The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-01-04
JUDGE SHAVER ON
COTTON FUTURES
Points Out Fallacy of Judge Car
ter's Remedy for Low Prices
Having Finished Round of
Courts, VIII Enter Campaign

Judge Shaver has been at home
this week. having finished his
round of courts, and from now on
will devote his time to his cam
paign in the congressional race for
this district.
He is much pleased with his
prospects, and thinks he has a de-
cided advantage over the other
candidates.
A Star reporter asked Judge
Shaver what effect he thought
Judge Carriers Mulberry cotton
speech would have upon the vote
of the farmers. He replied that it
might possibly mislead them at
first, but that he has too much
confidence in the intelligence of the
farmers of Arkansas to believe that
when they have carefully con-
sidered Carriers position, that they
will not see the absurdty of it. Ut
is, Of course, simply political
scheme on Carriers part" contin-
ued Judge Shaver, and so mani
festly plain to be such that it is
hard to believe the people will
stand for it. Knowing that cotton
was lower this season than last,
and that consequently the farmers
were disappointed, Carter thought
il an opportune time to make them
believe that he is the Moses to lead
them out of the wilderness and
pilot them to the Promised Land.
SO he rushed into print with his
notorious Mulberry Cotton speech,
i'm which he tells the farmers that
if they viii elect him to congress
HE will stop gambling in cotton flu
lures. A mighty man is he. Thus
he poses as the exponent of a new
IDEAS having found a certain
cure for low prices in cotton, and
a sure return to higher ones. He
would have the people believe that
this plan originated with him,
while it is a we'll known fact that
for many years past attempts have
been made in congress to prohibit |
dealing in futures, and that there
is now pending before the present
congress what is known as the
Scott Bill to abolish dealing in flu
lures. of all kinds, and in all prob
ability it will become a law before
the election In that event, Judge |
Carter would have nothing to talk |
about, and but little TO do.
Why This Sudden Interest?
Judge Carter unqualifiedly |
promises to stop gambling in cot
ton futures, claiming that this act
Of itself will be a complete remedy
for low prices. If he honestly be-
lieves this, why has he been silent |
all these years? In the name of
suffering humanity, why has he
not brought forward this great |
remedy and saved the country long
ago?"
Judge Shaver said he was as
much opposed to gambling in flu
lures as Judge Carter, but believes
it should cover all kinds of pro-
ducts, as we'll as cotton, and this
because gambling in futures is
wrong and should be stopped |
Judge Carter he asserts, is OPP |
posed to gambling in futures not |
because it is wrong, but because,
if stopped, it will cause the price |
of cotton to go up. If such be |
true how then. he asks, does Car
ter account for the high price Of
corn. wheat. meat lard and many I
other products which are today |
gambled on in the future market |
in the same manner as cotton?
IF this claim of Judge Carter be I
true how did il happen that cot /
ton was so good a price last season, /
when cotton futures were bought /
and sold exactly the same way as
this season. On two occasions in /
public debate. he asked Judge Car /
Ter to explain how prices could be
high one season and low the next, I
+ dealing in cotton futures always 7
causes low prices. He has never +
attempted to answer, and probably I
never will.
"He knows, as well as dc aa all /
others, that last year there was
short cotton crop, and consequent
ly high prices, and had there been +
short crop of cotton this year
high prices would prevail again.
No one knows that better than |
Judge Carter. The high prices last I
year and the low prices this year
conclusively demonstrate the fall
lacy of his new discovery. He will I
have to get something more con-
vincing than the endorsement of
his editor friend in Texas before
he will be able to make the people I
of this district believe that his
cure-all scheme is anything more |
than a politicians bid for votes"
Judge Shaver will leave next |
week for the northern part Of the
a..