North Carolina Newspapers

THE DANBURY REPORTER. VOLUME XXXIII. MR. BUXTON ON THE REID BILL. Answers Letter From J. C. Minn, of Pine Hall, and Goes Fully Into the Matter. Tine Hall, April 19. Mr. Editor : Find enclosed a letter that I re ceived from Hon. J. C. Buxton in answer to one I wrote him ask ing him to explain why he opposed the Reid Bill in the Senate. I, for one, thought Mr. «-Buxtqn should have supported the Reid Bill and I wrote hini to know why he did not support it. The enclosed is his reply. If you have room, will you please publish. J. C. FLINN. Mr. J. C. Flinn, Pine Hall, N. C. 'J ~ Dear Sir : ~~ I have received your letter and I thank .you for your kind expres sions towards me and lam pleas ed to give you my position on the so-called Reid Bill, on which you ?ay the people of Stokes would like to know uiy position arid why I oppotfeil it in the Senate. I want to say in the beginning that had I been of the opinion that the passage of this bill would have afforded the tobacco farmers of our State any measure of relief whatever, I should have felt that it would have been my duty, and it certainly would have been my greatest pleasure to have given it my support, or to any other ligit imate measure that promised re lief arid protection to this olass of our people, but for reasons which I shall give you, it was and is still my honest and emphatic opinion that any and all such agitation could only result in harm to the b«BT business interedls of the and tha very class in whose interest that bill was claimed to have been introduced would be the very ones on whose shoulders the harm and injury would have fallen the heaviest. Fourteen years ago Mr. Watson, my law partner, introduced into the lower house of the Legislature bill similar to the Reid Bill, de signed to protect the growers of tobacco from unlawful combina tions to keep down the price. At that time the American Tobacco Company was just starting in I North Carolina, and none of the, smaller manufacturers ha'd* gone, out of business on account of the danger threatened by having to oompete with the trust which had so much money at its command. That bill was defeated, and for 14 years no measure like that has to my knowledge boen bofore the Geueral Assembly. In that length of time conditions, as you are aware, have changed. The smaller manufacturers have gone out of the tobacco business and the style of selling tobacco has gone with it, a new method of selling the man ufactured article has been adopted and a system of redeeming tags by payment of expensive premiums has almost universally been adop ed. It would these days be utterly impossible for the manufacturer of twenty years ago to compete with the manufacturers of today in the sale of their goods ; and this would be so whether the American Tobacco Company is a buyer on the North Carolina mar kets or not. Tbo buyers, as well (IK the the sellers, have adopted /entirely different methods from those formerly in common use. Now almost every manufacturer sells through a broker and then furnishes the salesmen to dispose of the manufactured article, while formerly the manufacturer sold his goods direct to the retail deal er.- Suppose a manufacturer of to bacco started up a faotory now at Pine Hall and undertook to sell the output of his factory as they used to sell to retail dealers, how long do you think he would be in business ? This would be true whether the American Tobacco Company or any concern in which it has au interest was engaged in business in North Carolina or not. The only object of the Reid Bill was to prevent the American To bacco Coumpany or any concern in which it is interested from buy ing tobacco in North Carolina, and would have driven them from the State. It would not have been a difficult matter for them to trans fer the base of operations to the State of Virginia—no more diffi cult than it was for the Reynolds Tobacco Co. to transfer the Mar tinsvilla tobacco business of Rnck er & Co., Spencer Tobacco Co. to Winston. If this had been done, would not the farmers of North Carolina have had to seek a mar ket for t}ieir tobacco in Vir ginia ? T\iis is largely what in fluenced action on this meas ure. I So far as Wins Ton andother bacco towns are concerned, their interests had but little weight with me in deciding this question. Those manufacturers here who went out of the business ten years ago have gone into other lines of manufacturing and have done well, and the same result would have followed so far as the others who are now engaged in manufacturer of tobacco are concerned, but what about the farmer who depends upon the Winston, Reidsville, Mt. Airy, Stoneville, Madison and other markets for the sale of their leaf ? You will notice one thing irl regard to this agitation : No man in the House of Representa tives or in the Senate