THE UNION COUNTY PAPEH EVEIfiTODY READS IT." ' 1
-THE UNION COUNTY PAPEE E 7DODY; NEEDS IT,
is .
i
rf 4 PUBLISHED TWICE EACH WEEK TUESDAY AND FRIDAY
Thirtieth Year. No. 28. -.
&li9?s& May 15,1923. ,,jyfMiifet:; 00 Per Year Cash
I..-, ,i
v 'w me ip-- timwi .
:! " '1; t
w
WHY BUILD IIOUSE
AND LEAVE OFF
i R00FF0R RAIN?
Everybody Converted to Good
Roads Idea Cost Only
Consideration '
HAS PLENTY ROADS BUT
WILL VOTE FOR BONDS
By L. E. Huggins
Nobody has the nerve to argue
against good roads. There is no more
argument against them than there is
; against religion. The cost is the only
thing that comes in for consideration,
and we might as well argue against
the improvement of farm lands be
cause such improvement costs too
much. Everybody is converted to the
good roads idea, but there are some
' mighty good people in the county
looking lor "boogers," and there is
a newspaper man whose usefulness
, and service to the county might be
, materially increased if he would wear
a blind bridle so as to avoid getting
"skeered" at things from the rear.
Nobody will deny the fact that the
road system of Union county is in
complete that the lateral roads must
have attention either by direct taxa
tion for maintenance or through a
bond issue for their construction, in
order, that they may be put in shape
for maintenance at a nominal cost.
However, the idea is prevalent among
some citizens that just because some
money has been unwisely spent by
officials who had no way of learning
.except by experience we should stop
the program and let the unfinished
roads and those already built go to
rack and ruin. -!
That's "some argument." Might as
well argue that when a man lets a
contract for the erection, of a resi
; dence and later learns that he has
spent too much money on -the main
part of the house he should stop the
: work and refuse to have fhe roof put
: on, although he has learned that he
can finish the structure at what the
work is actually worth, and let the
thing rot down just because he has
. expended too much money on it. And
especially if the man who is, having
the house built gets "skeered to death''
over boll weevil conditions he should
.stop the work and save thr $10Q he
bas lefMnd tbjraw away th$$poae
has already invested, x es, air, that s
sound argument and everybody should
let it soak. in. '' ' "
And then juit think that the road
building program is costing the peo
pie of the county 'about $90,000 i
year!: Why,'. that's between two and
three dollars each for the entire pop
ulation of the- county.'; And who
wouldn't rather tear up a $500 Ford
'or $2,000 automobile and burn, hun
dreds of extra gallons of gas or pull
$200 mules to death and wreck good
wagons and make two trips instead
of one than pay the two or three dol
lars a year for good roads! How silly
1 people are to spend two or three dol
lars for every, member of the family
in building good roads! :
. If a man tears up an automobile
or kills j a fine mule on bad roads he
. can buy more-rjust so he saves the
two or three dollars with which to
make the purchase. Let's stop this
foolishness of building good roads and
. tave'the two or three. dollars' and buy
a tract of land, or a couple of fine
mules or a' John'Henry or Buick with
. ; But here comes along a certain ele
ment of citizens foolish enough to ask
for more bonds, to finish the job to
. build roads for the fellow who has
none, although he is paying taxes to
help liquidate the debt incurred in the
building of roads for his' neighbor
What shall we say about such cranks?
Why that bond issue would cost about
a dollar a year each, when the money
might be saved to buy chewin' and
spittin' tobacco. Lots of these fellows
who have all the good roads they need
for themselves are actually so stupid
as to advocate a bond issue to build
roads for somebody else. They want
Union county to provide a way for
everybody in it to get to Union coun
ty towns when there are towns in ad
joining counties that would be glad
to have their trade. Why keep Union
county money in Union county when
when there are bankers and merchants
in the1 other counties who would wel-
come it. They have road taxes to pay
and would like to have union county
money with which to make the cay.
ments. Why not let 'em have it, just
so our taxes are held down a "leetle
bit." What's the use of swapping one
dollar for five when other counties
are willing to do the stunt for us?
