The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-05

the Legislature resolution aimed at the
trusts That explains my reference to
I"Watson's tobacco trust" in the second
paragraph of March Z, 1893. Watson's
bill was killed. and possibly it was killed
by the cigarette trust itself 1t had it's
agent at Raleigh-one Lyon, we think his
name was-who was lobbying against the
Watson bill. L am assured that he told
that the farmers were not injured by the
trust but helped by it. But the farmers
told very different story. as we recently
learned, and said they were greatly in
! jured by the trust. The information | had
possibly was received from some man
who believed Lyons yarn, who was the
Duke agent, as was believed at the time.
/ admit l was prodigiously mistaken in
my information. | wrote with what light
| had. But my information was wrong.
II was with the farmer, hut had been
made to believe that in 1893 he was be-
ing actually favored by the trusts. 1t
was foolish, perhaps, to think such COM
bine could be generous. or could favor
any class or person but themselves. /
did not find out my error in time to pre-
vent me from writing the second letter
to old man Duke | did not get the need
led instruction until later, when it came
from Col. John II. Webster, the able.
brave editor of the Reidsville Weekly,
a Methodist layman who has slashed the
cruel cigarette trust in a style of clever
ness | could not possibly initiate sue
cessfully. He has been my main instruc-
tor, and has done very faithful service
to the large farming interests in the
Piedmont and adjoining section of our
State
He brought out for the first time to my
knowledge, the facts that exposed the
injury that was done to the farmers by
the cigarette trust. He published many
letters from warehousemen and others,
l think, showing that the farmers had
been for years subjected to very serious
losses-from % per cent. and upwards.
1t was from him l found out precisely
how disreputable was the infamous Gig
arctic trust, and how it affected and rob-
bed the tobacco planters of my State
l learned from Judge Sutton's speech
in the Legislature "a Methodist also),
from sundry scientific articles, and from
Col. Webster, how very injurious and de-
structive to health, and how death-procur-
ing were the poisoned cigarettes that Stay
their thousands of victims every year.
So l stand by all l wrote, by the short
editorials, by what | said recently in the
Messenger, as to the cigarette trust, and
the letters to Duke written when I believ-
ed him to be a much more respectable
man than l now can regard him. have
never done anything in the whole Duke
matter of which | am ashamed or regret.
| wrote to him believing him a good and
true man, engaged in a decent. merciful,
lawful respectable business. / now be-
lieve his business curse to humanity, in
defensible, unworthy of defense, a
scourge and an outrage, and that ought
to be stamped out by legal enactment.
If people would read up they would learn
how malignant and low and pestiferous
is the manufacture of poisoned cigarettes
that rob the planters of a good share of
their honest toll and earnings, and rob
so many youths of health and mind and
life itself.
1t is only within a year or two that
the enormity of the wickedness and the
injury wrought by the tobacco trust was
known. There is an awakening at last.
In the legislatures of several States it
has been discussed as to the Punishment
of the cigarette and punishment of those
selling. 1 do not know that up to now
any State has driven out the cigar
cite, but it is coming and North Carolina
should be of the number to do it. Re
Gently the cigarette trust was on trial
in New York and 10 of the twelve jury
men were for conviction.
1 am tired of answering charges and
paraded evidence of my untruthfulness
and insincerity. Unless my character is
directly assailed I shall not appear in
print again in answer. have lived to my
sixty-ninth year lacking few days in
North Carolina where / was born, and
where / hope to die. If have not char
acter enough to withstand without fur
Their defence such vindictive, malicious
assaults as are being made,
then let me go down in shame to my
grave. / have sought to serve my native
Carolina as a journalist for well nigh
forty years. In times of peace and in
war, in times of great adversely when
calamities were thick and dolor filled
every heart, in the foulsome and raven
Gus Reconstruction days, in all the years
that have come since l have stood by my
State. defended her good name, advocat-
ed the cause Of sound education, protect
ed the honor and fame of our soldiers,
been faithful to pure, sound, economical