The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-21
CLASSIFICATION IN FAVOR.
THE MOVEMENT GENERALLY AP-
PROVED BY COTTON MEN.

ConmissIoncr stevens should can
His Cotton CHASING Convention TO
Meet in savannah. Cotton Men
say-PresIdeut Williams of the
Cotton Exchange Says He VIII he
Glad to see a Standard system OF
Classification which VIII DO JUS
tIce to All PnrtIes-Believes Inte-
rior Buyers VIII Oppose the Move
mcnt, However.
The agitation begun in Savannah for a
uniform system of cotton classification Is
taking effect. Yesterdays Morning News
dispatches from Atlanta announced that
Hon. O. B. Stevens, commissioner of ag-
riculture. has taken in hand the matter
of calling convention Of representatives
Of the cotton growing states 10 consider
and take action upon the question, and
that he Is already in communication with
the commissioners of agriculture Of other
Southern states, and the presidents OF ag-
ricultural bodies. President Pope Brown
of the State Agricultural Society has CIV
en- the movement his hearty Endorsement
The dispatch stated that Commissioner
Stevens is making preparations for con-
veution 10 be held in Atlanta In August.
BY rights the convention should be held
in Savannah. Commissioner Stevens at
tention was first called to the subject, and
the agitation begun by letter from Mr.
]. P. Williams, in which the latter went
thoroughly into the whole subject Sa-
vannah is one of the leading cotton ports
of the country, and handles more cotton
! in a year than is seen in Atlanta in ten.
Another reason is that the exporting in
terest is chiefly interested in this matter
and the export buyers are to be found
almost entirely at the ports. The export
buyers contend in fact that their inter-
est in a proper classification of cotton be-
! fore it's departure from this country Is
| greater even than that of the farmers
| The farmers, they say. sell according 10
sample. while the buyers are generally
compelled to buy according 20 grade.
The majority Of the members of the Sa-
| vannah Cotton Exchange are agreed that
an official standard of classification IS
! very desirable provided that the law Is
wisely drawn so as to offer every safe
! guard to both buyer and seller. A sys-
| tenn of inspection which would permit eV-
cry Tom Dick and Harry, who had poht-
| ical pull enough to get an appointment TO
inspect cotton would be worse than no in
spection at ALL on the contrary an in
spection whose reliability and fairness was
undoubted would meet with general APP
| proval both at home and abroad,
President Henry r. Williams of the
! Cotton Exchange when asked for his views
upon the subject, said: the Cotton Elk
| change has been endeavoring for years to
secure satisfactory system of classitica-
| ton The trouble has been that the inte-
rior buyers have never been willing to
sell subject to Savannah examination.
am satisfied that they win oppose the
adoption of a standard classification. I'm
der the present state of affairs they can
class cotton as they please and then re-
| fuse to pay reclamations l would be glad
TO see a law passed which would guaran-
! tee every bale of cotton sent abroad
| against reclamation after it has passed
| the Georgia arbitration. system of ar
| bitration which would establish the grade
of every bale of cotton before 1t left the
port would accomplish this. Interior
classification would not be accepted by
foreign buyers"
Mr.. Jacob Rauers, who for number OF
years successfully conducted a large cot
ton buying business at Savannah, was
| asked for his views upon the subject "A
| standard classification would prove a very
|
MIR. Rauers. ut is very desirable that g
| system of classification should be estab-
| lished on this side which would be recog-
| nized on the other side. Commerce is not
inclined to be radical and usually works
ont its own reforms in the long run. Any
system of classification, 10 be successful
must be one to meet the approval of Tho
foreign buers."
Mai T. IT. Stewart, in speaking o.
q, aa9d ia N.
doubtedly what we should have. While tbs
quality of the present crop has been yer!
moor and accounts TO a large extent for tbs
number of reclamations there are too man,
evils about the reclamation business to al
low II 10 go unchecked Such a system o
classification, to be successful, woul(
have TO be reliable, or 1t would fail of 1T
purpose. Cotton CHASING is a very dell
800 business and the men appointed 70
this work would have to be very CAREFUL!
selected. Any system which per
etttad of political influence
uon,d he worse than the presen
!, lack of system. 1t is ridiculous TO sup
nose that a cotton classer could be foun'
at every small shipping point OF sufhcien
ahilitv. experience and honesty to so clas
every bale of cotton shipped from his sta
: tinn that it would be accepted without fur
tber question by the foreign cotton buyer
a system OF hspeC'+Oii or" S'esSIiiNs Wv"
which would absolutely fix the grade o
each bale of cotton before it left the port
!, would be satisfactory. An official boar
; of arbitration at each port might NEE
: the need"
Il is evident that the agitation begun il
> Savannah is likely 20 have results an
that those who are interested in securir
a proper classification should interes
. themselves in directing the movement t
the proper end.
CoLoRED TROOPS TO PARADE.