The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-12-23
Don't Tell What You Know.

l have noticed in your paper sew
eral suggestions as to the best meth
cd to increase the price Of cotton:
among the number that of burning
1000, 900 bales, each farmer of the
South bearing his pro rata share OF
the burning, and l am astonished al
the number who favor this Tidicu
lous scheme. If such an agreement
was entered into, is would take
5Oe,OOO special detectives to see
that the agreement was carried out,
and 100000 additional detectives
to see that the first 500 900 did not
appropriate the said 1,OOO,O 900 bales
instead of seeing it destroyed.
Now, if you will pardon me,
will suggest a remedy and let it 60
at what ii is worth.
To begin with, the farmer is the
only dealer in any kind of goods
which the buyer puts the price on
He brings all kinds of products to
market and the buyer says what it
is worth, and he has nothing to do
except to accept the price offered or
take his goods home. No one ev-
er heard of a farmer taking any
thing back home, regardless of what
he was offered. He accepts the
merchants price, goes home and
swears he will not do likewise again
but straightway does the same
thing again. Such is the farmer
Now, the same thing applies to
cotton, and instead of burning l.
900, 900 bales, which were raised al
a cost of from 4 cents tn 6 cents per
pound, and which would necessari
ly cause loss to every farmer par
ticipating in the destruction, |
would suggest that the present crop
be sold at the price it will bring
but let the farmers throughout the
cotton belt adopt a plan for mex
season, which is this:
When the special agent for the
district or county comes around and
asks how many acres you are going
to put in cotton and whether you
will increase or decrease the previ-
Gus years crop, do not give him
the information he desires, decline
to answer his questions, do not tell
him lie but refuse to answer any
of his questions, and when be goes
to the ginner with a blank to fill
out as to the number of bales of
cotton ginned up TO certain time,
refuse to fill out the blank and do
not allow any employe to give him
the information he seeks. Let each
ginner adopt the plan of branding
bales instead of numbering them,
thus preventing the agent getting
his information by looking at the
number of the last bale ginned.
This will put the government at
the guessing business, and when it
is generally known that they are
guessing at the crop it will not af-
feet the market like the so called
IL, 1874, OOO-bale guess has democrat
lied the cotton crop this season.
This "so-called" government es-
innate of the crop, based on Nov.
IoIn, Is notnlnS more tndu guess
pure and simple, as at that date the
crop could not be estimated by any
living person, and the government
estimate has caused a serious loss to
many farmers who could i'll afford
it. Get up a "Know Nothing"
Farmers Association, and obligate
every member to keep his informa-
ton to himself, and let it be known
that such an association exists, and
you will see that the next govern
ment report as to the size of the
cotton crop will not have the vi e
spread effect it has had this year,
even though it be large or small. -
L. w. Henry. of Grenada, Miss,
in Commercial Appeal.