The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1909-09-22
Hon. IL. p. Kim1baNEntreats
Farmers to Stand Together,
Failure to Take Advantage of Present Opportunity to
Perpetuate Organization and Fair Prices Means he
turn of Conditions That Ensaved Tobacco Grower
Before Pool Was Victorious.
Paint Lick, KY. Sept. Q. 1900.

| and any system that become so perverted
that the few are able to Cypress the many
| and exact from them the greater part OF
their earnings, this is a crime that every
patriotic heart revolts at.
Our government Is representative. ~
was secured to us, purchased by the blood
! OF our forefathers shed upon many a
| battlefield, confirmed to US by the patriot
| ism OF the great masses of the American
| people. This will always be n RepuDnc;
! no crowned head Will ever rule our coun-
| try.
eminent we have, II those who toll, ana
especially those who toll in the eartn, are
deprived of their earnings by a cotere OF
| men, banded together under the gulse OF
a great industrial corporation. Ana yet,
in the matter Of the production and sals
OF tobacco. that very thing has occurred
! in this country and especially In regard
TO white Burley tobacco.
Trust Fixed the Price.
! The American Tobacco Company, by a
series of manipulations, by a series Of
combinations by the absorbing OF smaller
concerns. freezing out those that II could
not buy, finally obtained absolute control
! over the output of white Burley tobacco N
the United states. You all know, OF
course that the growth of white Burley
| tobacco Is confined TO only about forty
| IN our own State. It is the highest class
/ tobacco, and yet until within less than
year ago. the buying and selling prlce
| OF that product was arbitrarily fixed IN a
/
| the headquarters OF the American Tobac-
| CO Company. You toiled and gave up
your sweat and your energies, planting
| and growing and worming. and afterwards
| cutting and curing and pricing your to-
| bacco. and wondering what you were gong
| TO get for it, Always hoping for good
| prices. You had no more to do with fix
! ing the price than the man in the moon.
/ The trust arbitrarily fixed the price be-
| cause IL had driven competition out OF the
! field and were thus able to say what the
/ price should be.
Organization Movement Launched.
! But there was a revolt. There was an
/ attempt among the producers or white
/ Burley to organize pool to put theiT
crops together and say that II there should
| be but one buyer, there would be but
| one seller. The first movement failed, be-
| cause it was not based upon practical bus
! mess principles, and because OF the inabll-
ity to get sufficient patriotic men inter-
ested in this pool. 1t was not within their
/ power to get money with which to finance
/ the crop. because when they had the TO.
| bacco signed up and went to Wall street
! and presented their certificates, showing
| that they controlled this tobacco and
| wanted money upon II, they refused, after
| elaboration. 10 finance It, because the
members Of the American tobacco trust
/ said TO these gentlemen, This ts our
| graft These growers OF white Burley
! down In Kentucky are our slaves, not
! which 20 handle this crop we VIII see that
some of your pet schemes go to the wall;
II you deprive us OF our pillage we will
send your stocks 10 the bottom of the wall
and break you" The pool under these
| conditions could not succeed. But the
! cause was right, and so just that indigna-
| ton was aroused in the hearts of these
men who'T'rew they were right, and they
continued the fight with new vigor. on
! new and more practical basis.
Pool Formed and Crop Cut Out
They managed to pool a large per cent
OF the crops of 1906 and 1907. but still the
victory was not won, and with one master
stroke they said. 1--WE will raise no more
tobacco until you buy these two crops. and
the faithful men who had gone into this
pool stood shoulder to shoulder, And In
| counties where great quantities had been
grown refused TO raise tobacco, and thus
forced 10 terms the great trust that had
never before Bonded its knees TO any foe.
forcing IL to humbly come 70 terms and
give q good price for the pooled crops
You know what the prices were before
/ this agitation, and you know what you
/ received last year, both those who were
in the pool and those who were not. But
the fight is not vet ended. The American
| Tobacco Company is smarting and humil-
lated under its defeat as well as at the loss
OF million of dollars II Is simply waiting
for this pool 10 dislntegrate, TO have this
magnificent army of agricuturists dis
banded and disorganzed, and then Il will
fix the price again at five, six, seven or
eight cents, as 1t sees NJ. No man will
deny IT, not even the American Tobacco
COMPANY or those IN sc e:'p!oy, nor those
others that have belittled this movement,
that IL II had not been for this organiza-
ton and its success in pooling the crops
OF 1906 and 1907 and cutting out the 1908
crop you would never have been able TO
get such prices for your tobacco as you
II this pool goes TO the wall, what viii
you get? You say the law Of supply and
demand will control. 1t did not control be-
fore this fight was won. There was
practically only one to which YOU could
sell and that was 10 the American Tobacco
CnunnapN II Law down
or sit supnelY by, inert and inactive. the
same conditions Will prevail again. |
would like 10 suggest that those Of you
who have been reaping good prices for
your product made possible by the labor
and sacrifice of those who went into the
pool, that now, when the final issue comes
and you refuse to come In and help prop
up tho cause. you Will be responsible If It
fails.
would like for any man to show some
reason why the present price OF tobacco
viii be maintained II the union OF growers
should disband and II the fighters lay
down their arms and leave YOU once more
TO the mercy Of the American Tobacco
Company. 1t Is up to you as TO whether
or not present conditions shall be main
coed.
Wants to See Kentucky Prosper.
In the first place l hate oppression and
wrong. My very soul rebels at the idea
that those who toll In tho heat and sun
Of the day tilling the earth and producing
lnt wealth. Oh ING country HuOulu De Helu
up by a lot of bandits and be made to
deliver 10 them the greater part Of their
earnings.
On the other hand, love my country
its peace and its prosperity, | expect TO
live and die and my children live and die
here in Kentucky. I want the State 70
be prosperous; ! want the people to be
happy. That cannot be II a man cannot
get a fair return for fair days labor or
a fair return for his investment IN ag-
ricultural pursuits.
The general prosperity Of the country
Is based upon the conditions that environ
the individual. Whatever legitimately
adds to the prosperity of a particular class
Of people. adds TO the prosperity OF the
whole country. II you who grow tobacco
are prosperous, just in proportion all the
people are prosperous. So It Is with all
other classes because the money earned
by all has TO be spent-a part of 1t at
least-in the various channels OF trade
and business and for the necessities of life.
You cannot eat your tobacco. You cam
not wear II. Therefore, when you sell it,
a part Of the proceeds must be applied to
the purchase of food and raiment and
other necessary things of life. SO IL is
htna YIoA Il.