was active in it, except some man whose name had been prominent for some position to which he hoped to be nominated. Had I lost sight of the peoples' interest and been guided by some ambition of my own, perhaps I too would have posed as the advocate of a bill which might well have been called the politician's bill rather than by the title whioh it bore. It struck me too that it was rather late in life for some men for the first time in their lives to appear as the champions of the people. If my position on this ' question shall deprive me of the support of some of my friends which I might otherwise have ob- I tained, I shall regret to lose them, but so long as I am conscious of | my rectitude and purity of motive, II shall reply upon the future to vindicate my action. I feel sure that the time will come when you will say I was right in my con ; elusion. lam very glad indeed to give you my position on this subject, especially so as, in this day, the people of the Fifth Congressional District are not to be fooled, but understand false positions which politicians would seek to bring about, and fully appreciate the true situation. The position which I take in this matter, and have always taken, is entirely consistent, hav ing had no interest to serve except the interest of the larger clasa of my fellow citizens, to-wit, the farmers and the producers from the farms. In 1893, when it was seen that the American Tobacco Company was arising to great power and in fluence, I aided in trying to get a bill through the Legislature of North Carolina similar to the first section of the bill that was offered by Mr. Reid. My partner, Mr. Watson, then a member of the Legislature, introduced such a bill, and we endeavored to pass it. Then was the time to pass it, for reasons whioh you fully under stand. Then, in 1893 there wore a number of independent factories making large amounts of tobacoo and having good business eatab- DANBURY, N. C., MAY 2, 1907. lisheil in North Carolina. If we could then have driven the Atner can Tobacco Company from the market, we would have aided our own manufacturers, and our mar ket would have been sustained by the strength of the independent manufacturers then existing in North Carolina, so that the movers of the bill then had every reason to hope for its passage. But what do we find now when Mr. Reid attempts to pas# this section of his bill ? Independent factories have been swallowed up by the Americau Tobacco Com pany. It is practically the only buyer on the market; and now, to have passed a law to drive it from the market in North Carolina, would have had only one effect ; to have forced and cupelled the farmer of North Carolina to have carried his product to Virginia to sell it ; and this is absolutely true, except for that part of his tobacco that speculators would have bought lor the purpose of selling it to the American Tobacco Company, and his profits the farmer would have had to pay. There is no farmer in the State who has studied this question who does not thoroughly understand it as I do. The most prominent I farmers in the Legislature, large tobacco raisers, were in hearty j sympathy with the views I herein express, and I am sure that the glamor surrounding the Reid Bill, when analyzed by the farmers in North Carolina will be found to be all a politician's bill, and not 1 one for the interest of the people. But there were bills introduced in the interest of the people, which I sustained ; drastic anti trust bills against the American Tobacco Company and every other trust, and which the Legis lature, with my vote, passed, and | which are on the statute books of ! North Carolina to-day. I am surely obliged to you for writing me, and giving me an op portunity to explain my position to such intelligent a man as your self. Of course my views upon public questions are eutirely pub- I lie, and should you desire to pub lish this letter in the Danbury Reporter, or any other newspaper, |it will be entirely with my con sent. The people will not longer be fooled, they will know the true situation and know their friends; and I do not think they will quickly turn from men who have , always been consistent with them, ! to those so newly found, i I have never represented the ! | American Tobacco Company in j any capacity as attorney and the only matter in which I am in any way concerned with them is in a | suit in which my firm appears in 1 Rockingham county for Richard- j son & Co., against the American | Tobacco Company, and the in- j troducer of section "A" in the i ! Reid Bill appears as counsel for i the Ameaican Tobacco Company. The Anti-Trust law which we passed will in a great measure meet tho abuses which wo greatly desire to prevent by trusts, and I would be glad for some one to show mo wherein the American Tobacco Company is excepted from the provisions of that law. It is a mistake to assume that there was no anti-trust law legislation because the Ried Bill did not pass. I remain, Very truly Yours, J. 0. BUXTON. Deputy Sheriff J. J. Priddy, of Snow Creek township, was here Monday. DON'T PAY ALIMONY to be divorced from your appon dix. There will be no occasion for it if you keep your bowels regular with Dr. King's New Life Pills. Their action is so gentle that the appendix never has cause to make the least com plaint. Guaranteed by all drug gists. 