The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-02
"PRESlDENT KNOWS"
WILSON DECLARES
Not Disturbed BY Demand for
I His Resignation and Circular
Charging administration.
Alleged New Scandals in
Affairs Of Government
Bureaus.
(By Associated ,rress.)

y.
2 WASHINGTON, August -presiden
Jordan and Secretary Chentha,n, of tn,
Southern Cotton Association, to-day is
sued statement addressed to the mem
bers Of the association calling, attention
to the recent disclosures the cottor
stats tioal work in the . Department Of Ag
1riculture declari ngF that efforts are bein,
made to- divert. attention from the "de
nciencies'. ofEthe system itself ITO th'
thlcving5 propensities OF a few unworth!
official" and setting forth demands t
bc made on Congress to reform condi
tions. The statement follows:
To the members OF the Southern
Z Cotton Association: }
"The members OF the association
have been apprised through the pub
lie press from day to day OF the work
done by the officers OF the association
4 at Washington. AS result OF their
charges the unreliability OF the reports
+ OF the Department OF Agriculture re-
latlng to the cotton crop have been
fully disclosed and the maladministra-
I'll ton $of that department under Its
present head has been made evident.
''Following the exposures, efforts are
now being made to divert public at
tention from the main issue, which Is,
the imperfectlons Of the department.,
+ toward an attempted prosecution OF
anybody who can be found az a scape-
goat. Their punishment, even II It is
accomplished, is OF secondary import
ance as compared with the rcforma-
tion OF 1.-The system which hhs made
their performances possible, and tho
purpose Of this address Is to secure
the cooperation OF the members OF
this associationln influencing In every
legitimate way a reformation OF the
system. and a reorganlzation OF the
i. department. "a g
"Tte membership Of this association,
nearly one mlllon, includes
the producers OF the most valuab bio
product Of American a agriculture. The.
cotton crop Of the United States, and
It's by-products Is worth between $500,
100000 and 500, 100000 annually. It
furnishes two-thlrds OF our annual
trade balance, and in It's production
4 and manufacture employs many mil
lion Individuals. No other product OF
II the United States is OF greater or Of
equal m importance. The practical
monopoly of cotton which America en-
"a joys, and the narrow balance which
has existed forgyears between sufIl-
cheney and scarcity in the world 3 sup
4 ply, render the cotton market pecul-
n larry dllu SdCulelys SuSCcpllpIcN4LO 10 Llle q
& reports of the Department of Agri-&
culture regarding the condition and
prospects Of the cotton crop.
Under tho present circumstances a
81 great duty. develops upon the members
OF tho association. We $nre less con-
cerned with what has been done by q Z
few individuals and tho consequences
regrcttable as that may be,
with such reformation of t'e-
partmental methods as shall secure
for us Just and accurate reports IN
the future. In tho system nt present
4 In vogue, and which promises to be
,lndisturbed unless public attention
shall be aroused to tho need Of reform,
the reports issued by the Department.
Of Agriculture are, In their last annly.
sis, sln1plN the Individual opinion of a y
few ygofficials Of doubtful experience
and honor, by. which the value Of the
cotton crop may be, and has bcen. af-
fected as much as 81, 90. 900 In n single
day. &o u. 5.
'.No such power should be delegated
to any. Individual, or statistical board,
except under conditions WHICH guar
antee the most incorruptible. OK
pert, Intelligent opinion, arrived at
by the application OF tho most scion-
tihc methods and guarded by most
scientific precautions. x
ut is, therefore, urgently recoH-