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Gilmore that. . ."I have never been hostile to tobacco'in Virginia." Yet the people who occupy the 8,400 farms where tobacco is grown in the state, or thousands who make their living from tobacco elsewhere may not share that view.
I can remember back in the 1960s when many of the men in the state legislature smoked cigarettes or cigars at their desks while making sure that nothing was done to hurt the tobacco industry. °
Now the anti-tobacco forces loom large on the state's political scene and the tobacco interests are forced to fight with all the resources at their command to preserve the old way of life.
Undoubtedly, Gilmore and Beyer will be confronted often next year with their views about a leaf that still brings in $175 million to tobacco farmers in Virginia each year and is a $5 billion business in manufacturing. It will be interesting to see what happens once the smoke clears.
John Goolrick, a former political reporter, is now an aide to 1st District Rep. Herbert H. Bateman. Opinions expressed are his own.
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