Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1923-04-06
THE TOBACCO GROWERS
MEETING.


Tie large attendance at the To-
bacco Growers meeting held here on
Saturday last cannot help but i'm
press us with the fact that the
farmers OF this county are waking
up to the problem Of the future Of
tobacco. Tobacco as a renunerative
crop in the future depends entirely
upon the farmers
The conditions and the effect OF
organization on the tobacco market
in Kentucky, related by Mr.. Joseph
A. Wilmer, who recently made a
personal visit to Kentucky, where he
Investigated the tobacco situation in
that state, shows conclusively what
can be done in a practical way and
maintain a stable price and re-
munerative market for tobacco
where the organization has control
of 80 per cent of the tobacco. The
same results accomplished in Ken
lucky can be accomplished here, but
these results can only be accom-
plished through control Of at least
80 per cent of the tobacco raised in
this state.
The present market for tobacco
in Baltimore is practically dictated
by the non-members of the Asso-
cation, the result of which is that
no tobacco grower is getting what
his tobacco is actually worth and
what it would bring had the organi
cation control of it. The Associa
ton has only enough control over
the amount of tobacco raised to
keep the price Of tobacco up to its
present status.
The non-member OF the Associa-
ton is the man who is standing in
The way Of better prices, and as long
as a large per cent of tobacco grow
ers remain outside of the Associa-
ton, so long will unremunerative
prices be paid for tobacco. South
ern Maryland tobacco is in demand
by the buyers, and as good business
men they are going to buy where
they can buy cheapest. If the AS
sociation had control Of the tobacco
market the buyer would be COM
FOUR. Independent. 1893
PEELED to pay the price demanded by
the Association. As it is today the
Association fixes the price on its to-
bacco, but since the demand can be
practically supplied outside, the As
ISOLATION is compelled to sell at the
prevailing prices fixed by the out
side salesman of tobacco. Mr..
Gardner, manager of the Associa-
ton, clearly showed how the market
for tobacco is now created and why
the Association was compelled to sell
its tobacco at the prevailing market
price. If the Association had con-
troll Of sufficient tobacco to prevent
an outside market being created it
would be in the position OF the mer-
chant in selling his goods. The
merchant fixes his price on his
goods, and the purchaser must pay
the price or not get the same. The
whole tobacco situation was thor
oughly discussed at the meeting on
Saturday and the conditions facing
the farmers fully outlined. The
proposition now is squarely up to
the tobacco growers to either give
the Association their united support
or let the Association dissolve and
return to the old prices Of a maxi
mum of ten or twelve cents pound.
In our judgment if the Associa-
ton is abandoned now, there will
never be any future for tobacco and
the farmers will go into bankruptcy,
for it will be impossible for them
to live under the conditions facing
us today of high prices for all we
buy.
The Association is the only hope
and salvation for the tobacco grow
9rs. Abandon it and let it drop and
all hope of farming as a successful
and remunerative vocation is gone.
We urge the farmers of this
1ounty and Southern Maryland to
awake to their own interest and not
lose the opportunity to bring about
and preserve a remunerative market
for the only crop that it now pays
to raise.