The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-08-14
FRENCH TOBACCO.
It ID tho Vilost and Dearest Article
Al,N FacA Of the Earth.

It Il tho vilost and Dearest Article -
tho Face Of tho Earth.
It was woman who didit "Unknown
tho 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 tho truth - that she
caused nation Of 40. OoO, 900 Of people to
suffer from the vilost and dearest t0bao.
CO on the face OF tho earth. She did It
through feminine vanity and in ono mo
mont avenged all that her sex has sui
fered from the selAshness Of tobacco
smokers. And this II how II h4pp0Hedi
One evening there was . ball q the
Tuilleries. Napoleon said to ono Of hia
ministers:
"Who is that woman over there blaz.
ing with jewels?"
THAT" replied the minister, ''is the
wife OF N. -, the tobacco manufact-
uror."
"There is money in tobacco" said the
Emperor. ''The government will have
> monopoly Of the tobacco business sftes
this"
So the French Government, monarch
ial or republican, has ever since served
out TO its unfortunate subjects such to-
bacco IS II thinks they can smoke with
out falling dead when they got the hrst
Whit. It costs from half 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 . respectable pipe. 1t Is .
black, stringy, rank substance, and the
material of which it is made Is kept >
doep secret by tho officials Some say IL
Is made from old rags, but this 10 evil
IDENTITY untrue, for rags would smoke
much better than Franch tobacco docs.
Fearing an uprising among the English
iand American residents In Franco, the
government reluctantly consented TO
allow couple OF brands Of English to-
bacco and one or two brands Of Ameri-
can tobacco to be sold In the republic.
The price put on these goods gives
about three times tho cost Of tho tobacco
to the government Thus, packet which
sells in Detroit for ton cents costs in
France two francs, or forty cents-four
times tho American price: But in order
that the government can do Its own
swindling and that the retailer will not
have q chance to run in its own little
local swindle on you, the government
does one good thing. 1t prints on every
package Of tobacco or bunch Of cigar
cites the price that is to be paid.
The tobacco shops of France arc gov
eminent offices and are filled with de-
serving people who have claims on the
government. as for instance, the widow
of soldier who has died in the service
OF his country. These tobacco shops
are few, as compared with the number
found in English or American cities.
They are also practically sub-post.ot.
fices, Is they sell stamps and weigh
your letters and papers. At the door OF
most OF the tobacco shops arc letter
boxes.
Herein lies hint to the United States
Government. There is loud complaint
after every election that there are not
enough post-ofiices for the patriots OF
the party to fill. Let the Government
take over the tobacco shops Of the
United States. Abraham Lincoln said.
when threatened with tho smallpox,
that il he took it he would have some
thing to give every ofiice-sceker. 1t the
United States Government absorbed the
tobacco business it would be almost a.
we'll fxed as Lincoln. In most large
cities there are thousands OF tobacco
shops to one post.ofice Or ono customs
house. This Is > good chance tor the
Government
But, unless it wants to stir up re.
bellion, let it not attempt to manufact'
pye tho tobScco. Detroit EfQs PrsSk