Henderson gold leaf., 1911-11-30
FARMERS May GO AFTER
THE TOBACCO TRUST.
Criminal Prosecutions May Be
Taken in North Carolina Against
Officials of the American To-
bacco Company.
Charlotte Observer J


Charlotte Observer.) Il.
DR.. H. @. Alexander, presi-
dent of the North Carolina divis-
iont of the Farmers Union. has
been in conference with a numz
Der of the leading tobacco grow
ers Of the State for the past sew
eral days and also by letter with
National President c. S. Barrett
of Union City, Ga. with the view
to appointing special committee
from the Farmers Union to go
to Washington at the earliest
possible moment for the purpose
Of urging upon President Taft
and Attorney General Wicker
sham the need Of action by the
proper authorities in this State
against the American Tobacco
Company, the so-called tobacco
trust"
If we can secure the proper
support from those in authority,
we will take the matter up with
District Attorney A. E. Holton," "
declared DR.. Alexander yester-
day, and criminal prosecutions
will be brought against the Off
cials of the corporation in the
western district Of North Caro-
lima"
This significant statement from
one so influential in the State
and national councils Of the great
organization of farmers will be
read with extraordinary interest
throughout the country.
THE North Carolina division
Of the Farmers Educational and
Cooperative Union was repre-
sented at the hearing in New
York October Both, when this
matter was up for a hearing and
through its attorneys, Messrs.
IE. ]. Justice and S. A. Wood
ward, filed a protest with the
circuit court of the Southern dis
trict of New York against the
proposed reorganization plan in
behalf Of the tobacco growers of
the State. Mr.. Justice in re-
porting on his trip stated to us
in Greensboro recently that the
presiding judge at this court told
him that this was the first time
in the history of the case that
the tobacco growers had taken a
hand. He added that everything
prior had been done by the in
dependent tobacco manufacture
ers, who claimed that they had
! either been damaged Or ruined
by the American Tobacco Com
/ pany, the tobacco trust but
that nothing had ever been said
or done in behalf of the tobacco
growers. He gave the commit
tee a most cordial hearing.
The Farmers Union has a
large clientele among the tobac-
co growers Of the State and is
anxious to do what it can for
their welfare. There is no ques-
ton but that the tobacco trust
has been guilty of the greatest
violations of the Sherman anti
trust law and that the tobacco
growers Of the State have suffer
ed untold injuries as the result
fof the manipulation of the great
corporation. Such being the
case, if only some endorsement
from those in power can be had,
then District Attorney Holton
will be asked to bring criminal
indictments against the officials
of the American Tobacco Com
pany. Everything is now in
readiness save the endorsement
of the Department Of Justice.
This we hope to secure should
such a committee as | have out
lined be appointed. Definite an
nouncement will be forthcoming
in day or two. | am expecting
the last word from our national
president, Mr.. Charles S. Bar
rett, every day
If this committee is appointed
and the officials Of the Depart
ment of Justice give assurances
that the law will be allowed to
take its course uninterruptedly,
then the scene of the great bat
tie Of the United States VS. the
American Tobacco Company, J.
B. Duke, ct al, may be shifted
from the Southern district of
New York to the Western dis
trict of North Carolina. This
State, along with South Carolina
and Virginia, was represented at
the hearings in New York by
Attorney General Thomas w.
Beckett, Mr.. Fraser Lyon, At
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