The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-04-02
Big Rally of Tobacco Men.

of Southern Maryland was held at
Chesapeake Beach, Calvert county,
Saturday last. 1t was the biggest rally
| of the farmers of the southern section
of the state since they organized
their associations for mutual protection
two years ago. Every farmer in the
counties of Calvert, Charles and St
Mary's is practically tobacco grower
as also is the case in southern Anne
Arundel large portion of Prince
| Georges and Howard counties.
The efforts of the people to attend
the meeting and the responses to the
addresses gave evidence of the deter
mination of the tobacco growers to hold
their tobacco until what they consider
remuneratve prices an be obtained
from the buyers, or quit~raising the
| weed till the buyers assure the produ-
GERS profitable prices.
DR.. Philip Briscoe, president of the
Calvert County Tobacco Growers ASS =
citation, presided. Frank O. Smith, of
Dunkirk, was secretary. Senator L.
Mex Griffith, of Calvert county: DR.. r.
!. Hill, state agent of. the Tobacco
| Growers Association; Senator W. B
Clagett, of this county; F. Snowden
Hill, president of the Tobacco Growers
Associations; President R. W. Sylvester
Of The Maryland Agricultural College,
and Congressman A. o. Stanley. of
Kentucky. made addresses.
Congressman Stanley, who moved
his audience tc frequent applause be
gan his address by saying that he was
surprised at the lack of organization OF
the farmers of Southern Maryland in
the s,le of their tobacco. The condi-
ton for the sale of tobacco is entirely
different from the. sale of other tobacco
from the fact, he said. thats.it is small
product confined. to a. limited area, as
IN Kentucky and Tennessee. Continu-
ing he said;
The hurley, or dark, tobacco dis
trict of Kentucky is so contracted that
modern gun would send to the out
side of it. Of this grade of tobacco
1 900, 900 pounds in annually produced
in the United States, and 300, 900 pound
If it in Kentucky The grades in that
state materially differ according to
locality. There is only one trust in the
world that controls 80 per cent. of
commodity, and that is the Tobacco
Trust, headed by James B. Duke. The
other would control all the products if
they could. The Tobacco Trust holds
lite powerful grip because the product
is less widely distributed than wheat,
corn oats etc. But you fellows are the first
on the grou:d, aud the trust can't get
plant of your tobacco unless you al
low it. Why can't the tobacco grow
ers of Maryland, Kentucky and Vir-
sinia agree in the matter of prices for
Tobacco :? 1t easier for you to control
he prices than it is for the growers of
he hurley variety to control the price,
rom the fact that the hurley can be
substituted better than your tobacco.
The French government has m )nopo-
ly on tobacco just as this government
mas on whisky. No man in France can
sell his tobacco. The government does
all that, and two years ago made out of
it over So. 900, 000-purchasing at three
cents pound and realizing at from
$3.50 to So pound.
'tThe trust was at one time as a mill
stone around the necks of the Ken
tuckians, and though poverty and want
prevailed everywhere, and though the
women and children of the tobacco dis
tricts were in rags, the growers deter
mined to better their condition by hold
ing their tobacco, which they did, until
| prices went from 8 cents to II cents
per pound, and has been there ever
since. The buyers are now paying
| in Kentucky more for the inferior
grades than they are paying you for the
the best quality. l must say for the
| colored people, there are 10, 900 of them
in the tobacco association in Kentucky
and not one there has betrayed the
trust. All that is necessary is to hold
your tobacco. If you had competition
you would need have no organization.
One man in the world fixes the price
| of tobacco. If there is but one buyer
| you need have but one seller"
The speaker concluded with an ap-
peal to the tobacco growers to remain
true to the association and the prices
fixed for the commodity by the body,
and thereby join hands with the Ken
lucky growers who have come out of
the mire.
In the matter of loan and advances
President Hill, of the association, ad-
vised the farmers to do business with
their local banks.
Passover Begins MOuday.