The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-02-25
OUR TOBACCO MARK ETS
Mr.. Il. ID. Cothran Answers a Recent
Letter of Mr.. Sprott.

TO the Editor of The News and Cou,
fief: l nave read very recently an arti-
Gle that appeared in your paper on
the 18th instant. This article was
written by Mr.. G. r. Sprott of Man
nlng, 5. c., in answer to an article
written by myself and published in
Mondays News and Courier. Mr..
Sprott seems to want some more in
formation on certain phases of the
tobacco question. This is a subject
chaC mas been much written about. 1t
IS ike cotton, it would require much
time and many volumes to hold or con-
tain what could be written or said
about tobacco, its method of cultiya
ton and handling, curing, marketing,
etc.
IL seems that | have not made some
phases of the tobacco question clear
10 my friends mind. | do not doubt
This IN the least, and if l was to write
an article every day this year some
one would see what I wrote in diff
ferent light from what 1 did. | do
not know just how my good friend
Sprott stands on the grading Of to-
bacco: believe he stated that he
tnought was correct In saying that
North Carolina and Virginia tobacco
brought more money because it was
graded firstly; secondly, because it
was better quality.
Tobacco could not be sold in North
carolina and Virginia without grading
as | referred to in my previous a,ti,
Gle, simply because this is the custom
ana the companies that buy it require
1t. L also stated that grading was a
great deal of trouble and very ex-
pehsiVe now with the present labor
conditions. But | would like to saw
to my good friend Sprott that there
isn't any law against Il man grading
MS weed II he wants to in the Pal
metto State. | can only speak for
one: l am not going to myself un-
til l am forced to by the companies
That buy our tobacco. We had grad
ing IN South Carolina once upon a
time, away back in the incipiency or
beginning of the tobacco industry in
South Caroline. This did not last but
a few years, and the companies that
bought the weed had it relegated to
ehe am past. Now, my dear Mr..
Npfott, the tobacco warehouscman did
not 40 this or cause it to be done. IT.
was done by the tobacco companies.
wish once again in passing to make
myself perfectly clear on this phase
OF the business that | am against the
grading from farmers standpoint.
personally. / say this because I had
rather sell my tobacco without the
trouble of grading it, But on the
other hand, if any of my farmer
friends think differently from me and
want to grade their tobacco, | haven't
got one word to say. The tobacco
Warchouscman in North Carolina or
Virginia make more out Of the ware
mouse business than is made by the
South Carolina warchouscman. He
gets more to sell the tobacco than
we DO and this is because it is graded
MY friend may think me inconsistent
IN SAYING this, but | am perfectly
honest in my views about the grad
ing of our tobacco. I also wish to
make it perfectly clear that | am not
taking this view because | am buvinp
tobacco and shipping it to North Caro-
'ina or Virginia to be graded and re-
sold, as my friend accuses us of do
ing.
Now what Mr.. SprOtt says he is in.
terestcd in is that he wants me to give
nm and the tobacco grower some in
formation about the warehouscman
ana so-called spcculator buying up
large quantities of the South Carolina
crop of tobacco and shipping it to the
Old North State to be graded and re-
sold. | am little surprised at my
good friend c. r. Sprott for asking me
question like this. Mr.. Sprott has
been thoroughly familiar with how the
South Carolina tobacco is handled for
; years, and he knows full we'll that the
tobacco warehouscmcn stand between
the farmer and the buyer and do all
in their power to obtain good equitable
prices. The tobacco bought by the
warehouscman from day to day is put
back on his floor and rcsold again
and more frequently at loss than
gain. Mr.. Sprott says that he is in
formed that we ship this tobacco and
: realize from 25 to 100 per cent Why
if this was true, Mr.. Sprott, | would
not want to be in the tobacco business
but one year. 1t would be equal to
owning an oil mill or a fertilizer
plant. | do not know any tobacco
warchousemen that ever made any
money by shipping tobacco | have
two in mind that tried it out here
years ago under the old regime, the
"A. II. Company, and these gentlemen
paid dear for their experience. And
well do | remember many shipments
that | made in those days acting as
m"Harer for a warehouse, and | re-
call many shiny plunks that went
over the left shoulder. | had Just as
coon spccul"t" in German marks 1T
'hc;" present buying valuation as to
ry to mNkc my living by buying to-
ac"o after the companies buyers
havn PASSED over it and bid their
'i,''itG on it.
'..hcGe same buyers have the same