The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-30
STATEMENT MADE ON TOBACCO WAR American Tobacco Company
 Presents Its Case DENIAL OF AN AGREEMENT Company Declares That Prices Now Paid For Tobacco Are Higher
 Than Ten Years Ago and
 Constantly Growing.
DENIAL OF AN AGREEMENT

New York, January 29.-(Special) )-Rela. tive to the recent disturbances in Ken. lucky, the American Tobacco company has issued the following statement: IT Kentucky there are several distinct types of tobacco grown-burley tobacco Greer river tobacco and dark fired tobacco The American Tobacco company is a large buyer of hurley tobacco, using ap. proximately 60 per cent of the total pro. duction. It uses also large quantities oi Green river tobacco, taking, perhaps, a third of the total production Of the dark fired tobacco the American Tobacco company uses substantially none, but the American Snuff company, in which company the American Tobacco company owns stock, uses about 15 per cent of the total production.
 There has been no disorder in Kentucky in the burley tobacco growing section there has been very nItle disorder in the Green river section; but the disorder has been in the dark fired section of Ken. lucky and Tennessee-at Hopkinsville, Russellville. Clarksville and other points The dark fired tobacco is bought prin-
 
 bacco manufacturing government monop- olies of Italy, France and Spain, but to some extent by the American Snuff com pany, and to some extent by the Imperial Tobacco company of Great Britain. The affairs of the American Tobacco com pany, the Imperial Tobacco company and the American Snuff company have been under government investigation for more than two years. The department of com merce and labor has had access to all the books and papers of these companies: employees and officers of these companies nave been before numerous grand juries and equity examiners. The fullest possf- ble examination has been made by all of these agencies into all Qncluding the most prlvate) letter books and other papers or these companies, and there has been the most thorough examination and cross examination of their officers and em- ployes. It is inconceivable if there exists or had ever existed any combination of buying interests 1t should not have been disclosed. The fact is that there exists no such combination. No interest in any way connected or allied with the Ameri- N~AA AODoSSo CoHpdny IS Tn combination With any other buying interest; no under standing, agreement arrangement ar combination exists between the American lopacco company or between any of those companies and any government or other purchaser
 It IS simply and wholly untrue that there Is any contest between the tobacco growers, or tobacco dealers in Kentucky and the so-called tobacco trust Where disorder has occurred the so-called to- pacco trust Is the smallest factor in the purchase of tobacco. Where the so-called trust is the largest purchaser of tobacco there has been no disorder or lawless- ness.
 As matter of fact also, the prices now being paid for leaf tobacco grown in Kentucky and elsewhere are very much higher than they were ten years ago. and their trend has been constantly up- ward since the so-called tobacco trust was organized
 The land on which tobacco is grown can be used to grow other crops: burley tooacco Is grown on the famous blue grass lands the Virginia leaf is largely