The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-30

sne long run. taking one year with
.tlt.iolller, only one thing can decrease
tne speculative element in the business
VI COTTON selling. and thus permanent
" oehent the cotton grower. and that
Is knowledge of the exact truth as to
tne size OF the crop. from an absolute
~ Impartial and trustworthy source, at
me earliest practicable dates. This
S as the unanimous contention of the
When the law was passed.
obliged to Have Their Co-oueration.
1T is not my purpose. however. to
alSue the matter. l simply desire to
call your attention to the fact that
the continuance of the census cotton
ginning reports is impossible. without
the complete, sympathetic and whole
hearted cooperation of the thirty-odd
thousand ginners of the South. The
I census office cannot enter into COM
petltlon with cotton ginners' asso-
clatlon which proposes to gather the
same data for private information
only. Moreover, it cannot continue to
promulgate statistics of the quantity
OF cotton ginned to certain dates, aft
er 1t has reason to believe that these
/ sequence of a concerted boycott by
the ginners- Otherwise it would be
guilty of the identical evil of misrep-
| resentation its reports were establish
ed to prevent. The census bureau has
no interest in the matter whatever
beyond the discharge of it's duty as
established by law, and the mainten-
ance of its reputation for the compila-
ton and publication of accurate statis-
! tics.
Kill 1t Now ant Get 1t Again.
| Il have. therefore, decided to no.
tify you in this manner, and through
| you, the cotton growers of the South,
! that the continuance of the movement
which they have begun will necessarily
| result in the discontinuance of the cot
ton ginning reports of the census Of
flee, for without the hearty and gen
| eral cooperation of the ginners, those
reports would become valueless and
| their compilation an objectionable
waste Of public money. The situation
would then revert to what it was five
years ago. But after the private and
! interested estimates controlling the
market price have again for a few
years been too high as they undoubted-
| ly will be and the repeated losses of
the cotton growers in consequence have
again convinced them that the change
| they demanded in 1901 was a wise one
it will be far more difficult and may
be impossible to induce Congress to
re-establish a system which the cot
ton growers set up once before, only
to tear it down.. when it chanced that
a knowledge of the facts was to their
disadvantage.
Il deem it my duty to acquaint you
with the probable course of the census
office, in order that you may take any
! steps which may seem to you desirable
| or necessary in connection with the
matter.
Very respectfully,
IS. N. D. North. director"
BurIesOn Agrees With North.
Upon receipt of the letter, Mr.
Burleson gave out the following state
ment:
Believing that it was to the inter-
est of the producer of cotton to elm
| mate as far as possible the specula-
tive element from entering into, or af-
fecting the market price of his
| product, caused to be embodied in
| the act making the census bureau de-
partment, the original item providing
/ for statistics of cotton ginned during
| the current year, and the result of the
census bureaus labors in carrying into
| effect this provision has materially
aided in accomplishing this end. The
result has not influenced change of
| opinion on my part.
IF I may be pardoned a personal
| alusion, a grower of cotton myself,
| having frequently experienced the
damage occasioned by the high esti-
mates and cock-sure assertions put
forward by those acting for specula-
tors and cotton gamblers, 1 felt the
necessity of some impartial source of
information which would be accurate
as possible. This the census bureau
has proven itself to be.
Would Play Into Hands of Gamblers.
81 concur in every word contained
in this letter. of Mr.. North, and reel
that it would be nothing short of a
calamity If the ginners should at any
time fail to furnish prompt and ac~
curate reports to the census bureau.
To. fail to report 70 the census bureau
| will only play into the hands of the
cotton gamblers and will serve to
promptly re-establish alleged statistical
| agents. who are now, thanks to the
bureau of statistics of the department
of agriculture and the census bureau
thoroughly discredited.
"If during next year. as result OF
/ decreased acreage and Imperfect
weather conditions, there should be a
then the ginners' reports issued by the
census bureau would again be in hign
favor by the cotton growers. What is
wanted and what is really always 10
the interest of the cotton growers, is
a prompt knowledge of the exact truth.
For statistics on Surplus.
at is my purpose to prepare and
offer at this session of Congress an
amendment to the census act providing
for the collection and publication OF
accurate statistics of the number OF
bales of cotton consumed each year
and the surplus of cotton held in the
hands of the manufacturers, and the
number of bales exported. This is nee
essary and only fair to the grower OF
cotton He should promptly have this
information, as the manufacturers OF
cotton throughout the world are given
! knowledge of the number of bales or
cotton grown.
II have discussed this with Senator
Bailey OF my state, and he agrees with
me as TO the Importance and necessity
OF this amendment and agrees to lend
a helping hand in securing It's adop-
ton"