The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15

lombard their representatives in Congress
with frantic appeals TO raise the duty.
When the Mckinley bill was framed these
Connecticut growers succeeded in having
the duty raised at one jump from 3S11 cents
to 81 a pound. The trade still clamored for
Sumatra wrappers and every tobacco man
in the country outside of Connecticut be-
gan 10 fight to have the duty lowered.
Manufacturers had imported immense
quantities of Sumatra at the old rate be-
fore the Mckinley bill went into effect,
but so much of the wrapper was used that
this supply gave out in short time. Then
the hardship began to tell upon the manu-
facturers.
LOST A HARD FIGHT.
"A campaign was begun to reduce the
tariff and we succeeded in having it cut
to 81 pound when the Wilson bill was
framed in the House. That was a big
reduction and it would have made world
of difference 10 manufacturers The SEN
ate changed the Wilson bill so much that its
friends hardly knew it. and one of the
changes was in the duty on Sumatra wrap
pers The Senate raised the rate TO $3.50,
principally because sugar was placed on the
efforts. Then, when the Dingley bill was
framed, the duty was raised TO sl.S5, and we
began another campaign. We could not
change the rate although we dug up facts
and statistics about the tobacco business
sufficient to convince about everybody but
the Connecticut people who had had their
corns stepped on.
Connecticut is trying to approach the
Sumatra wrapper by special methods of
growing. The planters are raising tobacco
under shelter with the idea that the texture
and color will be improved materially.
Their efforts have met with success In a
measure. although Sumatra still rules and
the trade will have little else for cigar
wrappers.
For general purposes American tobacco
is good enough for any man. Domestic
cigars of the best quality are hard to beat,
but still nothing will ever displace the Ha-
vana cigar. Climatic and soil conditions
are such that Americans cannot hope to
equal it. From the very beginning of the
tobacco industry Havana tobacco has taken
the lead and it will no doubt continue to
hold it,
Mr.. thinner does not hesitate to express
his opinion of the effect upon the to-
bacco industry that the trust has had. He
is only one of the vast army of tobacco
men who have been caught in the grip of
the tobacco trust and he is compelled to
sell trust goods for the most part, but that
does not change his opinion.
TRUST DEMORALIZES TRADE.
1.-THE methods employed by the American
Tobacco Company in introducing and ad-
ficip tic bau l;1ir,
upon the trade he said. mo concern can
hope to compete with an organization that
will sell a brand of cigars or chewing to-
bacco for a song for months at time in
order to introduce it: These special rates
have ruined more than one prosperous mer-
chant. To-day the trust controls the out
put of chewing and smoking tobaccos hav-
ing, believe, a grip on about 80 per cent.
of the production. / understand that the
trust controls % per cent. of the cigar out
put, and 1T is only a matter of time until
the whole business will be under it's con-
troll"
A fact that is. perhaps, not generally
known is that Indiana is receding from its
former high position as a tobacco-producing
State. In 1895 Indiana had about 1880 acres
in tobacco. and the output was valued at
duoul siV,Vu. III IWl lUeTc were only OILS
acres in tobacco, according to the United
States census reports, and the value of the
crop had fallen to s445.65S Soil and climatic
conditions have not changed, and there is
still good price to be had for tobacco.
The cause ascribed for the falling off is the
influence of the tobacco trust. Mr.. Steffen
attributes the methods of the trust in re-
stricting production at it's will to the dim
mutton Of the crop in this State
Most of Indiana's tobacco is raised in the
counties bordering on the Ohio river, where
the soil and climate is similar to conditions
across the river. Spencer is the great to-
bacco-producing county of the State War
rick comes next, with an average produc-
ton of about one million pounds a year.
Jefferson, Ohio, Switzerland, Randolph,
Dearborn, Brown, Clark, Scott and Dubois
are the other big tobacco-producing coun-
ties.