Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-10-17
The no Tobacco rlan-A Reply to @. "A 8.
To theChronicie

Please allow me few words in re-
ply to Bro. Slaughter's article in yes
terday's Democrat-only one or two
points for the article is too long for a
full notice.
1t is strange that after working
"nearly twenty years persistently,"
as he says he has, 'to bring about
organization and cooperation among
the farmers" and now that the
golden harvest has come and the
farmers are thoroughly ripe for
perfect organization, to do just what
he says he desires they should do, fix
their own price on their produce, and
say to the Reggie monopoly, "the
price of our tobacco is $40 per hun
dred pounds and you can pay us this
price or you wont get it." / say it is
strange that such a man as Bro.
Slaughter should WELD his versatile
pen to defeat that object when nearly
accomplished. or course, nobody sus-
pected that he wanted an Office"
or Expected personal gain or indi-
vidual preferment of any kind" as he
intimates in his article. Everybody
knows that he is honest in his views
and no one ever thought that office,
or personal gain was sinester mo-
tive with him in his labored efforts
for such an organization, and there
was no need of his denying some
thing that he has not been accused of.
/ admit and believe his statement,
that his only object has been to free
the farmers and make them ''inde-
pendent of monied monopolies, spec
ulative rings and political cliques,"
and this being SO, the Squire
has certainly not caught on
to the present non-planting
movement and don't know what the
farmers are going to do about it. /
am inclined % think however; with
all of his good intentions and honesty
of purpose. Judging rom the read
ing of his al ,1cle, that ne has drawn
largely on the Reggie contractors.
Snuff manufactures and stemmers
for the large fund OF information
which he volunteers to the farmers
on this important question; for 1t is
just the arguments put up by those
gentlemen who want cheap tobacco.
The ingenuity of his article while
benefitting NO one but the mon
strous Foreign monopolies, appeals
to the prejudices of farmers against
spectators.
Bro. Slaughter doubtless sold his
tobacco last summer to some one of
the GAINESVILLE speculars for a good
price, who are still holding It and
could not get half cost tor it, and is
without money to pay him a fair
price for this years crop. But for
these bad speculars who held up the
market all summer; paying farmers
fair prices for their tobacco. Brother
Slaughter would have let the Regies
take it at $3.O0or still be holding it
back for $1,000, and continue to pile
up crop ON crop with his fixed price
while his share troopers lived on
hope, wind and water. Hespeaks of
half crop as the more conservative
move. With all OF his honesty and
fairness ii it were possible to carry
out that policy. Brother Slaughter
would be like all other honest farm
ers, measure large acres and count all
the women and children as hands.
But what is the use Of discussing any
half way measures; the markets are
all PROSTATE, tobacco with out
any fixed value to command
money. The people have nothing
but tobacco to offer as col
lateral, basis of credit to
draw money, and without this organ
ization to force the market up,
strengthen credit for basis of
@lOhCJ NAtOulaUiOi1 bIIO iui hlCAo StI1
hopelessly ruined for they will be
forced to sell for the Reggie prices,
less than enough to pay present
debts, and have nothing left to base
another crop on.
If farmers continue to plant next
year as usual, tobacco will not be
worth over 50 90 per hundred, how
can farmer buy fertilizers, CON,
bacon, hay and clothing with tobac-
co at SO 90. He can not avererage
over $500 lbs. to the hand, which
would be worth $50 90, and what
become of Brother slaughter share
hands at half such figures, making
$37 80 year.? They had better
work at Is cents a day cleaning up
old fences.
| / want tn assure Brother Slauohter