The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1909-09-22

district minus a very few
Unusually Successful Grower and
Handler.
An unusually large grower and sue
cessful handler owning land in two or
more counties gives these figures:
1901 crop sold for SSH per hundred
1902 crop sold for $50 per hundred
1903 crop sold for SIS per hundred
1904 crop sold for 900 per hundred
1905 crop sold for III per hundred
Average for five years SS.41 per hun
dred.
1906 crop sold for net $15,14 per
hundred.
1907 crop sold for net, Sl6.92 per
hundred
None of these statements except the
one from Nicholas county come from
the hill counties where the pressure
was most felt and where the depend
ence upon tobacco is greatest.
Testimony Of Buyer and Ware
houseman.
But Mr.. Toewater's statement to Mr.
NJ. c. Rankin, Commissioner Of Agri-
culture, that the American Tobacco
Company was grading tobacco on an
Scent basis and that 8 cents was
enough, leaves little reason TO search
for specific instances. Since Mr. Clay
doubts the quotation from Mr.. Toe
water. refer him to Mr.. Nj. c. Rankin
from whose lips heard the statement
The statement of an American To-
bacco Company buyer whose name is
withheld FOR evident reason. that The
lowest purchase he ever made was at
an average of 6 cents and the highest
at an average of cents Is equally
While Mr.. II. II. Hoff-
mans statements in view Of his nm
eXcelled opportunities 10 know the
facts and his unchallenged integrity es-
tablish the fact of low prices paid by
the American Tobacco Company and
of the necessity for action on the part
of the growers.
Mr.. Hotfman's Statements.
On August H. 1908, Mr.. IT. IT, Hoff-
man, formerly of the Bodman ware
house writes:
"As n tobacco merchant who has
been competed with the Cincin-
natl tobacco interests for the past
forty years, | will state that dur
ing the past seven years the farm
ers were fortunate to receive an
average collectively of ~ cents
pound"
On November 10. 1908, Mr.. Hoffman
writes.
Il have read several of your
letters published in the news
papers carefully and with great
pleasure, for being fully CONVEX
SAINT with the tobacco trade in all
its branches | know that you have
given facts which cannot be con
tradictod. | am in hearty accord
with the Burley Tobacco Society
and know that without it the
growers of tobacco would have
received a starving price for their
produce"
This would seem to be expert testi-
mony.
Testimony of Manufacturers.
II the spring of 1908, at the invita-
tiOn Of an Independent tobacco manu-
facturer, | went through his factory.
AS we were driving home in his car.
riage his wife complained that the
pool had been a great hardship to the
manufacturers, said;
Mr. l., in view Of the abundant
crop and the panic what would you
have had to pay for the 1907 crop had
there been no pool?' lie promptly an
swered: Five cents" The Burley
Tobacco Society sold it for II cents.
In the suit against the Burley Tobacco
Society. the Independent manufactur-
ers bringing the suit named s cents
as a normal price for tobacco.
A year ago, when the Commercial
whose publisher is an indie
pendent manufacturer, was making its
iercest fight on the Burley Tobacco
Society it admitted the society had
doubled the price OF tobacco, that is
10 cents the price then set by the
Burley Tobacco Society Is double the
price before the Burley Tobacco SO.
ciety was organized; in other words
~ cents was the average price be-
fore the nnol
These are not fake stories Of ma
iclous or idle persons" and if | have
ever discussed this subject or any
other important subject with persons
Of such character | do not know It,
System Of Offering Prizes.
If trust buyers bought tobacco on
is merits on a scale Of Just values,
why did the American Tobacco Com.
lany offer prizes TO buyers who would
make the most valuable purchase for
he least money? When buyer
started out to win a prize where would
ne put on the pressure, on a rich and
prominent Bourbon county farmer. or
IN the fve-acre man whose immediate
necessities compelled him to sell?
Pool Makes No Discrimination.
The greatest plea for cooperative
selling is that the society knows no
nan. 1t sells tobacco at its graded
'aue irrespective of the wealth or
poverty OF the grower. Every man re-
elves the same treatment. The pool
las not hurt Mr.. Clay; it has Helped
thousands. The pool insures that Mr..
LAY and all other growers will receive
he same price for the same grade of
obacco. Under the pooling system
dr. Clay takes the same price his
leighbor takes. Mr.. Clay's goose that
aid the golden egg may be crippled
lot so with the average man.
Unrest Shows Dissatisfaction.
The fact that there was a movement
n Carroll county in 1894 to form a
Of growers to stop the
,rowth of the trust with especial effort
o prevent the selling of Liggett g.
ayers 10 the American Tobacco Com