The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-12
TOBACCO TRUST IS DENOUNCED
 BY PAINTER

BY PAINTER Kentucky Senator in Speech
 Today Declared that This
 Giant Combination is a
 Commercial Pirate, De-
 stroying All Competition
 in Manufacture and Sale
 of Tobacco.
 He Said He Advocated
 Change in the Law in Be
 half of the Farmers, Their
 Iaborers and Tenants in
 Order that They Might
 Free Themselves from the
 Present Monopoly that is
 Crushing the Life Out of
 Their Business.
 Washington, May 12.-Denouncing if1e tobacco trust. Senator Paynter of Kentucky today in the Senate said:
 "The facts show that the tobacco combination is commercial pirate, carrying a black flag. dealing death and destruction to all competitors in the manufacture and sale of tobacco and reducing those who grow 1t. to penury and want. The death struggle of it's existing competitors has not caused 1t to hesitate: nor have the tears and sufferings of the tenants, white and black. who produce the ar ticle> upon which 1t feeds and fattens, moved its compositions.
 Senators. you now have an oppor- tunity to compel it to dip it's flag to one and a half millions of tobacco growers and to grant to them chance to have their labor rights honored. will you do it?'
 He said he spoke for the farmers and for their laborers and tenants who are engaged in raising tobacco and who desire to free themselves Of the pres ent monopoly which is crushing the life of their business and impoverishing the toi1ers engaged in it."
 If the tobacco growers had been prosperous. he continued there would have been no demand for change in the law. "But the evidence shows" he continued, that they are in an un- fortunate condition: that their bus 3ness has not been prosperous; that whAn it costs six cents per pound to fEr{aSapd three and one-haIf saepts per. Dound: that the competitive market ha been destroyed: that practically thers was but one purchaser for their tobacco. At any rate only one pur-, chaser fixed the price.
 4'It shows that the competitive mar kets in Italy. Spain. France and the Netherlands had been destroyed by the action of the governments of their countries in refusing to admit any to- bacco except that which was pur- chased by them; that the same agent purchased for what is called the 'Reggf contractors and for the Amer lean Tobacco Company: and that the Great Britain market was the remain ing hope for part of their crop. But when some tobacco dealers sought to enjoy its supposed benefits and shipped their tobacco there then the American Tobacco company began to sell it's to- bacco at the price at which it pur- chased 1t in Kentucky.
 The tobacco growers believe that they are in the grasp of a conscience less monopoly which is wrongfully de- stroying their homes and taking from the mouths of their families the bread which has been earned by incessant tofl."
 In support Of the statement that the American Tobacco Company has de- 9trOy00 the cOmpeCltlVe market In tnlS country Senator Paynter gave 8 his- tory of its absorptions of the competi- ting companies in this country and Great Britain and showed how it con- trolled. directly and indirectly. the to- bacco trade of the world. He said:
 There are many other transactions of the tobacco combination that mark its triumpha1 march through Kentucky over all its competitors. The state ment of the facts showing it's achieve ment staggers credulity. appals the inn a<ination and creates in the mind of the thoughtful lover of his country ap- prehension of the dangers that may come to the people by combination and misuse of collosal fortunes
 Senator Paynter next referred to the tobacco troubles in Kentucky and ex- pressed the hope that the enactment of the proposed law would remove the cause which provoked them a result much to be desired by all law abiding citizens In conclusion Senator Payn- ter said:
 This great government of ours, be- cause of the loss of a paltry sum in revenues, cannot afford to disregard the demand of one and half million of people who are dependent upon the success of tobacco growing for a liveli- hood"