The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-04-03
rHR JORDAN PLAN DEFENDED.
A Virginia Grower Replies to Mr. Gentry
and Points Out Some Advantages Of
the Jordan cheme

and Points Out Some Advantages Of
the Jordan : cheme
CORRESPONDENCE of the Progressive Farmer.
Since | first heard OF the Jordan plan
1 have been trying to learn more OF it,
and see if I could fad some good in it
to help the tobacco farmer, From
what information I have gathered !
believe that if the farmers will give 1t
their hearty support it will not only
help them, but all manufacturers and
leaf dealers outside OF the tobacco trust
and will not hurt the tobacco trust ex
cept go far as it attempts to crush out
and destroy all competition or rivals in
business that come in their way and
buy the farmers tobacco at cost OF pro
duction or below, as they now some
times do.
Mr.. Gentry, in The Progressive
Farmer OF March goth, says that we
ought not TO want to drive off Of the
market seventy five or a hundred mil,
lions of capital. I fail to see any rea
son in that against the Jordan plan as
endorsed by the North Carolina To
bacco Growers Association. IL capital
is used, as this seventy-fve or hundred
million is now used in the hands of the
Am erican Tobacco Company, to ruin a
business that was once very prosper
GUS to the tobacco farmersa and TO make
che owners Of that capital immensely
rich, Of what benefit is it to the to.
Oacco farmeIl II it Is only used to ex
tort and oppress, had not it better be
off OF the market, provided some other
capital will take it's place and pay more
for our tobaccoi
Mr.. Gentry says that we ought to
treat all capital fairly; give every one
an equal chance. Doee he think the
Tobacco Trust has treated the tobacco
grower fairly or that they will eve do
sol fail to zee why we should have
any desire to treat the Tobacco Trust
any better than they have treated US,
when they have extorted from the to
bacco farmers millions every year.
Bat does not the Jordan plan pro
pose to deal fairly with every manu-
facturer when they propose to sell to
every one at the same price, to the
small as we'll as to the Target If that
is not an equal chance to capital that
is engaged In the manufacture Of to
bacco, I would like for some enc to
state why
As for the email or inde pendent
manufacturer to go on the market and
buy our tobacco &C q higher price than
che trust, they are as helpless as we
farmers ere before the trust, uDCrgan
,zed or organized without capital
[ have gone to Leaf dealers and asked
them to advance over the price Of my
EoOacco fixed by the trust, snO been
told that they could not as they didn't
know what to do with it. knew the
rest. I presume that no ore doubts
but that the American Tobacco Com,
pany has now both the power and will
TO crush out all manufacturers that
compete with them or force them into
che company and they will continue
along on this line until they get al
they want. So I can see no hope for
more buyers OF competition on cur
market even though the North Caro-
lima Tobacco Growers Association
should do what Mr.. Gentry thinks
they ought to do to increase the mum
Der Of buyers on the warehouse floors,
thereby increasing the price Of our to
bacco.
The tobacco farmers may never or
ganiEe under the Jordan plan, but ]
believe they can be under this plan
quite as easy as under the plan of M.
Gentry or any other that l have heard
of, and when once organized under
he Jordan plan some good could be
accomplished.
I favor the Jordan plan FIRST, be
cause I believe that it will increase the
price of our tobacco the first year ano
At gives US a guarantee that it will not
COD tinue to go lower as for the past ten
SeaTs, with a chance for it to go up
each year until we can get a price that
will pay a profit to grow it. Second,
| believe that we will have the ware
housemen, leaf dealers and manufac
Turers outside Of the Tobacco Trust
With US, and it is the only plan that /
have aver seen that proposed to give
the producer an equal chance through
their represe ntatives in fixing the price
of their produce. T.. Y, ALLEN
Mecklenburg Co., We.
While there is more or less merit in
the stuck fonda and nnnhitinn nnuAn.o