The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1911-05-18


ware; corn In Illinois, Iowa Ne
braska and Missouri; cotton In the
Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi and
Texas; sugar In louisiana; oranges
in Florida and lower California, and
other fruits in northern California.
Oregon and Washington. Kentucky
can produce all OF these things ex-
cept oranges. But We can neither
produce enough TO sustain the com
merce OF the State. nor to affect the
markets.
Tobacco kentucky's Distinctive Crop.
The one article we can and do pro-
the world Is tobacco. At fair prices
the crop would realize probably
thirty-fve million dollars year.
Eighty thousand people in Kentucky
are engaged In It's production.
Seventy.five counties grow 1t extern
sively. 1t is the principal money crop
Of the farmers of the State where II
is grown. IL cannot be used until II
passes through some process OF man
ufacture. The Federal government
lays a tax on its manufacture. The
regulations are stringent and severe.
Our tobaccos supply not only the
major part OF the commodity con-
sumed In the United States. but of
the world, particularly OF chewing to-
bacco.
The manufacturers some years ago
combined their plants and capital, so
that practically all of them were
merged into one gigantic concern.
Thus competition in buying was de-
stroyed. and the farmers had to sell
at their single purchasers price, or
quit. The result was that prices were
reduced to less than the cost of pro
duction. The loss entailed on the
State was not less than twenty mil
lions a year.
The farmers tried various ways Of
getting at the trouble to overcome it.
Antitrust legislation was enacted.
Conditions remained the same. Final
ly, after great agitation and after sew
eral futile attempts, the farmers or
.ganized a selling pool, whereby they
would be enabled to present a single
seller as against a single buyer. The
tobacco trust fought their efforts bit
terly. They sought by every conceiv-
able method to disrupt and destroy
the farmers pool.
The farmers had two crops in these
pools unsold, 1906 and 1907. The
trust was holding out, refusing to buy
from the pool. II was their purpose
to starve the farmers into a surren-
der.
In the midst of 1t. there came. the
money panic OF 1907. Credit was al
DO etr IL 10 hn
farmers would lose for lack of means
to sustain them. They then tried the
tactics of their competitor. They de-
termined to try the starving process
themselves by cutting out the crop Of
1905.
At this crisis. simple in its plain
and brief telling, but intense in inter-
est and feeling at the time. mob en-
tered this city and destroyed w-re-
houses and other property. One or
more persons were killed in the
melee. Governor Beckham ordered
troops to Hopkinsville TO preserve the
public peace and protect life and prop
erty.
This was the situation when Gov
crnor Wilson came into Office. II
was. indeed, a grave situation. More
trouble and in other quarters was
feared. How TO wisely handle the
situation was most difficult ques-
ton.
Governor Wilson Calls Conference.
The Governor called a meeting Of
tobacco growers, insurance men and
representatives of the tobacco trust
at Frankfort, which convened in De-
cember of 1907. | understood IL was
for the purpose of comforting. to
agree, II possible, upon terms by
which the trust would take over the
pooled tobacco at some satisfactory
price. and the farmers to then
abandon the threatened cut-out of the
situation. when 1t was believed nor
NAL conditions would be resumed.
was present at this conference as
a spectator. There were probably five
hundred growers present, many Of
whom knew personally. and knew to
be citizens of the most irreproachable
character and standing. The trust
had several representatives present.
The insurance people were represent
ed. The Insurance Commissioner was
present and acted as secretary of the
meeting.
The Governor presided and adj
dressed the meeting at length several
times. The comments at the morning
session had been severe-not too Sc
vere-against the night riders, and
urged upon the growers to cooperate
with the officers of the law in direct
ing and Furnishing the lawless band
that had destroyed property at Hop
kinsville.
Unfortunately nothing occurred In
dlcating a purpose or prospect of the
interested parties getting together on
a basis of settling the pending ques-
ton, which was whether the trust
would buy the tobacco in the pool at
any price.
Judge o'Rear Called Upon to Speak.
At the afternoon session | was re-
quested by the Insurance Commission
er to make a speech to the audience.
| declined upon the ground that l had
not thought out anything to say. and
furthermore. being Chief Justice of
the State, II was perhaps of doubtful
propriety for me to say anything.
The matter was submitted to the
Governor. ! understood him to con-
cur In my views. At his request,
a.. Il In. a