The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-25
TOBACCO AND WHISKY.
WHAT THESE THINGS ARE MADE
OF, AND SOME STATISTICS.
Special CORRESPONDENCE to the Statesman.

WHAT THESE THINGS ARE MADE
OF, AND SOME STATISTICS.
Special Correspondence to the Statesman.
WASHINGTON, November 16.
The report of the commissioner of in
ternal revenue shows sone curious facts.
Interesting ones they are, too, though
they may not be especially cheerful to a
certain class of people in this country.
1t will not make the tobacco chewer enjoy
his ''chew' any better to know for in
stance, tAat tobacco factories of the coun-
try use about 100000 pounds of scraps"
100000 pounds of stems, 20,000,000
pounds of licorice, 70,000,000 pounds of
sugar and 100000 pounds of "other
materials" in making the chewing to-
bacco that they sell to the chewing public
in year. But it is fact. The report
of the commissioner shows it to be the
truth. Just think of it, gentle chewer,
a thousand carloads of scraps and stems,
thousand carloads of licorice, a like
quantity of sugar and halfts much 'other
Materials" and heaven only knows what
this "other material" is, to make up a
mass on which the chewers are kept busy
during the year. OF course, there is a lit
tie tobacco put into it, to give it ar ap-
pearance of fairness, but this hard-heart-
ed, truth-telling report shows that while
there are 100000 pounds of scraps,
stems, licorice and "Other materials" used
in the tobacco factories, there is turned
out only 210,000,000 pounds of manufac-
tured tobacco. So you may consider that
one third of every ''chew" that you mas
tlcate is composed of the interesting COM
pound of stems, licoriee, scraps and
"other materials" 1t seems to be pretty
hard to make other than general accusa
ton, too; for, of the 1000 tobacco fac
tories of the country, nearly every one
seems to indulge in this sort of thing.
There is another interesting thing shown
by the tobacco returns of this report. 1t
announces that the number of cigars
and cigarettes manufactured in the
United States in the past year was be-
tween four and five billion. That is a
good many-nearly hundred apiece for
every man, woman and child in the coun-
try. The women do not smoke, and the
children ought not tO-so it leaves about
25O apiece to be distributed among the
men, in addition to the 15,000,000 pounds
of smoking tobacco manufactured for
them. With fifteen million pounds of
smoking tobacco and five hundred mil
lion of cigars and cigarettes at their com
mand. it does not seem that the smokers
of the country ought to suffer for want of
| their consider, or the chewers relax their
vigilance while there is over 200,000,O00
of pounds of chewing tobacco being an
nually manufactured. New York leads
| the procession in the manufacture of
cigars and cigarettes. She made a little
over billion cigars last year, and nearly
billion cigarettes. On the manufacture
of tobacco, however, the Empire state
takes a back seat, for Virginia, Mis-
souri, and New Jersey each make more
chewing tobacco than New York. Vir-
ginia has 218 tobacco factories, num-
Der considerably in excess of those in any
other state.
The drinking information is quite as
interesting as that pertaining to chewing
The report, for instance, shows that the
articles used for the manufacture of dis
titled spirits are not only corn and rye
but also malt, wheat, oats, mill feed
mOlasses, and even potatoes, and, what i:
the more astonishing, is that this potato
, whisky was made in Kentucky, the state
which was supposed to be forever loyal tt
, bourbon whisky. More than that, she ha,
lately been making rum, and making i
out of molasses. That proud Kentuck!
: should fall to the depths of making New
England rum and potato whisky is, to sa,
the least, very sad.
Ameng the surprises of the report i
one regarding the quantity of distille,
spirits manufactured in the variou
states. There is genera
4 impression that Kentucky make
n more whisky than any other state. Thi
, Is a mistake. The state of Illinoi
makes more whisky than any other
illinois made 25,0OO,OOO gallons o
d whisky last year, while Kentucky onl
1t made about 100000 gallons. Yet to
l. day Kentucky has 35,OOO,OOO millio
Is gallons of whisky in her bonded ware
IS houses, while Illinois has only couple O
y million gallons. The difference is tina
y Illinois distilleries make class @
n whisky that is salable when made, Will
n the Kentucky bourbon whisky must ii
several years to attain its best qualitie!
which has made it famous over anythin
Illinois or anybody else can max,
1t Illinois now takes the lead in the whisk
IL as well as the hog business. She make
more whisky than any other state an
has the banner district for collection
If For long time the state of Ohio col
il tested that point with her, and for man
$, years the Cincinnati district collecte
E, more money than any other in tn
3 country. But Illinois gets away wit
n Ohio now, and the Peoria district in thf
e state collects about fourteen millions