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Show THAT TOI'( CO HOND.W'H It La becoming more and more evident that there should lie an increase in-crease of agitation against that niarvelously great tobacco habit and tobacco traffic of this country. II has long been conceded that tobacco using is an obnoxious and an injurious injuri-ous practice. Like the liquor habit, reasons and excuses have been sought, for It use. Hut every effort in that direction has met with signal failure until today the habit may 'atslly be regarded as unworthy of even an attempted defense. No doubt the force of habit in the use of tobacco has in many cases become wellnign irresistaoie. Many who are not so bold as to undertake any defense of it have nevertheless become slaves to it and would welcome wel-come any means that might come to the help of their wills and enable them to obtain a long sought conquest con-quest of their insiduous and artful enemy. But there is a duty resting upon the citizenship of our country in seeing that agitation is not only maintained but decidedly increased through which information is disseminated dis-seminated proving conclusively both the harmfulness of the habit and the traffic. The internal revenue from the traffic amounting in 1915 to nearly $80,000,000 is made to appear ap-pear as indispensable that no revenue substitute can be found for it. Especially in times of war or at the prospect of war those millions of internal revenue from the tobacco business wields a commanding influence. in-fluence. And thousands there are too who will undertake no defense of tobacco either when seen in a traffic or in a habit yet are silent when the business busi-ness can be used to lighten taxes or to meet a supposed pressing military necessity. It is apparent that a quickening of the public conscience must come before we can look for any -great strides to this longneeded reform. And may that come soon. |