The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1891-12-03
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY.
The American Tobacco company'S Tyr
amy Being Fought
By WHOLESALE GROCERY DEALERS
4 Battle Between Giants-A Battle tO
the Knife and the Knife to
the Hit.

The wholesale grocers of Calves
ton, Texas, and..fthe7 tobacco trust.
known as the American Tobacco
Company, have locked horns and a
bitter struggle has been Inaugural
ted. For some time past the trust
has been endeavoring TO compel the
grocers in that city to enter into an
agreement to buy and handle only
the tobacco and cigarettes manufac-
tured by its members, the alterna-
tive being a refusal to sell to the
merchants there and n lowering of
prices to a ruinous rate. The agents
sent on there by the trust, having
failed in their mission because of
the firm attitude of the grocers, af-
fairs have taken a new turn, and the
whole force of the tobacco company
is now being exer ed. The impor-
tance of Galveston as a wholesale
grocery centre, having fifteen large
houses, and probably the most i'm
portant point in that trade IN the
Southwest, has determined the trust
to whip the merchants into line at
all hazars d
MIR. J. B Duke, cf New York,
President William A. Marburg and
J. B. Wa1field of Baltlmore and
other leading members of the trust
arrived in Galveston last week and
are endeayoring to force the groces
to enter into the proposed agree
ment. Several houses are unable to
fill their orders, states a special tele-
L Al
to sell the goods except upon such
an agreement. The grocers have
perfected an organization and are
determined to resist the demands,
however. They appealed to the at
torney general of the state, asking
him to enforce the antitrust law
against the company. He has re-
Piled, stating that he would proceed
against the members of the trust,
and asking for the names of the
members of the trust and the evi-
dence. The statutes of Texas make
such actions as the grccers complain
of a criminal conspiracy The
names of the incorpoi ators of the
trust were forwarded to the attorney
general and the grocers are deter
mined to push the matter to the ex-
treme. The trust officials stated, ii
is said, that they would spend
ST. 100000 and give away tobacco
and cigarettes in that state if neces-
sary to enforce their demands.
1t is battle between giants and
the present indications are that it
| will be a wsr to the knife and the
knife to the hilt.
We notice to-day that telegra N
has been forwarded by the whole
sale grocers of New Orleans com.
mending the action of the Texas
merchants and avowing to stand by
| them in their efforts to give the
greatest trust in the world a black
eye and broken limb.
We heartily approve of the action
| of these Southern merchants in theil
determination to handle in tn, in
| terest of unrestricted trade ell good:
| their customers demand and not tt
be dictated to by this law violating
/ inhuman and tyranicai trust as Il
the handling of their goods, to thu
| exclusion of those of their competI
tors.
Tyranny unmitigated tyranny
The antitrust war should be encour
aged by every honest man in th'
South; the press, the unbiased press
should take hold of the matter, dis
cuss it and condemn it in the line o
honest policy and with all of it's cap
ital, with all of its power, it woul
tremble before public sentiment;
would fall and right would prevail.
Down with the American Tobacco
Trust.