Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-07-12
What Is Best To Do About 1t!

sembly of farmers at Fair Haven, A.
A. Co., last week, under the auspices
of the Farmers Alliance, endeavored
to find an answer for. DR.. Waring,
of Prince Georges county, and Mr..
Pettigrew, of North Carolina, were
the two speakers who endeavored to
find an answer to it. From synopsis
Of their speeches published in another
column, it will appear that neither of
these gentlemen are able as yet to
formulate definite answer.
The state Of affairs to which the
question relates is the present depress-
ed and uncertain condition of the
market for the agricultural products
of our section and more especially of
tobacco, which has heretofore been
the great staple ofSouthern MARYLAND.
DIR. Waring, whose zeal and energy at
least in behalf of the farmers interests
must always be commended, puts
forth the grievances of the agricul-
tural classes in a forcibie way; but
fails to point out any definite remedy,
except that he thinks it will result
from organization and cooperative
self defense among the agricultural
classes.
DR.. Waring referred to what be
claims to be an established fact, that
dull colored Maryland tobacco, such as
is sold in Baltimore to the Agent of the
French Government at cents q
pound, when manufactured by that
government and put upon the market
is sold at retail at S1.42 pound
This is unquestionably strong mar
gin of profit which results to the
French government, assuming that
the manufactured article is made ex-
clusively of Maryland leaf at cents a
pound and that the expense of manu-
ture is not great. 1t is true that the
French government in assuming to
itself monopoly of the manufacture
and sale of tobacco, does so on purpose
to make an excessive profit, which re-
suits to the government as one of the
chief sources of public revenue. This
is one of the means of laying indi-
rect taxation upon Its people which it
adopts in taking monopoly Of this
luxury and, therefore, much larger
margin between the cost of the raw
product and the completed manufac-
ture is necessarily to be expected, than
in cases where tina laws of trade are
untrammeled and private competition
exists. The Investigations made BY
Minister McLane not long since clear
ly revealed these facts.
Still the question remains. could
not this extraordinary margin of profit
be reduced somewhat by an increase
in the price of the raw product here,
if proper measures were resorted to
at this end? If the French govern
ment could not obtain the tobacco it
manufactures and sells at home at
SLAP pound for less than 10 cen ts
pound in Baltimore. would it not pay
that price; or would it supply its de-
mands in other markets at less figures?
We believe, and it seems to be fair
presumption, that the French govern
ment would readily pay 10 cents a
p.und for the Maryland tobacco it
now buys at 5 cents, if the former, and
not the latter was the lowest figure at
which its annual contract could be tax.
en-. In other words the value of the
one-third part of the annual produc-
tion of Maryland tobacco, which is
regularly taken by the French govern
ment, could be doubled in value to
the producer, at the expense of the
public revenues of France, if some
combination could be formed at this
end by which the filling of its annual
contract at abnormally low figures
could be prevented.
This is indeed large assertion
Assuming it to be fact, and we hon.
estly believe it is, then it is an impor-
tant fact and one of vital interest to
every producer of TOBACCO in Mary
land. But the all important question
recurs again "what is best to do
about it %
It is we'll known that the French
government obtains. it's annual sup
ply of Maryland tobacco by a contract
which is given to the lowest respon-
sible. bidder. This is fair enough, az
far as the French government is con-
cerned.. If, going fairly upon the mar
ket, it can. obtain tobacco worth 10 or
Is cents to it, for 5 cents, it is certain
ly justified in taking it at the latter
figure. But suppose the entire sup
ply of Maryland tobacco were con-
trolled by cooperative association of
the producers themselves. What then?
There could then be but one bid for
the French contract and that would
be a fair one, based on the value of
the product If that can be done,
then it is, obvious that that is "what
is best to do about,it." a.
The question is then can such an as
sociation not be successfully organ
lied? The TIMES has heretofore ex-