The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-15
TELLS OF TORTURE
IN TOBACCO FIELDS
Woman Describes Conditions Under
Which She Worked With Hus-
band and Children.

NEW YORK. Nov, with the
declaration a few DAYS ago OF regu-
lar quarterly dividend OF ~ per
cent and 7ls per cent extra on the
common stock OF the American TO
baceo company (the TOBACCO trust
the owners OF this stock have recelv-
ed for the year 1919. total dividends
OF 40 per cent.
This IL the largest dividend ever
paid in one year by the tobacco trust
and makes total dividends of l65 per
cent which the shareholders have re
ceived on the highly-watered stock
since the company was formed SIX
years ago
Ten men own more than so per
cent of the stock. Thomas F. Ryan
has received 81 100000 this year as
dividends on the 10000 shares he
holds. President James b. Duke re
ceived the same amount.
That shows the tobacco trust to be
fairly prosperous despite the fact that
they had to raise the prices of their
product because OF the burdensomc
revenue laws.
Il is the other side OF the same
story really. The story of the to-
bacco grower and his family, out OF
whose very life blood the tobacco
trust has ground this l65 per cent Of
dividends.
Mrs. Kate Strand. the wife OF a
Muhlenberg-co.. Kentucky, tobacco
grower. tells il and IL is the same
story that might be told by thousands
of the poorer class of growers in that
state and In the other tobacco produc-
ing states
81 don't suppose" says Mrs. Strand.
the Lord ever permitted a more
nauseating work than that OF worm.
ing tobacco.
THE tobacco worms are as big
around as your finger and are from
four to six inches long They multiply
rapidly, and unless the tobacco IS
gone over every few days and the
worms picked OF. the crop is quickly
ruined. Putting on a thick. heavy
apron. the picker takes a basket in
which to place the worms and pro-
ceeds to the work. On reaching for
a worm II raises its head and greets
YOU with a stream OF tobacco Juice.
Sometimes this juice strikes the pick
er in the face and eyes; at all times
IL foods the clothing.
Picker Becomes Filthy.
This Juice Is a thick and gummy sub
stance. sticky and Shiny. and smells
strongly Of tobacco. After a few hours
work the picker becomes indescrib-
ably filthy. The saturated clothes
Nf-s L. oil A.aw
the intense heat OF the sun with
sweat streaming from every pore. the
life of the worker grows almost unen-
durable.
II have seen my husband at the
close of the day take OF his overalls
and stand them alone. so stiff would
they be with tobacco juice. My body
at night would emit an odor that was
positively sickening. Worming tobac-
co is bad enough for men, but when
women and children have 70 engage
in il, human torture reaches it's
climax. My children have toddled
along through tobacco rows at my
side crying with pain as their eyes
were filed with tobacco Juice shot
into them by tobacco worms. Gladly,
would | have sent them TO
school or 20 play. but their labor was
absolutely necessary and unavoidable.
Though We cultivated from nine
to twelve acres OF tobacco for years
neither my husband nor my children
wore a pair OF shoes. All our work
In the fields was done in our bare
feet Our clothing was OF the com
monest cloth and was very scant Our
only book was a bible. Our food was
corn bread. bacon and coffee. We
had no garden, strange as IL may
seem TO city people, and no orchard.
Our time was so taken up with the
tobacco crop that We had none 10 de
vote TO anything else. We had TO
make our full yield OF tobacco or run
the risk of being displaced by some
more energetic and self-sacrihcing
tenant"