The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-23
COWBOYS TOBACCO.
United States Laws Play Havoc With
the Weird Mixture.

The United States pure food law has |
played havoc with tobacco smoking in
Texas. The lifelong habits of the cow
boys have been revolutionized by an
innocent looking little pamphlet issued
recently by the government 1T con-
tains the analysis of various products
that are in general use, and among
them a popular brand of smoking to-
bacco, which comes in little sacks, and
is popular throughout the southwest.
When Jim" Bedford came in from MS
ranch to get his mail the other day, he
found this pamphlet i'm his postottiee
box, says a Uvalde (Tex) correspoD-
dent of the Kansas City Star. 1t had
been sent to him by his old friend,
Major Nose Harris Of San Antonio,
deputy United States internal revenue
collector for the district. Major Har-
ris had written upon the front leaf of
the pamphlet:
This will tell you what kind of stuff
We have been smoking"
Belford took the pamphlet over 20
/ the store and glanced through IL while
his order for ranch supplies was being
filed. Under the heading of the brand
4 of tobacco which was smoked by al
most every man in this region its an
alysis was given as follows; Tobacco,
q per cent; alfalfa, IS per cent: arsen-
ic. per cent; opium, l per cent; fluid,
3 per cent.
| Could it be true that he had been
| smoking alfalfa-tO say nothing of
arsenic and opium? He read the an
alysis over a second time Then he
arose and walked over to the counter
where the storekeeper was wrapping up
the goods he had bought.
bill, put me up about three pounds
of alfalfa, mixed with arsenic and
opium and little tobacco thrown in,
| he ordered.
Bill" stared at Belford in amaze
ment.
What's the matter of YOU. jim?
You know 1 don't keep any of them
things on sale. except tobacco" ne
said. Il did have a few bales of al
falfa hay here last summer, but it did
not pay me to carry it, so l quit"
| "Oh, yes, you do sell all of them.
and you have got them in stock right
now" Belford quietly replied.
The imputatiOn that he did not know
what was contained in his stock of
goods angered Jennings. AMI the out
come might have resulted somewhat
seriously had the argument been pur-
sued much longer.
Il want you to read this document"
Bedford said. It's from Washington
and is official"
Jennings read the tobacco analysis
and announced forthwith that he Gid
not believe a word of it 1t took Bel
ford some little time to convince him
that the analysis had been officially
made and must be correct.
What am / going to do with all the
stuff [ have on hand?" Jennings in
Quired.
Judging from the amount Of alfalfa
in it, it ought to make good cattle
feed" Bedford suggested. You'll be
in luck if you amt mobbed by some
of the cowboys when they hear that
you've been selling them alfalfa and
arsenic and other things in the guise
of tobacco"
The first thing that attracted Bel
, fOrds attention that evening when he
| rode I'D to his ranch corral was a
r bunch of his cowboys sitting upon the
board gate, each with rolled cigar
cite in his mouth and the strings of a
tobacco sack hanging out of his hip
lpocket. They were the very picture of
? contentment as they poured the
T wreaths of smoke from their mouths
Bedford rode I'D in front of them and
silently looked them over for a min
ute. Should he break the news tC
them? Would it not be best to lei
them continue in ignorance OF the kind
of stuff they were smoking Then be
thought Of the arsenic and opium, and
decided to tell them about it.
You are a nice set of hayburners 81
he said. by way of a beginning.
The cowboys looked at him in sur
prise.
IT'S a wonder every one Of you. and
me along with you, have not been To-
coed from using arsenic and opium p
he continued.
The cowboys were aroused by this
time They demanded to know what
he meant by his insults.
4 mean that that tobacco which
we've all been smoking is nOscly al
falfa. arsenic and opium, and I've got
the document here to prove it,
MIR. Bedford then read the analysis
of the tobacco from his seat in the
saddle. When he had finished the COW.
boys sOlemnly threw away their cigar
cites and emptied their sacks of to.
bacco upon the ground