The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-02
Jordan and Cheatham Outline
 Some Needed Reforms
THE DEPARTMENT 10 BLAME
Effort Being Made to Divert Public Attention From Main Issue of Cot ton Scandals Tn Bureau
 of Statistics.

Washington, August 1.-Presldent Jor- dan and Secretary Cheatham of the Southern Cotton association, today issued a statement addressed to the members of the association calling attention to the recent disclosures in the cotton sta tistical work in the department of agri- culture, declaring that efforts are being made to divert attention from the def- ciencies of the system itself to the thiev- ing propensities of a few unworthy of- ficials, and setting forth demands to be made to Congress to reform conditions The statement follows:
 "To the Members of the Southern Cotton
 Association
 "The members of the association have been appraised through the public press from day to day of the work done by the officers of the association at Washing ton. As a result of their charges, the unreliability of the reports of the de- pertinent of agriculture relating to the cotton crop has been fully disclosed and the maladministration of that depart ment under its present head has been made evident.
 "Fo1lowing these exposures efforts are now being made to divert public atten- ton from the main issue, which is the im- perfectons of the department, toward an attempted prosecution of anybody who can be found as scapegoat. Their pun ishment, even if it is accomplished, is of secondary importance as compared with the reformation of the system which has made their performances possible, and the purpose of this address is to secure the cooperation of the members of this association in influencing in every legit- innate way a reformation of the system, and reorganization of the department.
 Association Is Powerful. "The membership of this association numbers one mllion,s including the pro ducers of the most valuable product of American agriculture. The cotton crop of the United States and it's bi-products is worth between $500 00O.O00 and s7OO. 100000 annually. It furnishes two-thirds of our annual trade balance, and in it's produc- ton and manufacture employs many thousands of individuals. No other pro- duct of the United States is of greater or of equal importance. The practical monopoly of cotton which America enjoys and tho narrow balance which has existed for years between suficiency and scarci- ty in the worlds cotton supply, render the cotton market peculiarly and acute- ly susceptible to the reports of the de- partment of agriculture regarding the con dition and prospects of the cotton crop. Under the present circumstances, d great duty devolves upon the members of the association. We are less concerned with what has been done by few individuals, and the consequences thereof regretta- ble as they may be, than with such re- formation of departmental methods as shall secure for us just and accurate re- ports in future. Under the system at present in vogue and which promises to be undisturbed unless public attention shall be aroused to need of reform, the reports issued by the department of ag- riculture are In their last analysis, simply the individual opinion of few officials of doubtful experience and honor by which the value of the cotton crop may be. and has been affected as much as $75,000,0O0 in a single day.
 Reorganization Needed.
 NO such power should be delegated to any individual or statistical board except under conditions which guarantee the most incorruptible, expert and intelligent opinion, arrived at by the most scientific
 
 | scientific precautions. It Is therefore ur- gently recommended to the members of the Southern Cotton association that through their representatives in Congress, and by every other means available to | them, they exert their Influence, and that of the association toward securing the | immediate reorganization of the agrcul- tural department, especially with refer enoe to its report on the cotton crop, and that their representatives in Congress specifically demand;
 T. The establishment within the de- partment of agriculture of a bureau to be known as the Cotton Bureau, charged specially and solely with the duty of re- porting upon the cotton crop, and all mat ters concerning that staple.
 "2 The appointment as the head of that bureau at an adequate salary of a man whose reputation and antecedents shall be beyond reproaeh, and whose fa- miliarity with cotton cultivation shall be an addition guarantee of his fitness
 "3 An organization of the bureau so established upon thoroughly scientific lines | as will insure no possible bias In favor of | either buyer or seller, producer or manu- | facturer which can be pre-supposed or asserted
 A The passage of law that will be | more specific in its scope and under which government employees can be prose- cuted for giving away or selling valuable information, as has been done in the sta | tistical bureau.
 Zeal Misdirected.
 We have no doubt of the zeal of the | officers of the department, but it seems to be as misdirected In this crisis as 1t was in antecedant periods. All the powers and influence of the department of the lawyers and of every man of the government ------->->-------~ --------~---------~~------- ed with bananas which arrived recently. They found two individual culex mos quitoes known as the dengue fever type. but no stegomyia. A careful investigation