The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-07-29
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

the United States have seen the light.
They are going to give the trade sc
cigar, What it will look and taste like
is not yet known, but there will be
plenty of the brands of the best manu-
facturers to sell for a nickle. Cigar
leaf men will welcome the news. The
cigarette is already marching into the
ranks Of cigar smokers because there
has been no five-centers, and the de-
mand for for 25 cents has grown so
loud that the manufacturers have final
ly heard it and given notice that the
public may have its wish.
G. J.. Johnson, head of cigar job
bing firm in Grand Rapids, Mich, has
readable letter in the u. S. Tobacco
Journal. The letter is dated July IL,
1921. In this letter he is drawing a
comparison between the causes of the
downfall of the American saloon and
the habit of smoking. When he says:
why do we have prohibition? Some
think it was the work of the Puritan
reformer, but say unto you that the
brewery and liquor distillers did more
to cause prohibition than all the tenn
perance advocates combined. The brew
cry and liquor distillers would pick up
Tom, Dick and Harry and put him in
the saloon business, and the cheap sa-
loonkeeper would take the last nickle
out of a mans pay envelope and send
L. - L. e. Cos
ily." he has undoubtedly hit the bulls
eye; but when he holds up the incon-
siderate smoker and tobacco industry
as dead parallel, he is admitting too
much 1t is not fair to the cigar store
and the smoker to be classed with the
saloon and the tipsy topper. Even the
w. G. T. U. recognizes this difference,
and has stated officially that it is MAX
ing no effort towards making the use
of toDacco crime in the eyes of the
law. A movement to keep children and
young people away from tobacco, cof-
fee, tea and other luxuries which are
not meant for non adults, should have
the support of all sensible people.
| Smokers should be conSiderate of the
tastes of non smokers, and avoid Civ
| ing offense, just as women should be
considerate of others in the matter of
cosmetics and costume. There are Of
fenses on both sides, and it behooves
all who live in glass houses not to be
too free with the throwing of stones;
but the cigar vender is not saloon
keeper, and the smoker is not drunk
en- sot, no matter how lacking they
| may be in the courtesies they owe their
fellows. The coffee inn and the tobacco
store are more nearly parallel in the
nature OF their wares; both may make
| themselves nuisance, but even as
| nuisance they do not partake of the
elements and characteristics of the
| liquor traffic as that was known in this
country. Mr.. Johnson's warning is
| we'll worthy of serious consideration,
and the style of his letter is most ex-
cellent; but his premises admit of too
wide conclusions. Tobacco even as a
| nuisance is not in the same class as
| liquor as nuisance, and does not call
| for the same sort of remedies. To ad-
| NIT this is to lend strength to the ar
gument of those who would like to add
| tobacco prohibition amendment to the
| American constitution.
| ***
L
| The u. S. Tobacco Journal in an ed
| itorial headed ''The Corner Turned"
intones the following optimistic chant:
THAT we have turned the corner of
| the present depression in business is
| the opinion expressed by Herbert
Hoover, Secretary of Commerce, in an
| address delivered in Boston recently
before trade convention. Mr.. Hoover
| is in position to note and accurately
| appraise the various trends and inhu-
ences that are being felt in the busi-
ness world, and his broad experience
| with world wide commercial and finan-
cial affairs qualities him to speak with
authority. While Mr.. Hoover made no
reference to the tobacco industry in his
| address,, it is not exceeding the bounds
| of propriety for this industry to take
hope from his words. The prosperity
! of the tobacco trade depends in pecu-
liar degree upon the general prosperity
| of the country, and in fact, of the en-
| tire world. While Mr.. Hoover would
probably be the last man to promote
| an undue degree of enthusiasm and in
| fact he made it plain that months must
/ elapse before normal state of trade
could be expected-it seems to this
| paper that the practical certainty that
we have been scraping the bottom in
the matter of business activity and
prices should have its effect in deter
mining the method and spirit in which
business houses in this industry attack
their problems and prepare for the
future. They should prepare for good
business, not for poor business. The
psychological element counts for much
| in these affairs" And it ends by say
ing: '1t is to be hoped that the up
turn of business does not catch the
trade spraddled out, taking its ease,
and in no condition to seize the advan-
[ onoE and 0pporfr1n;fioc offoroI a man