The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-27
THE CIGARETTE EVIL.
sapping the Lives Of the Youth in spits
of the Law.

Il
of the Law.
The passage Of the law by the last legis-
lature forbidding the sale of tobacco and
cigarettes TO minors does not appear TO have
diminished the sale Of cigarettes here.
Savannah youths Of tender age continue
70 puff the deadly cigarette as freely and
boldly as before the law was passed A
MORNING News reporter talked with sew
eral OF the leading retail tobacconists OF the
city yesterday upon the subject. asking
them particularly IL their sales Of cigarettes
had decreased since the passage OF the law.
They all replied that instead of decrease
| there had been an increase in the sale of
cigarettes and that they could not see that
their trade was affected in the least
A popular retailer said, In answer to the
reporters inquiry, that he only sold the
better grades Of cigarettes and did not keep
/ the cheap grades. as his trade was almost
| entirely among men, and since the passage
of the bill he had refused TO sell cigarettes
TO boys For all that, he says he sees more
boys smoking now than ever before.
hDo you sell as many cigarettes now as
before the passage of the law against selling
them to minorsp asked the reporter of a
Bull street dealer.
More" answered the proprietor. "The
boys get around the law easy enough. They
come in here and call for cigarettes for
their older brothers, or their fathers. even,
and it isn't our business to contra
dict them; or they get some older
person to buy pack for them. Generally,
though, small boys buy their cigarettes now
from the fruit stands, all of which have
them on sale. The boys have no difficulty
In getting all the cigarettes they want"
A similar question was put to another
well known retailer last night, and he said:
'The law doesn't make any difference. 1t
is too easy to get around The boys come
in here with orders for cigarettes for men,
and. of course, we have to fill the order
Many Of them get their older acquaintances
TO write out the orders for them,
but many of them write their
own orders and sign somebody else's name
to 1t. One little boy comes in here regularly
every day with his order with his fathers
name attached to it. l am satisfied the lit
tie scamp writes them himself.
VERY commonly the boys will get
negro to buy their cigarettes for them, and
most any negro is willing to do this in re-
turn for cigarette.
II wish the law could be enforced, ;" con-
tinued the tobaccouist. There are any
number of boys In this town who are actu-
ally killing themselves with cigarettes. The
cigarette has a ruinous effect upon them;
there is no doubt about that 1t ought to
be stopped. but the law doesn't fill
the Dill. Inc only way TO do IL Is to
pass law against the manufacture Of
cigarettes. and l believe it will be done
within the next two years I'll be glad
when it's done, TOO"
1t is safe to say that there is no city in the
state, in proportion to its population, that
has more young boys who are constant
smokers of cigarettes than Savannah. To
an observer on the streets it looks as
if all the boys, big and little,
black and white, use the poisonous cigarette.
That it is injurious Is known beyond
doubt The testimony is too one-sided to
doubt this "Tobacco-heart" has become a
common disease among boys since ciga-
rettes came into popular use.
The present law does not seem to fill the
bill. 1t is not enforced at any rate.
New York has a law which recently went
into effect that, if enforced, will break up
cigarette smoking by boys. The New York
law makes it q misdemeanor for any child,
actually or apparently under 16 years of
age, to smoke or in any way use any cigar,
cigarette, or tobacco In any form what.
soever, in any public street, place or re-
sort" There will, it is said. be a movement
iuaugurated to secure some legislation Of
this character in Georgia.