The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-05-06

the cotton crop. The estimate IS
sued by the department that year wa:
calculated to depress the price of cot
ton, if it was not so intended, bu
Senator Smiths prompt action II
challenging the Department to ex
plain how it got its figures, prevent
ed the expected break and held the
price up. This is conceded by all
This one act alone saved the farmers
Of the South many millions Of dol
lars in that single year, and 1t In
sured more correct figures being Is
sued by the department thereafter.
Spinning Values Of Cotton.
For long time Senator Smith has
had an idea that the difference in
the actual values Of the different
grades of cotton was not as great os
differences arbitrarily fixed by the
cotton exchanges and enforced in the
interior markets of the South. He
secured in the agricultural appropria-
ton bill of March 4, 1913, an appro-
priation for the purpose Of testing
the tensile strength, bleaching quail
ity, waste, ETC., of the various grades
of cotton. This test has recently
been completed and the result, while
startling, fully proves Senator
Smiths contention. The report
shows that the actual difference in
commercial value between the grades
of the government standards is al
most negligible. For instance, dur
ing the past season the trade made a
difference Of SIS bale between
good ordinary and middling grades.
The test shows the actual difference
to be less than IS. The same holds
true approximately from middling
fair to good ordinary These tests
we're full and fair and were made by
the government at Clemson college
and Danville, Va, and there is no
question as to the accuracy Of the
report made.
It is not perfectly clear that by
this arbitrary ruling Of the exchanges
the farmers of the South have been
robbed OF millions Of dollars every
year?
Senator Smith has secured an
amendment to the present agricul-
tural bill of 100000 to provide
every shipping point in the South
with a set Of government standard
grades of cotton together with set
of the yarns. When this is done the
farmers can no longer be robbed as
they have been in the past. Senator
Smiths work along this line is go
ing to revolutionize the selling of
cotton in the interior markets OF the
South. The members of the ex-
changes and the spectators know
this, and that is why they are all
fighting him. ..
Inquiry as to Prices Of Fertilizers.
In the early part Of 1913 there
was a sharp advance in the price OF
commercial fertilizers, particularly
ammoniates and nitrates. On March
1, 1918, Senator Smith introduced
the following resolution, which was
adopted:
"Resolved, That the Secretary OF
Commerce and Labor through the
Bureau of Corporations, be, and. is
hereby, directed to investigate the
causes of the advance in price of
ammoniates and nitrates used in the
of commercial fertili-
zers, and report the findings to the
Senate at the earliest practicable
time.
At the time this pamphlet goes to
press the investigation has not been
completed. Officials of the bureau
say, in effect, that the investigation
has covered much wider range than
they had ANTICIPATED, but that they
hope to have it completed and their
report made public during the pres
ent summer. 1t is worthy of note,
however, that there has been mark
ed decrease in the price Of nitrates
since the investigation was started,
the reduction amounting to as much
as s12 per ton. The saving to the
farmers on this item alone can be
readily calculated.
Cotton Bagging and Ties.
Farmers and merchants through
out the South will recall the sudden
increase in the price Of bagging and
ties last year. On July Is, 1913,
Senator Smith introduced the follow
ing resolution:
Resolved, That the Secretary OF
Commerce be, and is hereby, directed
to investigate the recent advance in
price Of bagging and ties used in
baling cotton, also the advance in
price of ties used in banding or bal
ing cotton, and to report to the Sen
ate at the earliest possible time the
cause, or causes, for said advance
The investigation was at once
started, and the report was made to
the Senate on October 20, 1913 Sen
ate Document No. 213, 63rd Con-
gress, First SESSION..
Believes in White Supremacy.
Like every other Southern white
man, Senator Smith believes in white
supremacy and the complete segre-
cation Of the white and colored
races. The Democratic party came
into full control Of the government
on March 4, 1913. Immediately upon
the convening of the special session
of Congress, Senator Smith introduc.
ed two bills, one to repeal the four.
teenth and fifteenth amendments tc
the Federal constitution, which give
negroes the right to vote, and The
other was to provide separate sleep
y