Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-02-23

protect you. Your last sentence is
as follows;
Just one more word to Mr.. Bar
ker. He says in his article, Let US
get back to the old days--Free trade
and Sailors rights-an open COM
petitive market" If the years 1901 !
O2sO3 are the good old days." Lord
deliver me from sailors rights" /
don't want any more of this /
nothing and a cussing that we had in
those years Of an open market. Mr..
Barker, as you are advocating loose
sales, ! ask you to please tell what
the loose floor in Hopkinsvile is do
ing now. Is it maintaining as good
prices to the growers who are sell
ing there now as paid one year ago
in the same market?
E. L. Davenport"
Referring to these same statistics
of tobacco we find that in 1900 we
produced more than 814 million lbs.
1901 more than 818 million lbs; 1902
more than 821 million lbs; 1903 more
than SIS million lbs. Total 3,268
million lbs. in 4 years while the
world used less than $50 million per
year, or billions in 4 years. We
had produced a surplus of 268 mil
lions or more than one-third of a
years needs. Over production show
ed its hand in prices in 1908 A. Why
did not A. S. of E. control prices
then, and make it profitable? Now
look again at the same statistics. In
1904 we produced instead Of 815
millions only $50 millions; 1905, 633
millions; 1906, e82 millions; 1907, SOB
j millions; total of 2,673 millions,
Now we see we have gotten as far
below the demands of the world as
we were above in 1903. And we find
ourselves in good shape, but as you
say we made 7l8 millions without
Kentucky, and by these I'll cent
prices on Jugs we have attracted the
attention of the whole world to the
fgrowing Of tobacco. | feel it my
duty to admonish you, to beg you, to
beseech you to recognize law that
you can temporarily suspend but
| that you can no more abrogate than
you can the law of gravitation or
the ten commandments.
One, nothing and a cussing is not
to be desired. Cussing hurts nobody
save the one who INDUCES in it-un-
less we deserve it by having done
something foolish. Such as making
a lot of farmers believe we can and
are controlling prices when we are
doing nothing Of the kind.
The market report for loose floor
sales at Hopkinsville covers the case
fully. Just let the A. S. of E. and
the Protective Association get be-
hind open auction sales. Then sup
ply and demand will come instantly
to the producers assistance. Not
only in giving the highest price to the
grower, but by this system, the to.
bacco is graded, priced and sold to
each and every demand, be it a
monopoly or small special order.
! The independent who wants to
speculate on these orders that are
often matter of fancy, will come
on the breaks and will take that to-
bacco away from the monopoly, Let
the farmer be allowed to go to the
buyer while his tobacco is being
cried off and say, ''Mr. Norman
Smith that is my tobacco and want
you to help me. | owe a land note
that is pressing me"-or to Mr..
Clark and tell him that that tobacco
is all we have got to educate our
children and who shall make this a
decent moral community when he,
who has been the nestor of this mark
ct for so years and l am a producer
for 25 years-shall be gone.
Let them go to these buyers who
personally know them and want to
help them, and look each other
sqaure in the eyes and the result will
be a square deal There are certain
great laws of nature and of trade
that we cannot throw down. Either
by legislation or by any form of
organization, but when we like sem
sible men, call them into aid and