The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-11-19

an observation which is Intended in
no sense as an adverse criticism on
those offered, but to my mind one
that strikes the very root of an evil,
and is the very crux, heart and core
of this situation
/ cannot believe the European war
has lessened the value of my cotton,
The grade is just as good; the
pounds are just as many; it will
make just as many yeards of cloth
as it ever did, and the cloth brings
just as much as it ever did. There
fore, the intrinsic value of my cot
ton is today as much as it ever was,
and this in spite of the war Now
then, let's determine what has at
fected the price Of cotton.
Upon investigation, find that my
Government in Washington main
tains Secretary of Agriculture,
David F. Houston, with an assistant
of Agriculture, Carl Vrooman, These
men are the active heads of this De-
partment and under their jurisdic-
ton, they have A. D. Melvin, who is
the head of the Bureau of Animal
Industry. 1t is he who keeps tab
on your mules and mine; there is a
the name of Milton Whitney, he is
designated as the Chief of Bureau
of Soils and he investigates the fer
tilizers. There is also a man by the
name of Leon Esterbrook chief Of
the Bureau of Crop Estimates who
gathers and collects the crop re-
ports and forecasts. These gentle
men serve our Government in an
official capacity and draw their re-
compense from the public treasury.
Now, then, I ask this question
with all seriousness. For whose
benefit does this great. Government
of mine gather all this vast volume
of information respecting my farm
ing operations, month in and month
out, and year in and year out?
| find that my Government obtains
monthly reports of condition of my
crops; I find that my Government
has the information in detail of my
entire farming operation and they
also obtain accurate and correct in
formation by what is termed a gin
ners report, having in each of the
cotton producing counties, in each
of the cotton producing States,
agents who gather this valuable in
formation for the Government and
the Government in turn disseminates
this information for somebody's
benefit, not mine or yours-the cot,
ton producer The only class of citi-
zens who can possibly profit through
the agency of this scheme of infor-
nation, are the spectators in cot
ton. If they do not profit thereby,
the producers certainly do not profit
thereby and there is no good reason
why this vast sum of money should
be spent by our Government to main
tain and carry on useless and need
less agencies.
1t occurs to me that if our Con-
gressmen and Senators would work
in harmony, they might work profita-
bly, Frame a law, introduce aud
pass it abolishing these agencies of
the Government which work to the
hurt, injury and damage of her pro-
ducing class of citizens thereby TAX
ing away from the speculator the
Governmental aid and allowing our
produce to fetch it's actual value.
AS a cotton producer I enjoy no
benefit flowing from my Govern
ment by maintaining these gentle
men in office and giving to them
under penalty all of this needed in
formation and l am satisfied that it
works no good for me and / want
theSe Offices abolished. have
grown weary of taking a gamblers
chance by producing cotton and
bucking the Spectator, who is aided