The log cabin Democrat., 1907-06-27
MORRILT0N'S TRUST PLAYED
Sensational Allegations Made by
 MorriltOn Man.
Charged That Methods of Alleged Trusts Have Cost Conway County Farm
 CTS About SI5o,ooo.

| CTS hUOut Oi0opoSS'
 Alleging that combination of cotton and seed buyers in Morril- ton has caused a loss of about S1so. 900 to the farmers of Conway county, Tom M. Mason, mer- chant of that town who has been promising to make some startling exposures, comes out in an article in last weeks Morrilton Headlight severely condemning the methods of the alleged "trust. He also charges that the combination is backed by the Little Rock cotton factors. He states that the average price paid for cotton in Morrilton is s. per bale less than the market justifes. Coming as 1t does from prominent Morrilton merchant, the article is considered very sensa- tional, and it will also be read with much interest by many readers of The Log Cabin Democrat living in the northwestern portion of Faulkner county, as we'll as ad- jacent counties, who have been marketing the greater portion of their cotton crop at Morrilton. The article in full is republished below:
 It has come to me through my friends that some one, either di- rectly or indirectly connected con- nected with Morrilton's Cotton Trust, has been trying to spread the report that am not the daddy of the idea that I am exploiting, and that did not write the arti- cles that have heretofore appeared in this paper over my signature.
 I want to say that this idea is my idea it originated with me and without the assistance or consulta- tion of any second party, and al- though they have threatened me arrest and all manner of ven- geance, expect to tell the truth on them and stand ready to shoul- der all responsibilities, and if I leave anything that is true unsaid about this unholy alliance of sell fish interests, it will be because I have still high regard for one of this combination, who has hereto fore been my friend and the friend of the farmers of Conway county, and because 1 still have the hope, however forlorn, that I may again count him among my friends and have the supreme satisfaction of again seeing him manfully battling for a living and a fortune on his own hook and independent of this combination that is composed of men who have always hated him with the bitter gall of piqued hatred" and who are now his friends for the sake of revenue only.
 A favorite saying of an eminent lawyer whom l have the honor to know is that the average Arkansas farmer is amply able to take care of himself under all circumstances. I fully agree with this lawyer, and especially so when 1t comes to see ing through the actions of other people and discerning their object and meaning.
 One day last winter I was on the streets among the cotton wagons and I heard a farmer criticising Wood Rainwater and one of the Scroggin brothers about signs and passwords used on the streets. The farmer naturally supposed that all the buyers understood the same signs and passwords that he was sharp enough to detect, and while he was wrong in this supposition, we cannot blame him for reaching this conclusion ; but to some of us at least who were never admitted to the inner circle of the unholy of unholies, this farmer made a reve- latiOn.
 With competition eliminated it is an easy matter to buy anything cheap; but it was a favorite meth cd of the trust to offer for a Ioc bale of cotton about 7c, not with a view of buying at that price, oh, no, but to get the sellers idea of the value of his cotton down as low as possible and thus enable them to buy it at from S to S7. 50 profit, when anyone who is hand ling cotton in a legitimate way have always been content with from SOC to 75c profit per bale.
 Up until the fall of 1906 Wood Rainwater had always been cot ton seed booster, and a dandy one at that, and succeeded, with little