The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-09-27
Presidential Cigarettes.


President Harding smokes cigarettes. He
has smoked them for years, probably having
acquired the habit when he was a good, bad
or indifferent reporter as young man. he
evidently liked cigarettes or he would not
! have continued to smoke them A free and
independent American, he probably never con-
sidered that he should have asked anyone's
permission or approval At any rate, he smok-
ed cigarettes as proprietor OF the Marion Star,
as a United States senator, as a presidential
candidate, and also as occupant OF the white
house and leader of more than l00,OOO,OOO
American people.
Some extreme reformers are going to ask
President Harding to throw away his cigar
cites forever Then they are to ask congress
to conduct an investigation of the influence
OF tobacco on mankind After that nobody
knows what they will do, for they themselves
do not know They probably will begin do
ling the same things over again, for reform
ers usually operate in circles, going round and
round.
The cigarette has been much maligned
Smokers are just beginning to realize that 1t
lis the cleanest method of smoking tobacco.
A cigarette is simply made of tobacco rolled
in thin paper. 1t burns freely, most of the
nicotine being strained through the soft to-
bacco as the smoker draws for an inhalation,
or for the more amateurish puff. Little OF the
nicotine reaches the mouth OF the smoker. 1t
is much more refined, by virtue OF beng
cleaner, than the pipe or the cigar. The cigar
smoker both smokes and chews tobacco at
the same time.
Reformers may not have thought of that,
but it is true, nevertheless, that cigar
smokers outfit to be complete must have both
a cuspidor and an ash tray Cigars also are
made of much stronger tobacco than that
which goes into the most dangerous and in
iqutous cigarettes. A cigar has enough tobac-
co to make a dozen or more cigarettes; It
lasts long time as a smoke, and gets more
opportunity at its victims nerves. The pipe IS
mans best friend and his worst enemy-if
congressional investigation pleases the reform
ers by finding that tobacco is hurtful to man
kind The pipe-if it is any good at al-muSt
become virile with nicotine, be saturated and
caked with it. Then it is just as bad as it can
be-and as good as a pipe possibly can be-
come
Ii nicotine is the dangerous thing the re-
formers believe it to be it does its greatest
damage through pipe stem. 1t only gets
fair start in a cigar, but it fingers in am
bush in the openings of the pipe always ready
to undermine mans constitution, or give him
that comfort that he needs after the hard
davis work and worry. Nicotine also cuts
down a smokers efficiency at work, or helps
him perform the task. 1t can take the place
OF friend or become, as the congressional
investigation might show, his deadly foe, but
man likes my Lady Nicotine" just the same.
The cigarette is not an undignifed smoke.
1t is the diplomatic smoke the world over.
Ambassadors, diplomatists of the highest
rank statesmen, builders of governments and
makers of laws-all these smoke cigarettes.
Why, cigarettes won the war. 1t was not
Belgium that held the Germans at Liege and
Namur till the French got ready, nor the
French who fought with their backs to the
wall at the Marine and saved Paris, nor the
British bulldog that got his teeth on the bat
tie line and would not let go at all, nor Amer
leans who went millions strong over the heldS
of heur de lis to fight the invaders. Instead, the
cigarette won the war by keeping the men
in the trenches, always fighting and laughing
and smoking
President Harding may be the only presi-
dent who smoked cigarettes. He may be the
last, or every president succeeding him may
smoke them Some may roll their own. If
they do or if they do not it seems that 1t is
a piffling thing for reformers to worry about.