Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-12-17
THE SITUATION
IN LYON COUNTY
Discussed BY the Editor OF
The Lyon County
Herald.
PLEDGES SHOULD HOLD.
But Mistakes if Made Should
Be Corrected BY the
officers.

The Tobacco Growers Protective
association has its trust enemies.
They will take advantage Of associa-
ton disaffections and profit by them.
Tobacco growers need not be told OF
the benefits of organization. With
out organization they are at the
mercy of a conscienceless trust.
While the association has made grie-
yous mistakes, it has also brought
to the whole country. 1t
would be great disaster at this
time for the association to dissolve
N6out some other medium to take
its place, and if we cannot success
fully manage the association, how
can we successfully manage any 9TH
er society? For more than two years
we have been in travail as have 9TH
er organizations Of like objects, and
now, when we have the victory won
over the associations greatest and
strongest enemy, we fall out among
ourselves over few mistakes In
management that can and should be
Immediately remedied. About half
of the 1907 crop in this county re-
mains unsold and to break away
from the ranks now would mean dis
aster to many of our people who
have been patiently waiting for their
old crop to sell, If the new crop is
held off the market, the remainder
of the old crop will find buyers in
the near future. But if the associa-
ton members break away, no one
can foresee the results.
Public gatherings in the county or
out of it can never change the con-
ditions Of our tobacco now in the
Kuttawa storage house. The pass.
ing of long resolutions of complaint
and scattering them broadcast over
the country magnifes our local trou-
bles which we can and ought to quiet
ly remedy among ourselves.
We believe the association has
made the mistake all along, of priz-
ing all of it's holdings into hogsheads
the same way, thus rendering some
desirable types unfit for the market
to which they should go, but the
proper way TO adjust this matter
would be for US to name committee
of our most substantial and infiuen-
tial members with our county chair
man, to go before the executive
board at Guthrie and present the
complaint in spirit of fraternity.
But instead of this someof our mem
bers met in Kuttawa and Lamasco,
followed up by similar meetings in
Caldwell and Christian counties, and
adopted resolutions in feeling OF
impatience and disloyalty to the or
ganization to which we are all pledg-
ed for another crop, and this too,
pronounced with an unlawful threat
ot&'isruption.
Our 1908 crop of tobacco is pledg-
ed to the association and the pledge
was signed when the present method
of handling tobacco was in full force
and effect, and threats Of disloyalty
by us now, sounds like child's play.
If we have made mistakes. let US
correct them.
Will the tobacco growers discount
their own pledges by breaking away
from the association, kicking out Of
the traces, .disrupting the organiza-
ton and throwing themselves again
upon the mercies Of the tobacco
Srust, which will soon enslave them?
The farmer standing alone cannot
cope with organized capital without
organization prices on tobacco will
again go down to low water mark.
Putting all Of the associations
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