The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-06
FIGURES NOT ACCURATE
LIVINGSTON ATTACKS GOvERN-
 MENTs COTTON STATISTICS.
Declares That Report of Census De- partment Was Cause of Panic. His Resolution Laid on
 The Table.

Washington, Jan. 5.-The govern ment's cotton statistics as prepared by the agricultural department and census bureau formed the subject of an, extended discussion in the House today.
 Representative Livingston. of Geor- gia, attacked the reliability or the governments estimates and charged that the inaccuracy of the figures had created a panic in the cotton market. He called attention to the dissatisfac- tion which he said existed in the South over the government cotton statistics. and said that the press of that section was ready to demand the abolition of the statistical bureau of the agricul- tural department.
 The question came up on a motion by MT. Wadsworth, chairman of the committee on agriculture to lay on the table the resolution p1ksented by Mir. Livingston several weeks ago, calling on the Secretary of Agriculture for fn- formation regarding the method of collecting cotton statistics. Tho mo- ton to lay on the table prevailed after Messrs. Wadsworth. (N. YD; Lowering. (Mass.) and Sims, (Tenn.), <, has vigourously defended the govern ment'A estimates.
 The bill to improve currency condi- tions was further discussed but ad- Journment was taken without final ac- tion on it.
 When the House convened today the invocation was delivered by Rev. Will liam Couden of Boston, son Of the House Chaplain.
 Mir. wadsworth, (N. Y.), Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, sub mitted report on the resolution re- quiring the Secretary of Agriculture to furnish certain information regarding cotton statistics, with the recommen- dation that as the estimates of the Department of Agriculture were found to be honestly and intelligently made, the resolution lie on the table.
 MT. Livingston, (Ga.) demanded time to be heard in favor of the resolution, alleging that he had had no opportun- ity to speak in its favor before the committee. It was finally agreed that the subject be discussed for two hours. Pending It's consideration. MT. Littauer (N. Y.) from the Committee on Ap- propriations reported the Notifications appropriation bill.
 In criticising the action of the com mittee in ordering the resolution to lie on the table, Mir. Livingston said there was nothing in his resolution which charged dishonesty or falsehood on the part of the Agricultural Depart ment, but he did insist that there was dissatisfaction in the South over the Departments report. The press of the South, he declared, not only was dis satisfied with the cotton estimates of the Agriculture Department, but was determined if the estimates were not made on accurate information and could not be given much nearer than two months apart, to demand the abolition lfxvte 70 Aa ha- partment.
 Another cause for dissatisfaction. he eaid was that the Department esti- mated the acreage of cotton last year more than a million acres too much and corrected the estimate in October
 ''The Department" he said, that eould make a mistake of 1000, ,000 acres In the product of cotton in the South ln one season seems to me ought to give the country the information upon which such information Is based"
 The inaccuracy of the census and ag- ricultural figures. he declared, had pro- auced a panic at a most unexpected time. What the cotton producers want sd, he said. was first accuracy, next fre- uuency, and then ability. Had the Az ricultural Department made its report In November, he said. instead of wait ing from October to December 3, the producer and spinner would have been better prepa~ed for it's reception.
 That dissatisfaction. he asserted had only been intensified by the ginning report of the census bureaus conflict with the report of the Agricultural De- partment. If the Agricultural De- partment was right, the gin report was a million and a half bales too much Iftthe census report was right, it was a million and a half bales too low.
 He referred to the question put to him by Secretary Wilson, Are you or are you not an enemy of the Agricul- tural Department" and said with em- phasis that instead of being its ene- my he had insisted on its creation Mir. Livingston said the way to de- fen1 these departments was not to smother information in executive ses- sion or the committee.
 MT. wadsworth vigorously asserted that the object was solely to keep con- fidential information which, if 1t had gotten out. would have affected the stock market
 Mir. Livingston, after further criti- cising the accuracy of the government cotton reports. declared that it was the duty of the House to suggest a revision of the sources of information as well as to adopt his resolution.
 Mir. Wadsworth said the Committee based its report on the methods em- ployed by the Department in the gath ering of statistics and upon the re- suits obtained. He defended Secretary Wilson and said the Secretary did not attempt to conceal anything.
 Speaking earnestly in defense of the Committee, MT. Burleson (Tex) de- clared there had not been the slight est desire to smother the resolution in Committee. If any dissatisfaction had arisen. it came from every cotton speculator and cotton gambler who was upon the bull side of the market and every farmer throughout the cotton region who had held his cotton in an- ticipation of higher price, thereby