The gold leaf., 1893-01-05
Neglect Of the Tobacco Interest
by the Average Newspaper.

There was time when York county
boasted OF 5000 or 1900 acres of to-
bacco under cultivation, with an an
nual product OF 10000 or more cases.
Whether she is still in the tobacco
business or not, The outside world does
not know, rs her daily papers may be
searched for months without the dis
coIery of a single item touching this
industry. Once the papers made much
of this crop, one of the most important
she had. We see plenty about the
rabbit and chinquapin crops, but her
tobacco crop gets the cold shoulder
Lancaster Pa, New Era.
The York county papers are not the
only ores that fail to properly repre-
sent the tobacco interests of their sec
ton. Neglect Of the tobacco interests
is the rule of daily and weekly papers.
Few of them have any conception of
the magnitude of the tobacco interests
of their section Of the United States.
They have no idea that the tobacco in
terest of this country puts directly into
the Treasury Of the United States
about So, 900. 900 annually, from s4O,-
600, 900 to $50, 900, 900 into the hands
of the tobacco planters, about $l75,-
100000 into the hands of tobacco,
cigarette, cigar and snuff manufacture
ers (outside of the revenue paid to the
govcrnmenD, and about $3.50, 900, 900
into the hands of retailers. In short,
that the consumption of the manufact-
ured article in the United States av-
erages about 6 pounds to each inhab-
liant and averages in cost about $500
to each inha abitant.--Cincinnati To-
bacco Journal.
Perhaps it is not so much the fault
of the newspapers, especially those
published in North Carolina tobacco
markets, that they do not give more
news of the kind above referred to to,
as it IS those who are most directly
interested and therefore more to be
benefited by it. The weekly papers,
particularly in this State, can not be
accused of a lack of interest in the pub
licity and prosperity Of the tobacco
markets. or Of withholding their sup
port and gratuitous services. But the
newspapers must not be expected to
do more than their part. and it is some
what surprising to us to find so sensi-
BILE and so reasonable man as Col.
Mason expressing himself in the way
he does and that the Southern Tobac-
. conist, of Richmond should have given
its quasi endorsement of both items bv
publication without comment.
That it is inconvenient for these
gentlemen to make up their reports of
the tobacco markets of the country
without some data from the local pa
pers of such markets, is admitted; and
we further agree that so great interest
AS is portrayed should be. and largely
is. represented in the newspapers of
the tobacco districts: but when these
gentlemen take up from their exchange
list the papers from such places as
Lynchburg. Raleigh. Reidsville. Rox-
, boro and Wilson. without finding a
reference to tobacco. should rcmem-
ber that these papers have nursed
these markets with column after col
!, umn OF editorial puffs that have
stretched the most elastic newspaper
conscience to the utmost limit without
one cents worth Of remuneration, and
without thanks it may be. They
should remember that some of the ed
itors Of the country at least have sense
enough not to dispense further charity
to so large and remunerativc a bust
ness-that the fault lies not with the
): newspapers, but in the narrow policy
. Of those who would reap the fruit of
their labor without pay.