Daily Gazette & Comet [Baton Rouge , LA], April 3, 1860
It is remarkable how universal is the demand for this product. The official returns show a list of one hundred and twenty-five different articles of export; and out of that number, with the exception of grain, there is not one that is shipped to so many different countries as tobacco. The Government report enumerates seventy-one different foreign markets to which our products are exported. Out of that number, there are only six that do not buy our tobacco, viz: Madeira, the air of which is possibly too pure to be polluted by the fumes of the weed; Egypt, San Domingo, Greece, Bolivia and Equador —most of which places produce their own
The value of the tobacco exported from the United States last year, was nearly five times that of our sea products, fifty per cent more than the products of the forest—not quite three millions of dollars less than the whole export of vegetable food, and rather over an eighth of the value of the cotton crop.
It is clear that the general taste for tobacco smoking is steadily increasing, whether to the public injury or otherwise we leave for those better skilled in the doctrines of narcotics than ourselves to decide. The fact is, that despite of King James’ counterblast, and Urban’s excommunication, and the ever-issuing anti-narcotic fulminations of our modern physicians—the people are most resolvedly intent upon having the weed; and this being the case, our tobacco planters will continue to grow it and prosper.