The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-05-19
"A LETTER 10
THOS. A. EDISON
Ses York City.
May 10. 1914

Mr.. Thomas Aiva E6lson.
West Orange. Se~ Jersey.
Dear Sir
Statements relative 10 cigarette.
accredited 20 yourself and Mr.. Hear
FORD. have appeared In the ne~spA-
These statements are 90 ~rroneou.
ana 80 misleading that IN justice 70
me millions OF Intelligent men Who
use Cigarettes Ne are compelled 70 re-
sent your unlustihed attack. Slander
o. the cigarette BY parties OF less
prominence than yourself attract no
attention. certainly from ". Since
your prominence and fame give your
Norus greater weight than the words
OF men ON no Importance there II
imposed upon you a spending re-
sponfibility TO make no statement re-
h~cting on a product-and on the mil
hons OF users OF such product-with-
out Investigation and the certainty
that comes from Investigation.
The form OF your statement n OF a
character that denies Us an opportun-
ny 10 demonstrate its falsify. and to
prove the harmlessness OF our product
IN a court OF proceeding N you see
NJ 10 make statement Of the harmful
enect OF any of our brands. IN such
form that being false Il Il libelous.
We viii be delighted TO institute suit
Tor damages. and will devote the pro-
ceeds 20 some DESIGNATED charity.
The scientific facts are all in favor
change these facts because he person.
ally prefers a pipe or a cigar or \
refte.
Several years ago Il was QUIT. the
fashion 10 attack cigarettes. Lurid
statements OF the evils OF cigarette
smoking were circulated extensively
py wei fntentioned people. by notori-
ETY. seekers and by thrifty Legislators.
Anti-cigarette bills swept through the
Assemblies of several states.
Inc agitation was such that medical
men and other scientists undertook
thorough examinations OF the ciga-
rette. Everything in connection vita
characteristic tobacco, the ingredi-
ents with which Il is treated, the pa
per. even the printing on the paper
were analyzed by the ablest chemists
IN America and Europe Packages OF
all the leading cigarettes were pur-
chased In the open market by refre-
sentatives OF State and municipal
health boards. medical journals and
other Investigators. and analyzed thor
onshIy by public and private chemists.
scores OF such tests were made, in
practically every State in the Union,
IN London. and, I believe, in varicsls
other European cities
Everyone OF these investigations re-
suited In exactly the same set OF find-
HD9O-
iutely pure. that IL contains less nico-
tine than any other form OF tobacco
products; that the combustion OF the
paper Is harmless In its effect on the
human physiology. that fits temperate
use Is In no way Injurious to normal
users.
! am enclosing you herewith ex-
tracts from the London Lancet" a
famous British Medical Journal. which
mas been making examinations OF to-
bacco since 1853. Also. an extract
frcm the Medical Journal OF New
YORK also an extract written by Leo
nard X, Hirshberg. MD. MA. Alb.
JOINS hopkins University, taken from
titled. The Truth About Tobacco" in
which he quOteF DIR. Osler and other
eminent authorities
Pages OF extracts from Medical
Journals could BE- published and more
pages could be filled with the state
ments OF famous physicians and chem
lists. all OF whom testify 10 the same
general effect
As a rule attacks on cigarettes are
so vague and indefinite that Il Is i'm
possible for manufacturers TO bring
the slanderers TO account. However,
some years ago a prominent Chicago
opportunity for action. which he
promptly embraced by suing the news
paper for libel Scientific examina-
tons were then made by the news
paper which might have made them
before publishing its falsehoods-and
the cigarettes were found TO be alb
solutely pure. The newspaper set
tied the libel suit out OF court. and
published a retraction and apology in
It's own columns and in various other
newspapers at its own expense.
Certain custom officials OF Great
Britain made a similar attack, and
the manufacturers Immediately called
the matter TO the attention OF the gov
eminent. The government. in its de-
sire to be fair and unbiased. caused
a complete, scientific examination 10
De made by experts, with the result
that public retraction was author
lied and made by the officials
AS the results OF these various
scientific Investigations and court ac-
lions became known. and as doctors
and thinking men generally came to
study the cigarette carefully. the pref
udice against IL died out even more
quickly than II had arisen.
Aside from the overwhelming weight
OF scientific testimony. common sense
alone VIII convince any reasonable
man that the cigarette Is not inturi-
Gus. That this must be true il proven
by the number and types OF men who
use cigarettes. Unquestionably the
cigarette Is the favorite smoke of doc
tors In every city and large town in
the land. Preachers. lawyers. bankers
business men. laboring men and men
or all classes have deliberately turn
ed from cigar and pipe 10 the cigar
cite. Inasmuch as ten TO twelve
million American men use cirarettes
ana perhaps even a larger percent
age OF educated Europeans. your
chsIge 81 feeble mindedness lies
against an overwhelming proportion
OF the commercial. professional. artis-
TIC, musical and industrial world.
Inc increase of cigarette smoking
IN the United States in recent years
rs significant In 1900 two billion eix
hundred thousand cigarettes were
made in this country. In 1919 fifteen
billion eight hundred million ciTa-
rettes we're made here-an increase
OF 200 per cent. The figures for the
last seven years are a. follows: