Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-06-10
THE TALK OF
ORGANIZATION
Reasons Given Why Tobacco
Growers Should Act In
Concert.

hiCilt VII iOOA W VI game lhC AOb'SSO
growers of Christian county and the
kentuckian takes great pleasure in
rendering its columns for the further
ance of movement so praiseworthy
and necessary to the best interest of
our growers. The fact should not be
lost sight of for a moment that all
wealth is a product, even though in
directly of either the soil, the forest
or the mines. Therefore in this day
of rapid strides In money making too
much attention cannot be devoted to
the subject of keeping the affairs Of
the agricultural class abreast all 9TH
ers. II is too often the case that hard
times are commented upon by the
manufacturer and merchant without
being understood to be directly at
tributable to the fact that the farmer
is getting nothing for the sweat and
toll he has put forth and his invest
ment in land, tools and teams. At
the prices which prevailed during the
sale of very large per cent. of the
last two crops of tobacco, there has
been little or nothing to suggest eth
er profit or progress, but on the con-
trary the tobacco grower who came
out even was lucky indeed. This
occurred at a time when it must have
been perfectly apparent to everybody
that the demand for tobacco would be
greater than at any time in recent
years on account of the fact that the
European countries that are our
heavy patrons, themselves producers
from their own soils, of more tobacco
than they purchase annually from us
being unable to produce tobacco dur
ling the existence of the war. Wher,
such countries are not devastated b!
the fightful progress of war the gov
ernmentS are directing the production
of such crops as will sustain life. In
stead of tobacco selling at the ruin
ously low prices which prevailed
early in the last season it should by
every commercial law or system have
sold for double the price actually
realized. If anything else than the
prices which prevailed early in the
present sale season is necessary to
convince the grower that supply and
demand is not the factor in the price
making and il anything else than the
same price is necessary to convince
1, the grower that if he does not take an
active part in the making of reasona-
bic prices for his own product that
nobody else will and that in such
event good prices are exceedingly i'm
probable, we do not understand his
basis Of reasoning. II simply is no
possible to even approach a solution
OF this momentous question in any
other way than by organization
Some thirty prominent and highl!
esteemed Christian county farmers
have taken the initiative in this lau1a
BILE movement for organization and j
is to be hoped that every other farm
err in the county will cheerfully anC
earnestly rally to their support. Tn,
Planters Protective Association wa
once thoroughly established anon!
us and no one can gainsay the fac
that it came among us at the time 0
the growers deepest dependence
almost doubling the price Of tobacco
in an astonishingly short time. TX
be sure it was crude at that time, anC
not a few complaints were suggested
but it served a great purpose il
greatly advancing the price of tobac
co. We are informed that the aggre
gate of the business done by it in tn
seemingly few years of its existenc
was approximately $52,OO0OO0O
To those who recall the fact that tb
average price for tobacco was les
than four cents and that in an as
tonishably short time il was nine O
ten cents it must be apparent the a:
ISOLATION has added something Xix
$25, 900, 100000 to the total wealth {
the dark tobacco district of Kentuck
and Tennessee, comprising abol
thirty counties. Is anything els
necessary to commence such an OF
ganization9 Had not one better as
how can any grower afford not I
sustain il?