The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-02-23
ADDRESS or PRES. JOHN NJ. ESTES.


Before the Annual Convention of the Wis
consin Tobacco Growers and Dealers As
ISOLATION at Madison Feb. Sth.
The use of tobacco is of unknown an
tiquity. Columbus, on his first voyage
of discovery, noted its use in the West
Indies, and all of the early voyagers to
the New World found that its use was
prevalent by the American Indians as
far north as Canada. 1t was grown by
the crude methods of Indian agriculture
and it was cured amidst the unsavory
fumes of their habitations.
The Indians regarded tobacco as
special benefaction bestowed upon them
by the Great Spirit. They, therefore,
entertained for it a certain degree of rev.
erence. They used it in their religious
rites and it was the seal or token by
which they acknowledged their solemn
obligations.
Wilson in his "Prehistoric Man." says:
"In the belief of the ancient worshipers,
the Great Spirit smelled sweet saver
as the smoke of the sacred plant ascend
ed to the heavens; and the homely i'm
plement of modern luxury was in their
hands sacred censer, fro n which the
hallowed vapor rose with as fitting pro-
pitiatory odors as that which perfumes
the awful precincts Of the cathedral
altar, amid the mysteries of'the church's
high and holy days
When, four hundred years ago, civill-
zation knocked at the door Of the New
World, demanding it's treasures, seeking
even the fountain Of youth, its quest was
futile, and it required more than hun
dred years to learn that the wealth of
this country must be won through agri
cultural pursuits and the realization of
this fact was first discovered by the cul-
tivatiOn of tobacco
The colony which was planted at
jamestown in 1906 cultivated wheat,
barley and corn for several years. These
crops were SO unremuneratlve that dlscon-
tent, laziness and mutiny were prevalent.
The colony languished, and, although
constantly reinforced by fresh arrivals
from England, it was steadily failing.
In 1918 it began the cultivation of to-
bacco as an article of commerce with
most satisfactory results. quote from
Peattie's History of the United States
from chapter with the suggestive head
ing Through Death to Victory: "For
the first time the colony began to make
some money. 1t came from the sale of
tobacco. From the extreme of idleness
the colouists went to the extreme of in
dustry as soon as their love for money
prompted it and those who owned DO
land did not hesitate to plant tobacco IN
she very streets of Jamestown. Tobacco
charmed them, Men were sent over in
ship loads" And thus was the settle
ment at jamestown guaranteed and made
permanent.
The first important shipment Of tobac
co from Virginia to England was made
in 1919. It consisted of 10000 pounds
and was the crop of the previous year.
This year is noted, also, as that in which
King James I Illuminated his Furious
Counterblast to Tobacco" in which he
described it's use as "a custom loathsome
to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful
to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and
in the black, stinking fume thereof near
est resembling the horrible Stygian
smoke of the pit that is bottomless.' By
extorting a revenue from the sale of to-
bacco he violated the charter which he
had granted to the Virginia Company,
which was finally revoked and the COM
pany dissolved.
His successor, King Charles |, enter
tanned very different ideas with respect
to the tobacco industry. Allured by the
possibilities OF sudden wealth. he selfish
ly proposed that monopoly should be
granted him. To this the colonial as
sembly protested and hedged his propo
sition about with so many conditions
that this. the first attempt to form 60
bacco trust in this country, was aban-
doned.
In 1920 there was exported to England
10000 pounds Of tobacco. In this year
also ninety young women of respectable
ity were sent over to supply the colo
nists with wives, they being chargeable
was for the first shipment 120 and after
tory relates that these young women be-
came the foundation of some of the first
families in this country. Thus were the
existence, secured by the legal tender,
the colonial currency tobacco.
For how much of our national exis
tence and substance, for how much of
our patriotism and achievement does the
much abused tobacco plant stand as COL
lateral
L
yet three hundred years old, some of US
who boast of our American ancestry will
do we'll to remember that far back in
our genealogy there may be maternal
branch in the family tree which is the
humble representative of 12O or 150
pounds of tobacco.
The production of tobacco steadily in
creased from the beginning made at
jamestown until for several years prior
to the revolution there was exported
100000 pounds annually. For more than
two hundred years tobacco was the basis
of all values and was the principal cur
rency in the colonies of Virginia, Mary
land and North Carolina. 1t was legal
tender for all debts and was used in the
payment of all salaries, even those of
teachers and clergymen.
Tobacco has always been prolific
source of revenue for the general gov
ernment For the fiscal year ended June
80, 1905, there was collected by the in
ternal revenue department from tax on
tobacco $40 ,6599l0
The use of tobacco being nearly uni