Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-12
BABY CIGARETTE SMOKERS.
An Evil That Ought to DC Storpc

From the New York Tribune
Tribune reporter yesterday visited seven 10.
bacco3ist'S shops down town. In all these shops
but one, during the few minutes while the re-
porter was present. boys Of ages ranging ap-
parently from six TO twelve came In and bought
cigarettes
Give me tree Capperals. boss" said ono
urchin, whose head hardly came above the
counter, and he ratified three cents from his
grlmy hand on the glass cover of the show case
From heap Of loose cigarettes on a wooden
tray the shopman counted out three to the boy.
who grabbed them and shot out only stopping
long enough 10 light one at the jet Of gas near
the door.
WHAT THE SMALL BOY THINKS OF 1T
slow old are you. JuhnnIei" asked the re-
porter who had followed him.
what yer want ter know fer?"
'Just out Of curiosity. that's ALL"
~ amt one of them s'ciety fellows, arc yer?"
with rapid suspicion.
No. I'm not one of them society fellers, I'm
reporter. Now how old are you!"
We'll, guess I'm about ten. That's what
de old woman sez."
Doesn't smoking make you sick?"
sick: oh. come of. What a. yer take me
fer, boss? Wy me an de boys smoke all de
When wes broke We wait tin one of de fellers
hooks cent an then he gets a cigarette an
We smokes it In turn" and the urchin ran of
WHAT THE ToBAccoNIsrs SAY.
Yes, said the keeper OF a small shop with q
llfe-l:ke Indian guarding the door, I'VE sell lots
OF cigarettes to small boys. It's a good paving
business and I'm glad the governor did not sign
the bill forbdding II. Not that il would make
much difference, for the boys would manage to
get mold OF the cigarettes anyhow. You see
they can buy cigarette for cent. A package
holds twenty. and is sold at from ten TO fifteen
cents. according to the run OF mans business
Well, by selling them loose We get twenty cents
package, and there is no waste. for we sell
three or four packages q day easy and some
times six or seven, in this way Docs IL do them
harmT Why. OF course ii does Stunts them
and takes their appetite away. That's why some
OF the poorer ones smoke, believe poor little
neggars! They fancy 1t fills their stomachs
Inc majority OF the young cigarette BUYERS,
however, are the children ofrespectable parents
Their fathers and mothers give them few pen
MES to buy candies with. and the young rascals
stop in here on their way to and from school
ana puy cigarettes with the money. Candy is
bad enough, but guess tobacco sees Il and goes
one better. However, it's good for trade and a
man must live as well as his neighbors Tx
didn't sell to children some one else would"
This was the gist of the argument of defense
set up by majority OF the small tobaccouists
visited
EXTENT OF THE EVIL
As to the number OF cigarettes sold 10 chill.
dren 1t Ia difficult to reach any definite conclu-
sion The interna' revenue report for last year
gives the number or cigarettes manufactured
In this country as sos, 772 735 of which New
York alone made IA ,092, S67, divided among 81
different brands. In New York city there are
about 1000 retail tobacconists. Assuming that
one-half OF these only sell cigarettes TO chill
dren, and that their daily sales average only
one package there are then over 4 600. 600 cigar
cites annually sold to children in New York
city alone.
Colonel Emmons Clark. secretary OF the
board OF health. said: "The board was not re-
sponsibe for the bill to prevent the sale OF
cigarettes to boys, but II is surprising that the
governor should refuse to sign such a measure
Every day see little boys smoking cigarettes
In the streets. and there is no question about
the harm done 10y the practice. Surely it would
he Wise to have a law TO restrain such O grow
ing evil"
Sanitary Superintendent Day said: 1.-The
practice OF smoking cigarettes will dwarf the
rising generation in this city, unless some ac-
ton is taken to stop it. / see a great many
Young children pulling cigarettes. 1t is
serious evil