The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-03-09

MR.. wArsoN's SPEECH.
4 Synopsis OF What He Said on His
Tobacco Bill.

IOD3CcO Dill.
Mr.. Watson spoke in support of the
. bill, of which lie is the author. He
said in 1889 an act had been passed
against a tobacco trust to reduce the
price Of tobacco, and under its pro-
| visions arrests were made, but the
parties escaped through loop-holes.
| This bill is intended to stop those
! loop-holes. This bill would injure
no persons save those who wished to
/ go upon warehouse floors and suppress
/ buyers and reduce prices. No bill pre-
pared only to punish criminals ever
| brought 50 many lobbyists to Raleigh.
| The sight was q sad one, to see men
! coming here when bill prepared for
/ such a purpose was being Considered
/ by this Legislature. Mr.. Watson sent
| to the clerks desk and had read an
/ editorial from the Charlotte Observer
| commencing in earnest words this
| bill, and in aliuding to the article .in
! question spoke in the highest terms
| of Mr.. Caldwell, of the Observer, as a
high minded, honest, typical and true
/ North CarOlinian. Mr.. Watson gave
sketch of that gigantic octopus, the
American Tobacco Company. North
Carolina produces 30 per cent of the
bright tobacco in the country, and
! this great company controls 93 per
cent of that. This bill will enable the
State to thwart the purposes Of this
trust.
Mr.. Ray asked why plug tobacco
was left out Of the bill, and Mr..
Watson said there was no plug trust.
This bill picked out a target and shot
directly at it. In the course Of his
remarks Mr.. Watson took occasion to
denOunce in vitriOtic words an editor
/, l. l.,
shadow of the Capitol, and who is the
creator of the trust" man upon
whose features God has stamped the
brand of the assassin" clearly and in
deblibly. (Applause) As to need Of
this bill; had it not been direct in
purpose, would these lobbyists have
been here? he answered, no. No
honest company is Injured. The bill
only strikes at robbers. 1t may dis
turb trade for few months, but this
is an eating cancer and must be cut
out. The lobbyists say the medicine
IS too strong, but yet they admit the
patient is dying. He read extracts
from the Richmond Tobacco journal,
to show the feeling against this terri
bic combine. He asked who it was
who was able to summon by wire from
all parts of the State men to come
here to lobby against this bill. Some
trust Others were afraid Of the size of
the trust and came because Of fear
He declared that these lobbyists had
touched the elbow" of every member
within the sound of his voice. Ap-
plause.
He said if the bill passed factories
would rise up and our golden tobacco
would be manufactured by our own
people. Ihe argument has actually
been made that if the bill passed the
farmers would actually go outside the
State to sell their products. How
absurd ! The conventions of the poll
teal parties have at each convention
denounced this trust. Shall this
Democratic legislature fail to carry
out this denunciation Mr.. Watson
spoke in cutting words Of the trust
and said he proposed to rear in each
OF its palaces black shaft of infamy.
(Applause.) People had come before
the committee and said the trust eX-
listed and yet truckled tOit. Was this
worthy of brave North Carolinians
who in times past had never quailed
in the presence of any enemy no mat
ter what his size.