USA > Kentucky > History of Kentucky, Volume II > Part 86
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The cooperative marketing plan was not new, but it was unfamiliar to Kentuckians.
In Denmark, in Germany, in France, in Italy, and in parts of Ire- land it had long been used and developed to a high degree of perfection. In America the movement had spread well only on the Pacific Coast, and principally in California.
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In conference with a committee appointed by Judge Bingham, Mr. Barney Baruch suggested the adoption of the California cooperative marketing plan as a method financially, legally and economically sound for handling the Burley tobacco crop, as a result of numerous confer- ences. Aaron Sapiro, of California, counsel for a number of coopera- tive associations, in an address of two days explained the systems in use in California and set forth with great clearness a plan for the organi- zation, financing, and management of an association for marketing Bur- ley tobacco. Those present unanimously endorsed the plan proposed by Mr. Sapiro, and Judge Bingham was requested to appoint an organiza- tion committee and likewise an executive committee, of which he should be chairman. The other members of the executive committee named by Judge Bingham were James C. Stone, of Lexington, Ralph M. Barker,
LEFT TO RIGHT: RALPH M. BARKER, DIRECTOR OF WAREHOUSES OF THE ASSOCIATION ; JAMES C. STONE, PRESIDENT; ROBERT E. BEATTY, WAREHOUSE MANAGER FOR LEXINGTON, ON INSPECTION TOUR OF LEXINGTON RECEIVING PLANTS
of Carrollton, William E. Simms, of Spring Station, and John T. Col- lins, of Paris. Mr. Collins having died shortly after his appointment, J. N. Kehoe, of Maysville, was chosen in his place. Mr. Sapiro was retained by Judge Bingham to make a number of addresses throughout the Burley District, and on his recommendation, Judge Bingham employed Joseph Passoneau of Spokane, organizer of the grain growers, to act as chief organizer of the Burley Cooperative Association.
A campaign of education ensued. Numerous meetings were ad- dressed by able men who had been convinced that the economic redemp- tion of the agricultural situation in the Burley Tobacco Belt depended upon the adoption of this plan. The bankers of the state, unanimously approved the plan and urged the farmers to adopt it. A compact, close organization was formed and a systematic canvass was made for mem- bers. The goal was to secure, prior to November 15, 1921, the pledge of 75 per cent of the Burley tobacco acreage of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia, grown in 1920, under contracts that would consign
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all tobacco grown for a period of five years to the association for han- dling and sale, and in the event the necessary acreage was secured prior to November 15, 1921, to permit the association to market the 1921 crop. In spite of all doubts and obstacles, the campaign went on with a fervor and enthusiasm which has had few parallels in the history of the state. "To join or not to join," was the question for several months in the Burley District of the state. It was discussed at social gatherings, in the courthouses, in the county-seat, in schoolhouses, at the cross-roads, -- wherever people came together. All appeals of the proponents of the plan were addressed to reason, to self-interest, to patriotism; all sugges- tions of coercion, of intimidation, of lawlessness were unsparingly de- nounced. All persons were told that they had just as much right to be against the organization of the association as in favor of it, and that their judgment and patriotism should direct their choice. By such tac- tics the farmers who, on account of their isolation and perhaps also by reason of the fact that they have been so often exploited by designing persons, were inclined to be suspicious of the motives of one who was thus spending his time and money in their interest, were convinced of the absolute sincerity and disinterestedness of Judge Bingham's efforts in their behalf; that the plan had not been conceived by the warehouse- men as a scheme to enable them to sell their real estate to the associa- tion at a high price. By the 15th day of November, 1921, the necessary number of contracts had been secured, and the Organization Committee announced that the association would be formed.
Thus was born an association composed of more than 57,000 men- bers producing a crop whose value in money each year will approxi- mate, if it does not exceed, $50,000,000, for always bear in mind that tobacco is the great cash crop of Kentucky. Those who believed in it had said that it would not only stabilize the price of tobacco and enable the growers to obtain for their product the cost of its production and a reasonable profit year after year, but that, transmuted into terms of human happiness, it would mean better roads, better schools, happier homes, more of the comforts and blessings of modern civilization for the growers of tobacco. In short, that it would elevate the standard of living from the level of 1890 to what might reasonably be expected in 1920. It was this conception of the meaning of the movement that at- tracted Judge Bingham in the first instance and that drew to it many who were not interested directly in the prices of tobacco.