Have the people gone crazy? Why,
I heard a fellow say a few days a;
that he didn't want any more roa(
He explained that he has a good road
to town, one to his church and one to
his school. I don t need any more
roads," he continued, but that, fellow
went on to say that he expects to
vote for the bond issue so his neigh
bors and friends who are paying taxes
for his good roads can enjoy the same
privilege. What are we going to call
that man?, Is he crazy, or does he
have a real, genuine human heart
in him?
And there are hundreds of other
fellows in the county who will vote
for the bond issue in justice to those
who do not have good roads to travel
nH because it appears to be the mcmi
, economical ' and far-sighted thing to
Don't J
city end
to l'st your taxes, both
JACK HARDING, BEFORE
GIVING BOND, DISAPPEARS
Where is Jack Harding? That's
what policeman Estridge of Waxhaw
wants to know. Yesterday Jack was
tried in the Recorder's court on a
charge of carrying concealed weapons
and was fined $75 and costs on that
charge and bound over to Superior
court on a charge of secret assault on
Mr. Henry Collins of WaxhaW some
time ago. . - - -
It will be remembered that Hard
ins, while under the influence of in
toxicants, is charged with compelling
Mr. Collins at the point of a pistol to
hitch up his horse at the stable of
the latter and to have otherwise mis
treated him. ,
Harding's bond was fixed yesterday
at $500 and it appears that Policeman
Estridge was preparing to take Hard
ing to Waxhaw where he expected to
have the bond prepared, Dut oeiore
the trio was made Harding disappear
ed in an automobile and is reported as
having gone to Charlotte and from
1.1 Tf ,1 !,, Kixl
gang." Wow rouceman estridge is
hunting his man with a great deal
of enthusiasm. .
THAT FOOL MULE LIKES
HIS CHICKEN DIET FINE
Union ' county hoar-raisers are ac
quainted with the fool idea of some
members of the swine tribe that
chickens were intended for hogs to
eat, but here comes a story from the
Statesville Landmark to the etiect
that a fool mule in that section be
came possessed of the opinion that
the long-eared son-of-a-gun had ,a
perfect right to partake of that par
ticular kind of food especially design
ed for preachers. Here's the story:
"If the mule is descended irom
meat-eating ancestry its" emergence
from the strain, from all appearances,
took place a Long while ago. Whether
the fondness of a present-day muie
tnr a meat, rtiofc reveals an atavistic
tendency whether it is a case of am
nesia and mistaken identity, or
whether the' mule in ouestion is just
a plain fool mule with a ' perverted
taste, are matters not to be settled in
lav' circles. This mule eats chicken,
preferably broilers. No 'matter what
he is eating whenever a chicken steps
into the stall, he goes for it. ; 1
"It is not an occasional perform
ance., it is a habit Nor is it a health
fui habit. The more chickens he eats
the thinner he gets. That is the ex
perience : Aleek waddell,'. colored, had
with- him,, Afeck spld hii .at -the Jaat
term of court;, they couldn't ?keep "a
chicken on the place. He was a good,
fat mule according to Aleck's wife,
when they bought him from Mr. J. E.
Sloop. , :- ', if-.. 1 ' ':; ; ;
"Mr. Sloop happened to mention the
conduct of the mule in casual conver
sation, and when approached, affirm
ed the report, in order to present a
case that would . satisfy all comers
from -the doubting new he suggested
that the history of the. mule be fol
lowed after he went out of his posses
sion. Aleck lives fives miles east of the
city, on the Salisbury road, to the
right of the railroad bridge. ; ;
' "The nresent owner of the animal
whoever the fortunate man may be
may not wish to corroborate this sto
ry,. but Aleck wyi."
