The log cabin Democrat., 1907-06-06
MORRILTON'S COTTON TRUST
Alleged Combine of Merchants is
 Aired.
Morrilton Citizen Claims that They are Running Morrilton and Plum
 erville Markets.

A rather sensational article signed by T. M. Mason appeared in last weeks Morrilton Headlight, in which the writer scored an al legged trust or combine of mer- chants in that city, which he said was "diverting the peoples mon- ey into their own pockets and at that same time running Morrilton and Plumerville as cotton mark cts.
 MT. Mason prefaced his article week before with an introduction stating that he would show up the conditions as to the marketing of cotton in his town, and the article in last weeks Headlight was to make good" his assertions. He claims, however, that he has not had time to get up evidence of his charges and promises to make more specific revelations in the next weeks paper.
 The fact that for the first time in her history Conway during the present season bought considerably more cotton than Morrilton seems to have had its influence ln bring ing out the charges of MT. Mason. Morrilton has heretofore not only been drawing cotton from a wider area of territory but has had a great deal more bottom land tributary to the town, thus recelv- ing several thousand bales more cotton each year than Conway. But this year the conditions were reversed, and Conway buyers se cured the big end of the crop.
 MT. Masons article is printed ln full below:
 ITO the people of Conway coun- ty:
 Hast week l wrote an article in which 1 stated that in this week s issue of this paper l would ex- pose a combination in this coun- ty that are operating in cotton contrary to law, who are Trust in reality and who are diverting the peoples money into their own pockets and at the same time running Morrilton and Plumerville as cotton buyers.
 ''So that there need be no mis- understanding as to who these parties are I will name them now. The Trust is composed of Wood Rainwater, the Big Brother of the Banker; Scroggin Bros, who have an ambition to gratlfy, and C. C. Burrow, who has experience to sell.
 "Of course there are others to this Trust, but they are of minor importance, get very little of the profit handed out to them and l will not name them here. will mention, however, that 1t is only through the Big Spinner buyers of Little Rock that it became possi- ble for these three to farm out the cotton interests of this county.
 II have made this plain state ment so that it could not be said that was not making good my statement of last week. On ac- count ot the press of business and having to be out of town part of the week l will not be able to give the evidence i'll detail as 1 desire, but will have to defer that until next week.
 II regret very much that 1t has become my duty to expose my friends in this way, and 1 regret that my friends have placed them selves in position to be criticised, but these men have created con- dition here that is becoming the death of Morrilton as cotton mar ket and which makes it impossible for other merchants to compete with them, and in this way they are thrott]ing the farmer and kill ing their merchant competitors at the same time.
 "I owe it as duty to myself, to my family, to my friends and to the people of the county to ex- pose such a condition and to un- dertake to remedy it.
 Hast season for the first time in the history of cotton, Conway county realized less for their pro- duction than did any county in the state. I don't believe the people when thoroughly informed will tolerate such a condition and from the expressions that l have heard since publishing my article last week, I feel sure that such of them as do not already know of this condition will soon be well in-