Many details remained to be worked out before the association could begin operations. The incorporation of the association, the enactment by the Kentucky Legislature of a law setting forth the powers, duties and privileges of such associations were necessary prerequisites, but these were speedily accomplished.
The banks of Louisville had pledged to lend the association over a million dollars as a "revolving fund" to advance to grower-members, and similar action was contemplated by Cincinnati banks, when doubt was expressed concerning the constitutionality of the marketing act which had been drawn by Mr. Sapiro as counsel for the association, and which had been enacted into law by the unanimous vote of both the Senate and House of Representatives within the first five working days of the session of the Legislature and by the immediate approval of the gover- nor. Thereupon a general bankers' meeting was held in Lexington early in January, and to this meeting Judge Bingham read a letter from James B. Brown, president of the National Bank of Kentucky, largest in the state, offering to lend the association his bank's limit of $500.000 and to rediscount for other banks $1,500,000 of the association's paper, in addition. A similar offer was made by Monte J. Goble, vice president of the Fifth-third National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Kentuckian
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by birth. Judge Bingham personally offered to lend $1,000,000. This swept all doubts away; the banks throughout the Burley District agreed to lend their limit to the association; many individuals pledged large loans; and the association was thereby assured of ample funds for the period between the time the tobacco was received from the growers and the preparation of it for market, in the redried hogshead form on which could be issued bankable warehouse receipts. Arrangements had pre- viously been made by a committee headed by Judge Bingham with the War Finance Corporation for a loan of $10,000,000 after the warehous- ing of the tobacco.
This loan, however, has not been found to be necessary. Shortly after the opening of the market, in January, 1922, sales were made of large quantities of tobacco in loose-leaf or winter order. With the pro- ceeds of these sales, should no other be immediately made, loans procured from the banks throughout the district will be liquidated and there will remain a sufficient amount of cash with which to defray the expenses of handling the crop and making advances on that portion of the crop which has not yet been delivered to the association.
Thus, within a period of a few months, the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association had grown from the Thought of 1920 and the Decision of 1921, to the Fact of 1922. Overnight, under the plan recom- mended by Aaron Sapiro, without one cent of paid in capital stock, it had acquired scores of warehouses in the several states comprised within the Burley District, and was receiving, grading, redrying and storing tobacco. Some of the largest manufacturers of the Burley tobacco in the world soon began purchasing large quantities from the association, thus insuring its success and inaugurating in one season a new and en- tirely radical departure from the old and ruinous methods which hith- erto prevailed, and substituting a new which promises a sure and adequate return to the tobacco growers of Kentucky, something they have not enjoyed in the history of tobacco production in the state. The asso- ciation is functioning well in all its departments, and is running with a smoothness which would be creditable to its officers after a period of years instead of the few months which have elapsed since it was first planned. For five more years its contracts with growers assure the con- tinuance of this method of marketing, which, if its success continued, will surely result in the permanency of the plan. And its success depends upon the character and ability of the management, for the plan has been demonstrated to be sound, feasible, and desirable.
The present officers and directors of the association are:
James C. Stone, Lexington, Kentucky, president.
James N. Kehoe, Maysville, Kentucky, first vice president.
Bush W. Allin. Harrodsburg, Kentucky, second vice president.
H. Lee Earley, Louisville, Kentucky, secretary-treasurer.
Ralph W. Barker, director of all warehouses.
W. C. McDowell, director of redryers.
Samuel H. Halley, director of storage.
Directors Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association :
District No. 1 .- James C. Stone, Lexington, Kentucky.
District No. 2 .- Samuel Clay, Paris, Kentucky.
District No. 2 .- Clifford L. Walters, Shelbyville, Kentucky.
District No. 2 .- James N. Kehoe, Maysville, Kentucky.
District No. 5 .- Frank V. Nunnelley, Georgetown, Kentucky.
District No. 6 .- O. C. Ellis, Ripley, Ohio.
District No. 7 .- Everett McClure. Aurora, Indiana.
District No. 8 .- John B. Winn, Versailles, Kentucky.
District No. 9 .- P. B. Gaines, Carrollton, Kentucky.
