The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-22
FRIENDS OF THE FARMER"

"ERIENDS OF THE FARMER"
THE Republican party pledged it
self to a thoro tax revision" declares
Senator Smoot, land I cannot regard
the present revenue bill as such a re-
vision as the people of>the United
States had a right to anticipate.
shall do all in my power to bring
about a real revision of the revenue
laws, and regard the sales tax as the
one great remedy for all the evils now
thrust upon the American people by
the revenue laws which have been
in force and which have now only
been modified"
Presence of many of the objection
able features of the revenue bill as it
stands is due to the activities of the
so-called agricultural bloc" which
has been working in accord with the
Democrats. Probably no one, not
even the farmer himself. is deceived
by the activities of the agricultural
is sedulously cultivated by these
gentlemen, and the bills they sponsor
do the cause of agriculture infinitely
more harm than good.
The meddling with the cotton con-
tracts on the exchanges, it is pointed
cut by the Wollman Review, has per-
haps cost the cotton growers of the
south hundreds of millions of dollars
in the last six or seven years. The
wheat farmers also have been heavily
penalized.
The latest example of the boom
erang result of measures designed by
politicians to help the farmer, con-
tinues the Review, has been witnessed
in the cotton market. Formerly it
was the practice of the department of
agriculture to issue an estimate of the
crop only once a year-in December
after the crop had been practically
gathered and the progress of ginning
had given a fairly accurate line on
production. By that time the frost
period had been encountered and
nearly everything known about the
crop would be in hand. During the
growing season the department
merely issued it's reports on the acre
age and the condition of the crop.
The cotton trade formed more or less
definite ideas concerning the yield
from these reports and the usual
private advices.
But the agricultural interests were
not satisfied with this state of af
fairs. They wanted bullish crop esti-
mates and plenty of them. 1t was
argued that the department issued
Indicated crop, estimates on wheat
and corn. 1t was urged that the same
policy could be pursued with cotton.
It was overlooked that wheat. for ex-
ample, varies only moderately, and
that it's response to a given set of
climatic conditions can be forecast
with reasonable accuracy. On the
other hand, no heed was paid to the
old adage that. cotton can promise
more and do less, and promise less
and do more than any crop that
grows"
So the department of agriculture
was called upon to perform something
that it never should have been asked
to undertake. This year everything
went swimmingly-at first. The first
indicated crop in July was placed at
S,433,000 bales. In August it had de-
clIned to s,2O3, 600 bales; in Septem-
Der it was placed at 7.O37.000. In
October the department announced
the promise as 6.5S7,00o bales. A
formal note of caution stated that this
was only the outlook at the time and
that changes would be dependent nA
future weather conditions. The cot
ton trade, however, was convinced
that the crop had been damaged be-
yohd repair, and that the prospect
could not improve.
Then came the census report on
tho amount of cotton ginned to No
vember 1, which was placed at 6,64s.-
0O0-more than the department esti-
mate-and with records showing that
from 10000 900 to 100000 bales al
ways have been ginned after this date.
Even the general belief that the crop
had been picked and ginned faster
than any other crop could not check
the feeling of surprise and disappoint-
ment over the failure of the depart
ment to come closer to the mark.
Hundreds of thousands of bales had
been bought on the theory that the
crop was around or below 100000
bales. The reaction has been wit
messed in costly Wholesale liquidation
OF these commitments.
The department of agriculture is
not at fault. 1t attempted a difficult
if not impossible task. The blame
should be put where it belongs-with
the friends of the farmer"
The British minister of education