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THE WAUPACA REPUBLICAN POST July 22, 1915 THE NEW LAW ON CIGARETTES Sixty Days in Jail For Treating a Friend
to Cigarettes Wisconsin’s new cigarette law went
into effect July 1, and according to its text, furnishes strong punishment for
disobeyers of its sections. One section of the law makes it an
offense for any person, not provided with a $5 special license, to give away or
in any way dispose of cigarettes or cigarette “papers.” The law is striking terror into the
hearts of chronic “spongers,” but is hailed with joy by the victims who hand
out free smokes. It’s a cinch that the
latter won’t arm themselves with a license for the pleasure of giving away
cigarettes. Section 2 of the law reads: “It shall be unlawful for any
person, firm or corporation in any manner, directly or indirectly, upon any
pretense or by any device, to manufacture, sell, exchange, barter, dispose of
or give away or keep for sale, any cigarettes, cigarette papers, or any paper
made or prepared for the purpose of being filled with tobacco, without first
obtaining a license therefore.” Infraction of the law is punishable
by a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $100, for the first offense, and
not more than $200 or sixty days in the county jail for the second offense. Numerous persons in the habit of
giving away cigarettes have called at offices of district attorneys for an
interpretation of the law. They were
filled with consternation at the prospect of spending sixty days in jail should
they share a box of cigarettes with a friend. Licensed to Sell While the law makes the penalty very
severe to give away cigarettes and equally severe to share a package with a
friend, a dealer by paying a license fee of $5.00 may sell under the new
law. City Clerk J. F. Knudsen has
issued licenses as follows: C. Truesdell Waupaca Hocking Bros. Waupaca Geo. P. Drivas Waupaca Habersaat & Co. Waupaca H. Bessinger Waupaca. |