The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-03-08
It's the Enemy Of the To-
baccO Grower
ANO BIG TOOL OF THE TRUST
Farmer Is At a Great Disadvan.
fage When Selling By
This Plan.
EQUITY Is THE ONLY RELIEF

III. G.. Tank in Organized Farmer
To the organized farmer of the
central and northwestern States and
to the average reader the above
heading does not mean anything, but
60 the tobacco grower in Kentucky
the Loose Leaf Floor system of sell
ing tobacco is a great deal worse
than the Chamber of Commerce
method of selling grain or the Com
mission Grafters method of selling
farm products in the central mar
kets.
I was surprised upon visiting sew
eTai OF the Loose Leaf Floors to see
the tobacco growers bring their
tobacco, place it in the baskets pro-
vided for that purpose, have them
placed all in a row on the floor of
The house; to see the auctioneer
walking along one side of each row
of baskets, the tobacco buyers walk
ing along the other side and from
fhe time that the first bid was made
the auctioneer talking continually,
but NO one understanding him and
u 6oubt if he knew himself what he
was talking about and the only thing
I caught by the closest attention
were the final words of the auction
neer when he said sold to the
American Tobacco Company at
$50"
was Informed by men who knew
and understood the game that this
method of the auctioneers was used
go that the farmers who were watch !
ing the sale of their tobacco would
not understand any of the bids that !
were made.
To say that was surprised is GER
family putting it mild, because, as l.
looked back four, five and six years
j saw the organized Equity tobac- /
co growers pooling their tobacco, |
selling it as one united force and
getting an average of from seven to !
eight cents per pound and then to !
thdt tht SolIDihc VIII I'D
many methods of destroying the ,
organization had secured foothold ,
and had destroyed 1t completely I'M
til today the Kentucky grower is sell
ing at on an average of four or five
cents, or CONSIDERABLY lower than
the cost of production.
Merchants, bankers and profess
sional men with whom | had an OPP
pOrtunity to discuss this matter
were all opposed to the Loose Leaf
Floor system and stated that organ
come again.
One of the most prominent men
of Greensboro, an ex-Circuit Court
Judge. by the way, stated that he
estimated that that city alone lost
$500,O00 to s1,00O,0OO annually be-
canse of the present methods of
selling tobacco as compared to the
method employed by the American I
Society of Equity.
Tae conditions surrounding the !
Kentucky Tobacco Grower are de- {
plorable. tenant houses standing va
cant because the tenants had their I
choice of either starving or moving {
somewhere else. and they moved; to-
bocco growers using the money q
that they secured for the 1916 crop C
to pay the 1914 debts incurred for a
the necessities of life. L
The Tobacco Trust has a peculiar
way OF operating and among its
methods employed to keep the farm f,
ers from organizing is, that in every b
district they usually take one or S
two mems tobacco and bid it up to g
a very good price. This remarkable n
sale is then published broadcast b
throughout the entire State by the B
hired press of the Trust. and farmers a
sire made to believe that the Loose
Leaf Floor system is the only sys-
lem that will lead them to eternal :,
happiness. These few men that re- n
'eive these splendid prices then act W
Is the especially appointed guardians m
" the Tobacco Trusts interests and
its great ability TO help NJ
he farmers out of their trouble. Is
have seen men who will sell NJ
heir brothers interest for a few n,
'ennies, but | believe there are men
n Kentucky who would sell the well n
are and the homes Of their fellow n,
men in an entire community for a IN
ew pennies. We look with abhor- nj
ence on Judas betraying Christ for h,
J small sum of money. but what OF Z,
he men that are betraying their
Ieighbors In Kentucky today?
The Trust is cunning and Is now m
its remarkable abii- ia
b to study human nature in Ken 81