The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-06-02
TOBACCO TRUST TYRANNY.
KENTUCKY SENATOR ASSERTS
THAT TRUST is RESPONSE.
BILE FOR NIGHT RIDING.
Inc Tax on Tobacco Places All Pow.
er In Hands of American Tobacco
90. and Its Oppression of Tobacco
Growers of Kentucky and Tennes-
see Has Driven Them to Organiza-
ton and Lawlessness i'm the Effort
To Protect Themselves.

outrages of the night riders in Ken.
lucky and Tennessee resulted from
the oppression of the American To-
oacco Company and that unless the
internal revenue tax on leaf tobacco
IN the hand is repealed these out
RACES VIII again occur, was the de-
ciaratior made by Senator Bradley of
Kentucky today in urging the adop-
t'on OF his amendment to the senate
DILL This amendment proposes to re-
store in the tariff bill the house pro-
VISION Tor the free sale of leaf tobac-
co by the farmer, which was stricken
out by the finance committee OF tho
senate. Mr.. Bradley reviewed the
growth of the American Tobacco
Company from the time of it's organ
ization in 1890 with a capital stock
OF $25,0O0,00O to the present day
with stock. including that owned in
subsidiary companies, amounting to
more than s50o,OO0,OOO. Not content
with destroying all conception in the
United States. Mr.. Bradley said the
American Tobacco Company drove
the Imperial Tobacco Company, of
Great Britain, its chief competitor, to
a compromise and obtained an agree
ment 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 business,
the profit going into the Golfers of the
government under what is known as
the Reggie system" said Mr.. Bradley,
''The American Tobacco Company
seeing the danger in this direction
entered into conspiracy with the
t-Rvgt4 e&gents by whi6h the ,drritors
should be and was divided, all agree
ing to pay the same fixed price and
allotting the territory into we'll de-
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 a last resort organized
the pooling societies which resulted
In saturnalia of crime in Kentucky
and Tennessee. While denouncing
the night rider outrages, Mr.. Bradley
| declared that the tobacco leaf grow
ers were sorely pressed, that they
were forced to combine to protect
| themselves and that the crimes which
resulted were due to the trusts op-
preston. "If congress refuses relief
in my judgment" said Mr.. Bradley
'the same conduct will be reenacted
people terrorized, and the States ma
! tcrlally injured"
Before reviewing the tobacco legis-
lation resulting in the condions which
he represented as existing Mr.. Brad.
ley said, II will state in the beginning
that under the present statutes and
rulings of the commissioner of inter
nal revenue, the producers are Sc
| hapered and restricted in the sale OF
their leaf tobacco that they are sub.
stantially placed at the mercy of the
great trust which has blighted thei,
hopes and desolated their homes"
Mr.. Bradley said the two principal
objections made to his proposed
| amendment were that it opened the
door to fraud and rendered uncertain
the enforcement of the tobacco tax
and that 1t materially decreased the
amount of revenue collected. He as
serted that no law could be devised
which would entirely prevent fraud
| and that the amenL inent was in sub
| stance and effect the reenactment Of
the Mckinley bill, which, he said,
| operated well for three years both as
to fraud and revenue and he could
see no reason why it would operate
otherwise now. He quoted Commits
sioner Yerkes in the opinion that the
decrease Of revenue would be com
paratively small.
The effect of this enactment said
Mr. Bradley, would be that the farm
er and all others would be able to
sell unstemmed tobacco in the nat
ural leaf without the payment Of any
tax or charge. I'm my judgment, the
passage Of this law will not only give
Justice to a deserving class of people
but will withstand all lawless ele-
ments and restore good order
throughout the land" said Mr.. Brad
l>n