The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-10-10
Supports an Enormous Traffic In
Tobacco.

oiitlay OF much money, nor does the
expenditure Of the like amount for
three Pittsburg stogies threaten
money famine. Yet II may be sur
prising to know that the nickles
showered into the till of the tobac-
conist constitute one OF the greatest
items Of expense OF this country.
The tobacco factories of the United
States turn out product each year
that IS valued at nearly $500. 100000,
or 100000 day. That is wat
the nicbles amount to-
Tobacco is thoroughly American
product. but the truth is that the
American Is not so addicted to the
habit Of smoking as is his Old World
neighbor. There the women smoke
as well as the men. Everybody
smokes everywhere. At the restau.
rants in Europe 1t is not an uncom.
mon sight to see persons stop eating
while they smoke a cigarette. The
atmosphere Of many of the Cont.
mental restaurants is as thick with
cigarette smoke as that of beer So.
loon. A
Nevertheless, in America the ~
bacco habit has made fair Roadway.
There are over $4,000 factories in the
United States making tobacco to
chew or smoke, or into SNUFF. Nearly
10000 hands are employed by these
factories. They earn 100000 a
week in wages. The factories pay 49,.
100000 a week for the material they
use The raw tobacco Is raised on
more than 100000 acres. and by over
100000 farmers, who sell their product
for something like s60,0O0,0Oo a year.
The figures are SO large that they
signify nothing. The chewing and
smoking tobaccos made annually
amount TO 100000 pounds, and when
cigars and cigarettes are Included,
the numbers scorn millions and go
into billions. Think of 1000 900 900
cigars and 5000. 100000 cigarettes,
gentlemen. Some folks are of the
notion that the use of snuff died with
our grandfathers. But 1t takes just
100000 pounds to supply those who
still survive to use it.
That Is what the nicile amounts to
as It goes into the drawer at the to.
bacco store.
Tobacco pays a. large share of the
expenses Of the government. Each
year our good old Uncle Samuel sup.
plies the tobacco manufacturers with
handsomely engraved and printed
stamps to put on their packages. For
this bit OF art work they pay him
about 100000 week to help out
with the expenses of running the Con-
gress and such other diversions as
the general government sees fit to
engage in. Tobacco and liquors to.
gether contribute to the Treasury
Department at Washington about
$1,000. 600 a week, The man who oh.
jects to liquors and tobacco may find
some comfort in the fact that those
who patronize the two products have
to pay roundly for their pleasure.
That is another thing the nickle
does.
In levying its taxes tobacco is
classed by the government with liz
uors, oleomargarine, filled-cheese, reno.
waited butter and that kind of stuff
And 60,000,000 pounds of renovated
butter pays revenue tax annually.
Renovated butter is the kind that has
been carried out back of the store
so 1t will not faint the Limburger
cheese, and kept there until it can be
sent TO the factory to be put through
some disinfecting process and then
sent out again to be sold for decent
butter. The internal revenue of the
4 United States, coming from the
resources It does, reminds one of some
of the close church folks on Rockefel.
ler's offerings. But the United States
has neither a nose nor conscience,
SO any kind of money is good enough
at the Treasury Department, II it was
only made at the Mint or at the Blu.
reau of Engraving and Printing.
Half of the tobacco raised in the
United States comes from the farms
Of Kentucky and North Carolina. vir-
GINA is not far behind. These three
States cultivate over 100000 acres of
IL. The product of the oil regions of
the whole Pennsylvania, West vir-
ginia and Eastern Ohio territory, ro-
mantle and fabulous as the story of
oil has been. is not SO great in year
Z as the product of tobacco in Kentucky,
Virginia and North Carolina. And the
tobacco crop is an increasing gift of