25c. BUGS STILL EATING PLANTS Sunday School at Asbury Doing Nicely—Mr. Abb Georga&nd Wife Better—Other Nines. I Brim, April 22.—1t doesu't i soein very much like spring time j as the weather continues so cold. The farmers in this neighbor- c i hood are still complaining about ] i the bugs eating their tobacco ( | plants—some are yet resowing ( their beds. There are but few j farmers through planting corn in | this section. Wheat looks fine, 1 ' and it is a good prospect for a good f crop. | ] The Suuday School is progress- j t ing nicely at Asbury. May all the i young people come out and take an interest in the good work. t Miss Frances Marshall, of I Greensboro, who is teaching music t at Asbury, is a good musician as | | well as good looking. Some of the boys are already wanting to learn i music. I Miss Ida Chilton has a new i organ. Guess Mr. M. will go over and help her play. ] Miss H. is wearing a two-cent ] smile this week as Mr. W. J. called Sunday. ; Mr. Andy says papa thinks he is | handy and mama thinks he is a j dandy and thinks he stands a ! | chance yet to go to see Mandy. i Dr. J. J. Leak has sowed his yard grass seed. His residence is i already the "beauty" of the coun- i | tr y- Mr.Wbb George and wife are i on the road to recovery, which we i are glad to note. i Misses Claudie and Annie Arrington visited Miss Ida Chil ton Sunday. i Miss Annie got struck on Mr. Joe, and says she don't care who j knows its so. Mr. Will calls down on the creek ; very often. I suppose he is think | ing of trotting in double harness ! in the near future. He says pretty is Miss Net, and very sweet you I bet. Success to the Reporter and all its readers RED BIRD. Slop -Pitching Horse Shoes." King, April 27. —I waut to say a few words in regard to that | awful play which they call "pitch | ing horse shoes." It grieves my j heart so to think every time I walk out to the store and go from one ito the other, I have to walk over ; the devil traps. How sad it is to | see those who claim to be Chris tians engaged in this play with the sinners. People cannot tell them apart only by their names being j |on the church book. Shame be ■ j upon you. Be not deceived. God lis not mocked, "for whatsoever a j man soweth that shall he also j reap." People of King, how often you ought to gather your people | together and warn them of the j j danger in which they are going, j | Sad to think we have to meet God j in that great day and give account! for how wo spend our time here. Let us work for God while it isj i day "for night cometh when no j man can work." Lay aside your horse shoes and take up your bibles aud study Ithem. This play causes much I | trouble in homes aud cvon causes i blood to be shed. Think of this . and quit playing that game or any other. God forbid that I should ; ever be a stumbling block in my people's way. God help me to live so that I can win souls for Christ, f Dear friends quit this play in our , town. VIOLET. A NARROW ESCAPE. G. W. Cloyd, a merchant of I Plunk, Mo., had a narrow escape i four years ago, when he ran a jim j son bur into his thumb. He says: > "The doctor wanted to amputate r it but I would not consent. I - bought a box of Bucklen's Arnica - Salve and that cured the danger ous wound." 25c nt all druggists. SANDY RIDGE ROUTE 1. Sandy Ridge Route 1, April 29. —Farmers are very busy planting corn this week. Good many com plaining about their tobacco plants I as the flies are trying to eat the plants. We are sorry to note the sad death of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson Mabe's little child which was burn ed to death by water last Thurs day. It was buried at North View graveyard Sunday. Mr. Dell Taylor, of Stoneville, has accepted a position as U. S. guard at Jamestown. He left on Monday the 25th where he expects to remain till the close of the Ex- j position. Mr. J. Wesley Morefield had i two barrels of sugar carried away I from the Madison depot Thursday j about dark. The party claimed j to the agent that he was going to j carry it to Morefield's store in j Virginia. The party has not yet been learned and the sugar has not yet arrived. We are very sorry to learn that Mr. Walter Fry has a very sick baby. Mrs. J. Wesley Morefield is still j on the mend, we are glad to note. Mr. Fry, who drives Mr. J. Wesley Morefield's