Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-16
THE CIGARETTE LAW.
Pittsburg Tobacco Dealers Generally
Are Glad it Has Passed.
pITTSBURG Is A CIGARETTE CITY
The NeWsbOys Are Great Customers for the
White Tabes.
THE LAW WILL BENEFIT CIGAR TRADE

THE LAW WILL BENEFIT CIGAR TRADE
Pittsburg cigar dealers have put on their
thinking caps over the law passed by the
Legislature few weeks ago, forbidding the
sale of cigarettes to boys or girls under 16
years. 1t meets with the general approval
of the better class of tobacco men. A num-
Der of dealers were interviewed by DIS
PATCH reporters yesterday on this subject,
and some interesting facts were elected.
The statements on some points conflict, but
in the main they agree that cigarette smok-
ing is an injurious and pernicious practice,
and the majority of them only keep cigar
cites because they have to.
Quincy Robinson had this to say: st GER
tainly approve of such law. It is good
thing. A great many boys under 16 smoke
them, but we were never anxious about
their trade. never sell them to children.
The 'newsies' often buy them, and it is use
less to refuse them. 1t cannot be denied that
cigarette smoking is growing in Pittsburg. The
demand is getting larger every day, though We
do all we can to discourage it.
HURTS CIGAR BUSINESS.
"The sale of cigarettes Injuries the cigar
business. There is no profit of any account in
the cigarette, and when a man buys pack of
cigarettes he gets 20 smokes, when, If he
couldn't get them, he would buy cigars. For
the sake of the latter trade would like to see
the sale of cigarettes abolished. The habit is
more prevalent in Eastern cities, but it Is grow
ing in the Western towns.
HYoung fellows, principally buy cigarettes.
Children take kindly to them because they are
mild and cheap. l sell large quantities of them,
but the business, of course, does not begin to
compare with the cigar trade. One would be
surprised to know how many kinds are made.
Each manufacturer has at least from Is to 20
brands of his own, and there is a call for
them all.
they invariably fall into the habit of inhaling
the smoke. At first they puff it out like cigar
smokers. but unconsclously a man finds him
self swallowing IL. It Is this practice that
makes cigarette smoking Injurious. l
can't understand this habit, but
must say the sensation is very agreeable. One
feels good. as If he had taken small dose Of
on tbs 6SacNo snere are
but the sensations are similar to those pro-
duced by these drugs on small scale. The
satisfaction is pleasurable to swallow the smoke
and allow it to work its way out through the
mouth and nostrils. do not approve of cigar
cite smoking, and would be glad to see it
stopped"
CAN'T BE ENFORCED.
The views of W. A. McClurg are as follows: |
'The law is all right, but it can't be enforced.
Children will get the cigarettes anyhow, and |
there are thousand methods they can employ |
to evade 1t. My experience has been that not |
many boys under 16 smoke cigarettes. I think |
the evil is largely imaginary and exaggerated. |
The dudes and 'newsies' buy most OF the |
cigarettes, though occasionally you will find
fnr ham Pnxyc Vuhn hoV
well brought up hardly ever smoke them.
'I don't like cigarettes, and can scarcely |
stand the smell, SO to me 1t Is somewhat OF |
mystery why the the habit becomes so strong.
could not break themselves OF the habit and
sometimes well-dressed young fellow viii buy
one, with the remark that he is trying to break
off. Whether he is actually trying to stop the
habit OF that is the size of his Pile, is conun-
1rum cannot answer.
"Yes, Bttsburg is good cigarette city, but
Doesn't pay to handle them. and in addition
hey injure the cigar trade. I would like to see
hem knocked out"
SCHOOL CHILDREN DO IT.
Mr.. g. G. Davis, near the Monongahela
House, said: ~ never sell tobacco to children.
have boys CT my own. and don't want to see
hem smoke. This law was badly needed. In this
,art of the city not many cigarettes are sold.
The river men and coal men prefer the tobie.
n fact you scarcely ever see workingman
moke a, cigarette. They leave that to the
"Yes, It Is true that great many children
moke cigarettes. I have seen little fellows
'nly 70 years old putting away at
hem in the store. The practice is very preva-
emit among school children. They slip off into
orners and quiet places, and smoke them on
he sly. The cigarette Is not like cigar. Ii
an be smoked In few minutes, and If you
Vatch boys at recess you can soon discover
hem puffiug at a cigarette. They buy them
rom the Italians and candy stands, CENTS
other with trade of this kind, and refuse to
ell them, very often on higher grounds.
1.-THE Hebrews on Wylie and Old avenues
tb gsa many Thy are s%ays
luch profit in the business, and the dealers
Till not lose much if the law is carried out"
SATURDAY GOOD FOR CIGARETTES.
Mr.. s. P. Miller, who has given cigarette
moking considerable study, says: I'm proper
ion to the population of children how many of
hem actually smoke cigarettes; My experience
as been the number is small, and the
ood people have been agitating themselves
on this subject In walking along
be streets always watch the boys, and 1t is
eldom see any of them smoking cigarettes.
he number is always larger on Saturday, when
be boys are out of school.
", |
ont believe it can be enforced. never sell to
oung boys, though some of them range be-
veen the ages of IA and 16. The greatest de-
land for cigarettes comes from boys between
and 20 years old. often sell to the newsies
get rid of them. In fact it isn't safe to refuse
newsY. ! have known them TO throw stones
nd dirt when disappointed.
81 am not anxious to work up the cigarette
.ade. In proportion to the cigar business do
is nothing at all. I believe many of the ,
oung fellows inhale the smoke for effect, and
is fancy rig and with his cane under his arm,
links it is the proper thing to curl the smoke
cigarette through his nose and mouth"
SOME FIGURES ON 1T,
Mr. Bald, of Linhart Bald & Co., said: ST
III about 10000 cigars to 500 cigarettes. 1
ont believe l have had more than one boy
nder l6 ask for cigarettes in tive weeks 1 |
on't like the law, because it is hard for the {
aaIer to tell when the boy is 16 years of age
.e may look to be that old, but appearances
% deceiving. The newsies buy few cents
orth at time, but they usually manage to
cal enough to consume more than the small
rofit.
1.-THE cigarette for some reason or other, Is
furious. They are made out of Virginia
ock generally, and when the paper is made
1t of rice can't see that they are any more
armful than tobacco. The cheaper brands I
,rtainly are injurious when they are wrapped .
ith poor quality of paper. :
DO i ever Sell TO WOm6uI w 6ll, aOm6Ll10eS, |
1t never thought they belonged to the better
asses, judging from external evidences 1
metimes think boys buy cigarettes more for
70 pictures found inside the pack than for the q
bacco. think these pictures are responsible
r a great deal of the harm done. While not
together Objectionable they are not the
oper specimens Of art to put in the boys
Lnds.
II notice most cigarettes are asked for by r
,ys between the ages of l6 and q In short 1
ne they become slaves to the habit, so they b
II me. know one man, 35 years old, who is D
loking the cigarette tobacco in pipe, trying 3
break himself Of the practice"
At Reymer Bros. the clerk said they liked r
9 law. and at any rate they never sold to
cir department.. The clerk thought the T
ldes smoked cigarettes because their consti =
tions will not stand anything stronger. They Y
we large trade, and find Pittsburg good
zarette town. He said also that the smoke
nst be inhaled to get the aroma, and it is this
rt of the habit that is injurious.