement for
Congress first appeared in the papers, The
Savannah News, without unfavorable
comment, at least copied that clause of
the announcement, relating to dealing in
futures" not one word at that time was
said against the proposition, but a week
after, a change comes over the spirit Of
the News; doubtless brought about by the
dealers in futures in that locality, when
its editor enters into a long article to
show and prove the beneficial effects of
these gambling contracts upon the coua-
try and makes a ridiculous assault upon
me for having the temerity or impudence
to suggest the suppression of this evil
and Illegal traffic in agricultural products
and insist that / should read the news
papers, and refers to the gigantic wheat
deal of Joseph Letter of Chicago which
ran wheat up to one dollar per bushel and
thereby benefited the western farmers
to such an extent that they are naming
their babies after Joseph Now, how
Joseph Letter could through his agents
slip around over the western states cor
ner the wheat market and buy all in
sight, and then sell it at one dollar per
bushel, can possibly help the western
farmer is beyond the comprehension of in
telligent men. viii the Savannah News
tell us in what particular instance the
cotton planters of the South have been
benefited by this reckless gambling in
their products-nOt much but when the
continued low price of cotton is presented
as an argument against the traffic, its
advocates dodge behind that old weather.
beaten stump lover production" and in
sist that that is the key to all the ills of
the Southern planter-over production, in
deed when l can take the small sum OF
one hundred dollars and buy one hum
dred bales of cotton futures-when on
this basis the entire crop of the South is
sold to-day and the prices fixed there
for before it is even chopped out
while the farmers are laboring in the Gull
tivation of their crops, these Spectators,
are buying and selling and fixing the
price of the same You can look in the
Savannah News to-day, and tell what cot
ton will be worth in August, Septembe-,
October and November, etc. They oe-
post one hundred dollars and buy one
hundred bales of cotton, that the seller
never owned or saw, and that the
buyer never expects to see, and
in this way they buy and sell
from three to four times more cotton than
will be raised in the South during the
| present year, and then when cotton drops
down to cents, they cry out over-pro-
duction.' and cite Joseph Letters wheat
deal. 1t is nothing but gambling-trifiing
in the agricultural products of the country.
Enriching themselves and impoverishing
the planters-corrupun the morals OF
thousands of young men all over the coun-
try. ,..
The editor of the Savannah News invites
me TO read the newspapers-with equal
kindness 1 invite him to read the laws OF
the good old state that shelters ana pro-
tects him. Our Supreme Court has declar-
ed THAT contracts of this character are
immoral. and illegal and contrary 10 pub
lie nolicy: and that all evidences of DEBT
growing out of transactions of this char
oCer are void even In the hands or lnno-
cent purchasers Again this same court
saws. "A betting on game of faro, Drag
or poker, cannot be more hazardous dah-
gerous or uncertain" Indeed, says that
court. ut may be said that these animals
ore tame and submissive compared to this
rnonster: the law has Gagged them ana
driven them into their dens-they have
hoan out-lawed. while this ferocious beast
roc been allowed to stalk abroad in open
midday with gilded signs and flaming al
,,ortiscnents 10 lure the unhappy victim
70 its embrace of death and destruction
| "What' Says the Supreme Couro are
some Of the consequences of these specu-
Ietions an futures? The faithful chroni-
les Of the day have Informed us, as
growing directly out of these nefarious
,o1roctices that there have been bankrupt
ces, defalcations of public officers embez.
al,rnants periuries, larcenies and death
,.,cH,tatriv,, (says this same courp
no one will contend for mo-
,1ent that transaction fraught
n ,,iu such consequences is not i'm
moral. Illegal and contrary to public pol
in,, >, These are the views of the judges
~ tha sunreme Court-the highest judicial
tribunai known to the state Of Georgia.
Tte,S are the sworn conservators of the
n mil morals. and Of the communicated
strange as it may seem, these als ,h ,.ai
81 81 he editor of the Savannah News as 10
ne Urine and morality of contract on tu-
lures. Whose opinions are the most vaiu-