The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-30
Spirit of the Press
The Tobacco Trust.
Richmond News-Leader.

Richmond News-Leader
According to newspaper reports, the
tobacco trust, is coming South with
it's system of establishing shops and
stores of its own and starving out the
Independent dealers by cutting rates.
1t is well for the people of Richmond
and other Southern communities TO
prepare themselves to meet this is
sue.
We have been calling on the Pres
ident and Congress to do something
to overthrow or restrain the power OF
the trusts. This system of trust to-
bacco shops presents one of the most
dangerous of all the trusts i'll such
shape that the people can strike at IT
directly and make their power felt.
The city of Richmond and the state
of Virginia are more 1ntereste1 ana
have more provocation and sound rea-
son to fight than any people in the
world The tobacco trust has done
this city more harm than any power
since the fire at the evacuation in ;/eo.
1t has deprived us of capital, has de-
prived our people of work. has caused
hundreds, perhaps thousands, OF
working citizens to leave here. 1T
strikes constantly at our vitals. 1t
has done all it could to demoralize
the tobacco growers of means of liv-
ing and to force the tobacco farms
into underground and wilderness.
Every man, woman and child in the
city and State is interested in smash
ing this trust. 1t is the direct, saw
age, remorseless foe Of our interests.
1t has deprived our working peoile
of opportunity, our merchants of
trade, our banks of deposits and cap
ital. Therefore our people should be
solid on this question if they never
are on any other. The first trust re-
tail establishment is in Washington.
Many Virginians visit that city. The
should make it a rule not only to stay
away from this trust establishment,
whatever inducements ii may offer in
low prices, but should retaliate by
using nothing butindepende.t tobacco.
They should make up their minds now
that if trust establishments are opened
here, they shall be starved out. Their
success will mean driving the present
independent dealers out of business,
vacating stores, throwing men out of
employment and diminishing taxable
values. Cut rates which may be Of
fered will be bats at, which the very
dullest and most selfish should refuse
to bite, fo- ali of us who use tobacco
should have sense enough to know
that as soon as the Independent deal
ears are destroyed we will be made TO
pay back double and treble any tenn
poraTy advantage We may have gained
by the var.
No power is strong enough to over
come a considerable community uni
ted in its purpose. That fact has been
proved over and over again. All we
need here in Richmond to whip the
tobacco trust is an honest, thoroughly
solidified public sentiment. We cannot
only starve out the trust shops if
they are esta blished, but we can drive
trust goods out of the shops already
here. II men will make it a point
of honor, conscience and patriotism
to take some pains TO find independent
goods to their taste and to refuse
whenever possible TO use trust goods,
we can bring the trust to its knees
here at least; and when one COM
munity has achieved such a victory,
it's example will spread fast. Nobody
wants to injure any legitimate bust
ness or to deprive the tobacco COM
bination or any other of fair porfits;
but all of us should determine TO do
each his part to prevent this trust
from driving honest competition out
of business and to restrain its aggres-
sive, intolerable and dangerous meth
DDS.
We think we can promise the to-
bacco trust that if it comes to Rich
mond it will find itself with hard
fight on its hands. We know if the
tobacco using people Of Richmond
will do as common sense and the in
Stinct of self-preservation suggest
they can make winning and trium-
plant fight and set an example for
every other community in the Union