District No. 10 .- H. K. Bourne, New Castle, Kentucky.
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District No. 11 .- Dawson Chambers, Walton, R. F. D. I. District No. 12 .- Rev. J. R. Joues, Cynthiana, Kentucky.
District No. 13 .- Carroll D. Asbury, Augusta, Kentucky.
District No. 14 .- Ben T. Wright, Mount Sterling, Kentucky.
District No. 15 .- J. H. Sousley, Flemingsburg, Kentucky. District No. 16 .- William H. Shanks, Stanford, Kentucky. District No. 17 .- Bush W. Allin, Harrodsburg, Kentucky. District No. 18 .- Judge I. H. Thurman, Springfield, Kentucky. District No. 19 .- Thompson S. Burnam, Richmond, Kentucky. District No. 20 .- E. T. Holloway, Taylorsville, Kentucky. District No. 21 .- J. D. Craddock, Munfordville, Kentucky. District No. 22 .- Robert Pendleton Taylor, Winchester, Kentucky. Directors At Large: Judge Robert W. Bingham, Louisville, Ken- tucky; M. L. Kirkpatrick, Cincinnati, Ohio; Martin L. Harris, Rising Sun, Indiana. (Latter two pro-tem.)
Executive Committee : Mr. Stone, Mr. Kehoe, Mr. Allin, Mr. Winn, and Judge Bingham.
New hope has sprung up in the hearts of Kentucky farmers, Ken- tucky bankers, Kentucky merchants, Kentucky men and women of all classes and conditions, by reason of the organization and what promises to be the successful operation of this association.
SAMUEL H. HALLEY.
CHAPTER LXXIX EARLY TAVERNS AND TRAVELERS IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY
[EDITOR'S NOTE .- This paper was prepared by Mrs. Lafferty, after a vast amount of research work, for the Filson Club, of Louisville, whose lofty purpose is the preservation of the annals of a Kentucky that is gone. On February 4. of the present year, the paper was read by Mrs. Lafferty before the Filson Club, where it was enthusiastically received as an im- portant addition to the priceless collection of papers and documents al- ready entrusted to its care, and it will be preserved in the archives of that organization.]
Civilization chronicles no greater strides in the march of progress than in the transportation of the traveler and the evolution of the hostel- ries in which he has been housed.
It is a far cry from the little log tavern of pioneer days to the palatial fire-proof sky-scraper known as the modern hotel, and it takes a vivid imagination to picture the rambling old inn that stood by the roadside and played such an important part in the settlement of Kentucky.
It was a landmark from which distances were computed, and the weary traveler, recognizing its name a long way off, from the picture on its creaking sign, of the Green Tree, perhaps, or the Indian Queen, or the Eagle, or the White Horse, knew his day's work was done, and with a sigh of relief he stopped for the night. He found the wagon-yard already well filled with Conestoga wagons, stage-coaches, pack-trains and saddle horses. Removing the feeding trough from the rear of his wagon, he fastened it to the tongue, drew provender from a bin in the wagon and hitched his tired horses to it to eat and rest. Then he crossed the long porch, where he was eyed suspiciously by the group of idlers, tilted back in their home-made chairs, whittling sticks and contending over local politics, and entered the large public assembly room, which was always the main feature of the tavern, with its immense log fireplace and comfortable chairs and tables.
One corner of the room served for the bar, where liquors were kept in barrels, jugs and bottles. The kitchen opened from it and the bedrooms were usually upstairs. If all beds were occupied when the late traveler arrived, he lay down on one beside its occupant, without so much as asking leave, or caring who the sleeper might be. If no space was left he went, without comment, to his wagon, got his blanket, spread it on the floor in the public room, lay down with his feet to the fire and rolled up like a human cocoon, surrounded by many similarly situated companions.
In the morning the guests unrolled themselves, bathed their hands and faces in a watering trough outside, and passed the tow-linen towel around with due courtesy. The landlord himself announced breakfast, usually by blowing a horn or ringing a bell on the roof of the tavern. The table was bountifully set, with everything within easy reach of the healthy, hungry men, who ate their fill with no apology, as they dis- cussed the roads, the weather, politics, the price of land, and asked such personal questions as: Where are you from? Where are you going?
