The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-11-22
UNCLE SAM SMOKES A FLEET
OF BATIESHzPS AND PANAMA
CANAL YEAR, Y, AND WONT STOP
Cigar, Cigaret and Pipe Bill of the United States WOULD Keep
Half a Million FanaiIcs--An Increase OF One-Fourth IN
the Consumption OF Cigars Since 1900 Has Been
Recordcd-.Conbined Cigars Would Make a
stogie Over 500, 900 Miles Long.

..rl,e man who smokes thinks like a sage
and acts like a Samaritan"
sublime tobacco, which from ea srn,l to
west cheers the tarS iapo! "i 'He 10"
mans r~est.'-Byron.
.Eor thv sake, tobacco,
Would do anything hut die. LAM.
How the smoke twists IN ni"s Spi w.
rings. twisting languoronsiS WIZ" ~
darker oiliness of rich Havana an"
as he sits there. Uncle sam seems wohe
derful ~confisurations in the whirl OF
j smokc-visions of clouds. OF innings ls
could do. and things he could BUY lof
the amount totaled in his big lopaeeo
bin.
cloud of smoke twenty-seNen great ~.
mored cruisers, bright and new, ana
spick and span, and formidable WIN
great guns. They float proudly on the
waves. and in his minds eye he sees
himself the possessor Of the greatesl:
most powerful navy atloat-if he should
spend his smoking money to set them!
No danger from threatening nations
now. Bright and new those monsters
of. the deep float. built OF strong steel
and manned as ships nave never pssii
manned pefore-with the latest seafar-
ing appliances and the latest and most
wonderful inventions OF destruction.
They are fully equipped. Mt an aver
age cost OF IS, 900, 900 each, and represent
an outlay OF 1925, COO. 900. A trifie? Inc
OLD man Eliminates in his pocket-ho'
he could hardly afford such an imme-
date outlay. Yet he gives it up M
smoke!
Another vision takes shape in the
curling and fragrant wreaths OF vapor
the greatest engineering feat of the
age.
Where North ms South America
were once joined by the land of the
sthmus of Panama there is now a sep.
Grating stretch OF water. Ships san
down along the eastern shore, Neer 10
the west, and make their way through
the broad ribbon OF ana into the Pa
.iiic ocean.
The Panama canal completed, the bill
OF Sl40,0 900 900 paid and revenues already
coming in from the great, successful
unaertaking-this is what he sees. And
all this in one year., in addition to the
,wenty-sevcn battleships, if he would
give NJ smoking.
A smile passes over the CHEEKY old
g~entlefnan's face. Surely these are
pleasing fancies. The long and ardu-
Gus work of eight or len years done
or at least paid for, even if not yet ac-
coInplished. What could he more pleas
ing
But Why indulge in such vair
fancies? Uncle Sam blinks his eyes. II
is impossible. Then his glance fails OF
the cigar, the cigaret or the pipe. Why
for one years cost of these he coul6
have his twenty-seven battleships ant
his canal.
OF course. this is a vain fancy. HI
knows we'll he wouldn't give up his af
ter-dinner smoke and the other enjoy
able smokes of the day-no, not for AN.
!, number OF canals and all the battle
: ships in the world.
The United States census report a
the consumption Of obacco for tn
yea, ending with June, 1906, was re
Gently completed, and the figures ol
j the face of them are amazing.
Within one year the number OF cigar
, smoked was 7.689.337. 207, and of cigar
cts 3.376,G33,673. Imagine Uncle San
smoking an enormous cigar made o
: all the cigars conSumed-if made o
9 those of the average length of fou
y and one-half inche it would be $40,
! 24S miles long.
Or picture, if you can. a cigaret mad
! of all those consumed in the country
a measuring 1898 miles-5,OOO mile
greater than the diameter of the cartl
: AS he smokes. Uncle Sam can't he'll
g but think OF the things he could do fo
), the money spent on smoking tobacco
+ that costly luxury. OF course, he
: not forego the sweet pleasure of
a "igaret. pipe or cigar-perhaps he Ell
a joys them the more when he thinks c
I what else he could do With the none,
According TO actual figures. the SUI
!, of money spent for cigars in the yea
ending June, 1905. was S19S, 1SG, 49,, an
for cigarets, 1864, 500. Statistic
J, gathered of the sales of chewing an
O pipe tobacco showed an expenditure 6
: more than S110,0 00. 900, of which it
s estimated $55,0G0,O00 was spent fc
=, smoking tobacco.
, A grand total of about 1910. 900, 900
# Year going up in smoke.
~ Quite a small sum of the luxury c
smoking, isn't it? Why, the fire losse
in the Enita1 Cfofac f,. 1Onr $40.
100000 1000 less, amounting to litt]
more than S165, 600, 900.
During the last year there were II.
q $50 business failures. Now, a man i
g business would naturally cut down h
luxur1cs and save expenses rather thu
Il face financial distress. What IL Jr
"a Gle Sam had eliminated the item {
- smoking?
a There would not have beer one fai,
st ure II The money spent on the wee
% tress. All liabilities could have bee
# paid, and there would have been a SUI
~ plus of $175, 600, 900! And Uncle Sal
wouldn't have had to give up smol
20 ing entirely, after all.
re The rise Of the tobacco industry hs
~ most prosperous Of businesses in tt
~ world. Even gold mining in tn
q country in 1905 did not yield as muc
# money as the tobacco industry.
Look at them-the great mines
10 Alaska. Of Colorado, the west-gold an
silver mires. containing inexnaustib
- wealth. Yet the commercial value
a al the gold and silver mined by Unc
r sam IN that year was 1882. 600. 900 lie!
than the amount which passed from IL
We pockets Of tobacco smokers.
is or course. Uncle Sam doesn't regr
ne this one bit. He feels gratlfed III;
men enjoy he weed as much az tn.
ne do, n 1t is a fact, the taste of smol
ne ers 10 becoming more refined eat
7 year: every year sees the sale OF goo
Nv tobacco Increasing.
ts 1t must not be forgotten that Il
ed money spent by Uncle Sam for his a,
lp nl2l smoke RCeS into tho poo,,,t,