The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-05-11 00:00:00

SOCIETY FOR REPRESSING DRUNKEN-

NESS IN PARIS.

At the instance of the leading members of the
French medical profession, and with the concurrence
of the AcadOnaie Ile riledecine, a society has recently
been founded in Paris with the object of repressing
drunkenness which is shown to be steadily on the in.
crease. It is hoped that similar societies may
be formed in the provinces, and that the Assem-
bly may be induced to put additional taxes upon
the sale of intoxicating liquors, and to give the
police greater powers than they now possess
for punishing any infraction of the present laws
In reference to the liquor traffic. Whatever difference
of opinion there may be as to the means by ehich this
end is sought to be obtained, there can be none as to
the prevalence of the evil itself, as proved by the
statistics collected by the society. The annual con-.
gumption of alcohol was 530,000 hectolitres in 1820; it
stood at 050,000 in 1850, and is now more than a
million. There is a cabaret to every 102 inhabitants,
and more cabarets than there are schools. Accidental
deaths resulting from drunkenness, which averaged 331
a few years ago, are now estimated at 587. Crimes
having their origin in the same cause have increased in
like proportion, while madness is shown to have also
made as rapid eta-idea during the eIIIMO ntervaL

PUBLICANS AND PEEits.—Thank goodoess we
have a, House of Lords, mine Host! Eh? Isn't the
Licensing Bill a Landlord's question ?—Punch,

