Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-10-05

OF the present time dates from the
crcp Of tobacco that was planted in
1902 and handled in the spring of 1903.
Prices were low in 1908, but they
had been as low in other years when
the American Tobacco Company had
never been heard of in the dark to-
bacco district
The crop of 1902 was fair to look
upon, but its appearance was it chief
merit. The farmer sold it at a fair
figure, it he sold early; but, from the
time it was hung in the barns the to-
bacco steadily deteriorated. Every
man who bought it, sold it for less
money than he paid. For ali the men
who handled it in a commercial way
1t was a money-loser and a trouble
breeder 1t is estimated that in the
country around Hopkinsville, Ken
lucky, and GAINESVILLE, Tennessee, the
financial loss on this crop was not
short of one mollion dollars. Many
men were entirely ruined by the de-
cline in prices thai attended the loss
in quality in the tobacco.
Then came the crop of 1903 This
was poor in appearance, and, with the
experience of the crop of 1902 n
wrathful memory, looks did ont rank
as a valuable asset. Tobacco was low
when the former crop was disposed Of,
and there was nothing in the appear
snce Of the new crop to cause dealers
TO pay high prices for it. The conse-
Quence was tina THE farmers received
a low figure for their crop. The to-
bacco tn year, however, acted in a
manner directly opposite to that Of
1902. 1t improved in appearance and
quality, and sold for good prices. Even
| then, the warehOusemen and jobbers
| did not regain what they had lost on
the crop of 1902. AS compared to
them, the farmer had the better finan-
cial experience in the two years. The
farmes have never been able to be-
lieve this, however. They are firmly
Of the opinion that the prices are Jug
gled with the deliberate intention OF
robbing them.
In 1903, too, the practice of buying
tobacco of farmers at their barns in
stead of through the warehousemen
was commenced by the Italian Reggie,
and the farmers insist that this was
done for the purpose of eliminating
competition in buying.
The Reggie was practically forced to
buy of the individual farmer. 1t had
for years purchased it's tobacco
through the warehouses, and it had
been outrageously cheated in many in
stances. Many hogsheads of "nested"
tobacco was sent TO Italy, and the Ital-
ian government was compelled to han
die them at a financial loss. The prac-
tice of nesting" or packing the inter-
ior of the hOgshead with an inferior
grade of tobacco was so frequently
pIacticsd that the Italian government
finally ordered its buyers to deal no
more with the warehousemen, but to
buy tobacco from the farmers individ-
ually.
When the practice was inaugurated
in self-defense by the Italian Reggie,
the American Tobacco Company fol-
lowed suit, and sent buyers into the
country. The buyers of the one COM
pany, however, did not have the same
district as the buyers of the other.
The farmers declared with vehemence
that the two companies refused to bid
against each otner, and the officers of
the two companies assert with equal
confidence that no such orders were
ever issued. This is one of the most
points in the controversy
upon which there is no compromise.
and no tangible proof exists on either
side.
+ = = "a + =
1t was decided to curtail the crop.
each member of the association agree
ing to plant maximum of seven and
one-half acres of tobacco for the first
fifty acres owned or controlled by him,
and two and one-half acres for each
additional fifty acres. This plan re-
duced the total acreage in the first
year of the association by twenty-five
or thirty per cent. In 1905 a further
reduction of fifteen per cent was made.
In 1906 the acreage was the same as
in 1905.
Inc reduced crop naturally increased
values. In 1904 the association sold |
twenty-three thousand hogsheads at |
an average price of five and one-half
cents. In 1905 thirty-five thousand
hogsheads were sold at an average :
price of seven and one-quarter cents. !
In 1906 thirty-eight thousand hogs
heads were sold at an average price of j
nine cents.
The official price of the association |
tobacco is fixed by the officers of the
association after due consideration of !
market conditions, and no tobacco |
goes into the market unless it goes at !
the figure they place upon it, The !
American Tobacco Compan yis an ex- J
tensiye buyer from the association,
but 1t pays the association figure for !
all that it gets.
The only expense to the members of /
the association is a one per cent bro6- !
erage charge, which nets the associa-
Lion about sixty thousand dollars an
nually, and pays the running expenses
and the modest salaries of a few ex-
scutive officers.
Immediately following the formation |
If the association, the "hill-billv" /
made his appearance on the stage.
Specifically, "hill-billy"is a man who |