The mirror., 1914-07-23
BUSINESS IS NOW
REAL REFORMER
The Insistance Of Business In
terests That Employees Must
be Temperate and Morally
Clean, is Purifying Society.

Mems weaknesses like men them
selves, seem sometimes to have the
most to fear in the homes of their
friends.
One of a mans weaknesses for in
stance is to show too great a tenden-
cy to train on alcohol for his heavy
work. New England is not much
OF drinking section. Yet it was
not New England but the South
that crumbled up on the liquor pro-
gramme. And now it is the West
that is out lawing the cirgarette.
Eight states speaking through the
Legislatures and their Governors
have said the cigarette must go. In
some cities they are even arresting
smokers on the streets.
These facts mean something.
Primarily they mean that the best
reformer is not reformer. Busi-
ness does infinitely more. The South
heard John B. Cough and thous-
and others, but with little interest.
But the South listened to business.
Business requires efficiency. 1t can
not get along without efficiency.
Competition cannot succeed where
there is not efficiency.
The man who hasn't efficiency in
his organization will lose his busi-
ness to one who has. And alcohol
does not make for efficiency.
When competition became fierce
enough the South found this out.
That settled it. Drinking did not
pay. Sobriety did pay. This seems
like pretty pulseless sort of NOR
ality and high mindedness. Maybe
it is. But it works where the real
thing didn't work. And the effect
upon the individual who prevented
it from drinking is precisely as it
would have been if noble ideal had
Whitfield the plug for the Jug. He
works better, he feels better, he is
better.
Same With Cigarettes
So it is with cigarettes. The West
has long dotted on them. The cow
boy got them from the Mexicans,
and thought they were good. He
passed the word along to the other
fellow. The other fellow got the
habit. Soon everybody had yellow
fingers.
Then the reformer came along.
He saw the truth. Cigarettes hurt
health. Therefore the cigarette
must 60. He organized league to
make it 60. He gave the word for
1t to go. But it didn't go. On the
contrary those who were in the bus
mess of making cigarettes perfected
their machinery and enlarged their
plants. And the plants year by
year became too small. The habit
had struck.
But business had not been heard
from. Pretty soon business was
heard from. Not emphatically-
mildly. A few firms began to dis
criminate against cigarette smokers.
Railroads in particular objected.
Men who hit the cigarette couldn't
hit the job. They were not efficient.
They could not be trusted. Maybe
they would take the message to No.
2, telling her to go on the side-track
and wait for No. 8, to pass, and
maybe they wouldn't. 1t was all
gamble.
The lines kept tightening. Busi-
ness didn't preach-it practiced. 1t
didn't say, For the sake of your
immortal soul cut out the smoke"
1t said, If you smoke. skidoo-no
job for you." And man requiring
food, raiment, and an occasional out
ing will listen to the voice of his
job when his soul seems to have
difficulty in getting in worry be-
tween the puffs.
Eventually the voice of the COM
munity became law. That's the way
with law. After the wise ones have
thought about thing until it be-
comes an old story with them, the
mediocre may come along and ham,
mer it into statute.
The first cigarette hammering that
was done in the United States oc-
Cured in Wisconsin and Indiana
years ago. Wisconsin and Indiana
didn't need anti-cigarette laws nearly
so much as did some other states,
but they got them and the others
didn't. That's another queer phrase
of the law. The ones who need a
thing the most are never those who
lead the howl that makes the thing
come.
Cigarettes are doing hundred
+;,,oao 90 youoh harm on tho aaat aido