' " 1 ' 1 ,
DR. BURRELL HAS GREAT
MEETING IN VIRGINIA
y (FarmvUle, Va. Herald, May 11)
' Evangelistic services, at the Baptist
Church conducted by Rev. W. R. Bur-
rell of Monroe, N. C, have been large
ly attended throughout the past week,
Many people from the surrounding
country are attending the meetings in
large numbers. Automobiles have
been narked on Main Street for seV'
eral blocks while their occupants hear
the sermons delivered by Kev, Bur
' The evangelist is a speaker of mag
netic personality, of pleasing delivery,
who Breaches the gospel in a plain
forceful manner. His sermons for the
past week have touched the hearts of
many of bis congregations and great
good, is being manifested daily.
The meeting opened on last Sunday
night at which time the Bijly Sunday
Club of Lynchburg had charge of the
services. "Trap" Martin, secretary of
the Club, who is well known in busi
ness circles of Farmville was the
leader and several impressive talks
were given at this time. This is the
second" appearance , of the Club in
Farmville and their meetings are al
ways valuable and inspiring. .
' Walter E, Hines of Lynchburg who
is leading in the musical program has
organized a senior choir of one hun
dred voices, whose singing stirs the
very soul.
In addition to this, there is a junior
choir of seventy-five voices, .which is
exceptionally fine. Mr. Hines has had
considerable experience in organizing
and training choirs and his work at
the local church is especially pleasing
to all. ' -.'
The minister, Rev. W. R. Burrell,
has prepared special sermons for the
next week, which will be of great
benefit to the citizens of. this com
munity. who will hear him;' '
Members of all congregations are
invited and urged to attend the meet
ings and join in the great work which
is being done in this community.
The Main Point
"Pardon me, madam," said the in
sUrance agent, "but what is your
age?" . :,' ,'..-. -
"I've seen twenty-three summers,"
replied Miss Antique, cordially.
"les, of course." returned tne in
surance. agent, "but how many times
jifnV'j you. seen them?" 1
Lawyers and Commissioners
yI f " '": mi v t ' V-v
certify mat jso uia Koaa
Contract Can Be Revived.
Four weeks or more ago The Jour
nal stated on the authoritv of the
road commissioners that the report
that old contracts would be revived in
case new bonds were voted, was un
true. Nevertheless, the absurd state-'
ment has been repeatd and circulated
by persons opposed to the bond issue.
ihe report is absolutely without
foundation in truth. Everv one of the
old contracts were terminated .when
the work stonped and settlement was
made. Not a one of the contractors
would be simple enough to come up
and expect a renewal. If they did no
sane road- commissioner would listen
to it for a moment. When the bonds.
are voted the contracts are going to
be let wherever possible to home peo
ple, the money will remain in . the
country. ,v
The following statement should for
ever put to rest the foolish statement
about the old contractors coming back.
After this evidence the man who"ar-
culates the report is not doing it for
honest purposes and is untrustworthy..
xne suuemenis louow: -
V' ..''. 1 ':''' .... :
To Whom it May Concern Un
derstanding . that the opponents'1 of
road bonds are circulating, a report
to the effect that in the event bonds
are voted, uncompleted contracts: will
be resumed by contractors at prices
obtaining when contracts were let, -we
hereby inform the public that the con
tracts under which the work was let
contained a provision for termination
of the work contracted for, at the op
tion of the Koad Commission, and that
the contracts have been ' terminated
and none of the contractors claim or
will claim that any, of the contracts
are in force. , , . N
The original contracts are on file
in this office and any person suffici
Good Roads Gel
at Rotary luncheon Today
Addresses by Hohi J. N. Price and
Mr. Upton, who speaks 'at the Chau
tauqua tent this afternoon, were the
main features of the Rfttary meeting
atl, o'clock todayi;..'$ r - .'.'
'Mr. Trice was introduced by J.' Z.
