The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-01-11

factories Tor announcer Twelve mOuCnS.
To sell this crop of tobacco at the
extremely low prices which are Of
fered would simply give the manu-
facturers club not only to bankrupt
the tobacco growers this year, but
would give them a surplus of tobacco
which they could hold over for sew
eral years to come and keep prices
down to an extremely low grade in
the future.
Denies Sacrifice Is Necessary.
GAS / see the situation, the only
sensible thing for the farmer to do
is to withhold his tobacco from the
market until such time as the manu-
facturers have exhausted their pres
ent stocks and until they get into
frame of mind where they are willing
to pay the growers a decent price for
his tobacco. In making this statement
realize fully the hardship which
will be entailed upon all of our people
but the banks and the business peO-
pie of Kentucky have no right to
make the demand on. the tobacco
grower that he should sacrifice all in
order temporarily, to very partial
extent, to relieve the financial dis
tress. By withholding the tobacco
from the market until the present
stocks are consumed, the grower will
eventually get a price which will
bring him the cost of production and
more and enable him to obtain
enough money to discharge his obi
cations and bring business prosper
ity to the hurley district of Ken
lucky.
at appears to me that there should
be the closest cooperation between
the tobacco warehousemen and the
tobacco growers. Most of the loose
leaf warehouses are owned and con-
trolled by tobacco growers whose in
! terests in their tobacco crops are of
more magnitude than their stock IN
the tobacco warehouses.
GA plan should be worked out be-
tween the warehousemen and the
growers for the handling of the pres
ent crop of tobacco which will enable
the warehousemen to receive a re-
turn on their investment and at the
same time protect the interests OF
the growers.
"With so many great loose leaf
warehouses scattered over the hurley
district there is no need for the farm
ers to have to build their own ware
houses to store and handle their to-
baccos, as was the case twelve years
ago when our tObaccos were pooled.
The tobacco growers are in much bets
ter position now, with the assistance
of the tobacco warehousemen, to
carry over and handle and store the
tobaccos, so that warehouse receipts
can be issued on the same to relieve
the financial distress, than they were
twelve years ago when tobacco was
pooled.
Suicide To Sacrifice Crop.
SIN my opinion, it would be abso-
lutte business suicide for the farmers
to sacrifice this crop of tobacco at
the opening prices, and l sincerely
hope that some steps will be taken
for a sane and sensible business
agreement between the growers and
warehousemen to take over and han
die this crop of tobacco and with
hold it from the market until decent
prices are offered by the tobacco
manufacturers. The prevailing Of
fers made by the manufacturers to
my mind mean that there is a we'll
defined conspiracy among a few big
tobacco manufacturers to steal this
crop of tobacco from the farmers.
There is plenty of State law and Fed
eral law to prevent such an illegal
combination and sincerely hope that
every ommonwealth's Attorney and
every Federal District Attorney in
the State of Kentucky will immedi-
ately make a full and complete in
vestigation of these conditions so
that such a combination, if it exists,
is Immediately broken up and the Of
tenders brought to immediate Justice.
Would Cut Out 1921 Crop.
"My individual opinion, is that the
most effective and quickest way to
bring relief to the holders of the
present crop of tobacco would be a
determination on the part of the
growers not to grow crop of tobac-
co in the year 1921, and to withhold
this crop from the market until a
decent price is paid for it.
81 realize the grave conditions
which would confront Kentucky if a
campaign for a cut-out were inaugu-
rated, and at this particular time.
Il would not go so far as to say
positively that cut out should be
attempted. I do say, however, most
emphatically that no tobacco should
be offered on the market at the pre-
vailing prices.
81 am willing to cooperate with
/ my friends in the hurley district who
are growers of tobacco, in inaugural
ing a campaign for protection of the
tobacco growers, as the majority of
them think is wise and best, and to
this end I am willing to pledge my
time and the best effort that is with
in me to help, at my own expense, to
conduct campaign in behalf of an
organization which will obtain living
and decent prices for our present
crop of tobacco.
No Basis For Low Prices.
81 wish to emphasize the fact that
there is no basis, either in the pres
ent business conditions of the coun-
try or in the stocks of tobacco which
the manufacturers of hurley tobacco
have on hand, which would in any
way justify the extremely low price
which thew have offered tn nav for