The Washington times., 1919-02-02

M accomplished. But the earnest,
= energetic and powerful forces
which have fought and won this great
fight are not to be demobilized and dis
persed. Another great national battle has
been proposed: Shall tobacco be pro-
hibited along with alcoholic drinks?
The first public announcement of the
new campaign was made many months ago
by Mrs. Matte M. Sleeth, State Lecturer
of the Women's Christian Temperance
Union of Oregon. The plan then under
consideration was to take advantage Of
the stringent Federal law against the sale
of opium and all narcotic drugs"
Facts were collected and medical opin-
ion secured which classified nicotine in
tobacco as a narcotic poison and, there
fore, properly belonging in the category
of narcotics as covered by the Federal law.
The intention was to proceed against
tobacco dealers and carry the case to the
United States Supreme Court with the
hope of getting a decision from this high
est tribunal, which would at one sweep
close all the tobacco stores and put an end
to the sale Of cigars, cigarettes, pipe to-
bacco and chewing tobacco.
But it was decided by the leaders of the
prohibition movement that it would be a
mistake to fight two battles at the same
time. The plan to fight tobacco under the
Federal narcotic law was suspended until
nationwide prohibition should be an ac-
complished fact
Another official Of the Women'sNChris-
tian Temperance Union, Mrs. Ella A.
Poole, the National Vice-President, re-
Gently declared that the fight against
tobacco would now be taken up. She said:
%The fight against the cigarette will be
harder because many women as well as
men indulge in cigarettes"
And the Young Mems Christian Associa-
tion has already begun the preliminary
steps for a campaign of education against
smoking.
Senator Sheppard, Of Texas, who has
pushed the national prohibition legislation
in Congress, said the other day that "the
adoption of the prohibition amendment
marks the advent of a new day. 1t is the
first step in the new process Of legislation
for human welfare"
Rev. Billy Sunday has fought for pro-
hibition all over the country. and he claims
that his work in the doubtful States"
turned the scale and, therefore, the credit
for nationwide prohibition largely belongs
to him. But Mr.. Sunday has also for years
kept up a fire on tobacco, tho not with his
liquor fight is won, his big guns will be
available to turn on tobacco.
Already from time to time some anti
tobacco legislation has been enacted in
various States. Smokers, like men who
take drink, are not organized, and pres
sure from the insistent organizations gets
attention II the average man who likes
his glass of beer had been organized to
oppose prohibition, it is realized that there
would have been difficulties in many
States. If smokers organized against the
anti-tobacco campaign the fight would be
a hard one.
While the arguments against tobacco
are not as strong as they are against
liquor, still, they are much the same in
character Liquor does nobody any good;
neither does tobacco. The human labor
involved in the liquor industry serves
no useful purpose, and the same is true of
the tobacco industry. Certain definite in
furious effects to the human mind and
body are traceable to the use Of liquor.
Certain definite physical and mental and
nervous injuries TO mind and body, it is
claimed, can be traced to the immoderate
use of tobacco.
It is pointed out that very much the
same line Of argument could be urged
against the candy and soda-water industry
sweets are a poison TO many and pro-
duce acidosis which is often fatal
II is argued with great plausibility that
If the people OF the United States can be
educated 10 Danish alcoholic liquor, the
same arguments and campaign should lead
to a constitutional amendment forbidding
the sale or use Of tobacco in the United
States.
In fact, il is pointed out by many that
il will be easier TO Danish tobacco than IL
has been to win the fight for prohibition.
The prOhibitionists have had TO meet the
hostility of the business interests, who
protested that hundreds Of millions of
invested capital and hundreds of thou