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Show ANTITOBACCO WAR. Hr. Clarence True Wilson of Portland, Port-land, Ore, secretary of the national temperance board of the Methodist , Kpiscopal church, with headquarters at Washington, is quoted to the effect I hat tho time has arrived for a deter- , mined war ou tobacco. Indeed, indications indi-cations are that tho issue is becoming ; sharply drawn and that the offense against My Lady Nicotine will soon bo launched in cari)?st, with her friends . rallying in numbers and strength. Tho National Tobacco League of America has opened headquarters with- : in a mile or so of Dr. Wilson's temperance temper-ance board offices in the nation's capital. cap-ital. , The smoldering fires of the anti-, anti-, tobacco movement burst into flames through the following statement credited cred-ited to Dr. Wilson in an address before be-fore the convention of the Church of the Disciples of Christ in Cincinnati:. Tile hoard of temperance will set forth appalling facts from tho battle front on ihls matter, how younp men trained at irreut expense by the government had to be led out of the fighting ranks to have -iKarettes stuffed Into their mouths before be-fore they could stand up and hold a gun. The attempt to call tills shaking "shell : shock" is amusing to everyone who knows. To this tho Defender, the organ of tho newly organized National Tobacco League of America, replies that Dr. Wilson's chargo is "as cruel a libel as ever traduced the honor and courage of an American soldier. Analyze Dr. Wilson's, statement carefully and the true meaning of his accusation is inescapable. in-escapable. He deliberately pictures the American boy as a slacker, faking shell shook in order to leave the firing line for a smoke.'' The Defender further quotes from an Associated Press dispatch from Cincinnati Cin-cinnati this language attributed to t'r. Wilson. '-The White House band sold out to the tobacco trust." Dr. Wilson was referring to the distribution distribu-tion of cigarettes among the American forces. Commenting on this remark, the tobacco league organ saws it amounts to charging President Wilson and his cabinet with, corruption. In an open letter to Bishop W. F. McDowell, chairman of the board of temperance of the Methodist Episco- ' pal church, several prominent men who i are members of the new tobacco league, as well as leading churchmen, calf attention at-tention to Dr. Wilson's statement in this fashiou: The men wmo formed ti,e National To- i 'acco league are God-fearing anci God- 1 respecting people. They believe in the' rhurch as they believe in ne Savior. J Their quarrel is never with the church! I but it :s with those members of it who I prefer fanaticism to the Christianity that respects the truth as Jesus taught it. Various dispatches and news items pointed tend to indicate that the strug-gVj strug-gVj is already on at least, in its preliminary pre-liminary stage. Dr. Wilson's declaration declara-tion of war upon tobacco ha? been r',:!'j v.'',.-,! bv an riunounci-inenT bv the J W. C. T. !'. that a fund 01 1 V-'! 'u i is being rai-:- d t. I'tyht t.,!,a:.:y. The ; president of tin: W. r. T. t'. is giv.;a , as autiiui.tv for t : s s' ar ,-!un ' . Mi,r- r -: c ii t nt''jr-l;at;'( cuie .-in aig Hie anMt',ba'eo movement is contained in the f'oiiov. i:ig exem pt I'ruin a d:s-pateh d:s-pateh under .evv Vork dale: "Tee 1'resbv-re-.n reoreh wnh l.J'ej.eel eo.'eir 'mi' half j,j:!;ed a U'.'eiv ill the nirit i ei.e!:r.-.l to ibe !Je-v. I.r. Char Heailo.'i. general aeere;ary of the board of lemle-ran' e ar:l n.oiai welfare of t'e-'resbv-rei ia n eher h, ;vbl red.-,erj io ;i;e e i-itor i-itor of tee To'jaceo WorM. Taking these isolated seraph of news as higiis, it becomes evi.U-nt that the antitobacconists are girded for war and that the protobacconists are taking steps to meet the shock of battle. |