The Washington times., 1919-06-08

Will and must &C." said Professor
Frederick w. Roman, head of the
Department of Economics of Syracuse Uni
vsrsity, writer, lecturer and author of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union
book, Nicotine Next"
at is far from being a laughing matter
as notice many of the newspapers seem
to regard it. Instead of joke it is really
q serious economic problem. The only rea-
son that no great headway has been made
so far toward suppressing tea and coffee
is that no satisfactory substitute for either
has yet been found.
"Just as soon as palstable hot drink to
take their place is put on the market, the
days of tea and coffee as a national beVer
age are numbered. Tobacco. tea and coffee
at present are sores on the body social.
But we are improving through education.
Some day we will be so good that we won't
be disfgured by those sores"
Doctor Roman then revealed the very in
teresting information that powerful inter-
ests, commonly known as big Business"
are back of the anti-nicotine campaign
which is being organized throughout the
United States on the heels of the prohibi-
ton crusade. These same interests will,
according to Doctor Roman, at the close Of
the drive to make America tobaccoless,
vigorously attack tea and coffee.
"The fight against tobacco" Professor
Roman continued, will be more easily
won than that against liquor. Big business
concerns have an agreement among them
selves on the tobacco question. Some of
the most powerful and important bankers
in the United States are lending not only
their moral but their financial support to
the. drive to kill nicotine. When this is
accomplished the same financial interests
will attack tea and coffee"
Doctor Roman asserts that the same
reasons why these financial interests sup
ported and backed the campaign for pro-
hibition impel them to make the fight
against tobacco. 1t was the desire, he
declares, to secure greater efficiency among
their employees. These big corporations
which are backing the campaign realize
that the highest degree of efficiency means
better workmanship in the mills and fac
tories and that employees work better who
have not had a drink. The same thing
applies, he asserts, though in smaller de-
gree, to the man who smokes. II ten
thousand employees stop five or ten times
during the day to light pipes or cigarettes,
the loss Of time to the plant counts up.
II these employers can put tobacco be-
yond the reach of the employees it is an
economic advantage.
you can say" stated DR.. Roman, that
many of the biggest corporate interests
in the country are supplying part of the
funds Some of the most powerful and
important bankers in the United States
are lending not only their moral but their
financial assistance and there is no limit
to the extent of the aid we have been
offered.
Until the plan of action has been
definitely formulated feel it would be de-
cidedIy unwise to reveal their names.
can safely say that the big business in
tests are sympathetic, purely from a
standpoint Of the efficiency of labor. This
s a purely economic proposition.
81 can name a number Of large employers,
like Henry Ford in Detroit who are all SUI
acfsntIy interested so that they now are
cross-examining applicants for employment
REGARDING their attitude toward tobacco.
Large employers are beginning to consider
the nicotine user a hazard, moral or fnan-
cial, but hazard"