The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-28
Which, He SAYS, Is Responsible
For the Night Rider
Difficulties.
PLEADS FOR THE
REMOVAL OF TAX
On Leaf Tobacco.>-TeIIs About the
Abomnible Practice of Tobacco Trust
Made Possible BY This Tax.

WASHINGTON, May 2S.-That the
outrages of the night riders in Ken.
lucky and Tennessee resulted from
the oppression of the American TO.
bacco Co. .pany and that unless the
internal revenue tax on leaf tobacco
in the hand is repealed, these out
RACES will again occur was the declar-
alton made by Senator Bradley, of
Kentucky, today in urging the adop-
ton of his amendment to the Senate
bill. This amendment proposes to re.
store in the tariff bill the house pro-
vision for the free sale of leaf to,.ac-
co by the farmer, which was stricken
out by the finance COMMITTEES OF the
Senate. Mr.. Bradley reviewed the
growth of the American Tobacco Com
pany from the time of its orSanisa-
ton in 1890 with a capitol stock Of
$25,000,000 70 the present doy with
stock, including that owned in subsi-
diary companies, amounting to more
than $50O,0OO,0OO. Not content with
destroying all competition in the Unit
ed States, Mr.. Bradley said the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company drove the In
perial Tobacco Company, of Grert
Britain, its chief competitor 10 a COW
promise 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 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 a conspiracy
with the Reggie agents by which the
territory should be and was divided
all agreeing to pay the same fixed
price and alotting 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 without
effect, as a last resort organized the
pooling societies which resulted in a
Saturnalia of crime in Kentucky and
Tennessee. While denouncing the
night rider outrages, Mr.. Bradley de-
clared that the tobacco leaf growers
was sorely pressed that they were
forced to combine to protect them
selves and that the crimes which re-
suited were due to the trusts oppres-
sion. "If congress refuses relief in
my judgment" said Mr.. Bradley, 1.-THE
same conduct will be re-enacted, PEG.
pie terrorized, and the state material
ly injured"
Before reviewing the tobacco legis-
lation resulting in the conditions which
he represented as existing, Mr.. Brad.
ley said, 81 will state in the begin
ming that under the present statutes
and rulings of the Commissioner Of
Internal Revenue. the producers are
so hampered and restricted in the
sale of their leaf tobacco that they
are substantially placed at the mercr
of the great trust which has blighted
their hopes and desolated 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 uncertain
the enforcement of the tobacco tax.
and that it materially decreased the
amount of revenues collected. He
asserted that no law could be devised
which would entirely prevent fraud
and that the amendment was in sub
stance and eject the re-enactment o!
the Mckinley bill which. he said oper
ated well for three years both as Il
fraud and revenue and he could SEE
no reason why it would operate other
wise now. He quoted Commissioner
Yerkes in the opinion that the de
crease Of revenue would be compare
lively small.
The effect Of his amendment, sail
Mr.. Bradley, would be that the tarla
er and all others would be able I,
sell unstemmed tobacco in the natura
leaf without the payment of any ia,
or charge. On my Judgment, the pas