Evening journal., 1911-08-29
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Profits That Killed a
Crusade
BY Holland.

Yesterday l told of the prediction
now gloriously fulflled-made by DR..
George B. Lorlng. the country's last
Commissioner Of Agriculture in 1888,
TO the effect that the then unopened
Dakota prairies and the still more re-
mote Canadian northwest would one
day become two Of the great VIII eat
granaries OF the world.
At the time DR. Loring made his pre-
diction, I asked him if, in his visits 10
the northwest. he had discovered any
land suitable TO the culture of tobacco.
! had heard that some farmers of the
then remote west were contemplating
cultivating tobacco suitable for SNUFF
upon lands adjacent TO one of the great
river valleys
II don't think much tobacco will be
raised in the northwest" DR.. Loring
replied. still there may be discovered
some kind Of soil especially adapted to
certain kinds of tobacco. Wheat will BE-
far more profitable than tobacco will
1T is curious" Dr. Loring continued
how agricultural or commercial con-
ditions will sometimes change mems
views Did you ever hear of George
Trask?"
! replied that / had a faint recollec-
ton of having heard once Of a temper
ance advocate of that name. DR.. Lor-
ing laughed
TITS the same man. Trask was not
only as prominent as a temperance adj
vocate as Neal Dow or John Cough
was, but ! think, he was the first man
to begin a national agitation against
the use of tobacco. If you had heard
Trask speak you would have been con-
vinced that the use of tobacco was al
most as great a sin as the uss of liquor
or opium. He had all kinds of medical
testimony to show that tobacco users
were on the road to perdition.
There was no part of the country
where Trask's anti-tobacco crusade
took firmsr hold than in the valley of
the Connecticut River, say from Hart
ford as far north as Brattleboro. VI
Young people pledged themselves not
to use tobacco Just as they pledged
themselves TO taste not, touch not. or
handle not strong drink The tobacco
user in that valley was looked upon as
a grievous sinner. If public opinion all
over the United States had been as
strong against tobacco as it was in
the Connecticut valley the tobacco
trade would have become extinct
well, one day there came into the
valley an agricultural chemist think
he was in the employ OF. the Govern
ment-to visit friends who lived, if /
remember correctly, in the town OF
Suffeld, Conn, just south OF the Mas
sachusetts line. He took great inter est
in the agricultural products of the
vicinity and fell into the habit Of
studying and analysing the soil He
made some experiments with the soil
OF various farms Of suffeld, and then
he told the farmers that the soil was
very rich In qualities which would
luxuriantly produce certain kinds Of
tobacco. One or two farmers who had
not been affected by the anti-tobacco
campaign, ventured to try the expert
ment They raised wonderful crops OF
tobacco and il was discovered that Il
was especially suitable for the wrap
pers Of cigars.
The next year still other farmers
/ took up the raising of the pernicioUl
weed. and in thu course of few YEAR,
! the whole Connecticut valley was be
coming, comparatively speaking, on
I vi Aht Nlthi ANHa'NN NlNANAIAk ''iA
ters OF the world. And with the dis
covary Of the profit there was in grow
ing and harvesting tobacco in the Con
necticut valley there came a change
of sentiment respecting its use. No
longer did Trask's anti-tobacco cru
sades avail Tha organizations die
out; children no longer pledged them
selves not TO use tobacco; and users o
the weed were no longer pointed out 4
men OF sin. And have observed NOR
school houses and high schools, NOR
libraries, in the Connecticut vale
since it's farmers took TO tobacco rails
ing than were to be found there befor
this weed yielded them a good Twin
and enabled them to have a surplus i
the bank
Copyright. 1911, by n. j. Edwards. A
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards viii tell q
"When William G.. Whitney Truste
Nobody"