The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-01
No. 25

Eu6E0 IL come q Time" Wn6n other gin
ners like himself shall have abandoned
their old presses, that he and they will
then be at the mercy of the promoters
OF the round bale system, who in carry
ing out their declared purpose Of re-
tusing to sell their presses, will then
own the press department of every gin
in the country.
Mr.. Clements has shown that the
round bales netted from 50 so to IS rs
more than the sqlRre bale; but will
this lIberality continue any longer than
when this bonus has effectually and
completely driven from the field the
old press machinery2 What right have
we to suppose that the round bale peo-
pie will continue to pursue the same
liberal policy they now pursue in the
face OF competition, when competition
is destroyed7 The question is not how
liberal the round bale people can be,
because Of the economy of their sys-
tenn, but how liberal will they be9 Or.
dinary business knows no sentiment;
then, can we expect monopoly to be
less remoreless9
Not to make this article too long, I
want to notice some phases of this
question which are not permitted to
come to the surface, and of which the
general reader is ignorant to his own
hurt.
In the first place, want the reader
to know that not every farm journal
or newspaper is open to discussion of
the round bale except at advertising
rates." This, the writer has found out
by experience. In reply to communi-
cation the editor of farm journal,
which is now giving space to the ad-
vantages Of the American CompRny's
press, informed me that my article
was withheld from publication until
they could inform me that it could
only appear at advertising rates." AS
I had no pecuniary interest in gins or
congresses whatever, but only desired
to discuss the principles involved,
which it seemed to me were clearly
detrimental to the cotton planter, I
Immediately wrote for the return Of
my article, which is scheduled to sp-
pear in this weeks issue Of the Green
vile Headlight and Independent
Farmer. I merely mention this that
the reader Of these eulogistic articles
in praise of the round bale which ap-
pear as regular reading matter, may
know that they are, in reality, adver-
tisements in disguise, paid for at ad
vertising rates. The evil and the dis
honesty Of the thing is, that the reader
is taken unewares. II the Oompauy's
name appeared to them, they would
lose more than half their force; in fact,
the object is that they shall appear as
disinterested testimony in favor of the
round bale, and the monopolistic
methods of it's promoters.
In all that this writer says, he does
not want to be understood as disparag-
ing in any way the round bale; he is
fighting the monopolistic principle it's
promoters seek to fRsten upon the cot
ton industry, in their absolute refusal
to sell their presses under any circum-
stances whatever. And this principle
ought to be fought, as every kind Of
monopoly is fought, by every paper
that makes any pretense Of being on
the side Of the people.
This Company, the American round
bale, has already been compelled to
make concessions. What it refused in
the beginning it consents now to give
for the people. This is not guaranteed
any longer, however, than to 1900. At
first the demand was that the farmer
must sell them his cotton in the seed.
They refused, IN flct, to convert the
farmers cotton into q merchantable
article and turn it back to him in the
bale that he might dispose of it when
and wherever he pleased. Whenever
the producer of any OF the great staple
products, such as wheat, corn and cot
ton, cannot have the privilege of hav-
ing them converted into merchantable
articles; his grain threshed, his corn
shelled, and all turned back to him to
dispose Of at his pleasure, because mo
nopoly has seized the country, and re-
fuses to do anything but buy the raw
material, and there is no one else to
buy it but them, serfdom, for the great
toiling millions, is not far off.
Such is the principle under which
the promoters of the round bale started
out; that they have temporarily aban-
doned part of the scheme, is not due
to a more lenient consideration for the
cotton planter, but to the pressure Of
public opinion. while vet the power to