The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-08
FREDERICKSBURG VA. SATURDAY July g. 1899
The Danville Tobacco Combine.


million dOllals capital, three fourths
of which comes from unknown Nor
thorn and English capitalists to con
troll the Leaf tobacco warehouses oi
Danvlle and tho sal of all leaf 10
bacco raised IN the great bright to
bacco belt of Virginia and the Caro-
llnas, continues TO be the principal
topic for discussion and comment in
this entire section of tho country
This is but natural, inasmuch rs
bright tobacco is the one overshadOw
ing money crop in this region. To
bscco Is the principal industry OF
Danyllle aud It's neighborlng towns.
All the bright tobacco grown, one
hundred to two hundred million
pounds annually, is sold at auction in
the warehouses IN Danville and about
- small towns in Virginia and
North Carolina, Dinvllle being the
central and largest market, the 81 les
there annually reaching about 50, ,0OO.-
600 pounds. For nearly half a cen
tury this warehouse system has
been operated with success,
aud the relations between the
farmer and warehousemen have be
come very intimate, the latter being
10 fact, the farmers agent TO sell his
product to the manufacturer, the for
elgn buyer, the speculator, etc The
warehOuseman has ever posed az the
farmers friend, standing between
him and ali outside foes, and especl-
ally protecting him against trusts,
monop, lies and combines.
Now that the warehouse man has
gone into truS', become part OF 2
combine, and seeks TO monOpOlize the
whole tobacco business. the farmer Is
startled, ,frieh Ell ed and indignant. He
thinks be sees the last plank to whIch
ha cluug shivered before his eyes.
Since the news went out tnat the
trust had been formed aud that the
combine had bought up all the Dan
vile warehouses farmers have been
pouring into town To Inquire into the
matter.
The wsrehOusemen have been kept
busy since their return from New
York, where the com bine was formed
explaining to the many farmers who
have rushed to town that the trust
was formed in their interest and that
they are not going to be hurt, hut
the farmers are taking these exF la.
nations with many grains of allow
ance. Some Of these farmers are men
Of means, and quite a number of this
class have been and are now in Dan
vile consulting with city capitalists
with a view 10 organizing stock
company 20 build and conduct inde>
pendent warehouses.
Thr smaller markets, too, are up
in arms against the new mIlllon-dol
lar trust, for the very first announce
ment of the trusts policy-indeed, &,
the only announcement so far made
as to it's policy-is an aggressive
movement to be made against Keys
Vile, Chstam, Martinsville, Clarks
vile, Boydton and Chase City, in
Virginia, and Reidsville, Greensboro,
Winston, Oxford, Durham, Hender
son, RoxbOro. Milton, etc., in North
Corolina. The effort will be made to
force the leaf tobacco to this market
direct from farmers hands, thus dry
ing up all the nearby smaller mar
kets and making those farther away,
IN Eastern North Carolina and South
Carolina, simply tributary to this the
one great central market.
Such a policy, if successful, would
rebound to Dsnville's interest 10 gen
eral. and so, while Danvlle is polit'
ically and theoretically opposed to
trusts, it is very much inclined to
give this particular trust very fair
showing. However, there are men
of large means who think if the trust
can make money by selling leaf to-
bacco on commission, they can also
do it and they are at present much
disposed to take advantage OF the
strong antitrust sentiment among
the farmers and representatives of
the smaller markets, and join with
them and build two or more ind6pen
dent warehouses.
Lengthy consultations are being held
daily behind closed doors, and u sec
ond tobacco warehouse combine may
be announced at any moment. Ia the
meantime the trust people are not
idle and are making the most of thelr
declaration that the trust will do
great things for Danvllle and in
crease her leaf tobacco sales to a
hundred millions or more annually.