The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-30

benefit the cotton growers, ard that IS ] knowledge of the exact truth as 70 the l size of the crop from an absoIutely m partial and trustworthy source. at the 1 earliest practicable dates. rms was 1 inc unanimous contention of the South ern. representatives ir Congress when the law was passed.
 Not an Argument.
 Tt is not my purpose however 10 argue the matter. I simply desire to cali your attention to the fact that the continuance of the census cotton gin ming reports Is impossible without the complete. sympathetic and whole heart ed cooperation of the thirty odd thou sand ginners of the South. The census office cannot enter into competi- ton with d cotton ginners' association which proposes to gather the same data for private information only moreover 1t cannot continue to promulgate statfs- tics of the quantity of cotton ginned to certain dates after it has reason to believe that these reports are no longer correct, owing to a concerted boycott by the ginners Otherwise. 1t would be guilty of the identical element of misrepresentation of It's reports which 1t was established to prevent The census bureau has no interest in the ! matter whatever beyond the discharge of its duty as established by law, and the maintenance of its reputation for 1 the computation and publication of &C., 1 curate statistics.
 | T have therefore decided to notify 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 re- | suit 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, these reports would become vaulueless and their compilation and unpardonable waste of public money.
 Back to old Methods. The situation would then revert to what it was five years ago. But af- ter the private and interested estimates | controlling the market prices have again for a few years been too high, as they undoubtedly would be, and the repeated loses of the cotton growers | in consequence have again convinced them that the change they demanded in 1901 was a wise one, 1t will be far more difficult and may be impossible to in duce congress to re-establish a sys- tenn which the cotton growers set up once before only to tear 1t down when 1t chanced that a knowledge of the facts was to their disadvantage.
 'I deem my duty to acquaint you with the probable course of the census office in order that you may take any steps which may seem Co you desir- able or necessary in connection with
 Very respectfully. "S. N. D. North. Director.
 Director North of the census bureau admitted today having received a tele- gram from the Memphis Cotton Ex- change stating that many ginners in that district denied having made re- ports as to the amount of cotton gin- ned from November IA. to December 13. He has replied as follows:
 situation in Tennessee County.
 Where information was refused in Shelby county, the November returns were brought forward for December without estimates. Comparatively few instances were noted throughout the belt where correct information was not available."
 In discussing the matter, Director North said that for some unexplained reason a number of ginners refused to furnish information regarding the amount of cotton ginned during the period stated and that, following the custom of the bureau under such cir cumstances. the returns for the pre-
 
 without estimates. The final report on the amount of cotton ginned to De- cember 13. will be Issued by the cen- sus bureau tomorrow. and this report will include seventy-five counties not heard from or included in the report issued yesterday. Director North ex- plained that as Memphis is in Shelby County. Tenn, his reply to the Mem phis cotton exchange referred specially to it.
 Upon receipt of the letter Mir. Burle- son gave out the following statement:
 Relieving that it was to the interest of the producer of cotton to eliminate | as far as possible the speculative ele- ment from entering into or affecting the market price of his product caus- ed to be embodied in the act making l the census, bureau permanent. the original item providing for statistics of cotton ginned during the current year and the report of the census bureaus labors in carrying into effect this provision has materially aided in accomplishing this end. The result has not influenced a change of opinion on my part.
 Census Bureau Accurate.
 If I may be pardoned a personal allusion, grower of cotton myself having frequently experienced the
 
 mates and cock-sure assertions put for ward by those acting for spectators and cotton gamblers, I felt the neces- sity of some impartial source of infor- nation which would be accurate as possible. This the census bureau has proven itself to be
 | T concur in every word contained in this letter of MT. North and feel that l it would be nothing short of a calamity if the ginners should at any time fail | to furnish prompt and accurate reports | to the census bureau. To fail to re- port to. the census bureau will play into the hands of the cotton gambler 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 a result of decreased acreage and imperfect wealth CT conditions there should be a short crop, which is not improbable, then the glnners' reports issued by the census bureau would again be in high favor | by the cotton growers.
 The Thing Desired.
 What Is wanted and what is really always to the interest of the cotton grower is a prompt knowledge of the | exact truth.
 Tt is my purpose to prepare and offer at this session of Congress an amendment to the census act provid- ing for the collection and publication of accurate statistics of the number | of bales of cotton consumed each year hands of the grower and the number of cd ia ayaI