Yes, the Americans smoke, snuff, and chew one hundred and fifty million dollars in tobacco annually. The Chinamen consume $38,294,200 worth of opium in a year. The Russians stuff and glut over an unmerciful amount of lard and candles in a year; and the Frenchmen disgust the rest of mankind by eating all the frogs they can catch. Then there are the cannibals of the South Seas—they love tender babies to eat, but not an old tobacco-soaked sailor will they masticate.
Tobacco kills lice, bugs, fops, small boys, and other vermin.
Tobacco fees doctors, and fills hospitals.
Tobacco fills insane asylums and jails.
Tobacco fills pauper houses and graveyards.
Tobacco makes drunkards.
Tobacco and rum go hand and hand; they are one, inseparable; they are twins, yea, Siamese twins, the Chang and Eng of all villanies. I never saw a drunkard who did not first use tobacco. Did you?
John H. Hawkins, the father of Washingtonians, said he never was able to find a drunkard who had not first used tobacco.
Too low a Figure.
Since writing the above I have been variously informed that my figures are too low. The national revenue derived from tobacco in the States for the year ending June, 1871, was $31,350,707.