Green of Marshville and made a mas
terful plea for the proposed bond issue
to continue the road-building program
in the county Mr.' Price stated that
we are in the most critical stage of
road-building in the history xf the
county that we must either go for
ward or, retrograde-and declared
that if the bond issue fails to carry
we will soon be where we started, and
have it all to do over. . " '
One of the most interesting chases
of Mr. Pripe's speech was that dealing
with the wonderful development , of
the country. He declared that there
are eighty -one' bounties in the. State
worth less than Union and that the
State road-building program is put
ting North Carolina on the map and
he plead that Union county keep step
with the progress of other counties.
He referred to Farm Demonstrator
Broom as having done more for the
agricultural interests of the county
than anybody else and said if we will
let Tom Broom alone he will teach
the farmers of Union how to raise
and sell enough eggs and butter to
more than pay road tax. He declared
financiers from the North are investi
gating' possibilities in North Carolina
and that South Carolina is sending
representatives to see what we are
doing, v :' ':j " ;,.";' ;,.';, :'::- .
Mr. Price referred to a time when
it took him three hours to come from
his farm to Monroe and stated that
today he came in. fifteen minutes.
Good roads and auomobiles have done
it, he delcared, and pledged his best
efforts for the continuation of the
good work until the other fellow has
the same opportunities and privileges
that he enjoys. , ,r;.
Mr. Price closed writh a plea to the
SIX PERSONS KILLED WHEN v
. , PASSENGER PLANE FALLS
Conty, France, May 14. (By the
Associated , Press.) Six persons, in
cluding two Americans, were killed in
the, wreck of a passenger airplane on
the Paris-London route this afternoon
at the village of Moneures. One of the
Americans was Lawrence Von Post
Schwab, of New York, and the other
is believed to have been Miss Juanita
Bates, New York. ' -
There appears to be no dought
about the identity of Mr. Schwab, but
there is some uncertainty respecting
the woman, the only means of identi
fication being papers . found in the
charred debris, which were hardly de
cipherable. .
Mr. Schwab was member of the
firm v of Oeh-ichs and company, wool
dealers of , New York. He had just
completed a, business trip to Europe
and was flying to London with the
intention of sailing from 1 Liverpool
Saturday on the Mauretania
The machine eaught fire while
traveling on its daily trip and either
feil or was smashed ift an attempted
hurried - landing. The other victims
Were a second male passenger and the
three members of the crew.
-; . ' .
It Isn't always safe to Judge the
value of an article by ths fl?rro
marked ' on the ticket a'.tnchcd
tL-e.cto.
ently interested in the facts can look
at them and submit them to any attor
ney in the State and see if this is not
correct. .
J. D. McRAE,
T. G. COLLINS,
J. F. THOMPSON,
' Road Commissioners Union County.
I hereby certify that my firm is
counsel for the Road Commission of
Union County and that I drafted the
contracts under which road construe-:
tion iias been carried on. The con
tracts contain a provision which was
inserted in contemplation of the pos
sibility that the funds might be ex
hausted before work was completed
and provide that "if for reason sat
isfactory to itself, the Commission
.shall see fit So to do, the Commission
may stop work by any contractor
upon payment of the actual value of
the work done by him on an" project
under thi contract by giving said
contractor notice to quit, without fur
ther liability for breach of contract
or any claim by the contractor except
for work actually done. -
. My information is that such notice
has been given to all contractors and
that nobody except the opponents of
road bonds is making the claim that
the old contracts are in force. These
contracts will not come in on the next
bond issue. J. C. M. VANN, Atty.
' To the Road Commission of Union
county, Monroe, N. C:
Gentlemen: Your secretary has
asked me to give1 you an opinion as
to your right to cancel contract with
J. C. Zobris, and others. My opinion
is that you have a right to cancel this
contract at anytime, you see fit, with
out liability. : ' Yours truly,
.' , JOHN C. SIKES.
Eig Boost ;
Rotarians to get busy and let's save
Union county, declaring that thirty.
tfive men can do it if they will become
FsufPic;ntI v interested fttti-nlaeft ihe
issue squarely, before1 4he peol,who
are yjpen-minded and honest. He won
dered if there is a man in the Rotary
club or in Monroe who is opposed to
the issue. - I. ,;: . .
