The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-03-27
STRONG APPEAL
TO MEMBERS
Of American Society of
Equity For Order.
President ]. Campbell Cantrill
Makes a Plea For Law
and Order.

]. Campbell Cantrill, president of the
Kentucky Union of the Society o.
Equity has issued an address to the
members of the society appealing to
them to do ali in their power to pre-
serve law and order. His card in
full follows:
To the members of the American
Society of Equity in Kenlucky--Greet-
ing: The deplorable condition OF af-
fairs existing in our State to-day puts
great II sponsibiity upon our should
ers. A feeling of unrest and uneasi-
ness pervades the whole State and in
some localities riots have occurred and
anarchy exists.
las president of this great Society
of Equity, | know that this society
is in no way responsible for this ter
rible condition and with all law-loving
citizens condemn those who have
brought this disgrace upon the fair
name of our State. However each
member Of our society should thor
oughtly understand that in the minds
of many people in Kentucky and in the
| Nation we are considered responsible
to some degree, and we must meet
conditions as they are. ! call upon
each local union of the American So
ciety of Equity in Kentucky to do
all in its power to preserve the peace
and maintain law and order in the
community where said union is Or
ganized. | ask that each member
in his word and action so conduct him
self that he will compel the respect
of all classes of people and reflect
honor upon our society.
Our society has done more to in
crease the material wealth and pros
perity of our people than any organi-
cation that ever existed in the history
of the State. The organization of
the Kentucky farmers and the teach
ing of cooperation in selling our pro-
ducts have upon the one commodity
of tobacco alone added eighteen million
dollars annually to the wealth of Ken
lucky.
I'm the four great tobacco districts
of Kentucky our annual production is
about 300,O00,000 pounds. Since the
organization of our society we have ad
vanced by our methods of selling, the
price on tobacco cents a pound To
disrupt our organization would be a
public calamity and would throw the
tobacco growers of the State back in
to the old state of servitude and sla-
very to the trust.
Law and order must and will pre-
vail in this State and in the Nation.
Any organization to succeed must have
the stamp of public confidence and es-
TEEN. Any society which is held re-
sponsible before the bar of public opin
ion for the overthrow of law and or
der must finally be a failure. The
great duty now resting upon. the Society
of Equity in Kentucky and the differ
ent tobacco organizations which are
branches of the Society of Equity is
to try to stamp out lawlessness in
every form and to help the civil au-
thorities in every way to punish the
the guilty and maintain the mamb
guilty and maintain the peace of the
Commonwealth. Let each member of
our society thoroughly know that the
loss of public opinion means the fail
ure Of our organization and upon the
other side that the holding of public
opinion means our success. Success
is imperative but 1t must come with
clean hands so as to be creditable and
enjoyable to all who participate in 1t.
Those living outside of the tobacco
district do not appreciate the great
struggles and sacrifices that have
been made by the farmers who have
pooled their tobacco. They do not
know and cannot fully understand with
out being on the ground what bur-
dens our people have to carry and what
they have to suffer for the sake of a |
principle and for their loyalty to our /
cause.
"A great majority of the tobacco
growers of Kentucky belong to our
associations. The minority who do not
belong to these associations have been |
feeding the trust and receiving very
high price for their tobacco which our
people by their suffering and sacrifice
have secured for them.
"And while I call upon our own PEG
pie to stand true to the law of the
land l call upon those farmers outside