The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-06
PROPERTY AND
LIFE DESTROYED
History Of the Fight in Kentucky
and Tennessee - How Night
Riders Terrorized the lnde-
pcndents-Growers to
Advance Money to
Poor Planters.

suited In the destruction OF nearly
100000 worth OF property and the
wounding OF three persons; the refusal
yesterday OF the tobacco growers to
accent the proposition OF the American
tobacco. and the announced intention
Tobacco Company for the purchase OF
OF the growers TO proceed against the
American Tobacco Company in tho
courts, following Governor Wilson'S
statement that the lawless element
would be severely dealt with. brought
to an acute stage a condition which has
existed In Kentucky and Tennessee for
two years.
Conferences during the past two days
at Frankfort between q representative
OF tho American Tobacco Company and
the tobacco growers has resulted only
in transferring the matter to the heads
of the company in New York for con-
sideration.
The situation Is the result OF a light
OF the growers of tobacco against the
American Tobacco Company and other
purchasers, and the present situation
IS best explained by the following re-
counted sequence OF events in chrono-
logical order:
story Of Fight.
First. tho apparent passing of the
leaf tobacco market in Kentucky and
Tennessee into the control OF the Amer
lean Tobacco Company. with the con-
seauent elimination of nearly all tho
niddiemeu or Independent tobacco buy
srs and rehandlers.
Second. the awakening OF the farm
ers to the situation and the formation
by them of the American Society OF
Equity and two subsidiary organiza-
tions. the Burley tlght-colored leaf
Tobacco Association and the Dark To-.
bocco Association, with the purpose OF
producing ana holding their crops until
!hey could obtain what they considered
would be fair price from the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company and affiliated
concerns.
Third. the failure of tho attempt by
the farmers societies to win over
sufficient majority of the growers OF
tobacco to their pooling plan to ena-
Bile them to compel the company to pay
the price demanded.
Fourth. ostractsm and petty persecu-i
tion directed against independents"
the farmers who were unwilling or
unable to pool and hold their crops OF
tobacco and who sold to the trust
Whipping OF tobacco buyers who
sold their crops: destruction OF beds OF
young tobacco plants; burning OF to-
bacco barns containing the harvested
crops Of independents" shooting into
homes. and the wounding OF innocent
persons, among them being women:
the warning OF refractory inde pendents
to leave the country.
Sixth. the elimination OF mob spirit
In bold attacks on Princeton. Hopkins
Vile and Russellville.. towns OF from
1000 to 10000 Inhabitants whicE raids
resulted in the dynamiting and burn
Ing OF tobacco warehouses controlled
by the American Tobacco Company,
the killing OF several OF the raiders
and the wonndtng of number of citi-
zens and the destruction of property
owned by innocent neutrals because
( the raiders refused to allow the fire
departments to work.
Trust Suffered Little.
AS to the tobacco trust. SO called, 1t
has suffered less Inconvenience than
the men who have sold their leaf to-
Is hacco to 1t, and less monetary loss than
the men who have pooled their crops.
Officers OF the American Tobacco Com
pany have during the past few days
declared under oath. at a New York
Nearing, that the company and its allied
and subsidiary concerns do not control
the tobacco trade of America
When. two years ago, the company
put buyers into the kentucky ana Ten
nessee fields to deal directly with the
Z producers, after 1t had made arrange
ments dispensing with the system OF
81 buying from rehandlers and independ-
e'il ittudieHlel, ~ also denled tnat ~
controlled the raw leaf markets OF
Kentucky and Tennessee. The anti
trust growers vehemently asserted that
it does control the market in the two
States. AS to the assertion that the
trust forces the growers to accept ar
unfair price. neither side has produced
any figures as to cost Of productior
+ and farm values in the tobacco regions
which would bear out the statement.
4 pro or con.
The trust" has suffered the loss OF
y a 0numberEof warehouses, worth 5000.
600 and fourteen OF their warehouses
s have been closed.
independents Bear Loss.
This loss, however. undoubtedly falls
# bG'ow the aggregate damage sustalpe6
b%. the men who have refused to joir
Tie farmers associations or pool thei,
crops. Some of them We're too inde.
pendent to DO coerced. while most arc
financially unable to hold their crops
# they 50 desired. On this latter :s, clas,
Of independents the pooling move,
p:ont has had a most disastrous effect
"a large number OF farmers are com,
PEELED to market each crop promptly
Il n order to provide sustenanceS until til,
following one is raised. Some of$then
are compelled to mortgage a crop be,
tore 1T Is cut and cured. a
is{F.s : ne }socletles% nave, during the las
ave months, made arrangements to
advance two-thtrds OF the value o
crops to growers. The trust, by push
If Ing Its buying in other aelds. has ap,
Farently not yet been pinehed for to-
5A bacco.- 8
al This fact, combined with the consii
nratton that the company has the long
cat purse. has moved the societies t
start 2 movement. now In full swing
Ia ma
1rep at al during 1905, sjF