The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-17
ABOUT CIGARETTES.
The Business of Making Them and
Their Effect on Health.
STATE LAWS AGAINST THEM.
The Enormous American Product, and
the Company That Turns IL out-what
the Cigarette Has Co Bear Accused of
Causing Endless Crime.

Whether considered as a great manufac-
turing industry, as q subject for leglsla-
tlon, or n topic for discussion from hy-
gienic point OF view, tie business OF man.
ufacturing paper cigarettes has got to be
enormous. 1t is now almost entirely con-
centrated in the hands OF one company
with capital OF $35, ,00o,0 900. which pro-
duces about 0,000,000,00o cigarettes a
year, or within three per cent. OF the total
product OF paper cigarettes In the United
States. Ii has taken hold or the paper
cigarette business OF the United States
with an iron hand. coaxing and driving
nearly all the manufacturing concerns
into the combination.
Before the consolidation there was a
persistent and expensive advertising con-
test carried on between leading manu-
facturers, which has vlsibly subslded
since the consolidation took place, 10 the
visible discontinue OF the photographers,
who formerly supplied pictures by the
million. There is no longer any neces-
sity for such intense advertising when
ninety-seven per cent. OF the business is
In the hands of one company.
In one way and another the consolida-
tion claims TO save about s., ,250,0O0 year
while producing the same amount OF
paper cigarettes OF the same quality that
were produced before the consolidation.
An immense pressure has been brought
to bear to secure legislation for the pur-
pose OF preventing the smoking OF cigar
cites by boys. Thirty States have already
passed laws prohibiting the sale OF cigar
cites to minors, and efforts are in progress
to secure similar legislation in other
States. Much the same tactics are used
as are employed TO secure anti-liquor leg
islation. 1t has been even proposed to Sc
cure the passage by Congress OF law
imposing an internal revenue tax that
shall be prohibitory Indeed, the effort
everywhere appears to have been directed
more to securing legislation than to the
sense OF parents or guardians or the boys
themselves.
Curiously enough. the most extensive
variety OF crimes is attributed to cigar
cite smoking, and all manner OF lunatics,
idiots, and even murderers, have had
their terrible doings traced by report to
cigarette smoking.
A young man died in Bellevue Hospital
about year ago whose death was attri-
buted To the smoking of four or five boxes
OF cigarettes day. In the case OF q young
woman in San Francisco 1t was declared
that she was made crazy by smoking
cigarettes. The fact was that she had
also rayenous and inordinate appetite
for apples and was made crazy from q
combination of causes. In New Haven
case, where a woman in the habit Of smok-
ing cigarettes went to sleep while smok-
ing and set the bed clothes aflre, the
deadly cigarette got the blame OF her
death. man died In Toledo. o., who
was a constant inmate OF liquor saloons
and known victim of the cocaine habit
and an opium smoker, but when he died
lt was said to be the result OF cigarette
smoking. There was young man out
West who ran away from his wife and
PASSED lot OF bogus checks and had a
valise full OF other bogus checks that he
was about to pass. Friends got him re-
ieased on the ground that his mind WAS
lnhinged from cigarette smoking. boy
lied in Somerville, n. Y, whose death
was attributed to scurvy caused by cigar
lite smoking and cheap pastry!
Such headlines are constantly published
as The Deadly Cigarette" The Fearful
Cigarette" Killed by Cigarettes" Made
Insane by Cigarettes" Another Victim
OF Cigarettes" Fatal Cigarettes" BE
ware of Cigarettes" "A Cigarette Flend,
Burned to Death by Cigarettes,
"Crazed by Cigarettes" Cigarettes
Killed Him." THE Cigarette Evil" The
Cigarette Nuisance" "Why Cigarettes
Kill" IN case in New Haven, where a
man died from injuries received from a
fall occasioned by an attempt to jump from
moving train, il was alleged that the
mans death was due to cigarette smok-
ing. There was man who almost died
in Paterson, n. j., in convulsions, and at
first 1t was said that his illness was
caused by cigarette smoking. 1t turned
out that he had had a sunstroke and had
been bitten by dog. A man in Pennsyl-
vania was said to have got typhoid fever
from the excessive use OF cigarettes. A
colored boy in Louisville, KY, was said to
have strangled to death from hiccoughs.
brought on by cigarette smoking. A
young man arrested for intoxication In
Cincinnati committed suicide, and the an
nouncement OF his death was headed,
The Deadly Cigarette"
Most OF the authorities who declare the
deaths OF certain people have been occa-
stoned by cigarettes are not doctors. DR..
Stephen Douglas, physician in charge Of
the insane pavilion at Bellevue. said the
other day: I'm all my medical expert
ence I have never known OF a case OF in
sanity caused by cigarettes. II Is COM
Son thing when a young fellow who
smokes at all becomes insane TO attribute
the trouble TO cigarettes. i believe that
cigarettes are no more injurious than
cigars or pipes. The excessive use OF to-
bacce makes a person stupid, but not in
sane"
Evidence appears to be conclusive that
the chief injury from cigarette smoking
comes from inhaling the smoke into the
lungs. There is little doubt that this
practice leads TO a form OF tuberculosis.
Most OF the cases OF injury from cigarette
smoking that are authenticated by any
medical authority are Instances where
the smoking has been excessive. There
does not appear to be any proof that
moderate cigarette smoking is any more
injurious, IL at all. than the habit of moder-
ate drin n,inR-N. Y. Sun.