Advocacy chain letter. National anti-cigarette league.
U. S. Moral Society. Claim: promoted by tobacco companies. US,
1904.
A National League is being formed
for the purpose of starting a crusade against the sale of cigarettes. The
league will canvas the country and every woman is asked to send her name
to be used in a mammoth petition to Congress, seeking for a national law
to prohibit the sale to minors. Send your address to the U. S. Moral Society,
Philadelphia; also write four cards like this to as many lady friends. Please
do no fail to do this or the chain will be broken and the object defeated.
No money is required. Please be prompt.
Published: Alton Evening Telegraph
(Alton, Illinois), March 29, 1904, p. 2. THE CHAIN LETTER FAKE. "Within the
past year many Alton ladies have received a postal card, reading, [text].
The National W. C. T. U. recommends the breaking of all chain letters by
its members - so the local W. C. T. U. have investigated the origin of this
one - through Lucy Page Gastin, the best authority on anti-cigarette. She
says: 'Few people but have heard of the anti-cigarette chain letter. Its
source and its promoters as well as its object, are a mystery. The post office
at Philadelphia is flooded and all cards and letters with no return address
are sent to the dead letter office. Wives of Congressman and prominent club
women have been addressed and on the return of their letters fail to understand
the reason. In the past five years the Philadelphia address and even name
of the society has been changed several times and all have been fictitious.
At first a man in a little back room received the letters, but the room was
vacated and no address given. This is one of many deep laid schemes for which
it is suspected the tobacco trust is responsible, as this mythical society
is specially active when a prohibitory bill is pending in any legislature
and urges minor instead of prohibitory legislation, the latter being greatly
feared by the tobacco trust, they seek to mislead the people as to what is
really needed." "We know the good women of our city will do all they can
for the anti-cigarette cause, but hope they will in the future taboo the
chain letter. SUPT PRESS DEPT. W. C. T. U." Entered by
DWV, July 28, 2014.
ae1904-03-29p1_anti-smoking_fake_q4
The Paper Chain
Letter Archive - contents Chain Letter Evolution