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What is your name? What is your business? Were there any fevers where you came from last? Then having satisfied the inner man, the traveler paid his bill, about which there could be no controversy, for the tavern rates were fixed by law.
TAVERN LAWS IN 1793
Our taverns came into existence as soon as the settlers secured a per- manent foothold, and laws governing them were among the first on our statute books. In 1793 a law was enacted in Kentucky providing that any person intending to keep a tavern should petition the county court and obtain his license from the local court for a period of one year, giving bond guaranteeing his good conduct; that he should display in his public room the table of tavern rates, which were "fixed by the court, at least twice a year." These rates regulated the prices to be paid for "liquors, lodging, diet, stablage, provender and pasturage." If the innkeeper over- charged his guests the law also provided that he should be fined thirty shil- lings for each offense. In some taverns special care was taken to safe- guard the sobriety of the guests and see that none drank too deeply of the liquors provided, the most popular of which were ale, beer and spiced cider.
And, so, having eaten enough and not having drunk too much, the traveler paid his bill and departed, to repeat his experience the following night at the next roadside inn, which was similar in its chief character- istics to the one he had just left.
Our early taverns, with their quaint tavern-signs, were facsimiles of the old English inns of song and story, and in the towns they became so- cial centers, where news was gathered and disseminated; where mer- chants met to discuss their business, and politicians argued such momen- tous problems confronting the country at the close of the Revolutionary war as states' rights, taxation, the franchise and the free navigation of the Mississippi. In some instances courts were held in taverns, mass meet- ings were held within, the government proclamations were issued from their doors; town trustees transacted city business in their public rooms, and wagons and stage coaches loaded and unloaded passengers at their doors. They thus became important civic centers, serving their com- munities as political clubs, as city halls, as boards of commerce, as post offices, as news centers, as passenger depots, and even as banks, for when currency was scarce they issued their own "tavern-money" in cer- tain New England taverns, and the copper two-cent piece of McCann, about the size of a quarter, with a hole in it, so it can be strung on wire, is one of the curiosities of American coinage.
IMPORTANT ROLES THEY PLAYED
Notwithstanding their crude construction and obvious discomforts, the taverns nevertheless played a leading role in the settlement of the country and some of the most momentous events of history occurred beneath their hospitable roofs. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in the Indian Queen Tavern in Philadelphia, where he was living at the time. The whig party, during the political agitation preceding the Revolution, made the Green Dragon of Boston its head- quarters ; the Ohio Land Company, which did its part in the winning of the West, was organized in the Bunch of Grapes in Boston. Frankfort was selected as the permanent seat of government in Kentucky at Brent and Love's Tavern in Lexington, on Jordon's Row, now known as Upper Street.
Before these taverns were established in Kentucky, the travelers availed themselves of the hospitality of the citizens who resided along
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the highways. In some instances rich planters are said to have kept slaves by the waysides, to invite passers-by to stop and rest and partake of food, so eager were they to encourage settlers in the country. And settlers came by every thoroughfare. Pedestrians and horsemen filled the roads ; canoes and flat-boats floated down the rivers ; pack trains wound slowly up the rugged mountain sides and down into the shadowy valleys. Con- estoga wagons humbered across the country, their ponderous wheels dig- ging deep ruts into the soft earth, marking the path for all other four- wheeled vehicles, as they migrated from ocean to ocean. They some- times traveled in solitary grandeur, their gaily caparisoned horses moving in conscious pride of decorated harness and tinkling bells ; and sometimes in great caravans stretching for miles along the highways, transporting the settlers, their families and all their worldly goods.
ENTER THE STAGE COACH
The Conestoga wagons were closely followed by the stage coaches, those vehicles of romance and anecdote, patronized by the business men, lawyers and the elite of the traveling public. What excitement prevailed in the sleepy little village when a stage coach came dashing into town, the driver, whose exalted seat was the ambition of every schoolboy; driving four spirited horses at an imposing gallop, and winding his horn, the bright colored coach swaying and swinging on its leathern straps and en- veloped in a cloud of dust as it came to a standstill at the tavern door ! flow rapidly the news of its arrival spread through the town! And how quickly the people gathered to see who was arriving and learn the latest news of the outside world! It was everybody's business to watch the stage come in and depart, and no personal column of our daily papers gives fuller accounts of society's comings and goings than did the tavern's lodgers of a century ago.
