The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-04

ms Mt the sound of Il fire bell at night
and the Protestant church was born.
Today there is many Il John Tetzel in
tnc Protestant churches. Men who have
made their millions by means denounced
ms immoral by the church and illegal by
the law give Il small part of their gains
to colleges and forthwith, as with Tetzc,
their sins are forgiven in exchange fer
their money. This is not written in ink
in the deed of gift but iii S well read
between the lines President Andrews
of Brown University did not so under
stand it and he was told to move on"
Profs. Bemis and Ely and some others
did not catch on and they were invited
out. Now there is none so dull, inside or
outside of college who does not under
stand it.
| have seen it stated that member
of this very Cigarette Trust told the
President of ElOn College he would be
given money if his church would stop
attacking their business. That is reason
bic if it is trade, so much money for
so much silence, but do not call that II
gift. Do not praise the piety of such
a transaction.
The Western North Carolina Confer
cnce which is half owner of this College
in 1897 passed this resolution:
"In view of the lamentable effects re-
sulting from the use of the cigarette
and the rapid growth of this evil; there
fore be it
"Rcsolved. That we. the Western
North Carolina Conference in session as
sembIed. are opposed to the manufacture.
sale and use of cigarettes, and will do
a. we can to save our people from this
terrible evil"
This is the voice of the church. The
voice of the medical fraternity is fully
as pronounced. In the present war the
reports show that over half the soldiers
rejected were refused on the ground Of
disease caused by the cigarette habit.
The law has also been as pronounced
py making the sale of cigarettes to boys
under II years of age indictable and t
has also stopped the placing of the pict-
ures of nude or seminudc women in the
packages to tempt boys to buy by which
this very Cigarette Company were ac-
customed to enhance their profits. a
policeman in Durham has gotten up this
collection of the pictures sent out by the
establishment to which DIR. Kilg0's
great and good friend belongs. VIII
the members present examine them and
see whether this is thy sons coat or no.
The laws Of North Carolina 1899
chapter 374 prohibit Trusts under a PEN
atty of $4,000 fine and ten years inn
prisonment and includes in the definition
Of Il trust ''anr arrangement for the pur-
pose of increasing or decreasing the price
of any class of products beyond the
price that would be fixed by the natural
Il, & sItrh npp1nnfs
And the laws of the United States, Acts
los, Chapter 647 makes trusts illegal
under a penalty of $1,000 fine and one
wears imprisonment. A member of this
Board has suggested to me that the
American Tobacco Company (alias Gig
arctic TrusU has not been convicted il
any court of being Trust. A cause that
depends on that defence is already lost
The whole world knows it is trust
Long ago it was said:
IN the corrupted currents of this life
Offences gilded hand may oft shove by
justice
Not so above"
And well do the tobacco growers of
North Carolina know the Cigarette trust
which has stifed competition and re-
duced the prices of the product of their
years ago the prosperity of that section
was the wonder of the State. But there
came a frost, killing frost, when the
Cigarette Trust was formed. 1t blighted
the country worse than a cyclone but
places are reared III New York and in
durham.
And how has this resolution of the
church against "the manufacture, sale
4 yf - i, Ill
can TO save our people from this terrible
evil" how has the cry of the medical
fraternity in the name of humanity been
needed, how has our State and national
law making this business illegal been
obeyed, how-shall | tell you how-by
this administration which you are asked
to endorse taking 100000 of the stock
of the trust, and living in part upon
the dividends from the illegal business,
dividends so excellent that the $4,000
is now worth $130,000 and one enthusi-
astic friend of the Trust has said it will
before long be worth 100000. Where
does that rapid and wonderful increase
come from? Other property does not in
crease that way. 1t comes from the
reduced prices the Trust is enabled 10
force upon the farmer who is denied an
open MARKET by Iue ueSlfuctlOH Oh COIL
petition. 1t is the sweat of the unrenum
Grated toll of the farmers which is to be
coined into big dividends for the stock
holders of the Cigarette Trust among
whom is this college. DR.. Kilgo is treas
urer of the college and of course well
knows what sort of stock pays dividends
into his treasury
We have all heard of Uncle Tillets
taking So contribution from Il bar-keeper
for his church, and telling him his mon
cy had worked long enough for the devil
and he would put it to work for the
Lord. lie was a sanity man, and his is
still a name to conjure with among
Methodists. knew him and it is il priv
iege and bcnediction to have known
him. But mote the diversity" as my
Lord Coke would say, Uncle Tillett dIu
not call his congregation together and
tell them the bar-keeper was the greatest
man in town because he had given money
to the church, nor has any one told the
trust that its money given to a good OBJ
ject had worked for the devil long
enough. Nor did he invest the So in
the bar-keeper's business that it might
bring in big dividends. If he had, the
bar business is at least legal, if license
is paid, but trusts are an open violation