The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-12-06
Kentucky Tobacco Growers
Face Unusual Situation;
To Contest Lou Price Move

cost may be huge.
There is a general feeling that the
1921 crop should be cut out. This
| would not be practicable, il placed
| in the form of an association order,
| because scores of farmers in everv
community. needing money that to-
| bacco will bring, would refuse to
| abide by such an agreement and
would raise tobacco, which would re-
| suit in night riding. But part of
the present output and the whole of
the 1921 crop could be pooled and
held until the price goes up. as was
| the case 10 years ago. when the
Burley Tobacco society was formed
and in which thousands of the farm
ers affected by the present pecarious
situation were members.
States Best Asset.
| Tobacco is Kentucky's most valu-
able asset. The state in 1919 pro-
duced in round numbers $75,000,000
worth OF leaf, over five times as
much az all the gold yield from the
| Colorado gold fields gave up in am
one of its big bonanza years. There
are score of big sales warehouses
and handling plants in Lexington,
while every town in the white hurley
region has one or more such plants.
| Then, in the BLACK Patch there are
many warehouses. but with this the
white hurley tobacco has nothing to
do, Louisville's market handles both
the colors in leaf
This condition has grown up with
in the last IL years. Hundreds Of
former tenants, who never had any
hope of owning more real estate than
| the six feet necessary for their burial,
and were not sure about that, are
| now prosperous. bringing up their
children on their own farms and
raising crops for themselves, instead
| Of someone else.
Twelve years ago the tenants
and many of the landlords-in the
Kentucky tobacco district made up
as desperate lot of people as ever
| fought for a living against business
conditions they could not control.
| Their children who toiled with the
| parents in the blazing sunshine over
| the tobacco fields, the wives. who,
besides doing the homework, went 10
the fields to help raise the crop be-
cause the tenant tobacco grower Tad
not the money to hire help, were
half starved, worse clothed, as re-
hellious as were their fathers and
husbands against the cruel hand OF
O. fate that kept them poor in the
raising of a ready money crop.
| In those days there was little or
no competition for tobacco and the
prices paid were pitifully low. Then
! the growers pool was organized
| Hundreds refused to join it. Barn
burning, scraping of plant BEDS
whipping of men by night riders,
murder, the invasion of towns and
other depredations by armed bands
of night riders, marked an effort to
"cut OUT and pool the tobacco crop
with a view of holding 1t under one
selling agency for a better price.
| Troops had to be called out ana kept
in the disturbed sections OF the state
| for months and the state was IN
Z condition bordering upon open re-
bellion. so far as the tobacco ols-
| tricts were concerned.
| But the pool held, and the prices
began to increase. The figures quot
| cd at the head of this story were
Maid last season-the most prosper
| ons ever known to Kentucky farm
| ers. The manufacturers are in ac-
| tive competition and their buyers
paid the price the farmers demandea
whether this will be the case TINS
wear remains to be seen. Since night
riding has been given as sure re-
suit some of the farmers claim
knowledge of a move to not produce
a crop next year.