The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-03-23
THE WATSON BILL KILLED
"A DANGER AHEAD.
I Statewide Landmark. |

IStatesvillc Landmark.
The lobby was too much for the
upper branch of the Legislature. After
the House had passed by a handsome
majority the bill Of Mr.. Watson, of
Forsyth, to put a curb on the cigarette
trust, it was killed in the Senate in the
closing hour of that body Monday
morning. We impute no bad motives
to the Senate, it permitted itself to be
Frightened out Of wits and away from
the discharge Of It's duties to the peo-
ple-that IS all. The american To-
baccO Company IS understood to have
had It's agents on the ground timd
warchOu5cmen they were and with
them were timid manufacturers and
tImld leaf dealers, and the Senate was
induced 10 believe what the House
could not be bullIed nor fooled into
believing, viz: that if the state Of
North Carolina dared to interpose be-
tween lis citizens and this ubiquitous
trust, something dreadful would happen
to the people. The senators took
counsel of their fears and dropped the
reins OH the neck of the trust. 1t has
license 10 plllage the tobacco growers
OF the state for another two years I'M
less Congress shall in the meantime
lay It's hand upon it.
1t is agreed that North Carolina
alone IS not strong enough to fight the
aggregation OF capital and the embod-
iment of greed known as the American
Tobacco Company. Yet North Car
ollna and Virginia produce the cut
tiers out of which this company makes
It's money and the two states have it
IN their power to bring it to its knees.
To doubt that the Virginia Legisla-
ture would follow the lead of North
Carolina IN steps taken here to support
this trust, would be to doubt both its
courage and It's patriotism. Does it
Cypress Virginia less than North Car
DINA Not particle less. Does it
Cypress either or both states? Who
doubts itP Who denies it? And it
IS certain that It's appetite will not fail
nor It's power to rob the people be
lessened by It's being left alone and
allowed TO run its own free course. We
talk OF congress interfering, and God
grant 1t may, but we forget that
Who would be free, himself must strike
the blow"
The place for the fight for a free
market and an open field to begin is
IN the states. Mr.. Watson and the
House began it brayely and we do not
intend to doubt that the principle EN-
bodied in this bill which met its death
in the Senate Monday morning will
ultimately triumph. 1t must triumph
or this anaconda will embrace .the
whole tobacco interest of the country
IN lis folds. The trust now has a mo.
nopoly of the cutter market. Since il
got 1t, it has reduced the price of cut
tiers IS, IS, 50, SO per cent Now il
Is reaching for the plug factories Of
the country. 1t already has one grea,
factory in Louisville. Let it get few
OF the largest of those in Richmond
IynChburg, Danville and Winston
and 1t will have everything its OWL
way. The remainder of the larger
factories will be absorbed, the smaller
ones crushed out and what has hap
pened to cutters will happen to all
other grades of tobacco: competition
destroyed, the trust will put its own
price upon Jugs, filters, wrappers and
the rest, and the profits upon the bes,
paying crop we now have will be gone
We write earnestly about this matter
because we feel deeply. \ seriou:
danger menaces one of the greatest
Interests of the state and we want the
people to know it. Warming them O
It, admonishing them to bestir them
selves 10 avert It, the Landmark place:
It's sword at their service, and doing
SO pledges itself here and now that il
Will never hereafter give its voice OF
vote to help nominate or elect to offic,
any man who holds connection with
any trust, whether it be tobacco trus
or what not. y plague upon The
whole brood OF them. They are rob
blng honest toll of its legitimate re
wards and building up an aristocrac,
OF wealth upon their pelf and plumber