The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-26
BOWIE INFORMED
 ON COTTON CROP
Recent Speech is Full of Val
 uabIe Information
0LMSTED WRITES LETTER
Crop Is at Least 3,ooo,ooo Bales Short, But the Value Will Be Much Greater Than That of
 Last Year

Washington. December 25.-( Speelal)- The speech of Representative Bowie of Alabama in the House the other day was replete with useful information to peo- pie in the otton-growing states, and in addition MT. Bowie has added some in- tefesting data, all of which will appear in the Congressional Record shortly. Prob ably the most surprising statement made by MT. Bowie is embraced In a quotation from letter received from Victor H. Olmsted, the acting statistician of the department of agriculture. who writes Mir Bowie that In the period of 1899 to 1904. inclusive, the department of agriculture estimates only missed the actual amount of cotton produced by Oil per cent.
 l believe that the final report of the census bureau for this year will vindi- cate the substantial accuracy and the absolute integrity Of the department s estimate made on December l. said Mir. Bowie
 l know that the experience of the past six years has fully warranted and vin- dicated the public confidence, unmistak- ably shown by the course of the market upon these reports. l do not believe there is any necessity or there was any nec- essity for the adoption of such a resolu- ton as this, and l am glad to know that In that belief l am supported by the unanimous opinion of the house com mittee on agriculture, which has given this question most careful study and con sideration.
 It has only been within the last few years that the price of cotton has reach ed point which would give d fair profit to it's producers.
 For each of the years 1903. 1904 and 1895 it's value has exceeded s6oo.o0o,ooo
 Value Will Be Greater. Though the crop of this year is shorter than the crop of last year by more than S,oOO0o0 bales, it Is likely that by one of the contradictions of trade it's value will be greater by many millions of dol lars.
 l should not be surprised to see-if not this year, certainly within the near fu- ture-the total value of the cotton crop in the producers hands to exceed $T0O, 100000. It was only seven or eight years ago that the value was less than $300,- OO0.000.
 What this difference means to the peo- pie of the south can not be told in speech nor described in words What is 1t that has enabled the peo- pie of the south within the past five or six years to attain degree of prosper ity never enjoyed since 1880? 1 l assert. first that the department of agriculture has done It's full share in that splendid work. Aye. sir. l assert that the bureau of statistics of that de-
  l in that regard.
 l This is not the time nor the place for me to review the great work that the department of agriculture has done and is doing. not only for the people of the l United States in general, but for the peo- ! pie of my section in particular; but this i l do assert, that no single agency of the | government has contributed so much to our prosperity and happiness i But, MT. Chairman as much as the de- | partment of agriculture has undoubtedly been able to do, and frank as I am to give due credit for all that 1t has done I assert that the present prosperity of the people of the south and the great victory which they have won from those who in l the past have been able successfully to crush down the value of their greatest l staple and pauperiZe the men in It's pro- duetion. Is due in the largest measure to 1 the work of their own hands, to the spirit | them under trying conditions. There were those who thought that the l December. 1904 estimate of the depart ment of agriculture great curse to our people. It unquestionably did have depressing temporary effect upon the l price of cotton, but assert that t caused the greatest blessing ever conferred upon our people It brought them face to face with great danger. and when they saw the danger in Its full extent they acted. I,, tlo Hon, hold i,, a January, 1905, there were thousands O. delegates from every state in the south, composed of bankers, lawyers, mer- chants and farmers, banded together as one unit to hold, to preserve, protect. l and to save from destruction the great i staple upon which our people much de- pend.
 1 That convention recommended, first l that the unsold cotton should be kept off l the market until the price went to 10 cents a pound, and second, that the acre l age for the ensuing year be reduced % pol cent,
 Were Laughed at.
 The recommendations were laughed at l bV MT Theodore Price and others, who l still insisted that cotton would go to 5 ] cents per pouud but in thirty days MT. Price was tn" verge of bankruptcy, anr he has admitted that he would have failed if he had not seen the handwriting i CT, the wall and reversed his position. In ltss than two months time cotton had in- creased in value al least s1o per bale. In five months time 1t was selling at between 10 and II cents per pound. or an increase from S20 to s25 a bale. It has sold re- gently in the south at l2 cents per pound on the wagon.
 The men who had faith in the move ment, who stood by il. saw 1t Nindicated. l do not believe they havo so soon forgot ten tine lesson which they learned last year.
 All that they need 10 protect their price on the staple In the future is to act as they did q year ago-to stand together each for all and all for each, deterpined that there shall be fair play dealt out to the men that actually grow the cotton, instead of giving all of it's profits to the band of speculators who toll not neither do they spn,' but whose actions and whose lniauities make them fit com panions in infamy with the other kings of frenzed finance and the insurance mag cAia rpi, in ffar... .F.,,, la, de