The stage passengers often entertained themselves en route with an amusing question game. Each in turn propounded a conundrum ; if the others could not answer it, they each owed him a drink at the end of the journey, but if he could not answer his own question, he was obliged to furnish the drinks for the whole party. As a consequence of this keen game of wits the questioners became very expert. My father, who would be 103 years old, if living, and who patronized the stage lines going to and from Frankfort, told me that on one occasion a passenger asked, "What does the ground squirrel do with his dirt when he digs his hole?" No one knew, and he was asked to answer himself. He replied: "IIc begins at the bottom, of course." Whereupon an impulsive passenger, thinking he had caught the questioner napping, asked: "But how did he get to the bottom?" "That," said the questioner with suavity, "is your question, sir." and the impulsive passenger had to pay for the drinks for all of his fellow-passengers when the stage arrived at its destination.
The greatest rivalry existed between the stage lines. especially those connecting Kentucky with Wheeling, via the National Road. If the Good Intent Line chose one tavern for its headquarters, the Stockton, or Old Line, loudly proclaimed its offices in the rival tavern. The rivalry even extended to the drivers, and Pete Burdine, who was one of the famous whips on the Good Intent Line, when soliciting passengers, sang a song in his rich tenor voice, the chorus of which was:
"If you buy a seat on the Stockton Line You are sure to be passed by Pete Burdine."
CLAY AND OTHER NOTABLES
Henry Clay usually traveled by stage as he went back and forth from Ashland to Washington. He was the idol of the National Road, knowing
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the tavern keeper by name, praising the buckwheat cakes of his land- ladies, and conversing familiarly with the drivers. Redding Bunting, who was the favorite stage driver of his day, noted for his speed and skill, named his only son for Mr. Clay. Such notables as Jackson, Harrison, Polk, Taylor, Crittenden, Shelby, Scott and Crockett were regular patrons of the old stage routes.
But no matter whether the traveler arrived on foot or on horseback. by wagon or stage, he patronized the taverns. Among those who came were distinguished foreigners who wrote books after returning to their native lands describing the country, the people and even the taverns where they had sojourned. First among these were Andre Micheaux, the celebrated botanist, who came in 1793, and his son, Francois, who fol- lowed in 1803. These distinguished Frenchmen portrayed conditions as they found them, emphasizing the lack of inns and bridges and the time lost in waiting until sufficiently large bodies of travelers had collected for mutual protection while going through .the wilderness. They were not very complimentary to the inhabitants, describing them as having a pas- sion for gaming and spirituous liquors, prone to quarrel and given to lawsuits.
The cultured Englishman, Fortesque Cuming, was more kind. He made his tour in 1808 and 1809, coming from Pittsburg to Maysville by boat and riding horseback from there to Lexington and Frankfort, stop- ping at the principal inns along the road. He deplored the fact that sheets were not generally used, "save in English inns or places of fashionable resort." and thought, while the taverns were appreciated by the business men, lawyers, judges of the courts and members of the legislature, that the settlers, as a class, misused them, spending weeks at a time in them during the sessions of the courts, eating little and drinking much.
He praised Mr. January's tavern at Maysville and spoke in compli- mentary terms of the courtesy and intelligence of Mr. January himself. He found Maysville with only sixty houses, but the greatest shipping port below Pittsburg, where vessels of all sizes up to 400 tons were being built.
At Washington he had an excellent dinner at Mr. Elbert's Tavern ; he praised the grace and intelligence of the "Tavern Ladies," expressing great satisfaction in their company, and hired a horse at 50 cents a day to ride to Lexington.
Captain Waller was his "obliging and interesting host" at Millers- burg, and when he reached Lexington "he alighted at Joshua Wilson's Inn."
THE PHOENIX 118 YEARS AGO
Inasmuch as Wilson's Inn, better known then as Postlethwaite's Tavern, is none other than our present Phoenix Hotel, which has served the public continuously for the past 118 years, his description of it in 1808 is interesting. He says: "I entered the travelers' room, which had many strangers in it. Shortly after, the supper bell ringing, we obeyed the summons and were ushered into a room about forty feet long, where, at the head of the table, laid out with great neatness, plenty and variety. sat our well-dressed hostess, who did the honors with ease and propriety."
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