The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-13
ADEEP-LAID AND CRAFTY PLOT
EXPOSED.

quiet for some months past, but it is
evident that it has nevertheless been
patiently and persistently perfecting
end pushing it's deep laid end crafty
schemes for getting the cotton farmers
in it's power. Now The Progre 5sive
Farmer has never denied that the
cylindrical bale is in macy respects a
decided improvement yer the old
method of baling. But we have Looked,
and do DOW look, with great and in.
Creasing suspicion upon the movements
of the company which controls the
machinery and patents on the new
round bale process. From u stand
point it is Gle r that the American Cot.
ton Company, end not the farmer, will
e< cure 6" the profits derived from the
advantage of the new system. To
think that farmers could with cylin-
drical bales Eccure greatly reduced
freight c1d ir~urance rat 8 is Indeed
pleasing thought; but what ahall it
profit the farmers of the South to gain
all these things and lose their indie,
pendenCe only to be compelled to pay
heavier tribute ~ this new combine,
which with aching, compac' ionat1
heart, = longing to take them under
the shelter of its protCctingW wings
How pleasing indeed the prospect
that the poor cotton planter now has
an ally among the great COrporetionsl'
OF couri1, you know that all t lusts
are cent by Div1e WI" to act as the
farmers allies! Or at lec"t they say go.
Though we have more than once re
ferred to this matter, we will again,
In order to refresh the memoIy Of u
readers, state the object e1d methods
of this Company. First then, The
American Cotton Company, whose
President is Jno. E. Searles, Sec'y-
Treas. Of the great Sugar Trust which
as the farmers ally" hes favored him
by relieving him Of millir ns of dollars
for which he could find no pc ssible use
this Company, with this President,
owns and controls the patents on tn
new method of baIing.
The first thing it did to arouse sus
picion was to secure it5 charter in the
State OF New Jersey, whoce laws are
so favorable to the formation of trusts,
instead Of in the State of IIlinoi7, VIII re
its manufacturing plant is situated.
Next it announced that it would not
sell it's machinery, but would instead
lease the nec?c~aIJ machines to locGl
corporations in various parts of the
South, on terms VIII ca it dictates.
Because the round bale will be easier
handled and less liable - fire it ia ex-
pected that insurance and transporta.
ton companies will give it greatly re
duced rates. In short, as the New
Orleans Item says:
Insurance compRniC- and tr8nspor
tation lines will BE- induced or forced
to refuse insurance and transport
favors 80 all cotton not cylindr C Ally
baled. A grower cannot therefore sell
his cotton to others than those who
own this pressing process and the
pressing plants. by this means the
Searles L ust gets q cinch on the price
OF every pound of American cotton,
and puts every grower in it's power.
In the presence of this company, which
can, by a fash of the wire, scoop mil
lions by putting down the price of the
raw cotton while in the hands of the
producers and re scoop other millions
when the consumer must purchase by
putting it up, even the Standard Oil
Trust pales into insigr if cence."
Other great papers and unmuzzled
men have pointed out the evils of the
Company, and only last week the Bal
timore Sun said:
This corporation, it is understood,
will refuse to sell any of the baling
machines, but proposes to lease or rent
them to local corporations in various
cities in the cotton Statl;. If this is
done, by regulating the rentals, this
great central corporation could regu-
late the charges for being in all the
States of the Union. In this same
manner the great telephone monopoly /
rented it's Instruments to the various
local companies, end prices were kept
up to an oppre"s' > rate all over the
Union until the par Gnts began to *
pire, when in some communities q
mcclure of relief was obtained.
If the same system is inaugura+,d
by the cotton-baling syndicate, it will !
only remain for the powerful interests
combined in that enterprise - induce
che leading cotton exchange: to REQUIRE
cylindrical baling. That done, the
cotton planters OF the United Skaters