The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-10-17
Tobacco Price
Accord Victory
For Ehringhaus
Observers Feel He Averted
Possible Bloodshed by
Declaring Holiday
B. !. e.. Baskerville
The Times News BurCnu
Sir Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, Oct. II. - While
Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus has
not claimed any credit for the
ultimate settlement Of the tobac-
co price question when the parity
price agreement was signed by
the domestic buyers and the gov
eminent and has issued no state
ment other than to express his
personal approval at the signing
Of the agreement, many here feel
that he deserves a great deal Of
credit for what he has done. For,
while it took the government and
the domestic manufacturers OF
tobacco long enough as it was,
to finally reach an agreement,
the prevailing belief is that 1t
would probably have taken :.
good deal longer time if Gov
ernor Ehringhaus had not taken
hold Of the situation when he did
and stayed right in back of it un-
til an agreement was finally
signed.
That the situation in the state
was more serious than those out
side the tobacco growing coun-
ties realized and that it was fill
ed with both physical and politi-
cal dangers to the state, all those
who have been following the to-
bacco situation here are convinc-
ed. It is agreed that Governor
Ehringhaus was among the first
TO sense the grim and desperate
seriousness Of the tobacco farm
crs and realize that something
had to be done and done then
to avert violence, if not actual
bloodshed That was why he
closed the warehouses with his
tobacco holiday" proclamation
rand personally went to Washing
ton in an effort to egt something
done to boost tobacco prices i'm
mcdiately. There is little doubt
but that the price agreement
signed yesterday is the direct re-
suit Of the action by the gov
ernor ard that it probably would
not be signed now but for the
insistent manner in which he has
kept prodding the government,
Including the kilograms he direct
ed to President Roosevelt.
While Governor Ehringhaus
was primarily interested in the
welfare Of the farmers and in Sc
curing for them a fair price for
their tobacco, there is no doubt
the Democratic party was being
tried in the fire as it has not
been tried before. For if the
governor had failed to get the
government in Washington to do
anything about tobacco prices, it
would have been just too bad for
the Democratic party to have
gotten many votes out of any of
the tobacco counties, despite the
fact that the eastern counties are
supposed to be solidly Demo
cratic. This was exactly what
the governor meant when he told
President Roosevelt, in one of his
| kilograms, that these tobacco
farmers had been among his
strongest supporters and that
they were now expecting the gov
eminent to do something definite.
If the governor had not come
through the time with q price
agreement, as it now has. it
would have been just too bad for
the Democratic party in Eastern
North Carolina for a long time
to come, believe it or not. Of
course, neither the governor nor
anv of the Democratic leaders
will be quoted as saying so. But
there is no doubling the fact
they believed this good many
weeks ago and believe it now.
There are indications also that
some of the tobacco companies
finally walked up to this fact,
principally those located in this
and neighboring states and that
this is one reason they took the
lead in getting all the tobacco
companies to reach an agreement
and sign it. The southern COM
panies knew it would be just too
bad for them if the Republicans
should come into power in these
tobacco states and realized that
unfriendly legislatures might
make their present tax loads look
mild in comparison with what
they might put on. The declara-
ton made last week by Governor
Ehringhaus to the effect that the
tobacco companies were in dan.
ger of selling the good will OF
the tobacco farmers for a mess
of pottage is also believed toI
have had some effect and
brought about a change of front
and heart.
As things now are. Governor
Ehringhaus is stronger in East
ern North Carolina-where most
of his opposition came from when
he was seeking the nomination
for governor-then he has ever
been, with most of those who
fought him bitterly for governor
now his strongest boosters, while
the domestic tobacco companies
now have an opportunity to re-
gain the good will and confidence
of the growers by the attitude
they have shown.