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

'beyond the possibilities of 2 man In
one generation to achieve. | perused
his biography as published in the news
papers and saw that the cardinal point
In his life was fixity of purpose and In
domitable courage; In other words,
sticking to 1t.
There was accomplished a short
time ago and telegraphed over the
wires to us the most stupendous fact
that has occurred in our generation,
as to discovery. Two men, it is claimed
have found the North Pole, pvercom.
ing conditions that would battle the
energy and the strength and the will
power of more than the average, or
even the best of men. And how did
they do it. Was it not by the fixity
of purpose and by magnificent courage?
Are kentuckians Validating
In Purpose7
Do | speak TO people of vacil.ating
purpose? DO | speak to people with
out courage? Are not you the de.
scendants of race that crossed yond
er mountains and the Blue Ridge and
conquered the wilderness and the saw
age tribes and established a race that
no people need be ashamed of? Has
IL come, in the generation of these
men of our day that they have lost fxi-
ty of purpose and courage? No. say
to you, my people, Come, let us rea-
son together"
In the first place, | assume that It
Is matter of the very first import.
ance to know what we have TO deal
with We ought to know 1t. We all
ought TO know It. And then, to know
how to deal with It, and then to bear
In mind always what is the object of
our dealing with it.
What Is Our ProbIem7
Now, what have we TO deal with?
We have a situation here with one of
the principal products of the State Of
Kentucky-tobacco 1t is raised as
commercial product in eighty-five coun-
ties of the State. 1t is the principal
money-producing crop of the most of
those counties. It is estimated I be-
lieve, conservatively, that 10000 men
are directly engaged in its culture in
Kentucky, and that means that 400,-
600 people are dependent upon that
article of commerce for a living and
for prosperity.
Means 100000 To Kentucky.
The total sum of money represent.
ed by fair average price of the prod.
uct means more than $30,000,000 a
year to the State of Kentucky-more
than the assessed value of seven OF
the average counties of the State.
Therefore, | say, It is a large ques-
ton II is question of Importance.
not alone to the men who are engaged
directly in the culture of tobacco, but
It Is a question of large Importance
to every man whose home is in Ken
lucky, whose business is here. whose
pride is here and whose hope is here.
That Is the reason why-if you will
permit me TO be personal Just for an
instant feel concerned in giving my
time and service to it; not that | am
tobacco raiser or a tobacco buyer.
or will be directly concerned in this
matter; but | believe land | will at
tempt to show you, before close, the
ground of that belief that It is a mat
ter of large significance to the welfare
and progress of the whole Common
wealth that the situation he handled
carefully and wisely and legally by
the people of Kentucky. (Applause.)
Are We Inviting Competition.
~ mas ONtH ou1eoNoANus hoNN hNhA "a
It suggested that perhaps the far
mers of Kentucky are about to kill the
goose that lays the golden eggs; that
we are teaching the rest of the world
that the culture of tobacco is a very
profitable thing; that we can make
from eighty to one hundred dollars,
and perhaps two hundred dollars, an
acre: that the quality of tobacco, of
course, depends upon the lands upon
which it is raised, and that the cheap
lands to the West of us and to the
Northwest of us will be out TO the rails
ing of tobacco. when they find it is a
profitable thing. If that were true. it
would be a serious question Whether
it is true is the question that we want
to look into before We go too far.
The World For a Market.
What is tobacco? When the first
came to the American CON
tinent in search of gold, they found a
golden leafed weed much in use by
the aboriginees, and which they them
selves soon formed a taste for and
habit in the use of; and carrying 1t
abroad, it has from that day until this
spread in its use and in its influence
until it has a wider market around this
globe than any article produced alone
upon the Western hemisphere.
What Consumer Pays.
What price does the world pay? The
world pays, that is the consuming peo-
pie pay. for tobacco, in the very lowest
form in which it is used,-the twist
that you make at your home,-not less
than fifty-five cents a pound, and from
that to fifty dollars a pound.
What Does Producer Receive?
What is the producer getting for it?
He has been in the habit of getting,
until the last yeaf or two. understand,
not more than six or eight cents a
pound. There is a wide difference be.
tween that six or eight cents and the
seventy-five cents that we will call the
average. That margin in there repre-.
sents the profits of the middle-man,
SO called.
Profits of Mdde-man.
The manufacture of tobacco,--it is a
thing that can not be used commercial
ly except it is manufactured in some
form or other; OF course, the man who
raises tobacco does not have to get it
but the men who do not
raise it have to get it in manufactured
the manufacture of tobac-