Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-11-10
TOBACCO lust 60.

When the daily papers take to pub
fishing articles on the flthiness of
tobacco chewing, articles which call
especial attention to ''our reprehensi-
BILE national masculine habit as
found in what Dickens calls its full
bloom and glory" in our halls of Con.
gress, we have reason to hope that the
tobacco evil has reached its final stage
and that the future will witness a much
to be desired reform in this direction.
An observing writer in one of Mis-.
souri's Democratic dailies notes that
the November elections were hard on
tobacco chewers." While this is to be
regarded, as he says, merely as a CO.
Incidental fact, still white ribboners-
and all women who desire Clearly
habits and clearly surroundings at the
national headquarters-will be glad to
know that some of the worst tobacco
chewers in the House and in the Sen
ate are relegated to private life.
The congressional celebrities named
will, we think, hardly feel grateful for
the in which the journal in
question gives them honorable (?)
mention as high priests" of the to.
bacco chewing and splitting fraternity
in the national capitol, nor will they
be ~pleased-some of them-with the
description Of their personal appear
auce as devotees of the noxious and
dirty "quid." The writer is especially
severe on the free silver champion
from his W State, and has no doubt
that 1T was such men who inspired
Charles Dickens assault upon our ma.
tlonal nastiness and caused him to
designate Washington as the "head-
quarters of tobacco tinctured saliva"
The public spittoon is invariably one
of the first of vi institutions" to at.
tract the wondering notice of the Wis.
iting foreigner. But he soon discovers
that this is not the worst feature at.
tending the use of the weed a la Ameri-
can. The Growing offensiyeness of the
tobacco fend is the alarming reck-
lessness" with which he-to quote
again the author of American Notes"
-"ejects the essence of his plug" To
an onlooker the incessant splitting be-
N a thrilling exhibition of ''hit or
miss" and there is many a miss lin.
deed, some of our representatives"
scorn the spittoon and refuse altogether
to make it an objective point. The
necessity for new velvet carpets in our
legislative hal!s-is frequent. 1T is
such thing as this" says one, that
make woman s%uffragists, who prefer
the sanctity and refuge of q quiet
home"
And then our city pavements, With
what disgust and indignation does
every %cleanlv, refined woman-and
man-traverse the sidewalks of our
business streets. There is Just n
part of the municipal pie that l want
to have a finger in" remarked one of
these retiring women, as with raised
skirts she picked her way through the
tobacco tinctured saliva" and other
unnecessary filth of one of Chicago's
down town pavements, land that is
the street cleaning department. Now
doesn't that look like a mans house
k%eepingY' she continued, with a
grimace pointing to freshly deposited
election of tobacco juice which had
barely missed her own dainty gar.
ments. And SO it goes. All these evils
and discomforts are tending to impress
upon an awakening public the fact
that clean streets, clean public build
ings and clean politics, as we'll as
clean homes, can be secured through
cooperation.
Its truly q matter for congratula.
ton that the current of public opinion
Is steadily setting against tobacco
chewing and that the more civilized
American is beginning to look upon
the habit from the standpoint of u
much loved English critic and to con.
TESS in his own strong language that
the two odious practices of chewing
and e~xpectorattng are filthy, offensive
and sickening-sn exaggeration of
n%astiness which q not be outdone. -
We are truly rejoiced to note the
growing agitation of tia tobacco cues.
ton by school authorities. The Michi
gan Teachers Association, recently as.
sembled in Lansing, took advanced
ground in recommending that no per.
son who used tobacco in n form
should be employed to teach in the
schools of that State. 1t also appointed
a committee to urge. the passage of a
more stringent law regulating the sale
Of cigarettes.
In the evolution of genus homo. To.