The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-04-08

sense, Says Tobacco King :
Change Among Din ectors.
The following which comes from
New York as n spe ial tn the Durham
Herald. will be read with interest
here rs elseu here whore he American
Tobnc"" Company has large inter
eSts and President j. B Duke is per-
sOnallv known. We publish the
article for whatever news value it
may have without placing any To-
lianc' uDnn the accuracy of the
rumOr as far as n change in the head
o the tobacco trust is roncnrnpd
New York, March 30 -Changes in
the personnel of The respective boards
of James B Dukes $1S. 900 900
American T"hacro Company aud the
$40. 900. 900 American Cigar Com
Dauy tndav garo rise TO n report
that control of thesn mighty proper
ties was passing TO Thomas +. Ryan
and the Widener-Elkins group of
Philadelphia fnanciers Mr.. Duke
himself was said to he on the verge
of retirement TO the management of
wafer power properties in the South
'Nonsense. pure nonsense" said
Mr. Duke to your representative,
who saw him in the office Of Vice
President William r Harris. on the
third floor of No Ill. Fifth Avenue
Mr.. Duks rhurkled as lie looked at
Mr. Harris, and then both men
laughed
But large nnmb"r of men from
vour own citv of Durham N. G.. are
being dropped from the companv's
pay -Oll. and some SEQ ground on
that account that you are going TO
rptir" in the near futnre'
"Well | am not going TO retire. "
said Mr. Duke. in reply. "and this re-
port il nonsense. pure nonsense"
Vice President Dula offered odds nf
800 to 81 that Mr. Dnke was fix-
turr at the head of tn. tobrccn trust
Nntwit hstnnding these d"n "A | y
there have been changes in the off
Tobacco Company and the American
Cigar Company that would irhicate
the increasing power of the financial
interests as against the tobacco pro-
durers in thptwO directOrates George
W. Elkins and George D. Widener, of
Philadelphia, have joined the veteran
head of that hyphenated firm, Peter
A. B. Wildener. replacing George W.
Watts. of Durham. n. C., and Spcre-
tarv William H. McAllister, who has
retired and is now living at No. 2
| West Eighty-eighth street.
Josiah II. Wilcox has succeeded
Mr. MrAllistnr rs Secretary of the
American Tobacco Company, while
| Thomas B. Yuille is another new
man to 90 on the board of direct ors
The passing of the Cobb brothers
out of active connection with the
American Cigar Company is another
sign of the reported waning of the
Duke influence. John B. Cobb was
president of the American Cigar COM
pany and director of the American
Tobacco Company, while his brother,
Henry W. Cobb, was an active head
and a director of the former com.
panv. Both are known in the tobacco
trade as "Duke's stalwarts," and
great surprise is expressed that they
should have been permitted to sever
active connection with the tobacco
trust. Mr.. Cobb had been cOnnerteC
with the tobacco trade for eighteer
wears. He has bought practically al
the leaf tobacco used bv the trust
His employment dates back to the
original American Tobacco Com
pany, nf which he was first vicp-prpsi
dent. He was prominent in the for
nation of the Continental Tobacco
Company, and his association Will
the Dukes was intimate. In fnct
Bpnjamin n. Duke. President Dukes
hrot her, is now finam'ially V interested
with Mr.. Cobb in a drug enterprise
The head of the American Ciga
Company got ont January |. HI
WAS succeeded by Percival S. Hill
Mr.. Cohh's brother will go April l
Henry W. Cobb has bought u thir,
interest in ~ tobacco factory at New
Orleans. La. and looks upon tn,
change aS a promotion, but there ar
Others who take Il contrary view
John b. Cobb remains II director O
he American Tobacco Company anC
his brother Il director of the Ameri
can Cigar Company. but neither ha:
any voice in the management of tn,
tobacco trust.
resigned from the American Ciga
Company TO get some time to hun
and fish" said eX-President Cobb
when seen at the office of his drug en-
terprise.
There is no play time for mai
who works at No. Ill Fifth avenue.
! continued Mr.. Cobb. who then added
a. he pointed at n life-size profile q
, President Duke hanging over hi
desk, land there is the man wh'
works harder than anv OF his snhor
dinates. but | needed rest and ther
was only one way to get it--resign.
Mr.. Cobb is unversed in the way
of f1nanriers, being plain tobacco
man. He spoke with deep feeling o
! handsome set of resolutions pre-
sented to him by the directors OF tn
tobacco trust.
IF had been forced out they neve