The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-01
NIGHT RIDING
0utrages in kentucky and Ten
nessee Caused
BY THE TOBACCO TAX

| AND Senator BraQley, OIL teiIuCky,
Says Congress Should Act-He
Predicted Recurrence of Violence
if Oppression Of Tobacco Trust is
Allowed to Continue.
That the outrages of the night
riders in Kentucky and Tennessee
resulted from the oppression of the
American Tobacco Company and that
unless the internal revenue tax on
leaf tobacco in the hand is repealed
these outrages will again occnr, was
the declaration made by Senator
Bradley of Kentucky Friday in urg-
ing the adoption Of his amendment
to the senate tariff bill This amend
ment proposes to restore in the tar1T
bill the house provision for the free
sale of leaf tobacco by the farmer,
which was stricken out by the f.
nance committee of the senate.
Mr.. Bradley reviewed the growth
of the American Tobacco Company
from the time Of it's organization In
1890 with a capital stock of $685.
100000 to the present day with
stock, including that owned in sub
sidary companies, amounting to more
than 100000. Not content
with destroying all competition in
the United States, Mr.. Bradley said
the American Tobacco Company
drove the Imperial Tobacco Company
of Great Britain, its chief competi-
tor, to compromise and obtained an
agreement by which the Imperial
yielded up all competition in the
United States.
France, Austria, Italy, Portugal
and other countries each meanwhile
decreed that the government would
buy and import tobacco as a bust
ness, the profit going into the cof-
fers of the government under what
is known as the Reggie system, said
Mr.. Bradley. 1.-THE American To-
bacco Company, seeing the danger
in this direction, entered into con-
spiracy with the Reggie agents by
which the territory should be and
was divided, all agreeing to pay the
same fixed price and alloting the
territory into well defined districts
so that there could be no conflict OF
interests"
Thus the producers found them
selves powerless and hemmed in on
every side, continued Mr.. Bradley,
and after appealing to congress with
out effect, as last resort organized
the pooling societies which resulted
in a saturnalia of crime in Kentucky
and Tennessee. While denouncing
the night rider outrages, Mr.. Brad
ley declared that the tobacco leaf
growers were sorely pressed, that
they were forced to combine to pro-
tect themselves and that the crimes
which resulted were due to the
trusts oppression. IF congress re-
fuses relief, in my judgment" said
Mr.. Bradley, "the same conduct will
be re-enacted, people terrorized and
the States materially injured"
Before reviewing the tobacco leg
islaton resulting IN the conditions
which he represented as existing, Mr..
Bradley said, II will state in the
beginning that under the present
statutes and rulings of the commits
sioner of internal revenue, the pro-
ducers are so hampered and restrict
ed in the sale Of their leaf tobacco
that they are substantially placed at
the mercy Of the great trust which
has blighted their hopes and desolat-
ed their homes"
Mr.. Bradley said the two princi-
pal objections made to his proposed
amendment were that It opened the
door to fraud and rendered uncer-
tain the enforcement Of the tobac-
co tax, and that it materially decreas-
ed the amount of revenue collected.
He asserted that no law could be
devised which would entirely prevent
fraud, and that the amendment was
in substance and effect the re-enact-
ment of the Mckinley bill, which, he
said, operated we'll for three years,
both as to fraud and revenue and he
could see no reason why 1t would
operate otherwise now. He quoted
Commissioner Yerkes in the opinion
that the decrease of revenue would
be comparatively small.
| The effect of his enactment, said
Mr.. Bradley, would be that the farm
er and all others would be able to
sell unstemmed tobacco in the nat
ura leaf without the payment Of
any tax or charge. "1n my judg-
ment the passage of this law will
not only give justice to deserved
class Of people but will Withstand
, all lawless elements and restore good
order throughout the land" said
Mr.. Bradley. In concluding, he made
, an earnest appeal to the senate in
behalf of 100000 Americans, who,
he said, have been stricken down
, by the ponderous mace of an all
powerful trust. If that call shall
go unanswered, We may at least in
dulge the hope that while our op-
7 pressors escape here, there will come
L