Supporters of the ordinance said last night that if the ordinance were voted down, it would show that Phillip Morris can influence policy debate in Cambridge.

"If the city of Cambridge, with the national reputation that it has, votes down the ordinance, word will spread across the country, and it will be a great victory for Phillip Morris," said Edward L. Sweda, a supporter of the ordinance.

Sweda and other speakers last night cited public health concerns in support of the ordinance.

One resident noted that Cambridge reported 175 deaths from lung cancer in 1993.

"The issue is health. Tobacco kills and no one in this room can disagree with that," said Cambridge resident Seth Yurdin.

"The health of Cambridge citizens, particularly its youth, is not negotiable and will not be compromised," said attorney Diane Savage.

However, restaurant owners feared that if the restrictions were passed, customers would move to neighboring towns, like Boston and Somerville, because their smoking regulations are more lenient.

"I'm not greedy and I'm not money-hungry, I just trying to have a business," said Robert J. Salines, owner of Pugliese's Bar and Restaurant. Oners have consistently argued that the proposal is unfair to business.

"If the ordinance is passed, my business will be in serious trouble, because my business will go to Somerville," said one owner of a restaurant near the Somerville town line.

And Cambridge restaurateurs are also worried that many of the people whom they employ, including students, will be unemployed should the ordinance be passed.

"This is an economic health issue. If there is no smoking in Cambridge, then customers will go over the water, and what is that going to do to all the people trying to make a living through the hospitality business?" asked Peter Christie, executive vice-president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

If the proposed ordinance or the Chamber of Commerce's compromise is passed next Monday, it would change the current law, which was passed in 1987, and reserves up to 75 percent of a restaurant for smoking.

--Sewell Chan contributed to the reporting of this article.