File No. 763.72112/320
The Hopkinsville Tobacco Board of Trade to the Secretary of State
Dear Sir: The Hopkinsville Tobacco Board of Trade desires to call your attention to the deplorable condition of affairs in west Kentucky and west Tennessee is what is known as the “export district of dark-fired tobacco,” grown in about thirty counties of western Kentucky, and eight or ten counties in western Tennessee.
The crop of this section amounts to about 150,000,000 pounds tobacco annually, and of this quantity 20 per cent of said crop is manufactured and consumed in the United States, and 80 per cent is exported to Europe, namely: England, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, Germany, Holland, and all other northern European countries. Germany and Austria purchase of us 33⅓ per cent of our total export crop.
[Page 302]By reason of the disturbed conditions caused by the war, trading and shipping in our product has been entirely stopped, not that any of these countries have classed tobacco as “contraband”, but from the fact that shipments consigned to all countries have been interfered with, and some destined to Germany and Austria have been captured and towed into English ports.
There is a great deal of tobacco of the 1913 crop that is bought and unpaid for remaining at ports in the United States for shipment, and still other shipments that started but have dodged into neutral ports. All of this brings dire distress to our farmers and tobacco growers who in this section depend upon their tobacco as their money crop.
In August a delegation from Kentucky and Tennessee appeared at what was termed the “cotton conference,” which was presided over by Secretary McAdoo, other members of the Cabinet, and the regional reserve board members being present. At this meeting we were assured that whatever consideration was shown by the Government in the interest of cotton, the same would be extended to export tobacco.
The purpose of said meeting was to secure Government loans on warehouse certificates. We see that a treaty, or agreement, has been effected with the Ambassador of England whereby the embargo is raised on cotton, and a promise that shipments will not be interfered with destined to Germany, Austria, and other countries in Europe.
Now, we hereby petition you, as our representative and Secretary of State, to use your good office to secure for export tobacco the same consideration as has been secured for cotton, raising the embargo and permitting the shipment of tobacco in neutral bottoms to all European ports.
As the tobacco crop is not greater this year than a normal or average crop, if the agreement is affected there will be a demand that will take up our entire crop, thereby relieving the necessity for further appeal for Government loans, as the European countries will furnish the money to pay for the same.
We recognize that tobacco is a revenue producer in all these countries, nevertheless the revenue is paid by the subjects of each respective country, and tobacco being a luxury, the more the government consumes the greater the depletion of the treasury of that government, as it is used for cigars, and tobacco so purchased soon goes up in smoke. It cannot be used in the support of, nor sustain life as food, neither can it help the sick or wounded; it cannot be used for bullets or bayonets, therefore we see no reason why England, or any other country, should object to legitimate commercial transactions being carried on when the effect is of so great importance to a large section of Kentucky and Tennessee, whose farmers are at present without money to pay their state taxes until the market is opened up.
We pray you therefore to take immediate steps to give us relief.
Yours truly,
By