team, was on his way from Virginia last week, and while ho was out walking lie discovered a smoke and ran to see and found his goods on fire. He says it must have caught from the ■ heat of the sun. This is a mystery to us, but still we see it was cold ! enough for him to have his over coat on. Mr. Henderson Morefield and j family, of Stoneville, are visiting! their parents, Mr, and Mrs. John Morefield, this week. I notice in the last issue where Mr. J. W. Morefield had sold a nice lot of eggs. Ho is also aim ing to send off about 700 dozen this week. "PAPA'S PET." A Bachelor's Solace. Across the way a taper gleams All through the long, dark night, I joy to see those steady beams, They make my vigil bright. No boon of cupid, understand, Brings gladness to my cup, There dwells my rival, and The baby keeps him up. T. E. McGrath, in Woman's Home Campanion. When you pay your bills by check you have these advantages : 1, It is more business-like and | gives others a more honorable im | pression of your business abilities ' and methods. 2. It often saves you money, as j for instance when you pay a bill j or debt by giving your check, the i person who receives tho check; must put his name on the back of i the check before he can get tho money on it. This operates as a receipt in law. Every farmer or anybody who pays out money should always do so by check. 3. Often you want to send money by mail, which is risky, as it may be lost. Besides, it is expensivo to register letters or buy money orders. The easy and safe way is to send by check, which only costs the2-cent stamp to mail tho letter. WORTH KNOWING. That Alcock's Plasters are the highest result of medical science aud skill, and in ingredients and i method have never been equaled. That they are tho original and j genuine porous plasters upon I whose reputation imitators trade. That Allcock's Plasters never fail to perform their remedial | work quickly and effectually. That for Weak Back, Rheuma tism, Colds, Lung Trouble, Kid ney Difficulties, Strains and all | Local Pains they are invaluable. That when you buy Allcock's j Plasters you obtain the best plas | ters made. Briefs Adrift. The County Commissioners will be in session Monday. Mr. N. A. Martin visited Wins ton the latter part of the past week. The residence of Mr. N. O. Petree is being given a new coat of paint. Mr. J. D. Humphreys went to Mount Airy Sunday, returning Monday. Messrs. J. A. Fagg and W. R. Stephens were Danbury visitors Monday. Mr. Jesse Wall, of Madison, spent Friday night at the McCan less Hotel. The Smith building here has been undergoing some repairs the past week. Mr. W. W. King returned Sat urday from a visit to Greensboro and other points. Sheriff Petree will sell quite a number of tracts of land here Monday for taxes. Esquire R. W. Hill and Mr. John Covington, of Meadows, visited Danbury Sunday. Deputy Sheriff Robt. Coleman, of Peter's Creek township, was in town on business Monday. Mr. D. S.Watkins, representing the firm of Watkins & East, cf Walnut Cove, was here Friday. Stokes Superior court convenes next Monday. Judge G\ S. Fer guson will preside over the term. Miss Blanche Pepper, a student at the State Normal College, spent Saturday and Sunday at home here. Mr. C. M. Jones and family, and Misses Claudia and Agnes John son, visited Piedmont Springs Sunday. Rev. S. S. Oliver left Monday to spend a few days visiting friends and relatives at Madison and Stoneville. It is the consensus of opinion that the tobacco crop in this coun ty will be short owing to scarcity of plants. The many friends of Mr. John M. Taylor will regret to know that he is in bed suffering from bruises sustained in an accident recently. Rev, S. S. Oliver, of Fraaklin, West Va., preached at the Pres ! byterian church here Wednesday night and Sunday morning at 11 o'clock. The world's fair at Jamestown is now going in full blast, though many of the buildings are not yet completed. The fair will remain open until Dec. 1. ! Mr. W. J. Byerly, cashier of i; the Bank of Mt. Airy and Vicc- Prosident of the Bank of Stokes ■ County, spent Thursday and Fri day in Danbury. Mr. Fletcher Hawkins has re cently resigned his position with Mrs. R. L. Hartman & Son, of 1 1 Hartman, and accepted work at j Jamestown, Va., with the Expo -1 i sition Company. i • Mrs. Dr. C. W. Joyce, of Wheat land, Okla., is expected to arrive here Friday to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. O, Petree. Mrs. Joyce will be accompanied by her i friend, Miss Hedrick, of the samo I place. Salary Appropriated For Presbyterian Preacher Here. Tho recent Presbytery at Mad ison appropriated $(>00 salary to be paid to a Presbyterian preacher for the Danbnry charge. A pastor has not yet been secured, but Revs. Goodman and Rankin of Greensboro will, it is thought, bo [ assigned to tho work. No. 13