100 years ago: Stricter enforcement urged for ‘anti-cigarette law’

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 25, 1913:

  • “That a movement may be begun through the Kansas Public Welfare League to have a more rigid enforcement of the anti-cigarette law is the opinion of some of the local members of the league. The matter was discussed at the conference held here Wednesday when members stated that the enforcement of the law was becoming so lax that small boys were able to get cigarette materials. The prevalence of cigarettes in all towns of medium and large size was cited as proof of the laxity of the enforcement of the law. A local member of the league stated that only a few days before he had seen two small boys not over ten years old smoking cigarettes and that they were extremely common among the young men seen on the street.”
  • “The movie man will finish his job in Lawrence tomorrow afternoon. The last roll of film will be exposed tomorrow afternoon on Massachusetts street from 2 to 3 o’clock when a film of busy Massachusetts street will be taken. This will be the closing scene of the motion picture drama which began in Lawrence last week at the F. A. A. General Council. It is the hope of the picture men and the Fraternal Aid that this part of the picture will be a big advertisement for the city of Lawrence. Everyone is urged to be out during the hour and swell the crowd on Massachusetts street. Auto owners are urged to drive their cars, and all other vehicles will be welcome in the busy throng…. The movie man will begin his operations at the south end of the street, near the county court house. He will move south in his auto and continue his work north to the bridge across the Kaw. Both sides of the street will be photographed and the picture should be complete in every detail. It is very necessary that the crowd be out to make it such and Lawrence people are urged to come down and get into the picture tomorrow afternoon.”
  • “One auto load of football fans who motored to the Kansas-Aggie game in Manhattan Saturday played in hard luck. The party consisted of Fred Lindley, who owned the car, Paul Douglas and two University students whose names are not known. The car encountered a ditch on the way to the game and emerged from the combat with a bent front axle and a broken front wheel. Finally when the car had been repaired, hours after the game was over. a rain set in which has kept the unfortunate travelers from returning home.”
  • [Editorial] “Now be easy. The moving pictures are potent for both good and evil but in this town they have done mighty little evil. We have watched this matter carefully for years and fail to find where the effects have been bad. We find that parents indulge the children by allowing them to attend the nickels after school nights and be out late. The pictures are not harmful. Whatever harm is done is chargeable to the indulgent parents. If the children saw the pictures earlier there would be no bad effects…. The moving pictures have come to stay and the only thing to do is to watch that they are kept clean. We think we see big improvement in that respect in five years. There is room for improvement yet, but the pictures are reasonably clean.”