The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-19
CIGARETTES AND EDITORS.
Hon. r. p. POrter's Views on Much
Discussed Subject. G

- -
Discussed Subject.
NEW YORK, June 19.-Hon. Robert
P Porter, founder and for some time
editor of the New York Press and an
American journalist of international
reputation, was asked by a New York
reporter to explain the origin of some
of the absurd cigarette stories which,
from time to time, go the rounds Of
newspapers.
The interview which follows is in
teresting, in view of the recent absurd
and promptly contradicted report that
cigarette smoking was the cause of
the rejection of recruits to the volun-
teer army in the present war.
AS newspaper man, Mr.. Porter at
tributes to "prejudice' all such sto-
ries.
Popular prejudice" said Mr.. Por-
ter, sis undoubtedly a difficult thing
to overcome, ard at one time there was
something akin to an epidemic of abuse
against the cigarette.
1T is the business of modern jour-
nalism to be interesting and treat on
up-to-date topics, hence I suppose
many of the so-called human inter-
est stories were tackled on to the I'M
fortunate cigarette, which I regard as
the least harmful of all tobacco habits
''The victim is said to be made mad
by cigarettes;' the cigarettes claim a
victim;. and he puffed out life by
! cigarettes merely represent the partic-
ular form Of daily sensations Cor fic-
tion) of period most likely when the
| subject was being agitated. No one
contradicted them, and so, like many
other ridiculous stories, they went the
rounds.
For my own part, never
had any prejudice against the
cigarette or any form of to-
bacco-u using, except chewing. The
| excessive use of tobacco, especially
with the young, is injurious, but that
| is another question. Used in modera-
ton, the cigarette is undoubtedly the
mildest and least harmful formtoin
which tobacco can be used.
Medical science has shown how cut
terly unwarranted has been this cpl
| demic of abuse of the cigarettes and in
| the face of such testimony, as a jour-
nalist Of twenty-five years experience.
I have no hesitation in saying that a
| human interest story or any other ar
ticle which claimed death from the use
of cigarettes would have to be pretty
| we'll authenticated before it found
| place in q newspaper over which I had
supervision.
aside from this, it would be of no
| public interest, in view of the effectual
disposition that expert authorities all
over the world have made of the ques-
| ton.
There is literally no ingredient in an
American cigarette except tobacco and
paper, and analyses show that both of
! these are pure and contain no dele
FERROUS or foreign matter It would
seem, therefore, to me that the preju-
| dice against the cigarette, except so far
as it's use or the use of any form of
| tobacco by the young, is wholly un-
| founded.
Certainly to enact prohibitive Iegis-
| lation against the sale of cigarettes is
| silly and on par with the recent at
| tempt in one state to enact a statute
| against flirting.
$50 far as my journalistic experience
goes, and at several periods of my life
as large employer Of labor-at one
| time numbering several thousands of
| men, many of them young-I have
known of no case of insanity or death,
nor even Of illness, through smoking
cigarettes. I occasionally smoke cigar
| cites myself, but prefer cigars, be-
cause they are stronger and contain
more tobacco"
| Mr.. Porter was superintendent of the
census, and, as an employer of labor.
his experience Is valuable.