Philadelphia Declaration

WHEREAS, the smoking of tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum) including pipe smoking, originated among the indigenous peoples of the Americas, who evidently smoked the fragrant leaf for pleasure and camaraderie, as well as for religious and medical purposes; and

WHEREAS, the early European explorers, having been introduced to the art of smoking by native Americans in the New World, promptly brought tobacco back to the Old World, where pipe smoking quickly caught on in England and on the European Continent, where it continues to be practised by many ardent devotees as a pleasurable and peaceful pastime to this day; and

WHEREAS, pipe smoking also has a long tradition in the United States where it is enjoyed by many enthusiasts who engage in the custom for the pleasure it gives and who come together for companionship in pipe clubs organized in a number of regions and cities across the country, many of whose members are known to each other and often cooperate and support certain activities, such as pipe shows, but which are not currently grouped in any national organization; and

WHEREAS, the International Committee of Pipe Clubs (ICPC) is an international body, established in Europe, which groups the national federations of pipe clubs which exist in many countries throughout the world, and which organizes and sponsors a number of activities and events for the benefit of its member clubs, including, in particular, international pipe smoking competitions; and

WHEREAS, the ICPC has invited the various pipe clubs in the United States to join together to form a national federation of pipe clubs in order to qualify for membership in ICPC, so that American pipe smokers might participate in ICPC activities and be entitled to send official U.S. teams to its international pipe smoking competitions and other events; and

WHEREAS, especially in view of the American origins of pipe smoking, it is self-evident and only natural that pipe smokers in the United States, who already enjoy unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, thanks to another Declaration made here in Philadelphia in 1776, should accept ICPC's kind invitation and take all necessary steps to secure membership in this august body, thus permitting them to take their rightful place in the pipe smoking world;

WE, THEREFORE, THE UNDERSIGNED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AMERICAN PIPE CLUBS LISTED BELOW, ASSEMBLED HERE IN PHILADELPHIA, DO HEREBY PUBLISH, SOLEMNLY DECLARE AND MUTUALLY PLEDGE OUR INTENTION TO FORM A UNITED STATES FEDERATION OF PIPE CLUBS IN COMPLIANCE WITH ICPC RULES AND EXISTING LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, TO BE CALLED THE UNITED PIPE CLUBS OF AMERICA (UPCA), AND TO INVITE AND ENCOURAGE ALL OTHER AMERICAN PIPE CLUBS TO JOIN SAID FEDERATION AND FURTHER TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH ICPC IN THIS WORTHY ENDEAVOR AND TO RESPECT ITS VARIOUS REGULATIONS AND TRADITIONS FOR THE MUTUAL BENEFIT OF ALL DEVOTED PIPE SMOKERS. DONE AT PHILADELPHIA THIS 14TH DAY OF APRIL, IN THE YEAR 2002.  
 

Christopher Morley Pipe Club of Philadelphia
By: /s/ Robert Page

The New York Pipe Club
By: /s/ Vernon E. Vig

The Chesapeake Pipe Club
By: /s/ Bill Maitz

Pocono Inter-Mountain Pipe Enclave (PIPE)
By: /s/ Mike Garr

Capital Area Pipe Smokers CAPS)
By: /s/ William A. Feild, Jr.

Hudson Valley Pipe Club
By: /s/ Robert Denhaltz

WITNESSED AND ACKNOWLEDGED ON BEHALF OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF PIPE CLUBS
By: /s/ Barnabas Suzuki