The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-06-18
Something About the Tobacco
a Trade. -.

<AkOut bhO AOOpSSO
a sTrade.
Isit not high time that the tobacco
dealers OF Eastern Ohio were taking
some action for The protection of their
Interests and the interests of the grow
ersp The producers get almost nothing
for their labor, and the dealers year after
year are losing money on their invest
men,s. Is there no remedy Tor this, and
nussIt continue until Some visitation of
Providence gives temporary reliefP
"Grow less amount" Is The remedy
usually proposed. But in the first place
there seems to be no means of prevent.
ing the planting of large crop If the
season-ia- favorable. and in the second
place, it Is not at all certain, under the
present systems s,hss this would be an
adequate remedy for the unremunerative
prices. .4eaq ba. qao,r
Take as an example of this system
what are known as the French grades Of
sobaccoy and dshow is the market price in
Baltimore fixedi BY the cost of pro-
lductionf, No. sBy the cost to the deal.
err yNon By the usual controlling law
| in commercial transactions, the law Of
supply and demand2 No, .ortat most
lbut partially. We' saE 4Hssg lis
The French government, which has $
monopoly Of The trade 10 the tobacco
lconsamed In France, adsertises for say
1000 hogsheads This amount is the
l.Ae----1ar ar-.,-.rvu- -tnc- rcucu gruucs.-
Spectators bid against each other for
the contract, and it is awarded TO The
lowest bidder. This year the bid accept
by the French government is about FIVE
dollars per hundred pounds. % n IRE 81
Now what Is The fesult,s All the deal
ers accept this as the price Of that kind
Of tobacco, after taking from 1t q per-
centage to the contractor. They look
blue, and complain. but submit to It as
and prepare 10 suffer another
loss.a Furthermore they make up their
minds thatrthey must next year further
cut down the price to the producer. d
But is this tame submission, this open
ing Of sheir ipocket-books to foreign
monopoly, the best and wisest thing that
can be done 2dI Must these spectators
coltin1e arbitrarily to fx the price Of
tobacco, regardless Of the cost of pro.
duction and regardless Of the supply 2
II so the cultivation Of tobacco would
better beabandoned1at once and forever.
Two years ago the French contract
was taken as about SO per hundred, one
year ago at s. 81, this year at s5 or
less. These spectators, 40 long as the
dealers submit, make their per cent just
as readily when they bid Ave dollars Us
when they bid seven, and will make It all
the same next year il in competing with
caoha aother they biddt down 10 foprSand
a9haif orfouE Heite 20 Sni7h o.
Down, down It is going, and down,
down It will go until II meets determin-
ed resistance on the part Of dealers
down until the dealers with one accord
say 10 these contractors /: "Gentlemen,
III takes two to make . bargain. You
have been telling us heretofore what you
will give; now we propose to tell you
whatlwe will take. le Give us price at
which We can live and the growers can
live, and You can have our tobacco; il
not. gil your contract If you can"
A firm stand on this ground will bring
the contractors to terms. They may get
their fingers burned this year, but they
will keep them out Of the fire next -
They will understand that they must base
their bids on . fair price to the grower
and fair profit to the dealer-that they
can no longer buy the crop at just what
ever they choose to offer. i. ~ sl7
Now, gentlemen dealers, when will
you begin to protect yourselves and
growers7 lis there any excuse forgwaitt
ing until you and the growers are eaten
up?. Why, not look TO your interest
nowi Is It not the part OF common
prudence to iheres and now call an EN-
phatic s"halttp to'this grinding down of
| prices, the sole benefit Of which accrues
Ito foreign monopoliats ss;' - - : &,
| "A meeting Of the dealers in conyen-
ton, and AN agreement to fix fair; prices,
after considering carefully all the circum.
stances and surroundings, and then . de-
termined adherence to those prices, even
at the cost of somej Inconvenience, will
break down the, present intolerable sys
tenn forever. This can be done as sue
Icessfully this year and now, as, II can af-
ter. you shalt have been robbed for two
OF. three or four years more. I,aj,acog
/. The New York Herald is perhaps
as, impartial as any of the great dailies,
and certainly shows no disposition to do
| Injustice to the administration. Yet il
does, not fail to see something extraor-
dinary in the fact that almost every man
accused OF connexion with the Electoral
Frauds has received fayors from the
President and his friends; and the fur
fther fact that most Of these men we're not
favored because of their merits. The
only credible reason that can be assigned
for most fof these favorsp is mot at all
Icfeditable to those who bestowed them.
The Herald does not include SHERMAN