Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-19
THE DANGERS IN THE ROUND BALE.
A Prophecy as to What will Happen When
the Square Bale Is Run.
Houston, Texas, Post.

Houston, Texas, Post
"The round bale people, do not come
into Texas with machinery to sell.
They propose to operate all the plants
put in themselves, or exact perpetual
royalty as rental, if any Of their plants
are used by others than the company.
1t is charged that the process of gin
ming and baling are such that the COM
pany owning the plants will be compell-
ed to buy the cotton in the seed and
handle it from the field to the factory
evidently the ulterior purpose of these
round bale people. This consumma-
ton will, it can be seen, when effected,
place the handling of the cotton crop
of the United States in the hands of
one or two round bale companies, and
the consequences to the south can be
better imagined than described. With
the square bale run out, aud the mil
lions invested in the old-time gins and
presses destroyed, the planters would
be at the mercy of a monopoly strong
enough 10 fix whatever price it pleased
on cotton, and then to hold the crop
long enough to exact from the mills
its owners figures. In word, the
cylindrical bale company will, after
having its gin accepted and its pack
age enforced, be absolutely masters of
the situation. What will become of
the planters interest? AS the New Or
leans Times. Democrat asks, will the
planter not be entirely helpless before
this huge corporation, and would he
not be compelled to take whatever the
corporation was disposed to offer :?
There would be no competition, and
Senator McEuery, of Louisiana, de-
clares that the fostering of the cylin.
drical bale means the fostering of one
of the largest trusts ever conceived by
the mind of men, and the driving out
of the cotton factors, exporters and
pressmen !! The question at once ad-
dresses itself to an intelligent public
and lawmakers, whether few pres
ent advantages should permit the de-
struction of millions of capital al
ready invested in the old processes,
and destruction of competition in the
purchasing and handling of the l2,-
OOO, 900 bales of American cotton, and
the building up of trust, by compari-
son with which the Standard Oil and
Sugar trusts would be but pygmies I?
The trust once supreme, these present
concessions and advantages to the
planter would inevitably and at once
be withdrawn, and the south with all
its vast business interests, which are
absolutely dependent on cotton, would
be in the cold, vice like grip of a mas
ter with an office in Wall street! No
more serious situation has confronted
this section since the war of the rebel
lion. Not to in some way scotch this
young and growing giant now is to
be helpless later on. If the benefits OF
this new invention were given, as in
the old process, to the public, by a
sale of the plants, we might see step
forward-existng ginning and COM
pressing establishments would simply
replace present with improved machin-
cry, though the cost would be great.
TO refuse to do this, however, places
the new company in a position where
it can ask and expect few favors from
the public. Texas, the greatest cot
ton growing state in the world, should
at least be saved from the clutches OF
this most ambitious and dangerous of
all the huge monopolies."