The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-07

have q committee appointed 10 SeHu
greetings to the Virginia Legislature,
which meets today asking that it do all
in its power TO foster, encourage and
protect the great profession OF agrlcul-
ture."
MIR. Smith, Of Caswell, said as best he
could figure it out, it was simply cues
ton of how the farmer could get q high
er crice for his tobacco.
On motion of Mr.. Toon, the conven-
ton asked Mr.. Jordan TO lay before the
convention as much of his plan as ne
might deem advisable.
He promptly complied with the request
and waded into the American Tobacco
| Company in a way that reminded one
strongly of the manner in wneh his faith
err Rev f. NJ Jordan. few weeks ago
told the church members in Raleigh OF
the;r sins.-
Immediately after formation OF the
trust in November, 1882 he said, THE
farmers held Il convention in Oxford.
Duke and his attorneys attended the
meeting. He told them that all he
wanted was to get rid of the middle
man on the warehouse floor. From that
day to this the price of tobacco has
been going down.
who was the middle man? the man
who bought ON the warehouse floor and
charged them for buying it.
Now there is a remedy for this thing
and I'm here to tell you my plan.
I'm May, following the formation, OF
the trust, there was at Henderson the
largest meeting of tobacco raisers I've
ever Seen went before that convention
and | told them what the trust meant
to Them | told them that while
they were getting good prices then, time
would soon come when the trust would
decide there was no use giving good
prices for tobacco: that it would fix a
price for all the different grades-just
what it was willing to give and no more.
Events have proved the correctness OF
my prediction.
'.Now my plan to remedy the evil is
simply this Call the tobacco growers
together in convention There | VIII
tell them | will buy every pound of to-
hacco they raise at IN advance OF -
cents above what they have received foi.
it in the last five years and after that is
done, they WILL when the tobacco is re-
sold. participate in the profits. But to
do that they must enter into an ironclad
agreement not TO put their tobacco on
any floor where the Americans Tobacco
COMPANY has Il chance ut IL The trust
has no end Of money and ii Is impossible
to beat it in an open game of freeze
out. There will be Il committee of two
farmers and two tobacco dealers to price
it. Every farmer gets the same for the
same grade of tobacco.
Now it will take four or Ave wears
and some $4,000 GOO dollars to break
down the trust. 1t has now enough
tobacco to last il year without buying
another pound So we will have 10
snena tin0uUO0-that'S abupt what our
tobacco crop Is worth-before the trust
feels ii. Then we will have to keep u9
the fight for three or four years longer
And to the American Tobacco Com
Dany when they come To nny. you will
simply say: Here you've got factories
ard brands and drnIalners: now we've
cot the tobacco. What are you going
To do about ii: You can have this
tobacco if you'n give rs reasonable
profit on IT. Ii you don't Want it. We'll
start up all the independent factories
and build more ii necessary.
The profits of the trust are enormous
Do You lIlow how much they make on
cigarettes? 1t costs 50 cents to manu-
faetule thousand cigarettes and they
@ef $500 for them-every thousand Of
them
II tell yoa the most internal meth-
DDS praeticed In this country are bs the
american Tobacco Gompaly-if they did
give $4,000 10 Trinity College.
.sOur only salvation is to start with
the tobacco field-and the barIi-and con-
troll the production Of our own hands.
Its the easiest thing in the world
10 get money to carry out the scheme
I've outlined to you, but its the hardest
thing in the world to get You to say
you'll do ii, and-stick to it.
'sRnt ! tell you now, before you can
ever accomplish anything You must set
tie upon some feasible plan and stick TO
it,
Mr. Toon wanted to know Of Mr. Jor-
dan why the farmer couldn't sell his to-
hacco direct to a merchant as he does his
cotton. Mr.. Jordan told him it was be-
cause the merchant can't afford to pay
the revenue tax, and IL he did buy the
tobacco he couldn't dispose of it, as
only the American Tobacco Company
could use it and that company would
take tobacco only from trust buyers.
AT tins point the convention took
recess until 8 o'clock. when it met again
and remained in session nearly three
hours.
On the re-assembling of the conyen-
ton Mr. w A. Darden, of Greene, pre-
scented the following:
RESOLVED, That Mr.. ]. Bryan Grimes.
president of the convention, be requested
and empowered to appoint IN executive
committee fran each Congressional dis
trict in North Carolina, who are bona
ide tobacco growers. Also that vice
president and secretary be chosen for
this association"
Mr. Joseph b. Philips, Of Nash, was
elected vice president, and the president
was empowered to appoint secretary
for the association.
At this point Mr.. W. &. Smith, chair
man Of the Committee on Resolutions,
presented the following resolution,
which was adopted:
Whereas the price of leaf tobacco has
steadily decreased to such u point as to
leave no profit to the grower,
RESOLVED, that we respectfully re-
commend the formation of Tobacco