The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-18
FRENCH TOBACCO.
Tt Is the ViIest and Dearest Article on
the Face of the Earth.


the Face of the Earth.
1t was woman who did it. ''Unkpown
the city of her birth, the town in which
she died unknown, her name has per-
ished from the earth, this truth sur
wives alone" and the truth is that she
caused nation of 40, 900, 600 of people to
suffer from the vilest and dearest tobac-
co on the face of the earth. She did it
through feminine vanity and in one mo-
ment avenged all that her sex has suf-
fered from the selfshness of tobacco
smokers. And this is how it happened:
One evening there was ball at the
Tuilleries. Napoleon said to one of his
ministers:
''Who is that woman over there blaz"
ing with iewels?"
That" replied the minister, ''is the
wife of NJ. --, the tobacco manufact-
urer.'
"There is money in tobacco" said the
Emperor. 1.-The government will have
monopoly of the tobacco business after
this
So the French Government, monarch
ial or republican, has ever since served
bacco as it thinks they can smoke with
out falling dead when they get the first
Whit. 1t costs from half a franc to
franc for packet containing couple
of ounces. The government is not con-
tent with legitimate profits, but serves
out the most abominable mixture that
ever insulted a respectable pipe. 1t is a
black, stringy, rank substance, and the
material of which it is made is kept a
deep secret by the officials. Some say it
is made from old rags, but this is evil
IDENTIFY untrue, for rags would smoke
much better than Franch tobacco does.
Fearing an uprising among the English
and American residents in France, the
government reluctantly consented to
allow a couple of brands of English to-
bacco and one or two brands OF Amerl-
can tobacco to be sold in the republic.
The price put on these goods gives
about three times the cost of the tobacco
to the government. Thus, packet which
sells in Detroit for ten cents costs in
France two francs, or forty cents-four
times the American price. But in order
that the government can do its own
swindling and that the retailer will not
have a chance to run in its own little
local swindle on you, the government
does one good thing. It prints on every
package of tobacco or bunch of cigar
cites the price that is to be paid.
The tobacco shops of France are gov
ernment offices and are filed with de
serving people who have claims on th'
, | Fco hn do
of soldier who has died in the servic'
D of his country. These tobacco shop
are few, as compared with the numbe
, found in English or American cities
> They are also practically sub-post-oi
: fees, as they sell stamps and weig
4 your letters and papers. At the door c
5 most of the tobacco shops are lette
0 boxes.
f Herein lies hint to the United State
r Government. There is loud complain
9 after every election that there are nc
S enough post-ofices for the patriots {
t the party to fill. Let the Governmer
d take over the tobacco shops of tn
United States. Abraham Lincoln sai(
e when threatened with the smallpox
l. that if he took it he would have SOM
e thing to give every ofice-seeker. 1t th
i United States Government absorbed th
tobacco business it would be almost /;
It we'll fixed as Lincoln. In most larg
cities there are thousands of tobacC
}, shops to one post-ofice or one custom
e house. This is good chance for tt
Government.
(" But, unless it wants to stir up a r
3. bellion, let it not attempt to manufaC
., ure the tobacco.-Detroit Free Press.