The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-03-06
w. C. T u. COLUMN.
EDITED BY THE LADIES OF THE KE-
NosHA w. C. T. u.

NOSHA w. y. l.. ".
THE ETHICAL PROBLEM OF TOBACCO.
BY N. A. HUNT.
Much has been said of the inciv-
ility of gentlemen who use tobacco
on our streets, sidewalks, and es-
pecially on our lines of public trav
ell. Some car companies, if | mis-
take not, have taken to themselves
much credit for what they have done
towards not having offense given to
our olfactories. This is all very
we'll, as far as it goes; but it does
not always meet all our wants. The
aesthetic views Of society are worthy
of our consideration; and there are
very few of us who use none of the
weed, but have been ANNOYED, even
beyond the point of Christian for
bearance, by both tobacco smoke
and tobacco spittle. But it is the
ethical, not the aesthetic view of the
subject, that | now wish to dwell
upon; 1. e., SO far as it is allowed on
our lines Of railroad travel.
I think that can easily show to
any person the true ethical bearing
of the smoking car on all non users
of tobacco. 1t is a sponge that
ought to be eliminated. A coach
will hold seventy persons, all the
seats being occupied, but we will
call it sixty. One engine will pull
FIVE coaches over the Rockies, /"
three hundred souls; but the sixth
car has to be hitChed on for the &C
commodation of those who use to
bacco. A railroad man told me re-
Gently that it costs as much to take
the smoking car as it does any of the
rest of them. And [ am sure |
should think it did more, if | had to
keep it clean. But for our demon
stration. At three cents a mile, SIX
ty persons conveyed one hundred
miles would be $3.50. which we will
make the basis of our estimation.
We will further suppose that our
train consists of five cars without the
scent of tobacco; although not abb
solutely; for almost the last time my
wife went on the cars with me, be
fore she was fairly seated, she said,
ave are on the smoking-car." "No,
I replied, "don't you see half the
passengers are women?" 81 don't
care" she rejoined, 81 smell to-
bacco." Its only what clings to
the gentlemen's mustache and kid
gloves" I replied.
But enough side issues; let US get
to business. We were saying that
our train consisted of six cars, five
with smoking prohibited, and one
with no prohibition. Bear in mind
it costs as much to run the smoking
car as it does any of the others. If
it costs 5000 to run six cars one
hundred miles. it will cost but $50
to run five that distance, saving of
$15o. We will suppose like num-
Der of ladies and gentlemen are on
the train, and that two thirds of the
gentlemen smoke; Of course, none
of the ladies. We would have, then,
one hundred smokers, and two hun
dred that do not. So on every one
hundred miles fare, the non smokers
have to pay $1oo, for which they re
ceive not a particle of benefit; it is
solely for the qualification of the one
hundred who use tobacco.
One afternoon, when talking to
railroad man IA user Of tobacco), on
this question. he said: 81 see what
you are after; you want to make US
YOUR Debtors" I accorded to him
quick perception as he said, GIVE
thought of that before" But in
bringing in our charge, let us be
fair, not too exacting. The engine,
the hands, most of them; most of
the fuel and water, and the road bed
would have to be furnished to run
FIVE cars instead of six, so that
should we reduce the extra estimat-
ed expense of the smoking car one
half, making it $50 each one hun
dred miles, it would probably be not
far out of the way. Some have in
timated that the smoking car is fur
nished by the liberality of the rail
road companies. If that is so, let US
see their liberality in furnishing
sleepers free, as well! Use any kind
of arithmetic, or any kind of logic
you please, and you will find hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, every
year, exacted of non-users of tobac-
CO for furnishings to those who use
it on our lines of public travel; and
it is time we all understood it.
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