Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-17
The MINT Riders.

Kentucky, and the attacks upon pri'
vate property which are being made
by lawless organization known as
the might riders" it is fact that the
general public knows very little of the
details Of this controversy, and the
loss of life and property which has
grown out Of it. 1t is in effect con.
test between the growers of tobacco in
the state of Kentucky and the Ameri-
| can Tobacco Company Refusing them
selves to sell to the trust, these grow
ers have sought by methods of violence
to coerce growers, who are not dis
posed to abide by the agreement of the
association, into acquiescence with its
decisions A full statement of the sit
uation was recently given out in a
Louisville dispatch which appears to
carry with it spirit of fairness and
the weight of authority, and is sum-
married. as follows:
j. The apparent passing of the leaf
tobacco market in Kentucky and Ten
nessee into the control of the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company, with the conse-
quent elimination of nearly all the
middlenen or independent tobacco buy
ers and rehandlers.
2. The formation by the farmers OF
the American Society of Equity, and
two subsidiary organizations, the Bur-
ley Qight-colored leaf tobacco associ-
alton and the dark tobacco association,
ewith the purpose of producing and
holding their crops until they could OBJ
tain what they claimed would be fair
price.
4 8 The failure of the attempt by the
farmers societies to win over suffi-
cient majority Of the growers of to-
bacco to their pooling plan to enable
them Immediately to compel the COM
pany to pay the price demanded.
4. Ostracism and petty persecution
directed against so-called 'Independ-
ents''-the farmers who were unwilling
OF unable to pool and hold their crops
Of tobacco.
5. Whipping of tobacco buyers and
farmers who sold their crops; destruc-
ton of beds of young tobacco plants;
burning of tobacco barns containing
the harvested crops of Independents;
shooting into homes and the wounding
Of innocent persons, among them be-
ing women: the warning of refractory
Independents to leave the country.
8. The elimination of mob spirit in
bold attacks on Princeton. Hopkinsville
and RusSelville, towns of from 1000 to
10000 inhabitants. which raids resulted
in the dynamiting and burning of to-
bacco warehouses worth 100000. con-
truled by the American Tobacco Com
pany, the killing of several of the
raiders and the wounding of number
of citizens and the destruction Of prop
erty owned by innocent neutrals be-
cause the raiders refused to allow the
fire department to work.
In addition to the lawless work of the
might riders" there is a supplemental
movement by 'day riders in the car
rying out of plan for peaceful per-
suasion" of growers to pool their crops
These day riders" go in body to
independent farmers and urge upon
them the Importance of pooling their
crops in order to force the trust to
terms. No threats arc used by these
day riders nor are any acts of vio-
lence committed by them, and yet
many of the tobacco raiSers whom they
visit confess that this policy intimi-
dates them. The pooling societies have
now on hand part of the 1906 crop and
all of the 1907 crop. They claim to con-
troll over SO per cent of the entire to-
baCco crop of the state of Kentucky
hut. the American Tobacco Company
does not appear as yet to have been
NIIpplSo W Oily STeut tNltnI Dy llClr
action. BY securing all the product
they could from the large independent
interests, and by buying as heavily as
possible in other fields, it has appar-
emily been able to conduct it's business
without feeling any strong pinch be-
cause Of the action of the pooling in
terest. The farmers who have united
to force the company to their terms be-
lieve that they will win out in the long
run and are now pledging their men,
bers not to plant any tobacco crop at
at all during the year 1908.
So far as the controversy between
the tobacco growers and the trust Is
concerned. the only interest of the pub
lie will be to see fair play prevail. It
is to be hoped that the growers will
receive a fair price for their product
and that if the members of tie trust
have not been disposed to pay it they
will ultimately be forced to- do so. In