Mr, John Schehck, superintendent of
the Chautauqua, was introduced- and
made a few pleasing remarks, after
which President Henderson presented
Mr. Upton, who brought down the
house with his splendid w;t and won
derful logic . ,. , f-
Mr. Upton referred to Union coun
ty's campaign for more bonds and con
gratulated her upon her ..progressive
steps. He told somethhing of the value
of good roads and related a story of
a traveler in Texas who once desired
to travel to the top of a high peak
and the roads were so bad that the
only way he could make the journey
was on horseback. After, riding . for
hours he and the guide reached the
top and the latter turned to him and
remarked: "Stranger, you are now
sitting on the highest spot in Texas."
"Good Lord, replied the traveler,, I
am now 'sitting on the. sorest spot in
the world." ;, .-' '
After rivetinor the attention of his
hearers with the above story, Mr. Up
ton launched into a discussion of pro
gress. He declared that some men are
born in the objective case, object to
everything and offer a lot of free
advice which is, worth one half what it
costsi They are always afraid of high
taxes and believe they are going to
be so high that they will be compel!
ed to live on snow balls for four
years. ' .-:
The meeting was a very enthusiast
tio one and was a big boost lor good
roads and the bond issue. 1
At the meeting next Tuesday the
senior class of the Monroe High
School will be special guests of the
ciun. vlV - ? . . , ; .
THE CHAUTAUQUA WILL "
COME AGAIN . NEXT YEAR
Tomorrow night the Redpath Chan
tauqua will close its tenth annual pro
gram in Monroe with a concert
Mate's Blue ' and White Marimba
Band. ' V- - " '.
' The program this . year has been
above the a vera ore and the attendance
has been large. Today the directors
elected new officers and engaged the
Ketipath folks for another year.
.'The new "officers as elected this.
morning are: Rev. W, B. S. Chandler,
president; Dr. C. C. Weaver, vice
president; S. G. Hawfield, secretary-
treasurer. Directors Dr. Mahoney.
Uus Henderson and Eugene Ashcraft.
Carolina Apple Crop Practically Un
i harmed
Raleigh, May 14. A close inspec
tion of the apple orchards in the
northwest relieves the fears of apple
growers that last week's cold spell
had harmed the apple crop, Revenue
Commissioner K. A. Doughton report
ed today: after a trip to his home in
Sparta. It was thought at first, Com
missioner Doughton said, that the ap
pie crop had been ruined, but the dar:v
age is not great, although the fruit
had a narrow escape from the effects
of a low vet'tierature.
Some women argue in the same
way they get oft a street car.
SvSeS'SOUTMN BULLS
' ,""..... "7 . - .. I TiAITr'IlTrTlT'ilTITl
Commencement exercises of the
MarlhvilU High School began Thurs
day night with a declamation and re
citation Contest,, in which Miss Glen-
me Morgan won the reciter s medal
while the declaimatf's medal was1 won
by Rommie Pierce". . v.
Ihe annual debate Was" him Friday
night,' the question -being, Resdlve'd:
That the United States government
should own and operate the railroads.
In this contest the negative, which
was represented by Margie Marsh and
Hal Griffin, won the decision, while
Margie Marsh, won the medal as best
debator. The affirmative was repres
ented by HaskiU tiivens and Zeb
btrawn and they made a most excel
lent showing.
' 1 he annual sermon was ' preached
to a large audience Sunday afternoon
in the school auditorium by Dr. Row
an of Concord. Last night the grad
uating exercises by the class of six
teen were held and the medals were
awarded.
The closing number of the com
mencement exercises will be given to.
night when the high school students
k Tl, W.
nut iicDub iuo fiAjr, A11C MICll.
The closing term has been one of
the most successful in the history of
the school, Prof. Biggers and his
corps of teachers having dote faith
ful and efficient work. i ,
SIXTEEN KILLED, 100
; . INJURED IN TORNADO
Colorado, Texas, May 14-Sixteen
dead and 100 injured were reported
late today as a result of the tornado
which tore through Mitchell county,
south and east of here earl? today.