mast and secured in the best possible ma..acr fcr a stated he could not withdraw from the case, as he was in
jury mast ;two boat's oars clinched together for a yard a position to recall certain witnesses and other person as
and bent to a piece of canvas, set a sail leg of mutton i to that. The jury retired, and on their return the fore-
The Observer discusses in a very judicious spirit one point fashion, with which we experienced a succession of ' man said, "I am desire.' to express that the,,jusi gmento
about the Alabama difficulty which Is growing Into great heavy storms from all directions. Saw several steam j the jury was based on the entire evidence. Upon that
importance. The writer says and sailing ships, some passing quite near, but none to ' statement his brother Ballantine advised the Claimant to
" There is some danger of our losing eight of the rescue us from our dreadful misery. submit to a nonsuit. The plaintiff now proposed
t4u
Vy
real object the negotiations which resulted in the "The wreck rolled and tossed about in this condition (teed to try the same question with regard to the D.,g
Treaty of Washington had in view. This object was until the 21st of January. At four p.m. on that day, estates. This, according to the practice of the Courts,
,
not to conclude a treat7--not even to bring the matters while in lat. 42 N., long. 53 Wc, descried a sail bearing he could not do without paying the costs of the
in dispute between England and America before a W. by S , which proved to be the steamship Duress, of former proceedings. His Lordship here referred to
court of arbitration ; but to remove all causes of EiverpoUl, from Savannah, hound for Liverpool, John
Tidits Practice, ed. 1828, p. 1,232 to 6 T.R. 741
offence between the two countries, and especially A. Bailey, commander. To the cook of,that vessel is and to 12 Q. 8., 311, as laying d;own that rule of
, ;
to relieve us from the apprehension that in the event due our deepest gratitude; were it not for him the 1
of our being involved in a continental war, Cr in wreck would have been passed unobserved. Just as practice He had come to the cons lusion that this
iipplicatiin could not be resisted on the ground of sur,
domestic troubles, we should find the United States that good chip reached the angle of passing, he re- pri,e. The oily question was whether the Court
giving aid and encouragement to our enemies at home Ported an object abaft the hi-em. Captain bailey, should not allow the order to stand over for a t nie, lie
or abroad. With the view of removing the ill-feeling making it out to be a wreck with a signal of thought the right course would be that the time for
which existed towards us amidst the American people distress flying, at "tire bore down. and after a biief proceeding to trial should be extended to six mouths.
on account of alleged Cr real offences, committed conversation a boat was launched, commanded If the money could not be found in six months, it
during the Southern insurrection, we agreed to express by the chief officer, Mr. Roderoy, who at great probably would not be found at all. On those terms
regret for sins of omission if not of cmcium,s;,,,, , to Personal danger rescued the perishing group of four, I lay thought the rule ought to be made absolute, that the
acknowledge our liability in respect of certain rules of namely—James Brady, mate; Patrick Farrel, able Clipmant proceed to trial and pay the costs in 6 months.
International Law, not recognised at the time the mis- ' seaman; John Car j
rol, boy, and myse f, and conveyed The other learned Judges gave separate udgmtuts to
doings imputed to us were committe.) ; and to refer ;us to the Darien, where we were received with the the same effect.
our conduct to an independent tribunal. : grentest kindness by the humane owner (Nlr. J. F. The case occupied the whole day.
" Whether the treaty was a wise one or not, or I Mau.sergh, of this port, who was on board) and cs en;
whether, even if it had been su icescfully csirried out, i mender, our wants promptly attended to, and safely
it would have guaranteed us agid.cat offences and an- i conveyed to Liverpool. The kindness received by the
noyances on the part of America in the event of our I remnant of the crew and myself while on board the
being laid open to attack by the exigencies of war, are I Darieu ran never be forgotten. The survivors of the
points on which we need not enter. This much, how. I Java will ever remember the Darien, her owners, corn-
ever, is clear, that the essential condition to the euecess : mender, officers, and crew with feelings of the deepest
of any project for restoring amity by arbitration con. ' gratitude, and with earnest prayer for their future
sists in its character and circumstances being such as to welfare."
satisfy the American people. In the United States
even more than in England the
.policy of the Govern- THE GOVERNMENT LICENSING BILL.
ment is dictated by popular opinion ; and it the p mo-
lar opinion of Arnenca should hold, however unjust'. ,v
that this country is guilty of grave offence towards the On Tuesday afternoon deputations from the National
Republic, for which we have made no adequate atonic. Association for amending the Liquor Traffic Laws,
ment, the laws of neuteality—supisaing England to be the National Temperance League, and the Band of
involved in war—will infallibly be infringed by Hope Union waited upon Lord Kimberley, ht. the
American Alabama; with or without the connivance Colonial Office, to propose amendments in the Govern.
of the authorities- 1 meat Licensing Bill. Among those present were the
,
'lt follows, therefore, that if the Geneva con- Archbishop of York Ai chhishop Manning, Mr. .J. W. .pea.,,,,, Ml'., Air. W. Morrison, M.P. &c.
ferenees are to result in a really valuable settlement, 1 Sir Robert Anstruther, Ml'., introduced the depu-
it can only be by their sward satisfying the demands . tations, who, he said, wished to amend the Govern-
of public opinion in the United Stale& Is this likely nt Bill as follows to prove the case, supposing the arrangement now
contemplated should be ultimately carried into action'
1! lle lit Mai of lieenc ‘s to population : 2 itatepa ers to be
;
, aesociated' with Justices as the licensing majority ; 3,
That is the question; and we confess as yet we have : Greater limitation of hours of sale ; 4, rawer to licensing
not obtained any satisfactory answer. . . . In uego- , authority, with consent of ratepayers, to close houses during
ciations with America we are dealing not with a court, the whole of Sundays.
or a party, but with a nation. For good or for bad, Archbishop Manning suggested that it would be ad.
we have to treat with a people, not with a Ministry vieable in this measure to introduce amendments for
whose tenure of offiee is limited. Let it be understood the purpose of giving the ratepayers a joint voice with
clearly across the Atlantic that the withdrawal of the the magiatrates in the granting of licences, and he
indirect claims, not by a diplomatic device but by a showed in various ways that the ratepayers were having
distinct national understanding, is an essentiafcondition , to pay the costs of the crime and pauperism of the
to the execution of the treaty ; and then we may °Dull- coountry, which was owing to intemperance; and, that
dently hope that the good sense, fair dealing, and practi- being so, they ought to have a voice in deciding upon
cal wisdom of the American people will approve their the number of houses they would have in their ins.
withdrawal. But, whatever may be the result, any mediate neighbourhood, for they were the best judges
final arrangement between the Governments of the of their wants and requirements.
two countries is useless, if not worse than useless' on- Other speakers having addressed his lordship, Lord
less it is clearly understood, sanctioned, and ratified by Kimberley, in reply, saicl he did not see any possibility
the judgment of the American nation, of sasociating the ratepayers with the magistrates, but
he was glad to see that they were willing to support
--- the Government in their endeavour to carry out the
restrictive principle of the bill. He assured them that
the Government required all the force that they could
muster to carry out the provisions of the bill as it
stood. The deputation attached much importance to
rusoi iatirg the ratepayers 51ith the magistrates, but he
asked why those same ratepayers did not send men to
Parliament who represented their views on this ques-
tion if they were in a majority.
The Archbishop of York said that was not a fair way
of putting the issue, for members of Parliament were
elected for various
_purposes, and in many districts
other matters than the liquor traffic would be of para-
mount importance to guiding the electors in their choice
of representatives.
The deputation then withdrew.