The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-09-07
Our Own Lit
erary Digest

feel1ng IN this country Wnen tne agl-
tation began to deny the soldiers the
use of tobacco; and, of course, the
antidrys seized the occasion to push
forward their contention that from
the prohibition of liquors reformers
would logically proceed to the inter-
diction of any indulgence not strictly
necessary to preserve the health and
bodily vigor of the people.
From the press, the antinicotine ele-
ment got no encouragement at all, at
least we have been unable to find any,
and as if to emphasize its attitude on
the freedom of smoke, many newspa-
pers organized bureaus to raise money
for sending cigars, cigarettes and plug
tobacco to the soldiers.
The front of the protest against to-
bacco it appears has been the Non
smokers Protective League Of Amer
lea, which, through its president, ad-
dressed an open letter to President
Wilson protesting against giving to-
bacco in any form to American SOL
diers and praying that the cultivation
of tobacco be prohibited because the
land should produce food.
On this the Mobile Register re-
marked: eve dare say that Mr.. Pease,
the president aforesaid, thinks that
the country better not be saved if the
saviors are led into the perdition of
tobacco chewing and smoking. He
speaks of even the supplying of tobac-
co as a crime. That is going a con-
siderable distance in a doubtful direc-
ton; for a crime is an infraction of
the law; and we know of no law that
forbids us to give tobacco to SOL
der. Neither is it crime for a SOL
der to use tobacco. Looks like some
people are getting foolish in their
anxiety for the welfare of the race"
But the Nonsmokers' League was
not without support. Individuals and
certain organizations Endorsed the
proposition to keep tobacco out of the
army, and in the Chamberlain bill
that was introduced in Congress there
was a prohibitory clause which was
afterward eliminated. Pertinent to
this the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
said: "The man responsible for the
Joker in the Chamberlain bill, pro-
hibiting the sale or even the posses
sion Of tobacco at any army post or
other place where army and navy men
were assembled, had no purpose in his
mind to encourage recruiting, what
ever other purpose he had in view;
and the Montgomery Advertiser in like
manner expressed its views: "There is
a clause in the Chamberlain conscrip-
ton bill prohibiting the use of cigar
cites by the conscript. Of all out
rageous proposals Of twelve months
this stands pre-eminent as the most
reprehensible and senseless."
The rejection of the antitobacco
clause in the Chamberlain bill did not
end the controversy and arguments are
still going on about fostering the evil
of nicotine. Says the Houston Post:
"An Indiana reformer wants to de-
prive the soldiers of tobacco. AS we
have often remarked, the great trou-
BILE about the repormer is, he is over
loaded with good intentions and under
supplied with common sense" In the
Toledo Blade we find: "There is a
movement on foot to abolish plug to-
bacco. Going to try to torpedo the
worlds greatest navy; and the Chi
cago News adds, ain the proposal to
take away the soldiers tobacco, behold
the inspired chucklehead"; following
this with the remark, eff our soldiers
and sailors feel the need of relaxing
in wild dissipation they may chew
gum"
The Philadelphia Inquirer seeks to
point out that "those women who OBJ
ject to sending cigarettes to the boys
in France would deny our sons over
there the comforts their fathers have
at home" B. L. T., the column writ
er of the Chicago Tribune, reveals an
other phase of the matter. He says,
"When one has chatted with gen.
tleman unafraid who lost both legs in
the gentle art of bombing German
dugout, one is likely to be impatient
with the earnest persons who wish to
deprive the soldier of his cigarette"
The Kansas City Star tells of "an
Eastern college professor who urges
that the 100000 acres now devoted to
the tobacco industry be planted in
grain" and comemnts: "It is assumed
that this professor does not smoke.
If he did, he might suggest some dis
position of the remaining 400,000,000
acres of American soil which does not
produce anything as useful as tobac-
CO." On this point we quote the
Louisville Courier Journal: "The Cour-
ier-Journal does not know how much
land which would produce large guam
titles of food is planted to tobacco.
The prohibitionists have not been max
ing figures on that acreage. It is, at
any rate, large. Very probably the
prohibitionists are not as inconsistent
as they seem. They may get around
to tobacco in time. 1t is matter of
record that some of them have said
they would tackle Lady Nicotine af-
ter having walloped John Barleycorn.
Everything in its time and turn"
nr,T Tnrnrrc EnTrnD DAVC