The injured are in the hospital,
churches and many private homes
here. Some were hurt so seriously
that then deaths are expected.
The tornado descended in, Mit
chell county between 4 and 5 o'clock
this morning and caught most-of its
victims and left death and injury in
its wake for 80 .miles. Starting south
of Westbrook, it continued for seven
miles through, the county just west of
Loraine. : '-v, ' '
All the deaths were in more or less
isolated farms. Due to the distance
between farms and demoralization of
wire communication it was expected
here it would be many hours before
the entire district could oe, heard
fromi v :'
Citizens of towns near the storm
swept area rusnea iiTst aia, provisions
ana reiiei supplies jor mr'vicums.t '
Work of organizing rescue paVties
for the storm stricken area Avas al
most completed late this afternoon.
Between 400 and 600 refugees, besides
the injured, are here and temporary
kitchens have been erected to provide
them with-food. More are coming in.
The devastated district is thickly
populated for rural " territory, r At
least 50 houses were reported destroy
ed. Damage to crops could not be es
timated. The wind tore and twisted
down everything in its path. This city
has a population of possibly 2,000., At
one time it was known as Colorado
City, but now ia on the maps as Col
orado. . ' . :
EXPECTS TO SHORTEN
HER VERBOSITY SOME
.1,
Indian - Trail, May 14. Since my
most worthy contemporary the Stout
correspondent, thinks that l am ver
bose, I shall endeavor to make my
articles to this paper shorter. That
is, for a while until she cools down
a little. I think, -however, that she is
lust jealous of my space m the pa
per. She must think her articles are
so very interesting : and important
that she needs two columns. Well.
I'm not quite that free-hearted. I
will allow her part of my column, but
I can't afford to let Stout run Indian
Trail completely out of sight.
. Mr., and Mrs. B. S. Garrison of
Charlotte visited friends and relatives
here Saturday. '
ily of Fallston visited Mr. . Morriss!
brother, Mr. D, T. Mdrriss, last week,
Miss Eva Wilbon and her broth
er , of , , Wilbon, visited, i Misses
Annie and Kate CrOwell last week
end. Miss Kate returned to Wilbon
with them, and she -will visit friends
in Raleigh and Fuquay Springs be
fore returning., " i
Mesdames E. H. and Holmes Mor
ris3 and Miss May me Price of Mon
roe visited the .Crpwells last Tuesday.
-Cletis, the small son of Mr. and
Mrs. B. L. Deese, had the misfortune
of breaking his arm while cranking
a Ford last Sunday. , ', - ,
Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Underwood of,
Charlotte visited friends here Mon
day. ..' . . - .
Mrs. T. A. Plyler and her small son,
T. A. Jr., are visiting Mrs. Plyler's
nieces and nephews, the Crowells.'
Miss Davie Morris invited several
of her friends to dine with her last
Sunday. Her mother served a birth
day dinner both for her and for her
brother Warren his birthday being
Saturday and Miss MorriBs' Monday.
Mrs. Morriss served a splendid dinner,
and it was thoroughly enjoyed by
each guest.
The Junior members of the Ep
worth League presented a cantata,
"Hearts of Gold," Sunday eveningi
The Angel of ;' Flowers summoned
Mother Earth and her other helpers
early in the program, bhe then sum
moned the flowers who appeared
bearing the messages, which the
!T:.venly Father teaches the Chil
dren through the flowers. The pro
gram was very interesting as well
as .helpfuL Many beautiful . lessons
were learned from these flowers, and
the Cantata was enjoyed by a large
audience.
BOUGHT HEAVILY
ON PEM MARKET
Northern Bears Were Cautious
But May Get Worst End of
Bargain
RESENT SURPLUS
MUST DISAPPEAR
Charlotte, May 12. The decline in
cotton prices during the past four
or five weeks, With the resultant de
moralization of the market for yarns
and cotton goods, is playing havoc
with -the peace of mind of southern
cotton manufacturers, according to
expressions from a number of tex
tile men in this city and section dur
ing the past few days. Cotton has
declined six to eight cents from the
peak attained a few weeks ago and
quite a number of southern mills are
pretty well stocked with raw cotton
purchased at or near the peak.
Practically all southern manufac-
tiirara hava haan Kulla An nttrtn.
while their; New England, brothers '
have been bears. New England mills
bought very cautiously while prices
were higher and, consequently, are
in an advantageous position just now,
being able to sell yarns and goods
at the lower levels while southern
manufacturers, loaded with cotton
bought at the higher prices, are not
able to take on new yarn or goods
contracts at the present basis.
; Are .Confident Still
The manufacturers of this section
do not think they have made a mis- ,
take, i hey believe that the cotton
is worth what they paid for it and
that, in the end. they will be m bet-.-
ter, position than the New England
manufacturers who ate having their
turn . now. They believe that the
present surplus of cotton' will dis- .
appear before the new crop is har
vested arid is spinnable. They be
lieve hrmly that the recent decline has
resulted from gross', speculation and
manipulation and that the price of- v
raw cotton will go back to the levels
of a few weeks ago. There is a pos
sibility, many believe, that prices
will go far beyond the recent peaki , ,
This, they argue, will certainly hap
pen if'.weather. labor, or Other condi-
iiioiui should result -in a small or even " "
an average crop this year.
. The attitude ' Of the mill men
is voiced in an editorial in the cur
rent number of the' Southern Textile
Bulletin just from the press, which
declares that the textile industry is
facing a very serious problem.
"It is not the decline in the price
of cotton but the fact that Wash
ington politicians in co-operation
with the big cotton speculators can
within the space of a few weeks
completely disrupt the course of
business in the textile indusrty and
change a period of moderate pros
perity into one of absolute stagna
tion of buying," declares The Bulle
tin. ; v;:--
"Several weeks ago a well known
financial writer called attention to
the fact that the Harding administra
tion was opposed to a boom this year
because they feared it would be fol
lowed 'by a depression in 1924 that
would , pervent the re-election of
Harding. He said that it was the
purpose of the administration to .
check the rise in prices so that
there would be a reaction followed
by a boom in 1924 that would
benefit them politically." Very - few
believed " his statement, ' but the
course of events since then certainly
seems to sustain his view. -
Administration a Bear
"Whenever any statement has been
needed to assist the "bear side or any
special report, it has been promptly
furnished by men prominent in ad
ministration circles and so active has
been the department of agriculture
as to lead to the open accusation that '
some officials of the 'department
have been, speculating on' the bear
side. - j is,;.''';'
"As each month has rolled around
since last October there have been
opportunities for cotton corners but
none have resulted and it has been
generally understood that the, federal '
trade board has warned the big spec
ulators against corners. Now Liver
ermore and his associates have, bv .
selling Over a million bales of fu
tures, put Cotton down more than
six cent3 per pound without protest
from tb federal trade board and at
every stage of the bear raid he has
been assisted by reports and state- -ments
from administration circles.
"There has been no overbuying of
cotton goods or cotton yarns and we
aro- facing' a shortage of cotton to- ."
getner with grave uncertainty rel
ative to the 1023 crop being large
enough to meet the requirements of
consumption -
"When the big cotton speculators v
have taken profits upon the million
bales they sold short we will be able
to see the real situation more clear
ly and confidence based ' upon sound '
conditions will return."
The cotton mills are not the only .
sufferers from the present situation.
Assuming that tfiere are still 2,-
000,000 bales of cotton in the hands
of southern farnjers and market as
sociations,, the loss to the farmers
as a result of the recent decline Ms
$120,000,000 or more. This reduction
in the purchasing power of the farm
er in turn hits the retail merchant
and through him the' jobber and'
manufacturer of other product ? V. - n
. (Continued from r?: a live)