The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-21

bacco Company and the GOVERNMENT,
through the Circuit Judges and the
Attorney General, presented to the
pubic and the American Tobacco
company, together with it's thirteen
oranches-representing the same old
rotten run and its thirteen limbs
respect. A duck with thirteen
an k!:gs-and We poor geese
la"fjpg on and cackling-the
aforesaid combination said in effect
this IS our handiwork and now what
are you going to do about it. Judge
Judge LaConlbe after court was con-
vened, c~outteously minated that the
remenstrants would be permitted a
hearing, but in such-a courteous man
ner as to indicate he would very
much prefer silence, a Ia Roosevelt
frozen the backbone OF an average
person at the outset.
About ten hours in all were con-
sumed in the argument-a very short
time for such a momentous question.
We wanted to make history, but it
was already made, it was SO writ,
and the book was sealed with five
seals, four judges and one attorney
general.
LAS to the arguments, they were
disappointing. / wish these people
could come down here in North Caro-
lima and hear the lawyers try a case.
= locr attorney in North
success-to be able to keep soul and
body together and every two years be
able to buy a new suit Of clothes,
usually a Jim s~winger," and attends
the State convention, but he
can beat them on an argu-
York they are all specialized, and to
my mind most of them are very
greatly overestimated. Mr.. Lewis
Cass Ledyard opened for the Ameri-
can Tobacco Co. Whether by de-
sign or otherwise it was impossible
to hear him. although we were only
a few feetnfrom him. AS / could not
hear his argument l am unable to
make any m
Then the independents were ac-
corded a hearing. Naturally they
were unable to answer his argument
and they could only reply to the brief
filed by the American Tobacco Co.
Mr.. Brandeis, Of Boston, made an
able argument.
Mr.. E. j. Justice and myself rep
resented the Farmers Union of this
State. We arrived in New York late
Sunday afternoon. We were the last
to request q hearing. This was
done after the court convened Mon
day morning. AS there were so
many remonstrants we concluded
that our time would come the latter
part Of the week. To our surprise
our petition vas called about fifteen
minutes before the adjournment Mon
day afternoon. In the brief time al
lotted Mr.. Justice he made a splendid
speech and impressed every one
presents
1.-The judges asked him several
questions, and q great nh of
strangers came up and congratulated
him n r tho r1nca of hJG Grp;1T1aIt
At that time we had not filed our
brief, indeed it had not been COM
pleted. We filed the brief Tues
day morning.
Hon. Joseph II. Choate, the nestor
Of the American bar, represented the
4 per cent bond holders, he spoke
very briefly. Mr.. Krauthoff repre-
sented certain minority stockholders.
h arguments Of the representatives
Of the American Tobacco Company,
the bond holders and common stock
holders all pathetically described the
condition Of their clients as innocent
purchasers -
"These people bought these stocks
and bonds and should awe known or
did know at the time they
them, that these stocks We're greatly
inflated and they had to rely upon
the illegal methods Of the American
Tobacco Company in order to de-
clare the dividends on these bonds
and stocks.
after benefting for years by the
large dividends of the American To-
bacco Company and when the courts
have declared them an outlaw, it is
now too late for these people who
we're narticeDs crinlinis to come IN
and plead the martyr act.
..The Acknowledgement made an
able argument. and if a receiver was
not to be appointed I sincerely re-
gret that the court did not adopt the
amendments suggested by him and
have the same Incorporated IN the
Judgment Of the court.
u am afraid that the independents
were A little too persistent with the
Acknowledgement. The burden Of
the song OF Mr.. Nicoll for the Ameri-
can Tobacco Co. was that b indie
pendents wanted to completely put
his clients out Of business for their
own selfish o. This was not
- asa u not hl2ne iheSa