Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1901-09-24
TO FIGHT TRUST.
Clarksville, HOpkinsyiIle, Pa
ducah and MayfieId to Hold
Conventions Oct. 5.
Farmers Called to Convene and
Organize For Self Protection
Against Tobacco Trust.

The GAINESVILLE Leaf Chronicle
has started the ball to rolling in
an effort to organize the farmers of
the dark tobacco district to fight
the foreign tobacco trust that is
seeking to destroy the tobacco
markets of Kentucky and Tennes-
see. The following stirring call is
issued:
We have been requested by quite
large number of prominent plant
ers to publish a call for a conven-
/ ton of farmers to meet IN Clarks- |
Vile Saturday, October S, and also
TO request planters favoring Hop
kinsville, Paducah, Mayfield aud
other markets to cooperate with
! the GAINESVILLE District in some or
ganized method that may be agreed
upon to protect the interests of to-
,bacco growers against the recent
organized Reggie monopoly that
4 seems to have in view the destruc-
tion of all competition and obtaining
the present fine crop for about halt
value.
Many of these farmers have au-
thorized us to sign their. names to-
such a CALI but that is unnecessary
as we are assured that this senti-
ment is unanimous with the grow
ers and that they will attend the
meeting with fire in their eyes. We
have delayed writing this call until
. pressed to do so, hoping to get some
/. expression from the trade that
would wive encouragement to this
movement. But in this we have
accomplished nothing; the trade is
, more demoralized than the farmers,
and like Lazarus, they are all ly-
; ing at the gate, each one hoping to
l catch afew crumbs from the trust
: table. They distrust the farmers,
E having no faith that planters Will
organize to protect themselves, and
t therefore nothing can be done.
Well, something can be done ifthere
is a spark of manhood and scourge
in our people. Let the farmers
meet together in force and show
their teeth, and something will be
done that will advance the price of
tobacco from two to three dollars
F.. per hundred, and that's worth the
effort. If the trade will not come TO
the help, then the banks will be
forced to lend assistance, or keep
{ their money and live on big. trust
deposits of three per cent, money,
and have the pleasure OF paying
out on FIVE cent. tobacco instead of
lending their own capital on seven
' and eight cent. tobacco, In fact,
I not only the banks have shifted the
breeze from affair, but merchants
and the entire trade have become
faroused over the situation, while
5 the farmers aid laborers cannot see
, their way through this winter.
The future of the tobacco trade is
,, shrouned in still deeper gloom.
Some people have not seen through
: the trust light, and argue that the
J situation is no worse than it has
: been, and the trust can't buy all
the tobacco, anyway.
This may be true, but it is also
certain that every man who buys
On hlo OWh aNNOhnls VI
any organization, will be forced to
sell it to the trust for less than cost,
no matter how cheap he may buy it,
and then the next year he will be
: out. Neither dealers nor farmers,
{ bankers nor merchants need de-
ceive themselves by optimistic views
on this matter. The trust organi-
cation is complete-it has been all
summer organizing while the trade
was asleep, and is now in shape to
control, not only Italy, but Bremen
and the entire foreign trade, includ-
ing the snuff demand, which re-
quires $4,000 hogsheads,
1t is worth something to the far
mers to maintain the auction tobac-
co markets and competition which
keeps prices up, if it does help the
middle man. When these markets
are broken down and the trade
scattered to the country, this great
trust will have business all its own
way, without competition and will
rob farmers of millions of dollars
every year. 1t is worth something
to maintain intact this great trade,
and farmers were never before put
under such ban of necessity for
organized action for self-protection
as now, and they will, in self-de-
tense, be compelled to organize just
as the cotton planters were, who
are now getting rich. So, one and
all, attend these conventions, take
some action, and send greetings tol
the Virginia growers who meet soon
in Richmond.