The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-23

have just seen A newspaper con-
tanning resolutions adopted at con-
ference at Dallas. Tex, on Monday,
April Z. called by the Farmers League
of Texas, at which $50 cotton farmers,
bankers, and others interested were
reported in attendance, Among other
resolutions Is the following:
Resolved, That the encourageme
which has been given by the secretary
of agriculture. ., +. Houston. to the
effort made by the war trade board to
fierce down the price of cotton to TWEEN
ty-sve cents identified him with those
who in wartime sought to set apart
cotton as the one great American in
dustry to be placed under the ban of
the government and to condemn those
engaged in its production to starvation
wages"
The resolutions are in error in at
trihutinE to the war trade board the
/ action discussed and in assigning to
Secretary Houston any responsibility
for 1t, The action which was taken,
hut which the resolution misrepresent.
was directed by the president. and ii
was effected through Mr.. Bernard Ba-
/ ruch. the chairman of the war Indus
tries board | do not intend to he un-
derstood as concurrinE In the affirma-
ton that an effort was made by any
responsible governmental agency 10
! force down the price of cotton to TWEEN
| ty-five cents" There has been n great
| deal of misunderstanding concerning
/ this whole affair and | do not under
| take now to defend or to condemn the
action. but may say that I have rea-
| son to believe that il was inspired by
perfectly proper motives. though there
| was reason then, as there may be rea-
! son now. to question whether IL was
/ a wise action. Whether wise or unwise.
| ne ither Secretary Houston nor any one
/ in the department of agriculture had
anything to do with its Initiation.
1t was announced In the newspapers
| OF September IA that the president
would appoint a committee to inquire
| into the whole cotton situation and de-
termine whether price should he
fixed, and another committee to effect
/ an orderly distribution or ALLEGATION of
| cotton. At the time there was abnor-
NAL disparity between the prices of
/ high grade cottons and low grade cot
tons 1t appeared to many operators
and observers that there might be an
actual scarcity of certain high grades
with very great surplus Of low
! grades.
Either the evening before or the
evening after the published announce
ment MIR. Baruch asked Secretary
Houston to assist him in the selection
| Of the committee The secretary was
| leaving town to be absent for several
| days. and on that account asked Mr..
| Baruch to see me. Mr.. Baruch saw me
the day following his interview with
| Secretary Houston and asked me to
| nominate two small farmers for the
! general committee, one from the south
| west and one from the Atlantic states.
/ He said his purpose was to constitute
! a committee composed of both large
| and small planters. with factors. ex-
| porters and spinners so as to get rep
. nF iy9 I'M
| try and cotton trade. He had in mind
men for members other than the small
! farmers. After consulting associates
! In the department with acquaintances
among small farmers in the South, T
recommend r. L. Benpett, OF Texas, and
! J. c. Redmon. OF South Carolina, and
| they were chosen. Mr.. Baruch asked
my opinion also concerning several
other men and I discussed with him
| freely the qualifications of the men
suggested. He selected also for ser
vice on the cotton distribution COM
mittee with Secretary Houston's con-
sent. Charles J. Brand. the chief of the
! bureau of markets
! 1t viii be seen that the departments
| relation to the action complained of
! consisted only in counseling as to the
members of the two committees and in
| having Mr.. Brand serve on the COM
mittee on cotton distribution T think
! that no fair man will question the pro-
priety Of this action
! In this connection II may be well to
| say that a statement concerning cotton
| price fixing appeared in a Washington,
! u, c., paper on Saturday, September 81.
| to the effect that 1t was understood
that Secretary Houston had expressed
the opinion that twenty-five cents
would be fair price for cotton. As
soon as this publication came to the
secretary's attention he issued state
ment for publication the following
Monday to the effect that such state
ment. or any other statement that may
have been made purporting to repre-
| sent his views as to price for cotton.
| IL any was to be fixed, was utterly
without foundation, for he had ex-
pressed no opinion as to a price for
cotton.
The cotton committee and the COM
mittee on cotton distribution were
appointed by Mr.. Baruch--as I have
said under direction of the president
on September 20. The chief duty Of the
and determine whether 1t was deemed
necessary to fix fair price for cot
ton, and IL SO to recommend basic
prices.
After careful investigation covering
a period of from six to seven weeks,
during which all interests in the cot
, ton industry were given an opportunity
to be heard. the committee on Novem-
her 13 recommended to the president
That no price be fixed on raw cotton
by the government" This was in ac-
cord with the freely expressed wishes
of practically every producer who ap-
peared before the committee. and was
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