The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-05-29
MILLIONS IN TOBACCO.
The Indications are That tn. Fight
Between the American and Imperial
Tobacco Companies Will be Benefi.
CiaI to the Farmers.
Newport News Times Herald.

p
such very bad things after all. That
is to say, they can be kept good, and
the very best way to keep them good
is to have many Of them.
Some philosopher or political econ
omist once told a North Carolina
audience that the only thing on earth |
that could make an arrogant railroad |
behave itself was another arrogant |
railroad. That was perhaps true,
and it is safe to say that the thing to |
tame a trust with is another trust.
Looking at things in general
through glasses that have been ad-
iusted by the rule set forth above,
we might argue at great length to
show that the more trusts and
immense com bines we have the better
off we will be, and this is strictly
true as long as we can keep the com
bines from combining with each
other. As long as we can keep them
lighting Iegitimately fighting for
legitimate trade-we are safe from
oppression.
In this connection the good people
Of certain portions Ct Virginia and
North Carolina, whose principal
money crop is tobacco, are to be
heartily congratulated on the fact
that the American Tobacco Company
has run against a strong and vigor-
Gus rival. In our news columns yes
terday we published a special dis
patch from Richmond in which it was
set forth that the Imperial Tobacco
| Company, a wealthy English concern,
| has decided to make Richmond it's
| headquarters and home office, and
that negotiations that had been
pending had about resulted in the
consolidation of the Universal To-
| baccO Company Of New York with the
Imperial; that the avowed purpose Of
the consolidation or combine was to
| give the American Tobacco Company
fair and square fight at every point,
| The part Of the contest that is OF
greatest interest to Virginia and
| North Carolina is when and where
| these chants will clash on the market
in buying their raw material. the leaf
| tobacco.
At least srvrn-tenth> Of The leaf to-
| buccO construed by these two great
companies i grown in Virginia and
| the two CarOlinas These two com
panies are invading the whole world
with the cigarettes, the smoking to-
bacco and the chewing tobacco they
make from the raw material they buy
in Virginia and the Car0linaS. They
are selling today millions upon mil
| -. II IA
one or two years ago never saw a
cigarette or a pipeful of American to-
bacco. Next year they will be selling
millions upon millions Of the seduc-
tive weed in countries that today
know not of them. Indeed, it is a
growing and constantly widening
business, this great tobacco business,
carry it To the uttermOst parts of tn e
earth.
The demand for ..bright tobacco
will be greater in the Virginia mark
cts this year than it has been for :
decade past, and we predict that
Richmond, Petersburg. Lvnchburg
, Danvlle Martinsville, Farmville anC
, other Virginia markets, as we'll as al
Of those of North Carolina, will handle
. more money this year in disposing 0
the crop than they have handled an,
year since the flush times Immediate
" following the Civil War, genera
t ton ago.
t This demand for ''Virginia brigh
leaf will continue to increase from
r year to Year as these giant companie
5 continue to invade the Orientia
' countries and the islands of the Sc;
' with their manufactured products.
+ Truly this is trade expansion tina
e is well worthy of consideration, an,
! should be of Astounding interest to tn
y farmers of Underwater Virginia. Tn
first tobacco that white men ever saw
y and ever used was found growing OF
o the soil of this peninsula, within
t twenty-five miles of Newport News
b Three hundred years ago all the to
d bacco that supplied the world wa
5 grown within fifty miles of this city
e and history tells us that there wa
;. money in it. In fact, tobacco wa
II money. 1t passed as money. Salarie
Il of preachers and doctors and official
d and employees were paid in leaf tc
e bacco that grew on this peninsuls
Y The soil has not changed in all thes
: years. 1t is the same now it wa
# three centuries ago. 1t will produc
# leaf tobacco now as it did then, an
r it would be the part of wisdom fo
ii our farmers to turn their attentio
e to the cultivation of the seductiv
:. weed. Thousands of acres in Tide
water Nirhinia that are now lvin
i idle can thus be utilized and mad
e to add to the wealth of our section.
If There are millions in it. and W
o will be much surprised if our farmer
a do not take advantage of the stu.
ton