The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-02-19
ANENT COTTON.

City Item the following we'll written
article on cotton, which we think Is
worthy the perusal of ever planter:
Speculative forces having secured
their purpose, to obtain from the
grower of cotton the product of his
toll at price which would cover
picking, packing and placing on the
market, but which was loss for la
Dor and material in planting and
cultivating, and now the bulls of the
market, and that price, which was a
short ten days ago $40 per. bale be-
low the cost of production and mar
xeting, is now climbing up with
leaps and bounds.
The general public, accepting the
"reasons" assigned by cotton gam
blers from day to day for the fall in
the price of the staple upon which a
large portion of the nation depends
for prosperity, do not stop to con-
slider the modus operandi of these
exquisite gentry. This is why The
Item proposes this time to call at
tention TO a particular part of the
spectators peculiar methods of bust
ness in respect to the "supply of and
the demand" for cotton.
When cotton is being marketed by
the grower the whole effort of Stats
ticians employed at cotton exchanges
is to show great gains in supply.
Gamblers in wind bet daily upon
estimated receipts for the day sue
ceeding their wagers. Those who
bet the receipts will be more are
bears, those who bet they will be
less are bulls. This of course, is
called "business," and those who
engage IN it are nearly all in favor
of putting in Jail man who bets on
horse race or sells race pool
ticket, and regard man who does
not 60 to church on Sunday as al.
ready selected for eternal punish
ment.
But that is neither here nor there.
II is with cotton supply and cotton
demand we have to do now. Ia the
early season, when cotton is in the
bands of and being marketed by the
prod ucer, it is the daily supply which
knocks the price up or down. But
when the crop is in, when the poor
wretch, who contende1 with nature
for twelve long months, who rea-
soned with a mule from between
pillow handles, went barefooted and
kept his children at home and lived
generally the life of an all-round
slave, has not bale, then the daily,
weekly or monthly supply has moth
ing to do with the price. 1t is then
the total. ''vislble supply" which
affects price, and along that line
cotton gamblers statisticlans sling
out figures by the yard.
Mr.. Alfred B. Sbepperson, of
New York, one of the finest authori-
ties upon cotton in the world, a
most careful and conservative statis-
tician, in recent article in the
Tradesman estimates that, after sat
isfying the present demand for cot
ton, there will on the lst of Septem-
Der, be left surplus of 675, 900
bales of cotton out of the present
croc unconsumed up to that time.
In making this estimate for the crop
of the world and the demand of the
world he puts the crop Of the United
States at 10000, 900 bales. The
Agricultural Department estimates
the crop in the United States at o.
255, 900 bales. No experts or stats.
ticians of reputation have estimated
the crop of the United States any
higher than the figures made by Mr..
Shepperson.
Thus we have the astounding fact
that the present crop of cotton, after
satisfying the present yearly de-
mand for cotton, will leave only
surplus of cotton sufficient to satisfy
the present demand Of the world for
three weeks. 1t can not be contend
ed that surplus of three weeks
supply could depreciate the price of
cotton to the extent that it has been
deprecated. II we will add TO this
surplus of 675, 900 bales the surplus
on the LIST of last September, which
amounted to 9s2, 76l bales, we would
have on the LIST of next September,
in the aggregate, 1867, 76l bales, or
only enough cotton to last the world
for eight weeks. Now, in 1895
there was a surplus left. on the LIST
of September, of enough to run the
world for twelve weeks. but at that
time cotton was worth about cents
pound. In 1894 there was a sur
plus of about ten weeks supply, and
cotton was worth about 8 cents per
pound. In 1897 there was surplus
of about thirteen and a half weeks
supply, while cotton was worth about
3l4 cents per pound.
Upon this line, the only true line,
the Spectator, with all the cotton in
his own control, Is now operating.
He knows that, assuming even the
highest estimate of the present sea-
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