The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-06-23
More About Cigarettes.
From an Interview With Manufacturer, in
the Philadelphia Times.

| the Philadelphia Times.
There is a certain brand of cigar
cites regarded as the most salable on
the market, in which enervating drugs
are used to frightful extent. Mil
lions of these cigarettes are so d annu-
ally. One house in New York sells
on an average of five hundred thous-
and day, and the profits Of the pro-
prietor of the brand are said to be a
third of million dollars a year.
Valerian and tincture of opium are
extensively used in the manufacture
Of cigarettes. The tobacco, which is
Virginian production and naturally
of a pretty straw color, is rendered
dark, soggy and greasy by the process
to which it is subjected. An expert
enced tobacconist can detect the pres
ence of valerian by the smell. The
drugs impart sweet and pleasant fla
vor and have soothing effect, that in
little time obtain fascinating con-
troll over the smoker. The more
cigarettes he smokes the more he
desires to smoke, just as is the case
with one who uses opium. The desire
grows into passion. The smoker
becomes a slave to the enervating
habit. To the insiduous effect of the
drugs is attributed the very success
with which this particular brand has
met. Unfortunately that success has
caused an army of imitators to spring
up, and every day almost some new
brand of drugged cigarettes is placed
on the market. By the use Of drugs
it is possible to make very inferior
quality of tobacco pleasant. Manu-
facturers, therefore, put these vile
things on the market at price that
makes it easy for the poorest to in
dulge in their killing delights, and
boys and youths go in swarms for
them. What is called Havana fla
voring" has grown to be an important
article of commerce. Thousands of
barrels of it are sold everywhere. 1t
is extensively used in manufacturing
certain kinds of cigarettes. 1t is made
from the tonca bean, which contains
drug called mellolotis, deadly pois-
on, seven grains of which will kill
dog. Imagine the effect which must
result from putting that vile stuff into
the lungs hour after hour.
The paper coverings are also fruit
full source of evil to the cigarette smo-
ker. There are three sorts of paper in
common use, made respectively from
cotton and linen rags and rice straw.
There is fourth kind, which is Dip
ped into a solution of tobacco, that
has lately been put on the market.
Cotton paper is made chiefly in Tri-
este, Austria, and the linen and rice
paper in Paris. The first kind is man
ufactured from filthy scrapings of rag
pickers. Vile as it is, it is bought up
in great masses by agents of the man
ufacturers, who turn it into dingy
pulp and subject it to bleaching pro-
cess to make it presentable. The lime
and other substances used in bleaching
have very harmful influence upon
the membrane of the throat and nose.
Cotton p per is so cheap that thous-
and cigarettes can be wrapped with it
at cost of two cents. Rice paper is
not so much used, as it is rather more
expensive. 1t is sometimes adulter-
ated with linen or cotton to make it
cheaper The average smoker can
not distinguish between the common
est and the best qualities of paper.
One who knows something of the
trade can, however, perceive the diff
ference at q glance. '"Tobacconized'
paper is manufactured. 1t is common
paper saturated with tobacco and
marked in such way as to initiate
the veins in the tobacco leaf very
neatly At first glance it would pass
for the genuine article. 1t is used for
making imitation 'all tobacco" cigar
cites and to a considerable extent for
wrapping the cheaper sort of cigars.
By immersing the paper in water the
tobacco can be readily separated from
it.
Arsenical preparations, it is said,
are used in bleaching most cigarette |
papers, and oil of creosote is produced
naturally as consequence of combus-
ton The latter has most injurious
effect upon the membrane of the
throat and upon the lungs, and is said
to accelerate the developments of con-
sumption in any one predisposed to
the disease. Papers used by variety
Of manufacturers were burned for the
satisfaction of the reporter; and. a
pungent, sitting odor arose from all
of them. One firm claims to have
discovered a process of denuding cigar
cite paper Of its deleterious effects.
Little faith, however, is put in is
professions, and the paper used by it
smells as vilely when ignited as any
other. A leading tobacco merchant,
speaking of the fact that so many
thousands go on complacently smo-
king paper covered cigarettes, not
withstanding their well known per-
nicious effects, said that cigarettes
wrapped in pure tobacco leaves, while
less injurious, would be much more
expensive, and that, besides, people in
time grow to prefer the pungent fla
vor of the burning paper with the
tobacco to that of the latter alone.
A number Of tips or holders have been
devised with view to overcoming
the evil effects of tobacco in some
degree by absorbing the nicotine and
preventing the tobacco from coming
into contact with the lips. The result,
however, has not been satisfactory.