The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-10

f'itAt3tA W. tSff't-tt AAA@ '" ~
viii 10 IN earnest -Gort made by tn
Farmer Protective Association &" d.
wise q course Of action Whereby tn
growers of tobacco Will ~ relieved ~
the growing and sale Of their "roI
from the absolute domination now eX-
erted 10y the Tobacco Trust. The re
suit. which in the last anal& Is mus'
be in favor Of Ia men whO produce
the commodity ncccssarv TO the trans
action Of business b, ~hoWsoc.cf pow
erful a combination. awaits only 81
| the cooperation Of n tobacco farm
| crs and their determination I" have
the courage and the patience necessary
10 insure 4 victor
The permanent achievement Of the
Cotton Growers Association, which
| has convinced the Worlt that ten
cents is the minimum price II cotton
against tho extreme effort of = power
ful group OF spectators aud lnanufac-
turer4~ should afford To The grower Of
tobacco the greatest announcement.
No less. the victory won by the
growers of the dark tobacco Of Ken
lucky and Tennessee against the
same interest which has crushed he
industry in North Carolina.
To fight the exercise Of a monopoly
which aims at the law product Of a
section requires alone = faith in one
of the most fundamentalrof principles:
that there can be no permanent mono
poly of an agricultural product. The
Tobacco Trust has created an artificial
negation of this principle. 1t has run
out of business the independent buyer
and the Independent factory. 1t has
completely dominated the market. As
long as tobacco is raised and brought
in to be offered for sale. regardless of
the price offered. the trust viii rule.
1t has no regard for II farmer save
to induce him to plant for the trusts
consumption of the product. To the
end of this inducemcnt there has been
repeated season after season, almos;
alternately. a rise of price in planting
time and q slump when the product
is ready for market. In the glut of
The markets produced by the fear OF
prices, the trust has been able
to cry "over-production.' But the
of the situation from the
point OF view of he trust, and the
weakness i~nseparable from every such
situation. is that the raw material IS
necessary to manufacture and that It
must come from the farmers. If the
farmers refuse to sell except at q GER
price. the price is theirs for the
1t may be and has been sale
49,. .- 4.. NJ, +.,.t
.Wells in q whole class OF the people
and. if it did. thai which the people
justify is good. 1t is the only human
standard of right.
The tobaccO trust is perhaps the
most powerful of all modern organi-
cations. barring Standard Oil. 1t is in
ternational and hence not dependent
on the tariffs except in small degree.
it does not have to make the illegal
agreements as to the liking of prices
for its products, OF as to the prices
will pay. 1t is 1t complete monopoly,
fixing it's prices for sale and purchase
without regard to law, and, until re-
Gently. without regard to men.
But the fight of the Kentucky and
i"h >'Ac y IL 49, l
Did principle still operates when brave
men set their hearts to enforce it. The
of those sections was bringing
our cents a pound When the producers
formed their association. The trust
laughed and declared that they had
already glutted the market. But the
farmers We're not frightened. They
acid their CROP. In three months the
had more than doubled. in spite
was charged up to recent years.
What has been done in kentucky !
Tennessee can be lone in North
and Virginia. In those sec
ions it was the owners of the natural
iod-giVen monopoly Of the dark to-
declaring for Justice at the
lands of 4 man-made monopoly of the
manufactured product. The soil Won.
Is it always will when its owners exert
heir independence. In North Caro-
ina and Virginia, there is the natural
monopoly of the bright leaf. Sun and
ain and climate combine to produce
he material for millions OF gold and
Of political corruption to
manufacture. Everything else the
rust may buy. 1t may circle the globe
With its products. 1t may trample out
competition every where, but It has to
the tobacco. That il can't raise
must buy. How are the farmers
to sell? That is the real ques-
upon which depends the solution
IF the situation.
Cotton farmers have won their
light against q coalition Of the mills
IS powerful in their agreements as the
absolute monopoly of the tobacco
rust is in its power to fix prices. The
lark tobacc0 owe have Won
against the trust itself. al over the
every sort of agricultural pro-
luct has on the whole advanced to a
price that brings prosperity to the
armer. Only the w of the bright
obacCos have continued to be exploit
ID at the pleasure of monopoly. They