Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-20
WORK OF GAMBLERS
Present Cause Of High Price
Of Cotton.
SEC'Y WILSON TALKS
INFINITE MISCHIEF TO THE
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
Other Nations Seeking to Be Indepen-
dent of United States-Work Of
Agricultural Department.

| eSSF~>~
The cotton manufacturing interests OF
| New England are threatened with a serious
| situation growing out of the scarcity OF
raw cotton and necessitating the closing
! down of mills. AS is we'll known, there
has been furry in the cotton market re-
| Gently. and prices of the raw material have
reached a high figure. The Secretary of
Agriculture was asked by a Star reporter
| today for an opinion as to the cause of ex-
| isting conditions.
| The gamblers have cornered the cotton
| market said Secretary Wilson. land put
| up the price so high that manufacturers
| cannot Use raw cotton. At existing prices
there is no profit to them. The price of
| manufactured goods cannot be manipulated
| as can be the price of raw cotton
| The manufacturer found it more profit
able to sell his cotton to the gamblers.
| Mills were closed down because of there
| being no raw material left. and in some in
| stances cotton which was sold to European
| manufacturers has been brought back to
| this country and used in the gambling op-
| erations.
Mischief to Manufacturing Industry.
Infinite mischief is being done to the
| manufacturing industry and the cotton
| growing industry of the United States by
| this gambling movement. Most European
nations which manufacture cotton and also
| own lands in outlying provinces where cot
ton might be grown are anxious to become
| independent Of our gamblers, and are
organizing and holding out inducements for
| the development of the cotton raising In
dustry. The British. the French. the Ger
mans. the Belgians and others own lands
| in Africa, and they have been for some time
orga nizing to produce cotton.
"They know that we are training scientists
here to study the cotton plant, and they
have been anxious to get our high-class
men over there to organize for them. The
United States sent 5000 900 to Egypt last
year to pay for long staple Egyptian cot
ton. The Department of Agriculture is
trying to grow as good. staple at home
by hybridizing and creating new varieties.
The secretary of agriculture for Egypt
paid me a visit not long ago and said that
with the irrigation of enlarged areas along
the Nile valley growing out of the COM
pletion of the great dam. the production Of
Egypt would be greatly increased. They
pay Is cents day for labor there.
There is a breed of cattle which does all
the work and stands the heat better than
mules. Those European nations owning
territory in Africa have been coming to
our southern states and engaging expert
negro labor to go over there and organize
the natives.
"Twelve-cent cotton in the United States
is a great encouragement to all those peo-
in Asia are doing everything to increase
the cotton production to become indepen-
dent of US. There has been a feeling for
some time that it would be wiser for us
| to grow more cotton. but gambling oper-
ations this summer had the immediate eff
feet of stimulating efforts for increas seq
production.
Output Not Increased.
I've have not been increasing our out
| put for several years The annual yield
has been around ten million bales for a
| number of years past. Texas promised for
a while great things il the way of increas-
ing the supply but the Mexican cotton boil
weevil has done great damage. The de-
partment has been studying the subject
and Congress mas given money to establish
object-lesson stations to see if cotton can
be grown notwithstanding the appearance
of the weevil 1t is estimated that the
Texas crop was one-half million bales short
last year on account of the ravages of the
weevil. Louisiana has stamped out the
pla que. If it extends to the eastern cot
ton growing states the effect will be dis
astrous.
Every effort is being made by the De-
partment of Agriculture to help the cotton
growers of the southern states to better
system of agriculture through which
larger yield of cotton can be had, but in
creased output necessarily will come
slowly"
rs there anything in the crop conditions
to indicate unusually short crop of cot
ton this year?" the Secretary was asked.
THE department cannot tell, neither can
any one else, what the coming crop will be.
We make a monthly statement of condi-
tions. the last of which was issued August
3. 1t showed that the average condition of
cotton on July % was 1911 as compared with
I'll on June % and S1.9 on July 25 1902; II 2
on July %. 1901, and a ten-year average of
S4.3. The condition on July % was. there
fore. below the ten-year average"
Crop Nothing to Do With High Price.
rs there anything in the crop outlook
which would warrant the high price of cot
ton in the market?" Secretary Wilson was
asked.
THE prospect of the present crop has
nothing whatever to do with the operations
of the gamblers" said Secretary Wilson.
THE shortage of raw cotton to the manu-
facturer is not due to shortage in the crop,
but to the fact that the corner in cotton has.
put the price of the raw mat aterial to a point
where the manufacturer cannot profitably
use it
rs the producer Of cotton prolting by
the present high prices?" Secretary Wilson
The producer has not profited" he re-
piled. THE cotton is practically all out of
his hands,
question.
"The manufacturers who sold their supply
of raw material are getting some of the
profit" was the answer.
What prospect is there of relief to the
workingmen who are thrown out of employ
ment by the mills closing down?''
II see no prospect of relief for the work
ingmen until the corner in cotton bursts and
the price of raw cotton gets down. The new
crop Of cotton will soon begin to come in
The corner can continue, of course, If the
gamblers have enough money to buy in the
new crop"
An Interesting Table.
The following table shows the condition by
states on July 25 in each of the last three
years. and that on June %, 1903 with the
ten-year averages.
Jy. 25 Je. 25, Jy. 25, Jy. Is, I0-yr
States. 1903. 1903 1902. 1901. avg.
Georgia II % So IS So
Alabama 30 16 II 60 81
Mississippi SO 81 50 SS S3