The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-13

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Lexington, Ky--Q. N 5.)--Tw
hundred thousand farmers Of Ken
lucky, Indiana West Virginia an
Ohio are facing the sreAtest crisisf
fifteen years. .&sfsss1 sksS
II 10 whether or not they shall pro
duce a crop Of tobacco during 1891
because the prices. promoters OF tn
cut-out movement claim. are In man.
cases below the actual cost of produc
ton.
The farmers Of the states name,
annually produce around 100000. 00i
pounds OF white hurley tobacco. which
Is sold on domestic and foreign mar.
kets, and IL used In making the finel
grades OF cigars and cigarettes.
The crop is annually worth TO Ken.
lucky alone over s75.0o0.00o and ID
sold mainly on the LexiDgton and
louisville markets. The three othei
states do not produce 80, much al
Kentucky. ti
Farmers who oppose the cut-out
movement openly declare that the or
gapization of a body to enforce cut
out order would mean n resumption OF
the activities of the much feared
night riders, whose depredations ten
or twelve years ago plunged n large
part OF the state into miniature civil
warfare.
Towns were attacked-some OF
them set on fire-men were shot down
at their homes, women and children
were whipped BY masked r1efi--alt as
the result OF pool ORGANIZED BY The
farmers to keep tobacco on the mar
kets until the great tobacco conipa-
niles paid what the producers claimed
was "a fair price" for 1t.
lone farmer declared he would raise
tobacco on his farm In Fayette
county--the chief producing county in
the four states--if he had TO buy
s'barrel of lead" to protect 1t. Other
growers declare they will oppose n
cut out, and they will raise crops next
year and every other year II suits
them, regardless Of any pool move
rnent or cut-out order.
The argument In used by promoters
of the cut out ppotect thai The land
now used for t0bAcco 'cohld be utilized
for producing food crops, and ~ add :
to-. TO helping the country in its
cf1sis over food shortage would give
the land years rest
ssBut farmers who the past season
received 80 cents TO 81 a pound for
tobacco cannot see why they should
cease raising a bank account" be-
cause some farmers In outlying coun-
ties are not receiving as high prices
as the more fortunate ones are. And
therein is the whole argument.
Farmers In the great Bluegrass
section. comprising about twenty
counties. received such prices for
their tobacco last season and the sew
eral preceding seasons that they are
opulent Tenantry isspying cute
thousands OF men now own farms as
as q result Of growing tobacco, whore
the same thousands were tenants only
a few years ago.
Land which a decade ago brought
s2Q0 an acre is now bringing $500 TO
1900 an acre--and It ig all because
Of the great prices paid for tobacco.
In the outlying counties where the
lard is not so rich az n Is in the Blue |
grass, the prices were iower--so low, |
In fact, that producers urging the |
cut-out OF next years crop claim they !
didsnot receive an average OF 26 cents !
\ pounds, which. they claim. Is what |
i cost TO grow the crop. s~e
But those farmers who DO produce
The finest tobacco are ready 10 take
any steps necessary TO keep on grow
ing II.
The night riders who made their
name hideous some years ago oper-
ated just as the famed Ku Klux Khan
lid after the Civil war and as the
White Caps and other dreaded similar
bodies have done in various parts Of
he country.
II would mean a resumption Of the
.errible times that caused every to-
Dacco grower who dared 10 dlsohey
he orders OF the night riders TO pool
heir crops 10 wonder when he and
his family went TO rest nj night
they would be alive the next
and the least he expected
was that his homo or barns would he
burned.
Twelve years ago the people Of the
tohacco districts were as desperate a
ct as ever fought against business
they could not control
b''i thtihiFHt WIN IOlIed WIN tnCm |
n the hot. burning sunshine OF the
obacco fields: their wives. who. be-
hdes doing the Homework. went 20
he holds 10 help because The tenant
ohecco grower had not the money 20
hire help n he could have found H.
vhen half-starved, worse clothed. as
'ehelllous as their fathers and hus-
'ands against the cruel hand Of fate
hat kept them poor IN the raising OF
! ready crop.
There WIS then no competition for
ohacco, The prices were nitifullv low
10 cents WIS considered good
rice" then. Then the growers pooi
vas organized. Many refused to Join
!. Barn burning kcrnpinE 81 tobacco /
EDS. whining ~ men by night riders
lurder, tho Invasion ~ towns and the
estrrction Of tobacco warehouses nv
rn1ed ha nds Of night riders not one
whom was ever punished. marked I'm
hort 10 "cut out" the crop then md |
ool n against the market. with the
one Of securing n living price
Troops were cnllod out and kent In
Ne disturbed sectionk ~ KcnbichN Tor
lonths, and the state was in "a eondi- |
on bordering on open rebellion IN the
,hacco districts
Last season 75.o00. 00n pounds wore
bid IN the hurley district Of Kentucky.
here only white hurley was raises
he black hurley districts covering |
'estorn Kentucky. did not do 30 well
he white builev prices rr rgc1 from
. cents to over 81 n pound for the best
~ des-and this for the wood That In |