Farmers throughout western Ky. and northern Tn. gathered in Guthrie on Sept. 24, 1904, in response to the tobacco growers’ economic hardship. Five thousand farmers participated in the formation of a cooperative to pool their crops in opposition to price-fixing actions by James Duke and the American Tobacco Co. Two more Guthrie rallies in 1905-06.
Reverse Description:
The Planters Protective Association advocated state & federal policies more responsive to farmers’ needs. On May 29, 1911, the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that American Tobacco Co. violated the Sherman Antitrust Act & directed James Duke to bust up his operation. Tobacco prices began to climb. The association disbanded in 1914.