The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-11
Guinea Mills. Sept. 8, 1914


Guinea MILE, sept. D, 49l a.
NE VIII L. .Hazell.
haceo 7Saede, Richmend. Va.
Dear Sir: beg to acknowledge
receirt Of your letter Of August 18th.
n Answer 10 my letter of August 18th,
- fhs President of your Tobacco
Trade. / acknowkdge receipt OF
cs4prsrx from News Leader of Ausust
eth nj same tfnne.
II have pHrposely delayed answer
irx your letter until now to give
your president ample time in which
TO present any direct or other evil
cence he might deem proper-you
having written me that he Yves out OF
the city when you answered my let
ter.
TT the clipping received is an the
evidence apon which you have hased
yeur accusations against the Anti
saleon League, then | am compelled
to say II II tina weakest thing OF the
kind / ever saw and An almost a.
rect Insult to the intsliigent and ensr-
getic body of fine ner whom l have
had The honor to represent for the
last i've years. and this body Of farm
srs represent the very assence OF
with production and the element
which has Coma no much to build up
v1rgixis ts~rs and co.nrnsrce. AZ well
- all i1rdreA enterprises
spts that both the clipping which
$eu enclosed and your letter dealt IN
personalities no far a.. sln concern
"a. ana for that reason shall answer
your letter mora fully than ] would
have done under different circurn-
stances.
"TAs assertion In the clipping that
] was rot trying TO get At the facts
- net borne on. by any evidence. for
Il made an sftnrt TO get the truth
from the Anti-saloon League and
your rrekesnt only aftsr recsivins
resolutions airing me 70 do go. For
your Information I VIII further stste
that have been ss much or more
active In bshalf OF the tobacco grow
err and consumers for the last five
wars than any man know Of as
witness, my efforts at Louisville, st.
Louis, Morrstowa, shawnee okla,
Charlotte, N. c.. Danvtils, Lynchburg.
Pet ersburx. Richmond Farmville.
Va, and Warrington City. also the
tobacco bin now before the congress
efforts to have ths crop financed 60
u to b held over during the distress
Ing period.
TT IL paxEing strange, to say the
least, that your body snou1d suddenly
become 20 active-as you state, in the
interests Of tobacco only-when the
liqucr interests ara at stake.
~ your people had been such true
friends Of the tobacco growers. you
surely had ample opportunity to
prove IL for the last twenty years.
'If you have ever done any great
things for the farmers interests
certainly have failed TO find y out.
think / ar1 safe in saving the poor
farmers OF Virginia have never heard
sEythinE about any Tonaees Board s1 .;
buyers doing anything for the tobac-
CO growers except to take their to-
baeco At the lowest possible prices and
manipulate the farmers for their In
terests.f
Having been requested to pvrite
your Tobacco Board of Trade and the
Anti-Saloon people along the lines
pursued l only did my duty in so do
Ing. and the letter ! previously gave
to the press represented my indiv.d-
ual orGion which l stated was given
after much observation and exper-
fence.
The country people have all to
gain and nothing 10 lose by the aboli =.
hon of the liquor traffic in Virginia
: am sura our farmers will not be
fooled by the liquor interests this fail
and that they viii arise in their might
and ipdixnation and hurl their bal
lots aga4rst the common enemy OF
mankind.
mo one with unbiased mind can
fer 4 moment believe that we will. or
could ever abofish the production OF
tobacco gave by ono thing, and. that Is
lower prices Yer q product that is now
grown at a loss II your board really
wished te help both consumers and
producers Of tobacco, then you should
get busy and have the national gov
Axnment abolish the USE of SONS
forty million pounds adultsrsted stuff
IN tho manufacture OF tobacco. This
to the market and benefit to man
kind
There may or might be some ac-
ton under the pure food laws OF this
United States to compel manufac-
tuYers Of cigarettes to turn out n
pureY article. I think this would hs
q hleAsing and one that would pos
Eefy in no wise curtail the ccnsunp-
-t4en ef-e4EefettsAs
IT will STATE further that I am cup
posed to occupy resition which de-
msnds that I warn our farmers
detrimental to their welfare and that
shall continue to do so As long as
I am. At their head in this organiza-
ton.
II believe thousands Of our people
will vote for the liquor interests this
fall because they have net given suf-
fciene study to the question and the
grave possibilities involved, and that
many Of. them will live to be heartily
ashamed Of having done so.
DIR. Caanon did me the honor to
answer nv letter very fully and be-
iieve frankly. He brought ott no per-
eonai attack, ard I was not put To the
trouble of defending any action Of nay
own or or this organization.
You win therefore pardon me for
this lengthy letter. have no desire
to engage in thee discussion Of the
liquor question, for its disastrous con-
sequences must be too well known. /
consider the habituM. use OF, and Its
manufacture more damaging than
warfare, famine CT pestilence. do
not even exempt the present almost
worldwide war.
II leave 1t to the conscience ana
wisdom of our proud but humble
thinkers all over Virginia to settl~
this question as their good Judgment
may direct.
II cannot send you names OF mem
hers nor locals because our const,-
tuition forbtds such action